A Biography of Ezra Thompson Clark

Ezra Clark, page 048

48 EZRA THOMPSON CLARK Clark might lend him the money but that he would never sign a note, and he never did. When pressed for a loan for speculative purposes, Ezra Clark was often reminded by his solicitor that he could easily secure the money and that his credit was good. "Yes," was the reply, "and I intend to keep it good." Still he encouraged those who made a real effort to improve their condition and often loaned money, especially to young men who wanted to go to school away from home. These were people in whom he had confi- dence and he did not always require a note from them. To illustrate his helpfulness to others in the town, an elderly man said that when a boy, there was never a time when he could not get from one to five hundred dollars from "Uncle Ezra," as he was often called. This man made several business ventures which would have been impossi- ble without the money. The day the note was due the money was returned and his credit was good for another loan. This same man later became a financial success and credited Ezra Clark for his early business training. He says, "Ezra T. Clark was a man of sound judgment and a great benefactor to the people of his time." His ideal of making "Two blades of grass grow where there was but one," was carried over in all his activities. While he was determined to grow and increase his pos- sessions and to make the most of every opportunity, with this ambition was the desire to serve others. This was illus- trated when one of his rooms was occupied by a dentist who had been filling and pulling teeth for the people of the town. He was about to leave. "What am I to do when you are gone and people come here with the toothache?" asked Ezra. "Help them out of the difficulty by drawing the bad