Joseph Pulitzer grew so influential in the field of journalism that they named their prizes after him. (It’s a big deal to win the Pulitzer Prize.) Things did not start out so well for Pulitzer. He fought in the Civil War and returned to his home in New York City after the war. As a Jew with an immigrant’s German accent, he struggled to maintain steady work. Staying for a short time in French’s Hotel, he was kicked out because his “tattered union [army] uniform offended its upscale clientele.”* (In the late 1800s, Pulitzer built the most remarkable structure in New York City for his newspaper, tearing down the French Hotel to construct it on their old lot.)

Homeless, Joseph slept on park benches until he moved to St. Louis to take a job performing menial labor in St. Louis. Next, Joseph got work as a reporter for a German-American newspaper and found he had a talent for reporting. As he earned money, Pulitzer invested it wisely. Over time, he accumulated enough capital to buy the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Following that, he became exceedingly successful, buying various newspapers, including The New York World, which sold more newspapers than anyone else.

After Pulitzer became one of the most well-known men in America, a famous architect toured New York City with his wife. One destination was the glorious structure that housed The New York World. The architect presented his spouse to Pulitzer, who said, “Madam, I have had the pleasure of meeting you before.”

“That seems impossible,” she replied. “Certainly, had that been my good fortune, I could not have forgotten it.”

It so happened that she and her husband had hosted a party on one cold, snowy night at her mansion many years before. While the guests regaled in the warmth of their fine house, the footman fought the cold outside. Then the doors opened, and the matron, immaculately dressed, appeared with numerous servants behind her. They brought the outdoor workers piping hot coffee. She then instructed that the outdoor laborers continue to receive hot coffee all night.

“Madam,” Pulitzer told her, “You were that lady. I was one of the coachmen.”

An act of kindness never forgotten.

Act with kindness. The lowly one you help today may be a giant tomorrow.

*For more on Joseph Pulitzer, see Bad News: How the Woke Media is Undermining Democracy by Batya Ungar-Sargon, pages 19-39.