I’ll never eat a Hershey Kiss or chocolate bar the same way as I did before!
Milton Hershey changed the way we eat chocolate!
When Gary said we were going to Hershey, Pennsylvania, I had no idea what a treat (no pun intended) it would be. We learned so much about the history of chocolate, who Mr. Hershey was, and how he built a town around his factories.
Milton was the only surviving child of “Fanny” Gravely and Henry Hershey. From his Mennonite mother, Milton got his hard work ethic, and from his father who was a dreamer and unsuccessful entrepreneur he got his ideas.
He quit school around the age 14 and began working for a candy maker learning the business. With $150 borrowed from his aunt, Milton went into candy making himself. He failed.
Joining his father in Denver, Milton began working for another confectioner. Not making chocolate, but caramels. He found out adding fresh milk could be used to make it delicious!
Hershey returned to New York and Chicago to try again—and failed two more times. He returned home to Lancaster to try again—-and this time met success.
He became interested in chocolate making and started the Hershey chocolate company. While the Swiss were making chocolate candies, he wanted to invent a new formula to make mass produced milk chocolate and overcome the problem of mixing oil
and milk with the cocoa to make it smooth.
He believed in his dream. He sold his caramel company for an amazing one million dollars and put everything into building a huge chocolate candy making factory in Derry Church. 1905—big changes!
Hershey wanted to build an ideal community around his factories for his workers. He built schools, churches, places to play sports, and a trolley for his workers to get to the factory. He even built houses costing around $1,000 or $1,200 at that time and sold them to his employees at cost. He and his wife founded an orphanage and school for boys and then one for girls.,Working into his 80’s he continued to make philanthropic changes to the world around him.
During one of the building endeavors, Mr. Hershey is said to have gone to a work site and the excited foreman showed him a new dirt moving machine they were using, “It does the work of 40 men,” he said., This was the depression., Hershey said, “Sell the machine and hire 40 men.” (Information from “www.biography.com,” tours, and displays at Hershey Center)
Milton Hershey’s father had told him, “Always be looking for the next best thing”
It worked for Mr. Hershey!
Are you looking for the “next best thing” spiritually?
The Bible tells us in Matthew 13:44-46 that being in the Kingdom of God is the eternal best thing!
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then I his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”
The best thing! When you find Jesus Christ and understand who He is, what He did for you and all mankind, you know in your spirit that you have found your heart’s desire!
Invest all you have, all you are, and all you will be in your relationship with Christ Jesus!
He is always the best thing!
