OCR Text |
Show i getting On in the world, or 1 ip$ to Success for Noting men j Ii : ' Paronts Often to Blnints i j "The hiRh prlzo of life. I lie crowning '( fortune of a man. in to bo liorn with it bias j to sonic pursuit -which finds him In cm- 'j ploymcnt nntl happiness." Emornon. I sr UP. Imppiiioap. our usefulness, ovtr i II succcaa in llfc' flci5"11 in)0" our I HJP discovering- our bent an early as ij possible and setting into our i Jj;lit l I pliVCO. ' Half the Ills of the world come from I people being out of place, lrylB to do I that for which they were not intended. To the youth whose talent for genius J.s eo marked that-he can hardly mak y, mistake In choosing, the' question of .a career presents no difficulties, but un-( un-( fortunately mont of us In our youth show no strong" indication of what wo ' can do best. Still, even those who have aio special beat, ns a rule, possess certain cer-tain traits and tendencies which, care-i care-i ..i... ..wi...i -..in nuvist them In iindlng their right place In the world. The time will come when there will be institutions for determining the natural bent of the boy and the girl where men of .large experience will study the natu-Tal natu-Tal inclination of the youth and help 3iim to find where his greatest strength ies and how to use it to the best ad- vantage. 1 In Misfit Positions. j Tt is most unfortunate that the great J majority stumble Into their vocations hy accident, rather than na the result . of a careful analysis of their capabili- ties. The boy looks for a Job without much thought uh to whether he is espe- daily lltted for it or not, or whether it i will bring into play his strong qualities 1 j j-nther than his weak ones. The result js that we find men everywhere frying xo do that which nature never fitted them for. getting their living by their y -weakness rather than by their strength. I simply becauso they do not get into their right places. But een taking it for ') granted that Kometimes we eventually our right place In life the discovery Sy often made rf late that great success ; is practically Impossible. It If? there- ' fore of the utmost importance that pa- , renta and teacher should help the boy an( the girl to rtnd their predominant ' talent, the line of their ftrcngth. as early in life us possible, for an early B choice shortens the way. mWM I Can anvthing be more important to the youth than beginning life in the ( right direction, where even small efforts i -will count for more thnn the greatest 1 i effort and drudgeiT in the wrong direc- j Misled by Parents. i Ignorant and Injudicious parents are n responsible for the failure of a greut M many vouthu who are wrecked by a H'M -wrong choice. Because a father, a grandfather and a great grandfather have followed a certain business- does I I 3iot imply that the youth should pursue ' the same vocation, if he 1b not pecu- H Jlarly lltted for It. It is a dangerous thing for a parent to try to intluence the child too much in Hf favor of following his profession or Hj businc-M. because young peoj)le are eas- ilv lnnuenccd even against their natu-' natu-' i-al bent. We have known of pitiable ( jnatanee.'i where loving and obedient sons, who did not wish to pain (heir H father, have taken up his business, for 1 rwhich they were totally unfitted, and Hl1 3'uincd their whole future. For example, a carpenter or a bulldc-r often tells his young son that he hopes Qie will follow his tntde. The boy may j 3iot have the slightest bent in that di- rcctlon; in feet, it may be the lai;l thing on earth that he could do to advantage, nnd yet the thought of having .i chest of tools of his own. and the pleasure ' -which comes from making things, such a toys, may after a while have theii jnfluer.ee and make him think )erhaps , It would be a mighty nice thing to be a f carpenter, a builder or perhaps a large 1 contractor. The boy may have llter- H' ary ability or an artist's in&iiuctff, or h.e H, jray be a natural mercharil. ard yet - these uaiiy inlluences in iha formative ; j.erlod may be sufficient to settl-a ln , rrhole fnuire in a mistaken career. Hl, The wrlttr a ambition when a boy wus Hj J 1o become n barber, for he had to work' out in the cold and snow in the winter I t hopping wood. Whenever Jio pawxd a j l)r.rber-shop he always envied tho man J -ulio could ail in a warm yliop .'ill day. He thought it would be a line; ihing to handle a razor, to be able to cut hair Hj jieaUy, to shampoo, etc. The least cn- H J coumgemeut would have settled him as f 'a barber, when he didn't have the slight- i r-sL aptitude for it. Parents and teach-. cm cannot be loo careful about trying ii jLo influence the boy or girl regarding 'I si career or even suggesting any par- licular trade- or occupation a? especially desirable, because the young mind In JtB plastic state is so easily inHuenccd. Great in Spite of Parents. , The boy Arkwright was compelled to j Tbeeame a barber's apprentice because i 3iIh parents were totally ignorant of his j ability In another direction, but nature 3iad locked up In his brain a wonderful device destined to bless humanity nnd do the drudgery of million? of England's poor. Ho he was obliged to nay "hands off" even to his parents Schiller was H Kvnt to study surgery in a military school In Stuttgart, but secretly pro-duced pro-duced his great play, "The Robbers." To Jiiir. the military scl.ot,' -:n like a prls-f prls-f on. lie longed for the-ijfe of an author HL ind he ventured into the inhospitable H' -world of lutter.'i becau.se his bent fpoko Hl loudly in his blood that he could not Hr aefusc- to follow It. Ole Bull'p father tried to smother his boy's genius for Hh .music by severe punishment because l 3ie happened to' want hfm 'to'bocom'e a 1; minister. Dr. Handel would have 1 quenched the aspirations of his eon to H an a If- him a lawyer. ' "Why do iwrents continue to wreck H ' the c.-u-cers of their sons and daughters H I because of their preconceived Ideas of H ' what their children should do The pa- rent has no right to ask. "What do I wish my child to do?" He should ask, r.ither, "What: is my child best-fitted H I jor?" "What indications has nature H Riven in his mental or physical make- H VP as to the career he should follow?" H Many of the saddc&t tragedies In hu- H man life have come from parents i compelling their children to go con- H trary to nature's bidding. Thomao Hi Bdwards was a horn naturalist, and he H anight have been even greater than Hi Agassis had not the ignorance and 1 stupidity of both his parents and teach- H trs crippled and dwarfed his llfc. H Though condemned to a cobbler's kvxik to maVo living h auocSft in CHOICE OF A CAREER 5 f5j By Dr. Orison Swott Mardon. 5 i collecting nnd clnwlfylng an incredible number of zoological spc-clmcoiR. Manhood the Great Thing. You should ehoope that work which will call out all your powers and develop de-velop your manhood with the greatest strength and symmetry. Not money, not' notoriety, not fame even, but power is what you want. Manhood is greater than wealth, grander thnn fame; character Is gveator than any career. The world does not. demand that you be 'a statesman, a doctor, a merchant, or'a scientist;' it does not dictate what' you should do. but it does demand that j'ou be a master In whatever you un--dertake. If you' arc a master in vour line the world will .applaud and all doors will fly -open to you. but It condemns con-demns all botches' nnd -failures. ' ' Before you enter Into any particular calling ask yourself thene questions Has nature qualltlcd me-especially for such a rareer? Car. I persoere to tho i) 0 ) Questions to Ask Beforo Choosing i g Occupation. h u G end In spito of hard work, discouragement discourage-ment and dlfllculih'H In preparing myself my-self to fulllll adequately the dutlos of ihls iKisltlon? Have you a faculty for buying nnd selling, or do you Incline to the tranquil life of the country? Are you happy op the farm? Do you delight In experimenting, by mixing brains with tho Foil, studying the' chemistry of mother earth? Do you like to c-xnmlnp mechanics' tools and to draw? Do you like to tolve problems prob-lems in arlthniHtic or to memorize famous poems and speeches? Do you like to impart' lor others what you have learned by rending and studying, nnd nr.e you successful in doing so? These are only a few of the hundreds of quostlon you may afk yourself In trrylug to determine what nature intended in-tended you for. j Choose Ennobling- Career. j If you have dicided upon your vocation, voca-tion, study the c-hurnete.r of the people jou know In It. Dofs the occupation I elevate thane who follow It? Does It broaden them? Is it a vocation In which you nr.) likely to grow, which will make you a larger and truer man, or does it tend to dwarf and cramp and demoralize the people connected with it? Do not think you will be the- great exception to tho rulo and that you can enter a questionable vocation without with-out becoming a victim to it. In spite of all your determination it will seize you as In a vise and will stamp lis indelible in-delible inipreralon upon you. Positively refupe to go into an occu-pnllon occu-pnllon which will dwarf your manhood, man-hood, cramp your Intellect or blunt your finer sensibilities. One- of the pnddest tilings in the world Is to soo n. young mnn. strong, health)', vigorous vigor-ous and well educated, prostituting in a questionable vocation the great powers pow-ers and forces which God has given hltn. "True dignity, pleasure and peuco," says a writer, "are utterly impossible im-possible to him who voluntarily abuses himself and others by doing work that lends to poison human enjoyment and to destroy th welfare nnd UHcfulneas of his fellow men. Whatever Is harmful harm-ful and corrupting Is to be nhunned as a deadly plague." Whatever you undertake in llfo, it in certain that you will nevor do your best will never be able to use your strength, until you find your right place. Like a locomotive, you will be strong on the track, but weak everywhere every-where olso. "Like a boat on the river," snyn Emerson, "every boy runs against obstructions on every side but one, nr.d on that side every obstacle is taken away and he sweeps serenely over an Infinite channel Into a deepening deepen-ing sea." Know Yourself Physically. It Is of the greatest importance that you should be fitted for your vocation physically. Success and the highest efficiency ef-ficiency in any vocation depend on a Hound mind and a healthy body. It is of the utmost importance that you study your physical make-up and ten-donelcK ten-donelcK as well as your mental qualities and Inclinations. A boy. for example, may be well qualified mentally nnd by natural inclination for the medical profession, pro-fession, but may be unfit for It by lack of physical endurance or some, other physical defect. Tho physician should I be strong nnd robust, for the strain of irregular hours and night work, cspe- ' clallv In the country, would wreck a , delicate constitution In a short time. A girl might ht efipi-clally adapted both mentally and by training Tor the olilco of teacher, and yet because of a nervous, excitable temperament be do- barred from a position In which pn-llence pn-llence and self-control ore absolutely essential. Persons with delicate lungs should not go Into callings In which they are compelled to Inhalu the dust of Iron or pteel. They should not work under conditions con-ditions which Irritate the lungs. A man who Is extremely nervous or irritable should not engage In an occupation which will tend to aggravate that weakness. weak-ness. It would be a sin to put himself In a position where the rasping and tearing-down process would be likely to wreck his nervous system. Harmony Increases life force, but dincard impairs It. A discordant condition tends not only to shorten life, but to Impair cfil-clencv. cfil-clencv. Whatever you do, be sure to get into harmony with your work and keep out of discordant environments If vou have defective sight you should be "careful about entering occupations such as engraving, bookkeeping, proofreading, proof-reading, dressmaking or any work that , T requires close and com y.t,Us? of the eyes. Many young follcrftflo would be well and happy on a farm or In some active position have ruined health and happiness behind a counter In the city or In some sedentary position ngalnst which nature has entered her cverlaat-I cverlaat-I ing protest. Thousands of persons have been obliged to drag weak and feeble bodies through life, In constant suffering or misery, because they engaged in occupations occu-pations which aggravated their natural phvsicnl weaknesses or defects, which mlpht have- been entirely remedied had they chosen vocations for which they I were by nature fitted. I OKI. SON SWKET MAKDBN. Founder and liditor "Success" Maga-i Maga-i zine; author of "Pushing to the i Front." "Wfilm? in the World, or Architects of Fate," "Winning Out,' Etc. |