ii!i,t;i',i.!.r:-.t;ii. HOW-TO GET ^ AND m KEEP A JOB BY-NATHANIEL C.FO¥LER,Ji: Hate QlDllege of Agriculture At Qfpcnell MniuecBttH 3ljtl|ata, 8J. 1. Htbrarg Cornell University Library HF 5383.F8 How to get and keep a Ob... 3 1924 013 992 064 Cornell University Library The original of tliis book is in tlie Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924013992064 How to Get and Keep a Job How to apply for a position How to write a letter of application How to write a situation-wanted advertisement How to answer a help-wanted advertisement How to appear before the employer How to hold a position . How to obtain promotion How to get your salary raised What to do when out of work How to use your friends How to prepare for a life of trade, business, or profession ^ By Nathaniel C. Fowler, Jr. Jluthor of ••Starting m Life, " " "Che Soy : Hoto to Help Him Succeed. ' " Qumption, " etc. NEW YORK MOFFAT, YARD AND COMPANY 1917 Copyright, 1907, By Nathaniel C. Fowler, Jit. All rights reserved. Third printing, May, 1917 To my friend tedward W. Pope, this book is dedicated mmsB in ta % loafif r on % iork. Prefatory Fortunate conditions permitted me to come into the closest contact with thousands of men of trade, business, and profession. As I was with them, not of them, I had opportunity to learn of them without prejudice. In the practice of my business-profession, I employed many assistants, and have been co-respon- sible for the engagement of thousands of men and women, representative of every calling. The much I know of what otiiers know, combined with the little I know, is the basis of this volume. I have endeavored to tell the truth, to make my pages but type and ink mirrors of real life and conditions, — to paint no pictures, but rather, to present true copies of living facts, which, I hope, will assist the boy who is ready for work, and the man who has not properly planted the seed of his earthly harvest. N. C. F. Contents What to Do 15 Some introductory remarks intended to assist you in decid- ing questions of vital consequence. How best to go into business. How to weigh your capacity. How to discover what you are good for. How to use yourself to the best advantage. The finding of yourself. Trade, Business, or Profession ... 27 It must be one of the three. Which shall it beP Practical advice and inside facts concerning these great classes of vocations. What each offers, and does not offer, the ambitious boy or man. The advantages and disadvantages of each class placed side by side in the full light of comprehensive truth. Advertising in the Newspapers for a Position 38 The value of the "want" and "classified" columns of the newspapers to position-seekers. The boy or man who advertises for a job presents evidence of enterprise and energy. The em- ployer is looking for the one who is on the lookout for him, and who is endeavoring to reach him. How to use the news- papers when in want of a position or job of any kind, or when you desire to better yourself. How to Write a "Situation Wanted" Advertisement 47 The conventional advertisement, and why it may not be profit- able. The advertisement which properly presents the applicant. Illustrated with many forms of effective and ineffective ' ' situation wanted" advertisements, each with an explanatory note. Applying by Mail for a Position ... 64 How to write a letter of application. How to answer an advertisement. Illustrated with many forms of good and bad letters of application, each accompanied with a complete explana- tory note. Applying in Person for a Position . . 91 You, as a seeker for a position, are a commodity, and you should present yourself, and sell yourself, as a successful salesman sells material goods. How to meet your employer. What to do, and what to say. Points on personal appearance. Holding a Position 104 It has been said that it is harder to keep a position than to get one. Some inside facts of serious moment to you, the em- ployee. How to make yourself more valuabl*. How to get your salary raised. How to better secure the permanency of your position. To Those Who Have Lost Their Posi- tions 117 Advice and suggestions to those who have lost their posi- tions, either through their own fault or that of conditions. How to overcome the handicap of discharge or loss of position from any cause. How to obtain another position. Getting a Better Position 127 The advisability and danger of giving up a permanent posi- tion for what seems to be a better one. Sensible advice and suggestions based upon the solid fact of experience. Choosing Friends 135 The selecting and keeping of friends. The profitable exchange of friendship. A chapter of vital consequence. Using Your Friends 143 What friends are good for. A friend is a commercial asset and can be legitimately utilized. How he may be used as an aid in obtaining a position, or in bettering your condition. Working for Yourself or for Others . 150 Is it better to be in business for yourself or to work for others P When it is safer to stay where you are, and when you may go into business for yourself without undue risk. These two pertinent and important questions fairly and sensibly discussed, with the advan- tages and disadvantages of each broadly presented. At Home or Away 167 A fair and unbiased discussion based upon fact and experience. The advisability and inadvisability of entering business at home or away from home. What conditions suggest the safety of a change of business base? The Causes of Failure 179 This chapter is based upon statistics and other facts person- ally obtained by the author, and should do much to warn boys and men against the pitfalls which seem to be in everybody's way. How to avoid the dangers which follow every calling. Persistency 189 The essentiality of having it, and of using it, if you would attain any degree of worth-while achievement. Ability vs. Opportunity 194 Two great assets, both necessary to the winning of any kind of success. A careful and sensible analysis, with advice and sug- gestions of great value to every one who works for a living. What to Do Evenings .202 How to employ your leisure time. How to make your even- ings profitable and enjoyable. Some sensible hints and suggestions of benefit to the worker in any calling. Business Schools 211 Their importance to the preparation for business. What they should teach. How to select the commercial college best suited to your advancement. Needed Education 216 Preparation for trade, business, or profession. What kind of school education best fits you for u profitable future. A fair and unbiased presentation of educational facts, which should ma- terially assist you to better prepare yourself for your life's work. Getting Married 225 Some unconventional advice upon this vital subject. When should a man marry and when should he not marry. The mar- riage that contributes to the economy and profit of business. The business as well as home-value of a good wife. Many practical points on wife-selecting and home-making. The cost and risk of matrimony. How to test yourself. Some ways by which you may determine whether or not the woman you have chosen will con- tribute to the profitable rounding out of your life. A most prac- tical chapter, based upon conditions as they exist. Health 238 Health is Nature's intention and a business-making asset. Without health you cannot do your best work. Not a medical discussion couched in technical terms and scientific phrases, but written in plain English, so as to be intelligible to everybody, — an everyday talk to boys and men about themselves, which should materially assist them in obtaining good health and keeping it. Employment Agencies 252 How they may be used to advantage. How to avoid the illegitimate and fraudulent agency, which is maintained by the receipt of registration fees, and not by obtaining positions for those who apply to it. Inside facts about every class of employ- ment agency, or other institution, which assists the employee in obtaining a position or which claims to do what it makes little or no effort to accomplish. Index Ability vs. Opportunity 194 Advertising 38 Advertising in the Newspapers for a Position 38 Agencies, Employment 252 Applying by Mail for a Position .... 64 Applying in Person for a Position .... 91 At Home or Away 167 Better Positions 127 Business, Profession, or Trade 27 Business Schools 211 Causes of Failure ........ 179 Choosing Friends 135 Commercial Colleges 211 Education . . . .- 216 Employment Agencies 252 Evenings, What to Do 202 Failure, Causes of 179 Friends, Choosing 135 Friends, Using Your 143 Getting a Better Position 127 Getting Married 225 Health 238 Holding a Position 104 How to Write a "Situation Wanted" Adver- tisement 47 In Business for Yourself or Working for Others 150 Intelligence Offices . . .... 252 Living at Home or Away 167 Lost Positions 117 Mail Applications 64 Marrying 225 Needed Education 216 Newspapers, Advertising in 38 Opportunity vs. Ability . . . . . . . 194 Out of a Position 117 Persistency 189 Personal Application for a Position ... 91 Position, Advertising in the Newspapers for a 38 Position, Applying by Mail for a . . . . 64 Position, Applying in Person for a ... 91 Position, Holding a 104 Preparatory Education 216 Profession, Business, or Trade 27 Schools, Business 211 Schools, Commercial 211 " Situation Wanted " Advertisements ... 47 Starting in Business 15 To Those Who Have Lost Their Positions . 117 Trade, Business, or Profession 27 Using Your Friends ........ 143 " Want " Advertisements, How to Write . . 47 What to Do 15 What to Do Evenings 202 Working at Home or Away ..... 167 Working for Yourself or for Others . . 150 Writing a "Situation Wanted" Advertisement 47 nut at vaoxK taatk ns ijarii to grt urork as ^nu tuork uiljPtt at mnrk. What to Do YOUNG man, let me meet you face to face. Here's my hand, and with it a willingness and a gladness to cooperate with you, that I may assist you, if I be able to do so, to your betterment. Let us get together, close together. If I cannot do you any good, I promise you that I shall do you no harm. You are on the threshold of life, — the life of business, of livelihood earning. You are through with the schoolroom part of your school, but not through the school of life. There is no graduation from this universal institution, which began with the beginning and which has no ending. You have but graduated from what the world calls school, and you are to take up the action of your life, whether you are or are not prepared to do so. Heretofore you have had little care for your material or financial future. Your parents, or somebody else, with the assistance of your town, have taken care of you, and have given you your allotted part of the common or high school education. You have been fed and dressed, and kept out of the cold and the wet. You have been directed, and have had little to do with the method of direc- tion. The duty of your past was to take unto your- 16 HOW TO GET A JOB self the technical knowledge presented to you by your teacher, and to behave as becomes a decent boy or young man. You are now to take the most important step of your life, — to come out of your school and home ; yes, even out of yourself, — to enter the great world of commercial competition and financial struggle. You are going to begin to look out for yourself, — physically, mentally, and financially, — to lay the foundation for the building of a home like the one you have occupied, or a better one. You are becom- ing a man, and you must assume man's estate. Responsibility is yours. You must either carry it or fall beneath it. You will be taken care of no longer. The time has come when you must be master of yourself, — to win or to fail. The one great question which confronts you is, " What am I going to do ? " You must do something, and to do that some- thing you will have to enter some trade, business, or profession. In a subsequent chapter, entitled " Trade, Business, or Profession," I attempt to pre- sent some facts which may assist you in choosing the best special road to follow continuously; but whether it be a trade, a business, or a profession, it must be one of them. It cannot be all three of them. The road you start to follow is, all things being: equal, the way for you to continue upon. True, the professional man leaves occasionally his ranks to join those of business, and succeeds sometimes. A few business men may have forsaken trading and have won out in a profession ; but the great majority of successes are those who choose at the start the best WHAT TO DO 17 road for them to follow, seldom diverging from the path of their choice, and never unless forced to do so by unavoidable conditions. The taking of the wrong road, and the constant change from one avenue to another, are the causes of 90 per cent of our business and professional failures. The boy or man who begins right, however small may be his degree of attainment, is more likely to reach the flush of possible result than is he who tur^ns from one thing to another, without apparent or real reason for doing so. The few exceptions which have occurred go more to prove the reliability of the rule than to discredit its next-to-infallibility. While, upon general principles, what you want is what you would succeed the best in ; not what you want to do, but what you can do, is what you should do. When what you can do is what you want to do, success is reasonably certain. When what you can do, and do, is not what you want to do, the flush of result may not be yours, but complete failure is not likely to follow your efforts. When you try to do what yOu want to do, but not what you can do, failure is swift and certain; yet what you want to do, although it may be worthless in itself, is second in importance only to what you can do. While desire is a supreme factor in success- making, you can perform profitably a disagreeable duty; but I doubt if you can meet the full flush of success unless what you can do is in harmony with what you want to do. Perhaps you have a love for music, and for some reason may earnestly desire to become a violinist, a 18 HOW TO GET A JOB I • pianist, or a vocalist. Now it may be that you do not possess the suggestion of true musical talent. You may learn to play the piano or violin, and you may cultivate your voice; but unless you have an inborn musical ability, you cannot, even under the most favorable circumstances and with the most careful training, be more than a mediocre player or singer. While the majority of boys, like the majority of men, possess few distinctive characteristics and show few indications of unusual capacity, the boy or man does not live who can do two things equally well. The ordinary boy or man may succeed both as a storekeeper and as a plumber, but it is certain that he is either better fitted to keep a store than he is to the plumbing trade, or else he will make a better plumber than a storekeeper. It is by no means improbable that you may desire to become a lawyer, for instance, because some of your friends have entered the law or are about to. Your choice, then, may be a reflected one and not a true one. It is possible you have chosen the law because you did not feel inclined to go in any other direction. This is not a valid, a sensible, or a safe reason. Let me say here, and say it most emphatically, that you should assure yourself of the permanency of your inclination and choice, and to do so it is necessary for you to be reasonably certain that what you think you want to do is what you can do, and that it is not a mere passing fancy. Otherwise, you may take the leap which has no rebound. WHAT TO DO 19 After you have thoroughly tested your inclination and have proven that your choice is based upon reason, it is then time for you to discover whether or not you are actually fitted to follow the line of your desire. It is necessary for you to make the . strictest self-examination, and it should be most thor- ough. It is not safe for you to trust yourself alone. You should consult with your friends, and particu- larly with those who have discriminating judgment. Talk with them, tell them all about yourself, ask them to advise you, and impress upon them that you welcome the utmost freedom and frankness. Few of us seek advice in the proper spirit. Among the hundreds of boys and young men who have come to me for advice, not more than two per cent of them have really wanted it. They came to me that I might confirm their own opinions. When you ask for advice, what you want is a return based upon the opinion, judgment, or knowl- edge of the person to whom you have applied. You should not court a confirmation of your own opinion unless it is the honest judgment of your adviser. Therefore, impress upon your friend that you want his opinion, that you demand his opinion, whether or not it coincides with' yours; in fact, when asking for advice, it is well to give the person to whom you apply no insight into what you think or want. He should be left in an unprejudiced and unbiased state. In asking advice it is well for you to receive all kinds of it, — the specific and the general. Specific advice is often biased. General advice is sometimes too far removed from conditions to be of any partic- ular service. The combination of the two is valuable. 20 HOW TO GET A JOB Let me make myself plain : By general advice, I mean advice based upon general prindples. For instance, any good business or professional man can advise you generally along any direction. This advice, m itself, may be worth very little, but, in combination with specific advice, it may have strong intrinsic value. By specific advice I refer to advice received from one who has experienced conditions. For instance, the dry-goods merchant can give you specific advice con- cerning his vocation. You should learn all you can about the calling which you propose to follow. You should not re- ceive this information by hearsay entirely, but should come into direct contact with It. If you think you want to enter the clothing -busi- ness, get alongside of this trade. Visit the clothing stores, both wholesale and retail. Talk with clothing proprietors and salesmen. Get Into the atmosphere of the trade. Begin to feel you are a part of it before you definitely decide to enter it. When you have tested yourself and have proven that your inclination Is based upon reason, if your opinion is backed by your friends and others compe- tent to judge and advise you, then you may safely enter the vocation which you have selected, expecting to obtain all the success your capacity is capable of giving you. If you cannot convince others besides yourself and your immediate family that you are fitted to go this way or that way, then the chances are that you are unadapted to the calling chosen. If the majority of opinion is against you, it is your duty to return unto yourself, to choose again, WHAT TO DO 21 and to repeat the processes of self-examination and investigation. I After you have become reasonably certain of the way you should follow, you should not run off the road of your choice, unless you receive unmistakable proof that what at the start you had every reason to believe was right has been shown to be the oppo- site by experience and conditions. But in the major- ity of cases an intelligent study into conditions and into your capacity or ability will start you in the right direction, and there Is not often an excuse for leaving the road upon which you began. I have somethiil'g to say here, something which I consider of vital consequence, which may be op- posed to the flow of the popular current. You, as a boy or young man, have been taught to obey your parents, and into you has been instilled the impression that your parent's views are not far from infallible. I know that I am on delicate ground, and I do not wish to be misunderstood. The parent is, or should be, thfe boy's best friend, and often his advice is the safest counsel of all. But In this book I ^m attempt- ing to give facts, and only facts, to tell the truth as the truth is, whether or not I offend custom and conventionality. The parent Is but a man. He cannot be more, and he should not be less. The ,fact that he h^s a son may not make him more competent, or In any way any better, than he would have been had he remained sonless. • That which we call sentiment, and which I feel Is often but varnish deep, has mag- nified parental rights and has allowed the parent to assume what he has often no excuse for undertaking. 22 HOW TO GET A JOB In my experience I have found that the love of the parent for the child is often offset by a personal bias or prejudice. While the majority of parents desire to give their sons the best of advice, and while many of them make great sacrifices, it is extremely difficult indeed for a man, whether he be a parent or not, to forget himself entirely and to be removed from the bias and prejudice of self-opinion. Because he wants the boy to go in a certain direction, because it will hurt his pride if the boy does not do so, he often attempts to bring an unfair influence upon the boy and to start him in the wrong way. This self-gratification and stubbornness on the part of the parent are responsible for many of the failures which are daily recorded. What the parent wants Is of no consequence, unless it be In harmony with the boy's capacity. The parent commits a crime against the boy and against civilization when he attempts to push him according to his, the parent's, will, and against the grain of the boy's ability. No boy can be forced Into doing anything more than Indifferently well. To force him, to coerce him, to drive him against his capacity, is simply Impris- oning the boy and making him work in a lock-step manner. Many a mother In Ignorance, but never In Chris- tianity, forces her boy into the ministry when he is unfitted to become a clergyman, and If he takes up that holy profession, he will injure himself, the Church, and the community. It is not her Chris- tianity nor her love of God that makes this mistake. It is her ignorance, her conceit, her self-will, or her WHAT TO DO 23 desire to have a minister in the family. True Chris- tianity takes little thought of itself, but considers the welfare of others. I do not question the genuineness of the belief of many a Christian mother, which has resulted in her boy entering the ministry; but if he is unfitted for that calling, her irresponsibility, although it may free her from personal blame, is no less an error in its result. Many a father who despises the professions, with or without reason, drives his boy into business, when his boy has not a single suggestion of business capac- ity; and this boy, adapted to the ministry, to the law, to medicine, or to some other profession, spends his life behind the counter, when he might have been a self-filling lamp foi' the enlightenment of the world. Therefore, It is well for you, whether you be a boy or a young man, not to allow yourself to be unduly influenced by any one person, whether that be your father, your mother, your friend, or anybody else. No one man Or woman, by himself or herself alone. Is competent to make t:he decision. It is your duty to discover what you are good for, and to use your own judgment and the judgment, advice, and help of every one competent to help and advise you. The majority of this advice furnishes evidence of correctness, the minority is likely to lead you In the wrong direction. But it has been said that the boy who has the ability to enter some particular calling will take up that vocation, come what may. This claim is based upon the old adage, that "Water finds its level." 24 HOW TO GET A JOB As a matter of fact, water will not find its level if its flow is stopped. To prove this is simple. Pour water into a bent pipe, and it will find its level; but plug up the pipe halfway down, and the water will be confined. Theoretically, the boy may meet the success due him; but practically, the reverse is the case sometimes. ' Many a boy of enornious capacity has been switched off the line of his choice and ability and h^s entered, through force of circumstances, a calling for which he has neither love nor proficiency. Occurrences of this kind are by no means rare. We see them everywhere, and the result is pitiful to look upon., If all your tendencies are in one direction, the chances are you will succeed better by choosing that calling than by taking up anything else; but remem- ber, that your inclinations alone, however strong they may be, are not to be depended upon, and that what you may sincerely believe to be true may not be the truth. Something is needed beyond inclination and choice, and that something is ability. Without it you cannot make more than an indifferent success in any direction. Fortunately, inclination and ability frequently go together. When you are ready for work, get at it, and don't delay. Write out a list of the things you would like to do, putting that which you want to do the most at the head, and your second desire next, and so on. Take your greatest desire first and consider it from every possible standpoint. You may discover that what you thought you wanted to do is not borne out in fact. WHAT TO DO 25 There should be no halfway business about it. Unless you are reasonably certain that you can do a particular thing, you had better drop it altogether. If there are about as many evidences that you have not the ability as there are evidences that you have it, you would be wiser to pass on to the next calling on the list and to give to that the same investigation and consideration that you gave to the first. It may be that you have no noticeable inclination for any particular vocation, although, if you are an average boy or man, it is quite likely that you may be able to determine with some degree of accuracy whether or not it is best for you to choose a trade, a business, or a profession. It may be difficult for you to go further and to determine what class of trade, business, or profession best coincides ^^ith your capacity. I would advise you, then, to consider only some standard trade or business, some trade which is all trade, or some business which is all business, and which bears no flavor of a profession. Under these conditions you should not take up a specialty. If it be a trade, choose one in which there is a per- manent demand for its workers. If business, select one which is purely business, which consists of the making, buying, or selling of common commodities. To meet a fair degree of success in general trade or business one does not need to be necessarily a specialist, or to possess any pronounced ability in any one direction, save that of being a good mechanic, if a trade is selected, and of ability to buy or sell, or do both, if a business is chosen. All special lines of trade and business, and all of the professions, belong to those who have a dis- tinct bent in their direction. 26 HOW TO GET A JOB The majority of men, who are not in trade or in the ptofessions, are business men, possessing the capacity to buy or to sell, or to do both. If you have no choice, it makes comparatively little difference whether you go into the dry-goods, the clothing, the hardware, the grocery, or any other standard business. When you have decided, learn your trade or busi- ness, and stick to it. While delay is to be discouraged, I would advise you to wait several weeks, or months, if necessary, before choosing your vocation, rather than to take- the first thing which presents itself, unkss it be of advantage. It is better to wait a considerable time, and make the right choice, than to plunge in without preparation or without a proper weighing of values.- But don't loaf. If you wait, keep busy while you wait. Make work of waiting. Don't be over- particular. An easy position does not exist. Success depends upon hard work. There are no so-called "snaps" in business. Still, one need not jump at the first opening, unless it appeals to him or he is obliged to take it. Fortunate, indeed, is he who wants to do what he can do. In the harmony of want and can is the probability of the highest result. Trade, Business, or Profession THERE are four primary, distinct, and sepa- rate classes of livelihood-makers: First, the lower class, which comprises the common workman or laborer, one who uses his hands and muscles more than his brain, and who does his work wholly under the direction of another. He has the minimum of ambition, seldom reads anything, anfi commercially is little more than a part of a great machine. It is hardly worth while to give him con- sideration in a book like this, which is devoted to ambitious boys and men, — to those who propose to make something of themselves and to rise above brainless activity. In the second class are included workers at a trade, like miners, carpenters, plumbers, and those who use both their hands and their brains, although most of them are under the direction of a boss or manager. The labor of the trade-worker is but par- tially mechanical, for his part of it requires the exer- cise of the intellectual faculties. It Is self-directed labor, — the kind which can be trusted and depended upon. This class of worker is In the line of promo- tion, and he may rise to become a foreman, a super- intendent, a manager, or even a proprietor of large interests. 28 HOW TO GET A JOB The third class covers every grade and kind of business, — clerks, salesmen, bookkeepers, stenogra- phers, and those in business for themselves. Broadly considered, business consists of the making, buying, and selling of material goods, like flour, fabrics, or shoes; and in this classification are included manu- facturers and all others who do not depend upon the work of their hands, and yet do not live upon what may be considered as exclusively brain productions. The professional men constitute the fourth class. The professionalist Is one who earns his living by the distribution of his intellectual faculties, and not by the practice of hand-skill or the utilization of trading capacity. The lawyer, the clergyman, the editor, and the author are representative professlon- alists. The physician is no less a brain-user and professionalist, although he combines skill of hand with Intellectual power. While occasionally a professional man succeeds in business, and a business man does well In a profes- sion, a general rule may be established to the effect th^t a man is not likely to succeed in more than one direction. Now, which shall it be? The boy or man of ordinary capacity, if he pos- sesses good health and is willing to work, can earn his living at any of the regular trades or by follow-' ing any of the staple lines of business. A trade, like that of carpentering, or of any other standard mechanical work, offers the greater certainty. I am not unmindful of the fact that occasionally some of our best hand-workers find themselves out of a job ; TRADE, BUSINESS, OR PROFESSION 29 but, notwithstanding these seasons of depression, the boy or man who understands some mechanical trade, and who is persistent and faithful, is reasonably sure of a living. His income is small, but he enjoys the minimum of risk and worry. If he be a good work- man, he is not likely to suffer for the necessities of life. Two classes of boys or men may profitably con- sider entering a trade : First, one who does not seem to possess business ability or intellectual activity, and yet is willing to work, and who has a reasonable amount of ambition. True, he may not rise mate- rially from the ranks, but he has a better chance of meeting living success in this direction than in any other. Secondly, he who is a mechanical expert, ^{lo has the nicest control of his hands, and who can do things beyond the capacity of the majority. He, may safely enter any trade, and he is not likely to remain at the bottom. Sooner or later he will become a foreman, or a superintendent, or perhaps a factor in the business, or the owner of it. In another chapter, entitled "Needed Education," I attempt to present some facts which I hope will be of benefit to those considering a trade. In passing, however, let me emphasize strongly the advantages, if not the absolute essentiality, of a high technical- school education, if one would take up mechanical work. Without this training he may reach the top eventually, but with it his chances are very much better, and he is not likely to be so long on the way. A good trade, then, offers a living to the ordinary workman, and the comforts of life to the skilled hand-worker. 30 HOW TO GET A JOB The average foreman receives about" a thousand dollars a year, and some of them earn as much as twenty-five hundred dollars. Few superintendents are paid less than fifteen hundred dollars, and the average is not far from sixteen to seventeen hundred. A lim- ited number of high-class superintendents enjoy sala- ries as high as ten thousand dollars a year, and the maximum may exceed twenty-five thousand. But it should be distinctly understood that a trade, as it runs, does not offer so much in financial return as does business. The same amount of ability applied to business is likely to bring a much larger moneyed result. Let it be borne in mind, however, that the personal or living expenses of the mechanic are not nearly so large as are those of the business man. The mechanic's social position and requirements oper- ate against extravagance. He is happy with less; therefore, he does not need as much as seems neces- sary to the business and professional man. Let us now consider business: The boy or man who is best fitted for business is he who does not incline towards the professions, is not more than ordi- narily skillful with his hands, and possesses a pro- nounced, or, at least, a reasonable amount of, trade Instinct. I do not mean to convey the Idea that the boy with skillful hands cannot succeed in business because of that proficiency. If with it he has a fair amount of business acumen, he Is likely to become a success. But I would advise him to take up some department of manufacturing, which, although it is a part of business, will give him opportunity to use his mechanical ingenuity. TRADE, BUSINESS, OR PROFESSION 31 Success in business is largely dependent upon the ability to buy and to sell, and upon the proper con- duct of those things which have to do with trading. It is obvious that the boy or man who has a decided taste for music, who is a book-student, who wants to preach, who leans towards the law, medicine, or other profession or specialty, is more likely to be unfit, or partially incompetent, to do business. The boy enters business as a boy, receiving little pay for his services, but probably more than he is worth to his employer. Unless it is necessary that he support himself or do so partially, early remuner- ation is of little consequence. It is better to begin with small wages and large prospects than to take chances with the reverse. While I would advise one to enter the active side of business in preference to that of bookkeeping or other clerical work, I can assure him that he is likely to reach his level, provided he is ambitious and active. Although clerical experience may be of value to him,j I must admit that this department of business offer^, less than does the active side of It, because the clerical worker, like the bookkeeper, does not come into contact with the aggressiveness and opportunities of trading. He meets the inside world of business. There he does not have the same opportunity as does the salesman who gets close to the customer, and who is in a position to demonstrate his value by the volume and quality of his sales. The strenuosity of present business is far In excess of what It was in the past. The formation of trusts and combinations, the concentration of business inter- ests, the fierce and almost criminal forms of compe- 32 HOW TO GET A JOB tition, operate against more than ordinary attainment of even the most ambitious men of capacity. It is far more difficult for one to find his level to-day, and to meet the measure of success which belongs to his ability, than it was twenty-five or more years ago. On the field of business there are fewer officers and more soldiers than there used to be. But notwith- standing this condition of things, which may be grow- ing worse, the boy or man of ability and ambition, who is willing to work, is reasonably sure of a living, and may obtain touch more than that. Business offers more in moneyed return than does a trad? or a profession. Practically all of our mil- lionaires are business men. There appears to be no limit to the amount which business will allow one to earn or otherwise accumulate, while conditions do not permit the earnings of workmen and profession- alists to exceed a figure of reasonable size. If one cares more for money than for any thing, else, business is the place for the exercise of his powers. If one loves to buy and to sell, business is his vocation. To try to make a business man out ojf one who is pro- fessionally inclined, and has reason for his choice, is as foolish as to attempt to make a tradesman out of an astronomer. Some boys and men seem to incline in no partic- ular direction. They have some ambition and are reasonably active, but they don't know what they want to do. Apparently, they would be as willing to do one thing as another. They should not con- sider a profession. The successful professionalist springs from one who has a definite choice, who knows that he wants to do one thing, and is equally TRADE, BUSINESS, OR PROFESSION 33 sure that he does not care to do other things. It is simply a question of whether this non-professiori- alist shall go into a trade or a business. I would recommend business, because he is not likely to be- come more than a workman of fair proficiency in a trade. The fourth class includes every kind and grade of professionalists, — habitual brain-workers and dis- tributers of brain-products, — and they have little or nothing to do with trade or with any mechanical pursuit, except as scientists or experimenters in those directions. I do not mean to say that professionalists are the only ones who use their brains, because even the lowest order of workmen is not brainless, and the mindless business man could, not earn his living. All human industry exercises the brain. But there are different degrees of brain-work. I do not propose to compare the brain-quality of the professionalist with that of the man of business, other than to re- mark that each of them uses his mental faculties in a different way. The successful business man devotes himself to business. He is the worker of workers. The professionalist, on the other hand, is his own workman. He manufactures, so to speak, his own product;, and he himself sells it. He receives little or no aid from outsiders, except that of clerical and experimental purport. No one should consider professional life unless he has a pronounced desire to enter it and can prove that he has unquestionable ability in that direction. The boy or man of light mental capacity and slug- gish brain-activity, or one lacking ambition, may earn his living at a trade or in some standard business, 34 HOW TO GET A JOB but he would not be able to accomplish anything in a profession. Ninety-nine per cent of those who are fitted for the professions show unmistakable characteristics and inclinations before they are out of their teens. They do not present, as a rule, more than ordinary trade propensities. Most of our professional successes were good scholars at school. They may not have been close students or at the head of their classes, but they did not dislike study, and they made a duty of getting the worth of it. Most of them held more than aver- age class-rank. At an early age they began to think, and to think for themselves. The professions are overcrowded, — so is busi- ness, for that matter, — and so are most of the trades. It has been said that there is a lawyer for every case, and three music teachers for every pupil. This, of course, is an exaggeration, although it must be admitted that it is true in some districts. There is room at the top, but few have the capacity to climb higher than the middle round of the ladder. We should consider majorities, not minorities. The man at the bottom of his profession has no standing, and has but little to eat, and less to wear, unless some- body is taking care of him. The professional man of reputation occupies a position representing the very superlative of attainment and giving the maximum of satisfaction. He is the greatest product of civil- ization. His name and what ,he has done will be remembered after the names and achievements of our great captains of industry have been stricken out of our biographies and forgotten. The man of high TRADE, BUSINESS, OR PROFESSION 35 brain capacity and of strong intellectual activity, who is willing to work, and who is even more willing to wait, can safely become a professlonalist, but pro- vided only that his inclinations point in that direction. The man of ordinary intellectuality, who is in incom- petent command of his inner mental faculties, who is conventional, who cares more for mon.ey than for the good he can do, who loves trade, had better con- sider business and shun a profession as he would the plague. I do not mean to say that business does not offer opportunities for the doing of good. Many of our greatest philanthropists, many of the men who have been the strongest pushers of progress, have been business men and have never practiced a profession. It is not a question of what we want to do, but of what we can do. Some of us are fitted for busi- ness, and some of us are adapted to a profession. We must choose the one which is within the limits of our capacity. We cannot be both. The good business man is a far greater success and can do far more good than could the poor professlonalist. Financially the professions give much less than does business. Men in business, man for man, re- ceive, on an average, three times as much money as do those in the professions. The income of the aver- age professional man is less than fifteen hundred dol- lars a year. There are thousands of God-fearing and faithful clergymen, teachers, and other professlonal- ists, who do not earn more than a few hundred dollars a year, and who, if they have families, are obliged to take up farming or some other vocation to make both ends meet. 36 HOW TO GET A JOB The professional man is in business for hiniself, if I may put it that way, and his income is very likely to stop when he stops, while the business man can so perfect and organize his work that extended ab- sence will not interfere with it. Business, to some extent, is cojnposite, while the work of the profes- sional is individual. One may succeed in business, and yet be almost unknown in the trade he represents, but he cannot succeed in the professions unless his individuality is public property to some extent. He may enter a trade or business with a reasonable degree of safety, but he could not make a more fatal mistake than the one he makes if he chooses a profession without the ability and the adaptability necessary for success in this direction. When in doubt choose a trade or business. I hardly know how to classify the farmer. To an extent, he is in a trade, and he is also in business, while some of his work, if he be an expert, borders upon professionalism. Unless he is able to employ assistance, a part of his work is not above that of common labor. Would I advise the farmer's boy to stick tO' the farm ? I would, — and I say this most emphatically, — until he has proven that the farm is not the place for him. Would I advise the city boy to become a farmer? Not as freely as I would suggest it to his country brother; but I want to say to him that per- haps the farm would give him more in the end than he is likely to obtain from city business. The farm has not received one per cent of the consideration that it deserves. The farmer is the most independent man on earth. He is the one man who does not come TRADE, BUSINESS, OR PROFESSION 37: in direct competition with the trusts and concentra- tion of capital, although he may be affected by them to some extent. He Is the master of his castle more than any other man Is. True, the average farm refuses to give more than a moderate Income, but any man of strength and ambition, who Is willing to work, and who owns a fairly fertile farm, can make a living, and that Is about all any of us do In the city or out of it. The farmer, if he be at all proficient, can get more out of a dollar than anybody else can. His expenses are small, and, therefore, he does not need a large income. A dollar on the farm may be worth five dollars in the city. Because many of our farmers are unsuccessful. Is not an argument against farming. It Is against the farmer. If our farmers would give the same attention to farming as our business men give to the conduct of business, farming, as it runs, would offer them double what they are now getting out of it. I am not advising the boy of great Intellect, of unusual mechanical skill, or of remarkable trading qualities, to take up farming, whether or not he He a farmer's boy; but I say that the average boy is better off on a farm, and can look forward to a brighter and more comfortable future, than can thie boy of ordinary capacity who goes to the city to be- come but a single pinion of the great wheel of the great mill of great business, a machine which grinds out a hundred failures to a single success. \ This subject is treated further in the chapter i entitled " Working for Yourself." Advertising in the News- papers for a Position IT is conservatively estimated that the business men in North America expend more than two hundred million dollars a year for advertising in the newspapers and other periodicals of regular issue. Probably the cost of printed matter, including catalogues and circulars, but exclusive of books, is not far from a like amount. This brings the total annual advertising expenditure to not less than four hundred million dollars. World figures are impos- sible, because there appears to be no reliable basis for computing them. However, I am not inclined to dispute the statistician who claims that the aggre- gate annual advertising output of the world exceeds two thousand million dollars. It is obvious that this vast sum would not have been expended, and would not continue to be put out every year, if it were not profitable to do so. No one advertises except he receives, or expects to re- ceive, an adequate return for his outlay. Therefore, the axiomatic statement may be made that advertising is a profitable proposition. The volume of advertising is increasing. The advertising expenditure of to-day is several times larger than it was a quarter of a century ago. Where ADVERTISING IN NEWSPAPERS 39 one article was advertised fifty years ago, one hun- dred articles are announced to-day. Advertising is recognized as necessary to business-doing, and com- paratively few men of business, whether they be manufacturers, wholesalers, or retailers, are willing to take the risk of doing business without some form of publicity. Many of them expend several hundred thousand dollars a year in newspaper and magazine advertising. I have always claimed that the man who cannot utilize advertising in his business has no business to be in business, and generally isn't. If it pays the makers and sellers of material goods to advertise, is it not logical to assume that advertising will be equally profitable to the position- seeker? Is he not, commercially speaking, for sale? Certainly he is offering his ability and experience and is asking somebody to buy them. He and what he stands for, or, rather, what he knows and can do, are marketable commodities; and being such, there would appear to be no sensible or economic reason why they may not be profitably advertised. Advertising has two distinct values: a general and a specific worth. The specific value consists of the trade which comes directly from the announce- ment ; the general value is represented by the appear- ance of enterprise on the part of the advertiser. We wish to trade at a live store, where things are up-to- date, and where enterprise is apparent. The man who advertises presents by doing so prima-facie evidence of his progression. This same principle, — this display of enterprise, — would seem to apply to strenuous effort to obtain a position. 40 HOW TO GET A JOB Nobody wants to engage any one who does not want to be hired, and who does not make, or is unwilling to make, a vigorous effort to obtain a position. ^ It is evident that the boy or man who^ shows enterprise when seeking a position possesses the ele- ments of progression, — a proficiency which is rec- ognized by the employer as having a market value. It is obvious that those who do not make a strong effort to obtain a position, or to help themselves in any other direction, are not likely to possess the ability or the desire to exert themselves in the interest of their employers. He who cannot do well by him- self is not likely to be able to do well by anybody else. Advertising Itself, Irrespective of its business- bringing quality, is a recognized mark of enterprise. It stands for progression. Therefore, advertising for a position is evidence that the seeker is helping him- self, and that he possesses an enlarged degree of enterprise and energy. Good-for-nothing and lazy people seldom adver- tise or make strong effort either to obtain positions, to benefit themselves,' or to do anything for others. , They are likely to wait for something to turn up. They do not realize that the ship never comes in to the loafer on the dock. The employer knows this, and, therefore, has little respect for, or desire to engage, one, who, by not being willing to help him- self, shows unmistakable proof that he is not likely to be of use to anybody else. Practically every newspaper carries what is known as " classified want advertisements." These adver- ADVERTISING IN NEWSPAPERS 41 tisements may be under " Situations Wanted," or words of like tenor. Most of them are set in what is known as solid Agate, or 5J4 Point, type, and without display, other than the capitalizing of the first few words. Fourteen lines of Agate type, measured from top to bottom, make an inch. A newspaper column line of Agate contains from six to eight words. Every business man and employer of every class of labor and clerical service is familiar with the " want " columns of the newspaper. If he needs a boy or man, either he or one of his clerks is likely to run his eye down the " wants." These " want " columns are necessary to the life of every city and town and are established institutions. " Want " advertisements cost from ten cents to a dollar per time for three or four lines, but the ayerage price does not exceed 50 cents in the large city dailies, and from that down to 10 or 15 cents in the smaller newspapers. Three or four lines are generally sufficient for one to properly present him- self, although occasionally, when it is well to tell a longer story, as many as 14 or 15 lines may be used to advantage. While the " want " columns are the proper place to advertise for a position, it pays sometimes to place a small advertisement in a prominent part of the paper, away from the " classified " adveirtisements, the advertisement to measure from two to four inches. It is well to surround it with a narrow bbr- der or rule, that it may be separated from the other advertisements. Two or more inches will allow the headline to be set in large type, leaving sufficient 42 HOW TO GET A JOB room for the descriptive matter. This sort of an- nouncement costs more than does a regular " want, but is often worth the difference. It may be seen by business men who do not read the " wants, is more impressive, and it shows a higher degree of enterprise. It should be in two distinct parts: first, the heading, which should be set in large type, in one or more lines, and occupy one-half to two-thirds of the space ; secondly, the descriptive matter, giving the outline of one's ability and experience. The description need not be in type larger than Agate. There is no objection to running an advertisement in both the " want " and " display " columns, pro- vided you can afford to do so. Illustrations presenting this form of advertise- ment, and many forms of regular " want " announce- ments, appear in the next chapter. A study of the " wants " is likely to reveal unmistakable similarity and almost complete conven- tlonstlity. Most of them differ only in the kind of position desired. There is little about them which will assist the reader in discriminating in favor of any one applicant. They show neither originality nor individuality. For this reason, many an em- ployer selects two or three at random, and disregards the balance. It would seem that an advertisement out of the usual form, something with life in it, one which shows individuality, is much more likely to be pro- ductive of result than is one of the conventional sort, which is similar to those which precede and follow ' it. The employer, unless he is engaging some manual laborer, considers the individuality of the employee; ADVERTISING IN NEWSPAPERS 43- in fact, this personality represents a proportion of the qualifications. Therefore, the more the applicant presents his individuality, provided it is of a worth- while quality, the greater likelihood there is of his selling himself to advantage; that is, of obtaining a suitable position. But the presentation of originality and individ- uality is not dependent necessarily upon the length of the advertisement. Life, strength, and personality can be shown in a few words. I would not advise, however, too short an advertisement, although I am not in favor of long ones. It is essential that the seeker for the position should state all that is nec- essary for him to say, whether it takes five or 50 words. The advertisement should properly represent him. If he can tell it all in 10 words, well and good; but It is better to use 50 words, and to present the story properly, than to have a lesser number and not represent the case effectively. While I would not recommend over-originality, because a freaky, humorous, or smart advertisement is to be condemned, I am decidedly in favor of the announcement which is sensibly different from those which usually occur in the newspapers. If you cannot prepare an advertisement for your- self, some friend may be willing to help you. But be careful. Do not, allow the advertisement to be better than you are, because if your alallity Is unable to back up the quality of your advertisement, you may be the loser In the end. The successful adver- tisement is one which properly represents you, which neither over-estimates nor under-values your capacity. Let us suppose, for example, that a dull, good-for- U HOW TO GET A JOB nothing boy has a brilliant advertisement prepared for him. This may assist him in quickly obtaining a position, but it will be like a boomerang in Its effect. It will do more harm than good. On the other hand, a y6ung man may be bright and ener- getic, and yet he may be lacking the ability to write an advertisement or to properly present himself upon paper. He is justified in employing outside help, because, although the advertisement written for him may be a better one than he could prepare. It Is not better than he is ; for he has the ability to back the quality of his announcement. I would suggest that you study the " wants," then write one or more advertisements for yourself. Attempt to get into each a touch of originality and a straight-from-the- shoulder appeal. If you have had no experience, say so frankly in ydur advertisement. If you have had experience, tell what it is. Do not state you have had five years' experience in a wholesale store without giving the kind of business. Be specific. Do not use general terms, like " many years' experience," or " consider- able experience." Be absolutely definite in what you say. Tell what you have done and what you want to do In the fewest words. Do not say any more, and never say less. The business man, in looking over the advertisements, will give preference to the applicant whose experience appeals to him. Tell the truth about yourself, even though It may be against you. You will gain nothing by misrepre- sentation. Upon general principles I recommend that the "want" appear thrie times, and as many times thereafter as necessary. ADVERTISING IN NEWSPAPERS 45 Do not run the same advertisement twice. Change the wording of it each time. The contin- uous appearance of the same advertisement may be prejudicial to your interests. The business man, rightly or wrongly, may gain the impression from the continuance of the same advertisement that you have found it difficult to place yourself. Obtaining a position is both a hard and serious proposition, and even the best boys and men have considerable trouble in placing themselves properly. The business man should take this into consideration, but he may not' do so. Therefore, a change of the wording of the advertisement may be beneficial; certainly it can do no harm. Some applicants prefer to give their correct name and address. Others refer to post-office boxes or use fictitious initials. In many cases the replies go to the newspaper and are called for by the applicant. I favor the post-office box and fictitious Initials In preference to giving real names and addresses. Cus- tom has made this acceptable to business men. A " want " advertisement Is confidential, to an extent, at least, and should be considered so. The employer will answer the advertisement as quickly if a post- office box address Is given as he will if the adver- tisement contains the true address of the applicant. If you run your advertisement more than once, I suggest that you use a different address, or different Initials, for the reasons which I have just given you regarding the desirability of changing the advertise- ment. When the advertisement appears under the head- ing "Situations Wanted — Male," or "Situations 46 HOW TO GET A JOB Wanted — Female," it is not necessary to give the sex of the applicant, although there would seem to be no objection to doing so, except the expense of the extra word. Occasionally it may be desirable to do so, in order to avoid misunderstanding on the part of the reader. It is much better taste to say " young man " than "young gentleman." It is well to give one's age, as age is of interest to the employer. Most of us look our age, and any attempt to misrepresent it is not only unprofitable, but foolish. Abbreviations may be used in the classified " want " advertisements to save space, provided they are clear and cannot be misconstrued. It is better, however, to spell out your words, and pay a little more for them, than to take undue chances. When an abbreviation is unintelligible, just so much money is wasted; "d. e. bookkeeper " for double-entry book- keeper is permissible, but " exp." for experienced is objectionable. A careful analysis of the advertise- ment will enable you to save a word here and there, and consequently reduce expense* For instance, it takes but three words to say " 20 years old," while " 20 years of age " requires four words. Both expressions mean the same. This subject is continued in the next chapter. How to Write a "Situation Wanted" Advertisement ALL advertising, whether of the " situation wanted " sort or the regular announcement -of a commodity, is likely to bring some result, even though it may not be compensatory to the expenditure. The profitableness of it, however, is largely dependent upon the quality or character of the advertisement, assuming, of course, that the medium used has the proper quality and quantity of circulation; that is, that it reaches people to whom the advertisement is addressed. A poorly written advertisement, like any other badly done work, is not productive of much profit, and may not produce any at all. Before preparing your advertisement for inser- tion in the " situation wanted " columns, place your- self in the proper attitude; that is to say, realize the purpose of what you are about to do. Impress upon yourself the essentiality of keeping constantly In your mind the one fundamental fact, that what you know and what you can do are marketable commodities, that they are on sale, and that they are to be pre- sented along the lines used successfully for the profit- able advertising of flour, soap, or other commercial commodity. Do not allow yourself to depart from 48 HOW TO GET A JOB a realization that situation-getting is pure and siniple salesmanship, — a part of actual business-doing. There is no, sentiment attached to it. You, the applicant, are for sale, and you are looking for a purchaser. Your advertisement, therefore, should be a proper presentation of your ability. You should describe yourself in about the same way as you would a regular commodity. Looking upon this matter in any other light, and bringing sentiment to bear upon it, is foolish, unprofitable, and unbusinesslike. In preparing your advertisement keep in mind the fact that you should make it easy for the reader to see and absorb your announcement. Don't confuse him. State your case so plainly that he not only will understand what you are driving at, what you are good for, and what you want, but that he may be prepossessed in your favor. Before writing your advertisement make a care* ful study of the " situation wanted " columns. Select the advertisements which appeal to you, clip them, and carefully analyze them. With these advertise- ments before you, or better, with the "policy" of them in your mind, you are in a position to produce an acceptable announcement. Write an advertisement; lay it aside and write another; then try another, and several, perhaps; select the one which you think the best of the lot; study carefully the others. Naturally you may find certain points which you did not cover in the one you have chosen. Try to combine in your best adver- tisement the good points of the others. Use your best advertisement for a basis, and improve upon it if you can. After it is acceptable to you, write it WRITING ADVERTISEMENTS 49 over several times, and get inside of it, so to speak. Very' likely you can leave out or add a word here and there. __ Brevity is to be commended, but the brevity whicn does not properly state your case and present your claims injures your announcement. The advertisement which suits you personally, and which seems acceptable to your intimate friends, may not be a good advertisement. Perhaps your friends are not competent to judge. Perhaps they are not business men, and It may be that they lean tqo closely to the impractical or ethical. Producing something which will catch the eye of the reader, and force him to become interested In you, is of vital consequence. Your advertisement should be businesslike from start to finish, and It should not contain any witti- cisms, slang, or expressions which are not dignified and to the business point. Originality is to be recommended, but over-orig- Inallty Is to be severely condemned. The " queer " advertisement will not attract the attention of any one save a " crank," and " cranks " are not good employers and are not likely to be a part of profitable business. In writing your advertisement get down to busi- ness, — close to It, — tell what you are and what you want. To say more is a waste of money ; to give less prevents effectiveness. This chapter should be read in connection with the one entitled " Advertising in the Newspapers for a Position." 50 HOW TO GET A JOB ■ The accompanying forms of advertisements are presented as examples of both profitable and unprof- itable styles. It is obvious that it is as necessary to discuss the wrong kind of advertising as to present the right kind. While the specimen advertisements apply to spe- cific " wants," most of them are adaptable to other lines of trade. To save space, addresses are not given. ■ POSITION with large contracting or manu- facturing house by capable man of 36, has been six years with iron concern, last three in charge, expert accountant, highest refer- ences. It is better to state the kind of position wanted. The advertisement is somewhat confusing, because the applicant does not say whether or not he wants an accountant's position. It may be construed to read that he would accept a position as manager, superintendent, or foreman. It is better to begin the advertisement with " Expert accountant," " Iron- mill manager," or " Mill superintendent." SITUATION wanted by temperate man to assist chef, can do order-cooking, quick and willing. This advertisement would be more effective if it were headed " Kitchen man " or " Chef's assistant." As some cooks and kitchen men are intemperate, there would appear to be no objection to saying "temperate man," but I would avoid such expres- sions unless it be necessary to use them. WRITING ADVERTISEMENTS 51 FURNITURE SALESMAN, young man, age 30, eight years thorough experience in the house-furnishing business, can furnish first- class references, will be open for position • Jan. 1. A thoroughly good advertisement. It reflects the character and enterprise of the applicant. He gets right down to " rock-bottom." It would have been better had he omitted the words " young man," because the advertisement is headed " Furniture salesman " and age Is given. DRUG CLERK wants position, registered by examination, 15 years experience, reliable, good worker, best references. A fairly well-written advertisement. There is no necessity of saying " registered by examination; " the term " registered " is sufficient. An expression like " wants position " is unnecessary. The fact that the advertisement Is in the " Situations Wanted " column is enough. I question the advisability of using the words " reliable " and " good worker." If a man is neither of these, he is not likely to advertise it. The references will show or should show. DRAFTSMAN, long experience, machine de- sign, plant and power layout; references. This advertisement is concise, and yet it covers the groupd. AMERICAN, 26, ambitious, five years book- keeper, large corp., desires responsible posi- tion; satisfaction guaranteed. Including char- acter, references; try interview. 52 HOW TO GET A JOB I suggest that the advertisement be written as follows: " Bookkeeper, 26 years old, five years' book- keeping experience with large woolen corporation. Can prove reputation for character and reliability." ELECTRICIAN and machinist, 20 years old, wants steady position in city. This advertisement represents quality and brevity. It would be well to add the number of years of experience. WANTED by young man, position in real estate office, outside or in, good references, cash bond. Unless the newspaper insists upon it, it is well to begin the advertisement with some other word, as " wanted " is understood. This advertisement would be more efFective if it read: " In Real Estate Office, will work inside or out; 20 years old; cash bond, high references." SALESMAN — bright, energetic, capable young man would like position as salesman or manager. In advertising as salesman it is well to state in what line of trade you are experienced, because, as a rule, the employer prefers one who is familiar with his business. It is generally advisable to give one's age, and also length of experience. ENGINEER wants position, eight years ex- perience, highest references, holds second- class license. WRITING ADVERTISEMENTS 53 A good advertisement, but a little more informa- tion might be given. For instance, it might be well to outline one's experience, as " eight years on coast- ers," or " eight years in factory." It is advisable to tell whether one's experience has been on land or water. " Wants position " may be omitted. STENOGRAPHER, 25 years old; high school graduate; operates A , B , and C machines; writes 150 words a minute; two years with lawyer; three years with whole- sale shoe house; salary wanted $20. A well-written and thoroughly businesslike an- nouncement. STORE MAN!aGER. For seven years mana- ger of retail grocery, still there, wants better opportunity, 28 years old, married. This man gets right down to business; he does not give any one opportunity to misunderstand him. OPERATOR on W. & W. machine; six years experience on shirts. I would suggest it be transposed to read: *' W. & W. Machine Operator; six years on shirts." OFFICE BOY, graduate of Era Business School, 17 years old, wants to learn business, salary no object to start, lives with parents. An advertisement like this is sure to attract atten- tion. It is right to the point, shows energy, and is above criticism. 54 HOW TO GET A JOB OFFICE BOY. Want to start at bottom and work up, wholesale business preferred, 18 years old, high, school graduate, references. OFFICE BOY, not afraid of work, high references, just out of grammar school, 15 years old. OFFICE BOY. I want to learn business, will do any kind of work to that end, 17 years old, live with parents. Any of the foregoing forms of advertisements are to be recommended to those who are about to start in business. SAliESMAN. Successfully sold shoes on road for 10 years, knows Western trade. I suggest that the advertisement read as follows : " Shoe salesman, lo years success on road, knows Western trade." SALESMAN. I can sell hardware, because I have done it on the road for 16 years, highest trade references, married, salary ex- pected $1,500, a worker. This advertisement would be improved if it were headed " Hardware salesman." CLOTHING SALESMAN. Understand retail business, seven years experience, six years store manager, discharged for making a fool of myself; won't do it again, will work cheap until I prove my reformation. When a man has been discharged for cause, it may be well for him to frankly admit it. I don't mean to say that it is advisable to parade one's weak- WRITING ADVERTISEMENTS 55 nesses or to give special publicity to failure, but when one has made a fool of himself, has injured his repu- tation, and there appears to be no secret method of reformation, it may be good judgment to admit the error, and to do so in a manly, clean-cut way. (The reader's attention is called to the chapter entitled " To Those Who Have Lost Their Positions," where this particular point is discussed at consider- able length.) BOOKKEEPER. Head-bookkeeper, eight years with s}iipping house which is going out of business. When one is seeking a position because his pres- ent position is not satisfactory, or there is any good reason for a change, it is well to give that reason in the advertisement. The fact that the firm one is with is going out of business furnishes an excellent reason for a change. ANY KIND of a job wanted by an all-around man, as porter, teamster, or anything else, where strength and willingness count; refer- ences. An advertisement like the foregoing is to be rec- ommended to those who have no particular specialty and who are willing to take up with almost anything whereby they can earn an honest living. If one does not know some one thing better than another, it may be advisable for him to advertise in a general way, or he may advertise for a porter's position one day, for a teamster's position the next, and so on. 56 HOW TO GET A JOB A GENTLEMAN desires a position as gen- eral clerk or cashier where integrity would be appreciated. For many years teller in a Boston bank. Unless there is some material objection, I would advise the advertiser to state the number of years. Better avoid the use of the term " gentleman." I question somewhat the advisability of the expression like " where integrity would be appreciated." It is generally understood that integrity is appreciated, or it is popularly supposed to be. At any rate, there is no need of dwelling upon this point. GERMAN COLLEGE GRADUATE wishes to learn business with a reliable firm, willing to start at bottom, not afraid of hard work if prospects are good, salary secondary con- sideration, some business experience, speaks English, German, and French fluently, strong references. A thoroughly good advertisement. There is a completeness about it which is highly commendable. It gives practically all the information required. PROTESTANT YOUNG MAN desires posi- tion as stenographer and typewriter, expe- rienced, fair penman in long-handwriting, can operate Blank, Johns, and Jones ma- chines, permanent position desired. It is not advisable to advertise one's religious predelictions unless the advertisement appears in a denominational paper. A little editing of the above would shorten it and lessen expense. For instance, why not say: " Experienced stenographer and type- WRITING ADVERTISEMENTS 51 writer, fair penman, can operate Blank, Johns and Jones," and then the number of years' experience should be given. It is not generally necessary to state that a permanent position is desired. That is usually understood. WANTED by an Odd Fellow, a position in a warehouse or store, where the services of a reliable man are required; age 35, mar- ried; neat, willing and obliging; excellent references, and bond if required. It is bad taste and bad business for one to use his fraternal affiliations as a means for gaining the ear of an intended employer. A man should stand upon his merits as a workman and his business or trade record, and should not bring any fraternal- society influence to bear upon his case. If the employer is an Odd Fellow or a member of any other secret order, this advertisement is likely to prejudice him against the seeker for the position. It is better to begin the advertisement something as follows : " Reliable man for warehouse or store work," and then to say, " Reliability guaranteed by high-class references; bond given if required." It is not necessary to announce that one is " willing, neat, and obliging; " that should be understood. LUNCH — HOTEL — RESTAURANT. Two experienced men, each capable of taking full charge, wish position where push, superiori- ty, and steadiness count. Satisfactory refer- ences. There appears to be no objection to a composite advertisement like the one just given, where two are 58 HOW TO GET A JOB advertising for similar positions, although I favor an advertisement announcing but one applicant. I rather object to the expression, " Wish position where push, superiority, and steadiness count." Better say, " Can prove push, superiority, and steadiness by high-class references." YOUNG MAN wants position in stock or shipping department, four years experience. BOOKKEEPER, double-entry, five years ex- perience, good references. Two brief and good advertisements. Both are to the point. It might be well, however, for the applicants to state where they have had their expe- rience, and they should give their ages. EXPERIENCED STENOGRAPHER with years of experience would like position where executive ability, confidential asso- ciation, and trustworthiness are appreciated. The foregoing advertisement is not sufficiently specific. It would give the idea that the applicant was old, probably too aged to be desirable. " Years of experience " is too indefinite. It would be much better to say " over lo years" or " over 15 years." Why not write something as fallow's: " Expert Stenographer can guarantee 150 words a minute, ID years' experience in bank, salary $25 a week. Can prove trustworthiness and executive ability." EVENING WORK, 25 years old, married; will do copying or bookkeeping. Present employer will vouch for me. WRITING ADVERTISEMENTS 59 In an advertisement of this kind it is not neces- sary to give as many particulars as it would be if one were looking for a position to occupy his entire time. COLLEGE] GRADUATE desires to make change for satisfactory reasons. Experi- enced in proof-reading. lias some literary ability. Salary, |30 a week. Professional and business references of high order. The foregoing example has much to commend it. It appears to combine the essential forms of business and profession. JANITOR wants job; understands steam and hot water heaters; a coal-saver, can prove proficiency. The foregoing announcement is to the point and is likely to attract attention. COACHMAN, 34, married, 15 years expe- rience in high-class stables, out of position because of failure of employer, best refer- ences. The foregoing is an excellent form. SHOE FACTORY SUPERINTENDENT. 40 years old, 20 years in one position, firm failed, has successfully managed over 1,000 men, will not accept other than responsible position at a high salary. A businesslike announcement. Where one can afford to wait, a show of independence is often advisable. 60 HOW TO GET A JOB PRIVATE SECRETARY. For 10 years con- fidential, right-hand man to president of Blank Bank; bank liquidated; 30 years old; married; can refer to 25 bank officials. A good advertisement, and one which stands for something. It is likely to bring results. I WANT TO LEARN the dry-goods business, don't care for salary at start, 18 years old, high school graduate. ADVERTISING BUSINESS, 19 years old, graduate of Blank High School and Blank Commercial College, want to learn the ad- vertising business from bottom up, salary no object at the start. WHO WANTS A BOY? I am 15 years oleJ, and can't afford to continue at school; have got to go to work; prefer wholesale cloth- ing business, but would go into other whole- sale line; have to support myself and can't work for less than $6 a week; haven't any experience, but can prove character. The foregoing forms present good examples of advertisements for boys of no experience and who are starting in business. TECHNOLOGY GRADUATE. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, class of '07, stood No. 3 in class of 40; made specialty of electricity; prospects worth more than im- mediate salary. A good form to be used by technical-school grad- uates. Where graduating year is given, age need not be stated, although there would appear to be no objection to doing so. WRITING ADVERTISEMENTS 61 COLLEGE GRADUATE. Harvard, '07; no experience; wants to be an editor, but ex- pects to begin at the bottom; knows how to use his education. YALE GRADUATE, class of '06; a year's experience in book publishing house; made a mistake; feel sure am fitted to purely mercantile lines; want to go into wholesale business, groceries preferred; highest refer- ences; not over $10 a week expected. The foregoing forms are presented as good advertisements for college graduates. The collegian should make every effort not to parade his learning beyond a statement of fact. Some business men have a prejudice against college men, although it is rapidly disappearing. As suggested in another chapter, it is frequently profitable to adopt another form of " want " inser- tion, the announcement to appear in the regular advertising columns, vi^hether or not a similar adver- tisement is among the classified " wants." An advertisement of this class costs more, but is often worth the difference. It shows a higher degree of enterprise and business sagacity. It should occupy not less than two, nor more than four, inches, and should appear on a prominent page, the first page preferred, unless the first page is completely filled with advertisements. I present the following forms illustrative of this idea: 62 HOW TO GET A JOB Do You Want a Salesman ? 10 years in wholesale shoe business, eight years of road-success, firm is liquidating, know trade East of Mississippi River, 29 years old, married, bank and trade refer- ences. I Want To Learn Steamboat Business Just out of high school, 17 years old; live with parents; prefer position in steamboat office or to act as assistant purser; know something of bookkeeping. Machinery Salesman Wants Position Sold farm engines and other implements for 15 years on road; have established trade In middle states; firm going out of business; 35 years old, married; lowest salary $40 a week; refer to former employer and to trade In general; well-known. WRITING ADVERTISEMENTS 63 A Job Wanted As porter or to do other heavy work; very strong; perfect health; can stay where I am; have occupied present position 10 years; want to make change for reasons which wiU be given at interview; 40 years old; mar- ried; references. In any of the foregoing forms it is not necessary to set the descriptive matter in type larger than Agate, as the headings will draw attention to the announcement. In the chapter entitled " Applying by Mail for a Position " are given several forms which can be used for this style of announcement. Applying by Mail for a Position IF I may judge from the many thousands of letters addressed to me and to my clients by those who would obtain a position, I think I may venture the statement that comparatively few people know how to make application or to answer a " want " advertisement. I may go even further and say that my experience with letter-writers ap- pears to present ample proof that less than two per cent of men and women in business or out of busi- ness* have more than a desultory conception of what constitutes a good or a bad letter. The art of letter- writing is one of the intrinsic arts, and it deserves cultivation and substantial development. I present a few general rules or suggestions, which should not be forgotten when one is writing a letter of application or answering an advertisement for " Help Wanted." I. Make every effort to be as brief as is con- sistent with an understandable presentation of your qualifications. While brevity is commendable, it is better to use too many words than to sacrifice any important point for the sake of mere brevity. It is necessary for you to properly present yourself, to give a part of your qualifications, if not all of them. APPLYING BY MAIL 65 that the receiver of your letter may be able to form an intelligent idea of you as you are, and that he may know what you are after. This you should do in the fewest number of words which seem necessary to meet conditions. Any attempt on your part to be over-brief, or to make a specialty of brevity for the sake of brevity, is to be condemned. On the other hand, you should bear in mind that a clean-cut state- ment of your case, without superfluous words, will appeal to the business man, particularly if he has been wading through dozens, or perhaps hundreds, of applications, most of which were verbose, discon- nected, and unintelligible. The average business man admires brevity and is favorably impressed with those who can consistently and profitably use it; but he wants to know your qualifications, that he may form, in advance, an idea of what you are. For this reason, he would be better suited with two well- written pages, covering the ground, than with a pige which has only brevity to commend it, and which does not properly present you. 2. When you answer an advertisement, be care- ful to cover all of the particulars asked for by the advertiser. The omission of a reply to any one point may prejudice him against you. Divide your letter into paragraphs, each paragraph to be devoted to a specific reply, so that each of your replies stands out by itself. It might be well for you not to limit your letter to the answering of the questions propounded in the advertisement, unless these answers cover your qualifications and truly present you. You have a perfect right to give all of your qualifications, which you have reason to believe will interest the employer, 66 HOW TO GET A JOB even though his advertisement may not request all of them. 3. When a reply is received requesting further particulars, then brevity is not as essential as it is in the initial letter of application, and you may say all you choose about yourself, even covering conditions which may have but little bearing upon the case, under the assumption that the employer would rather know too much about you than too little. It is, of course, well to do it in as few words as possible, and you should certainly be careful of your adjectives. , Let your nouns do the talking. One statement of fact is worth a dozen general remarks. Self-praise is not to be tolerated, except when it is a part of a positive statement and when it can be proven to be true. 4. In writing, don't be afraid of paragraphing. Paragraphs break up a letter and make it easier reading. 5. Always start with the date line. It is not businesslike to place the date at the bottom of the letter. The street address of the party to whom the letter is addressed need not appear in the letter. The word " Gentlemen " is preferable to " Dear Sirs." Never write " Sir " or " Madam," but write " Dear Sir " or " Dear Madam," unless addressing an United States Government official, in which case " Sir " is proper. Both married and single women should be addressed as " Dear Madam." " Dear Miss " is in bad taste. Close your letter with " Re- spectfully yours " or " Yours respectfully," unless writing to a personal friend, when " Sincerely yours " or " Yours sincerely " may be used. Sign your name APPLYING BY MAIL 67 In full, giving your first name and not your initials. Never Inscribe yourself " T. Brown." Write it " Thomas Brown " or " Thomas A. Brown." It Is well to write your address in the left corner of the last page. Be sure to have it legible. If you have a peculiar name, like " Adolphus R. Colquitt," I suggest that you print it out above your address in the left-hand corner of the last page. Sign your name In your usual style of handwriting. 6. Be careful of your numerals. See to It that they are clearly written. ' 7. If convenient, write your letter upon the typewriter, unless applying for a position where quality of handwriting Is a consideration. 8. Keep a copy of every letter sent out. If you send the same letter to several persons, one copy is sufficient, but the name and address of each person to whom the letter Is sent should be written on the copy or on the back of it. 9. All words should be spelled correctly. If you are not sure of a word, look it up In the dic- tionary. Many a business man who cannot spell can detect misspelllrig. A misspelled word may be detri- mental to your chances. 10. Be careful of your punctuation. If you don't know how to punctuate, learn how. Correct punctuation assists the reader In properly understand- ing your letter. Too much punctuation, or too little of it, is confusing. 1 1. Avoid stereotyped and over-worked expres- sions. Such sentences as " I take ttiy pen in hand," "Seeing your advertisement I thought I would write," show ignorance. Get down to business and let your 68 HOW TO GET A JOB first sentence stand for something. Under no cir- ' cumstances say " I know 1 can fill the position " or that " I am capable." The fact that you are apply- ing for a position is evidence that you think you are capable. It is for the employer to decide whether or not you are fitted. 12. Use a good, strong, black ink. Don't use a pale, faded, or colored ink. If your ink is thick, or there isn't enough of it in the bottle, don't add water to it, but get a new bottle of ink. The cost is slight. You can't be too particular about little things. 13. Use a good pen, and one suited to your style of handwriting. This point is of some impor- tance, although you may not have thought of it. Your handwriting should look natural, and it should have no appearance of forcing. The wrong kind of pen produces hard looking writing, a sort of stereo- t3^ed style. 14. Don't wait until the last moment and then grab any kind of a pen or any kind of paper which comes handy. Go deliberately at it. Do it as you would business, because it is business, and serious business. 15. Use clean letter-paper, and never use a scrap of paper, or a torn sheet, or an envelope which does not match the paper. Letter-paper, particularly, should receive careful consideration. It is better to use plain, white, unruled paper of the size of what is known commercially as a half-sheet, instead of colored paper and paper of other than commercial size. Commercial letter-paper is about S}i inches x 1 1 inches, A half-sheet is a single sheet ; a full-sheet APPLYING BY MAIL 69 is a folded sheet ; but folded sheets are not considered commercial paper. Don't write upon more than one side of the sheet. Be sure to number each sheet, except the first one, and place the number in the upper right or left corner or in the center, but the upper right corner is preferable. If you have sta- tionery containing your name and address, monogram, or initials, there is no objection to using it, provided it is of proper size; but I would advise the use of blank paper of commercial size in preference to smaller paper with your monogram or initials. 1 6. Don't use hotel stationery. Some business men refuse to read a letter of application written upon a hotel letter-head. 17. Don't use letter-heads bearing the names of businesses which may be considered questionable. Some people object to the liquor, pool, or sporting business, and this dislike must be respected. i^. If you are In business and desire to make a char\ge, and there is no reason why you should keep your present address secret, it is well to use the letter-head of the firm you are working for. 19. Stamp your envelope in the right upper corner, and have the stamp the right end up. If you enclc'Se stamp for reply, better stick it upon a self-addressed envelope. Never stick the stamp on the comer of the letter-paper. Fold your letter care- fully and not askew. See that your stamp is stuck on securely. Many a stamp drops off, and the letter does not reach its destination. It is not generally necessary to enclose stamps for reply. If the business man wants to see you, he will send for yoii. 70 HOW TO GET A JOB 20. If you send written references, a self- addressed stamped envelope should accompany them, with the request that they be returned to you. It is better to send copies of recommendations, as the orig- inals might be lost. If you enclose copies, it is well to place the name and address of the person signing the testimonial at the top of the copy, something like this : " From John T. Smith, President of Smith Manufacturing Company, makers of general hard- ware, 44 Blank Street, Blankville, Ohio." 21. If you are not in the habit of writing important letters, draft your letter, putting into the draft what you think you want to say. With this draft as a basis, rewrite until you have obtained the best possible result. This letter, subject to immate- rial changes, will probably fit every case. But the process of rewriting will enable you to materially improve ' here and there and to remove superfluous words. Comparatively few boys or men can frame, at first writing, a letter which does not admit of several severe criticisms. For this reason, it is well for you to write and rewrite, even if you have to do it a dozen times, before being satisfied with your letter. There are two ways of rewriting: one, to actually rewrite with the copy of the first letter in front of you; the other is to write a letter, put it aside, and write another, as though you had not written the first. I would advise the use of both methods. 22. Don't hurry; take all the time necessary. £3. If you follow the " Help Wanted " col- umns, secure the earliest edition of the paper, even if you have to get up at four o'clock In the morning APPLYING BY MAIL 71 to do so. Turn immediately to the *' Wants," and answer them at the earliest possible moment. It is well for you to have several letters written, space being left for the filling in of name and address, so as to save time^ After properly writing and address- ing them, carry them to the newspaper office or mail them so as to catch the earliest mail. Don't wait until later in the day, for if you do, some pleasure or duty may take up your time. The early applicant usually gets the position. The first letter opened by the advertiser is likely to have preference, and if he sees the answer before his newspaper is handed to him, he may be impressed with your enterprise. 24. Never send out a letter until you have read it carefully. Read it two or three times. 25. In letter-writing avoid egotism. Don't over-state your qualifications. Give the appearance, at least, of modesty. But don't be over-modest. Show proper self-respect, even if it is slightly adul- terated with self-conceit. You have yourself for sale, and it is your duty to properly represent yourself. 26. If possible, give as references the names of men known to the one whom you are trying to im- press, or conspicuous in the trade which he represents. If you are looking for a business position, give busi- ness references in preference to professional ones, and vice versa if addressing professional men. It is well to give both classes of references, as both have weight. For example, let us suppose that you are addressing a business house and are giving six refer- ences. I think that five references from business men and one from a professional man will have fully as much weight, even more, than six purely business 72 HOW TO GET A JOB references, provided, of course, that the professional man is one of high standing and reputation. 27. In giving your qualifications^ speak specifi- cally. For instance, if you are a bookkeeper, state whether you understand single or double entry, or both. If a stenographer, give the rate of speed and the machine you use. Don't say you can take ordi- nary dictation, for that means nothing. One man's ordinary dictation is rapid for another man. If you can write 125 words a minute, and can accurately read your notes, say so. If you don't know what you can do, find out. If you are looking for a fac- tory job, tell what you have done and what you want to do. Don't speak of your qualifications in general terms. Be positively and technically definite. Frequently, in advertising, the business man does not specify the exact qualifications required, but merely says he wants a bookkeeper or a salesman ; therefore, it is impossible for you to know just what is required, but this condition of things does not offer you an excuse for not being explicit. Present all your quali- fications and give a complete resume of your expe- rience. If what you write does not appeal to the business man, you have only wasted your time and a postage stamp. You must expect to waste much time and many postage stamps before you are prop- erly placed. 28. It is well to state whether or not you are married, and if you are not married and live at home, give this information. The business man is interested in your social or family conditions, as they are not immaterial factors in the making of your business success. APPLYING BY MAIL Y3 29. If you think it is likely you will be called upon to furnish bonds, and can do so, make a state- ment to that effect in your letter. 30. Upon general principles I don't approve of such expressions as " strictly temperate," " do not smoke," " thoroughly reliable." Self-statements that you are good, or do not do bad things, are likely to be considered as evidence of weakness on your part. 31. If you have had little or no business expe- rience, frankly admit it, and bear particular stress upon what education you have enjoyed, giving the name of the last school you have attended or grad- uated from. 32. If you are a graduate of a college, institute of technology, or other high-grade institution of learning, by all means mention it in your letter. 33. if you have had a considerable amount of business experience, and have already established a reputation, it may not be advisable to give particulars about your education, unless it has been of a high order. 34. If you are still occupying a position, and desire to make a change, tell why you want to do so. If you are out of a position, and have previously occupied one, state frankly why you are out of work. It is useless for you to misrepresent or to cover up your record. Your record is sure to follow you, and you had better wait a month, or several months, and obtain a position fairly, than to get one by misrep- resentation, and lose it later on. 35. If you have definitely decided upon the lowest salary you will accept, give the figures, unless you have reason to feel that it is better not to do Y4 HOW TO GET A JOB so. If you are a beginner, say nothing about re- muneration, unless it is necessary for you to be self- supporting. 36. When you have written your letter, analyze and criticise it. Look for weak points, and when you have found them, either cut them out or strengthen them. Your letter is your advance agent, and it should represent you at your best, but not above your capacity. It should simply properly represent you, neither more nor less. It is obvious that a book more voluminous than the unabridged dictionary would not be sufficiently large to cover every specific case. I am obliged, therefore, to confine myself to a limited number of examples or specimens and to assume that the intel- ligent reader is able to adapt the illustrations given,, even though they may not completely apply to his specific wantis. WANTED. Stenographer over 23 years old ; must write 125 words a minute ; state salary, experience, references. I present this illustration, because I have on hand more than 75 letters, which were received in answer to it. Although this advertisement is for a stenog- rapher, the letters which I propose to criticise con- tain general faults similar to those found in letters answering other advertisements. Considerably more than half of the applicants were not qualified to take the position, either on account of inability or because they were beginners or recent graduates. Of the remainder, less than ten gave the information asked for in the advertisement. I give one of the first letters opened, reproduced exactly as it was written. ' APPLYING BY MAIL 75 Gentlemen: In answer to your advertise- ment in to-day's World I desire to become an applicant for the position. I have had over three years' experience as a stenographer and am capable of filling position you offer. The first sentence, " In answer to your adver- tisement in to-day's JVorld," is unnecessary, because the advertiser knows that he advertised. AH unnec- essary words should be omitted. A letter of appli- cation is likely to be more valuable if it gives the applicant's qualifications without the addition of su- perfluous or meaningless words or expressions. The line, " I desire to become an applicant," is also worth- less, since the letter would not have been written had not the writer of it been on the lookout for a posi- tion. In this letter there is only one sentence which cannot be criticised, and that is, "I have had over three years' experience." The expression, " am capa- ble of filling such a position as you offer," is in bad taste and shows deplorable ignorance. It is a lie, and the business man knows it. It proves conclu- sively that the applicant is not fitted for the position. No one can tell whether or not he is capable of filling a position until he knows what the duties of that position are. The following is another reply : Seeing your advertisement in Saturday's World, would say that I can come up to your requirements, and will be pleased to see you personally in regard to the position, should you so desire. 76 HOW TO GET A JOB If I had not desired this letter for an example, I should have thrown it into the waste-basket. The writer shows himself to be a consummate fool and to be thoroughly incompetent. He gives no informa- tion about himself, except to say, conceitedly, " I can come up to your requirements." This is an untrue statement, as he does not know what all the require- ments are. He does not give his experience or salary expected, nor does he furnish references. Such ex- pressions as " will be pleased to see you personally in regard to the position, should you so desire," are a clear waste of space. If the employer wants to see you, he will write you to that effect. Below I give another answer, which I reproduce without change : < Dear Sir: In answer to your advertise- ment in this evening's World, I wish to state that I am an experienced stenographer, have a thorough knowledge of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and can read my notes readily. A and B machines. Hoping to be granted an interview, etc. Nearly all applicants began with such a line as " In answer to your advertisement in this evening's World, I wish to state," etc. Phrases like " I wish to state," " I beg to state," " I would say," show ignorance and bad business judgment. Better begin, " I have had five years' experience as a stenographer and typewriter." The next sentence, " Have a thor- ough knowledge of spelling, grammar, and punctua- APPLYING BY MAIIl Y7 tlon, and can read my notes readily," is all right; but all the requirements specifically asked for are omitted, and this is inexcusable. The advertiser re- quested a statement of experience, salary, and refer- ences, and a speed of 125 words a minute. The applicant does not cover these points. The sentence, " Hoping to be granted an interview," is superfluous. If the advertiser wants to see him, he will send for him. The following is one of the commendable answers : Dear Sir: Have had three years' expe- rience in a law office. Can write 150 words a minute, and read my notes as readily as English print. Salary wanted, $15; 25 years old ; high-school graduate ; took prize in spell- ing; live with parents; refer to (and here he gives the names of half a dozen responsible business men) . The following acceptable letter was written in the third person. Upon general principles I would not advise the use of the third person. Better say " I." The writer has had eight years' experi- ence; two years with law firm (left because of death of employer) ; three years with man- ufacturing house (left because had reached limit of advancement) ; three years with 18 HOW TO GET A JOB physician (desires to leave, because he cannot stand 15 hours a day) ; age, 30 years; has been receiving $18, but would consider a position with . shorter hours at $15 with chance of advancement; for three years has taken dictation at rate of over 125 words per minute; refers to . Another letter, although rather verbose, is not objectionable. I present it as an illustration of a style which I do not, as a whole, more than partially recommend : Dear Sir: I am 24 years old and have been married a year and a half. 1 have had a varied experience as stenographer and type- writer. For seven years I was in a depart- ment store, architect's office, and banking house. Although I have not been required to take rapid dictation for the past year, previous to that time, and for two years, I habitually took from between 130 to 150 words a minute. I know I can easily regain this speed if I have lost it. Can transcribe my notes at the rate of 70 words a minute. I was secretary to, my last employer, taking charge of his personal appointments. I pro- pose to make a change for personal reasons, which I can satisfactorily explain to you. A position with opportunity for advancement is of more consideration than immediate salary. I refer to . APPLYING BY MAIL 79 The following form is to be highly recom- mended: Twenty-five years old. Three years with wholesale grocer. Firm failed. One year with lawyer. He went abroad. Graduate of Roxbury High School. Write 135 words a minute in shorthand; 85 on typewriter. Sure of my notes. Use Blank typewriter. Understand French. Salary, $15; no less. Refer to . The foregoing reply presents the advantage of frequent paragraphing. Paragraphing opens up the letter, makes it easier reading, and assists in impress- ing the reader with the points presented. The following letter was in answer to an adver- tisettient for a bookkeeper: Gentlemen: Three years' experience in single and double entry in wholesale woolen house; did the banking; four years head- bookkeeper for wholesale coffee house with . three bookkeepers under me; left first posi- tion because second concern offered me 50 per cent more salary; present concern goes out of business May ist; graduate of Blank High School and Star Commercial College; 27 BO HOW TO GET A JOB years old; married; have been receiving $25 a week and will not work for less. I refer to . The foregoing example and the one following are to be highly recommended as effective forms of application writing: Dear Sir: Seven years on the road for Jones & Co. of Boston, wholesale distributers of boots and shoes. Smith Shoe Company, manufacturers, of Brockton, offered me a bet- ter position, and I am completing my third year with them. They have failed and will not continue. Thirty-four years old, unmarried. Minimum salary to start, $20. Am of German descent and can speak German. I refer to . The following letter was received by a friend of mine who was advertising for a salesman. It presents an excellent style of application letter- writing : Dear Sir: For 12 years have sold, and am still selling, crockery for the largest crock- ery house in Blanktown. Xhe concern em- ploys 50 traveling salesmen. For 10 years my sales were 12 per cent above the next best salesman employed by the firm, and 30 per cent more than any of the rest. Never APPLYING BY MAIL 81 had a bad year. Am ex-president of the Massachusetts Traveling Men's Association; member of Occasional Club, Star Club, and Blanktown Commandery. Will not consider salary under $5,000. Prefer not to give reason for making change, but will do so at satisfactory interview. I am married and have four children. I refer to . I present the following form of application for one about to start in business: I am 18 years old; graduate of Blank High School; ranked third in class of 46; have had no business experience; live with parents; sold papers out of school hours; I want to learn business. Refer to Mr. John Blank, principal of Blank High School, and Mr. William Blank, of firm of Blank & Co. The following form of letter is recommended to boys who are seeking their first position: Dear Sir: I want to learn the hardware business. I am 19 years old. Graduate of Blank High School. Live with parents. Led my class in mechanics. Can refer to prin- cipal of Blank High School; John Smith, president First National Bank, and William P. Jones, of Jones, Jones & Co. Salary of less consideration than chance for advance- ment. 82 HOW TO GET A JOB Sometimes it may be well to go outside of the ordinary, as the following letter indicates, but one should be careful in departing from the usual lines, unless sure of himself: Dear Sir: I want a job, and I want it quick. I am willing to work and to learn. I am a high-school graduate, i6 years old. I wasn't at the head of my class, but I was nearer the head than the foot. I learned what I wanted to know, and I have not for- gotten it. Want to learn some staple busi- ness. I can refer to my school teacher, the president of the bank my father does business with, and four leading merchants, who will vouch for my integrity. Nobody will vouch for my ability, because that is an unknown quantity. One of the most effective methods to obtain a position is to place one's qualifications in printed form on slips or proofs, to be sent by sealed mail to concerns who are likely to have openings, or they may be used in answering advertisements. The following represent two favorable forms: APPLYING BY MAIL 83 Do You Want a Bookkeeper ? 23 years old. Graduate of Blank High School. For two years in wholesale hard- ware store. Firm failed and went out of business. Understand single and double entry, and was considered the most careful and accurate of the three bookkeepers. Received ?15 a week, but will accept less with good prospects. Can refer to members of the firm, to a national bank president, and to the secretary of a trust company, all of whom will vouch for my integrity and capacity. Address, R. K. W., Post Office Box 14596, Boston. 84 HOW TO GET A JOB Do You Want a Salesman ? 30 years old. Married, wiie and two children. Ten years with wholesale coffee house. Desire to make change for good and sufficient reasons. My present position is permanent, and I am giving full satisfaction. Present salary, $30 a week. Will not work for less, and want more. I thoroughly understand coffee business. Have been selling it suc- cessfully on the road for six years. ' Can furnish highest grade of bank- ing and mercantile references. Address, T. R. T., Post Office Box 67694, Hartford, Conn. APPLYING BY MAIL 85 There are several ways or styles of setting the foregoing matter. I would give preference to a type width of about two and one-eighth inches, with a margin all around of about three-fourths of an inch. This would give a slip or proof of about three and live-eighths inches, a width which may be enclosed, unfolded, In an envelope of ordinary size. The dimensions from top to bottom would not be likely to exceed the length of an ordinary envelope. I suggest that the headings be set in some full- face type, the heading to occupy two, three, or four lines, and that the reading matter or descriptive part be set In type not smaller than 8 Point nor larger than 12 Point; but a size as large as I2 Point should be avoided, unless there is very little matter to be set. Eight, 9, or 10 Point are good sizes. It is not essential that the heading be in the form of a question. The first heading could read, " Bookkeeper Wants a Position," instead of " Do You Want a Bookkeeper?" The heading should stand for something and should be exclamatory- descriptive. Unless the heading means something, the slip may be thrown unread Into the waste-basket. The slip may be printed on ordinary news-paper or book-paper. A finer grade of paper Is not necessary; In fact, It is well to give the appearance of proof rather than to show high art In typography or press- work. While I recommend the slip that I have outlined, because of Its simplicity, I see no objection to the idea being executed In a different way; for example, the matter may be printed In the center of a large sheet of paper, say a sheet as large as 24 x 36, or 86 HOW TO GET A JOB half of that size. This sheet may be enclosed in a pasteboard mailing-tube. The very size of it may attract attention. Upon general principles, however, I am in favor of matter being sent under seal in an ordinary-sized envelope, as such matter is likely to reach the business man's desk, while the printed mat- ter, and anything enclosed in a tube or made up into a pamphlet, may be opened by a clerk or subordinate. The followmg letter form presents the extreme of brevity and gives limited information about the applicant. While, upon general principles, I advise a statement of qualifications, occasionally it is profit- able to use a form similar to the following, which has the advantage of unique brevity, and may be impressive. It is obvious that a letter like the fol- lowing should not be used where one is answering an advertisement. It is intended as a form of letter to be sent out generally: I want a job, and I want it right away. Can do any kind of hard work, from handling trunks to taking care of fires. The following specimen form of letter is of sim- ilar character to the above and is subject to the same uses and restrictions. Know how to keep books, because I have kept them ten years. If you want me, tele- phone B 878. APPLYING BY MAIL 87 I present a few more similar forms, illustrating extreme brevity, but none of these are suitable for answering advertisements. They may be considered " scouts," so to speak, — something to attract atten- tion, under the assumption that the receiver will reply if there appears to be any opening. They may be used in connection with the proof-slips which I have outlined. It is well to use several forms, because all business men are not constituted alike, and what impresses one may not another. If you are out of a position and can spare a little money, it is well to expend the bulk of it right away and not spread it out. It is better to put ten dollars in postage stamps and letters, and thus to obtain a position, than to be out of one for an extended period. Delays are not only dangerous, but expensive. If you want a man who can sell shoes, write John Blank, Post Office Box 38508, Boston, Mass. I am a New England paint drummer out of a job, because firm failed. If you want me, telephone John Smith, Blank 708. For 15 years sold clothing on the road. Never had an unsuccessful trip. Discharged because I got drunk. Sworn off. Here's your chance to get a mighty good man who has made an ass of himself and won't do it again. 88 HOW TO GET A JOB The following form is intended as a letter to be sent out generally, yet it may be incorporated into an answer to an advertisement. Two bank presidents, three corporation directors, six wholesale merchants will vouch for my business ability; three lawyers, two doctors, and a minister will vouch for my social standing and integrity. For seven years in wholesale flour business, one year as boy, two years as bookkeeper, the rest of the time on the road. Firm has gone out of business. If you want me, address John Blank, Post Office Box 90675, Boston, Mass. If you desire to become connected with some particular house, it might be well for you to address one of these slips to every member of the firm or to every officer and head of department, as well as to the company Itself. The arrival of so many of these slips in the same mail stands for progressive- ness and enterprise. Some of the recipients may compare notes. The business man appreciates the applicant who makes strenuous effort to obtain a position, even though he may at times cause annoy- ance by his endeavors. It Is better to be too stren- uous than the opposite of It. When you want any- thing, show that you want it, and keep everlastingly at It; and your application, whether It be by person or by mail, should be an Indication of your enter- prise and of your earnest desire to locate yourself advantageously. Show yourself as you are, when- APPLYING BY MAIL 89 ever you show yourself at all, whether it be upon paper or by the presentation of yourself in person. If possible, address your letter of application to some member of the firm or officer of the corpora- tion, instead of to the firm or corporation; for instance, a letter directed to " Mr. John T. Smith, president of the Smith Manufacturing Company," is likely to receive more attention than it would if addressed to the Smith Manufacturing Company. As a rule, clerks or subordinates open the mail addressed to large corporations and business houses, and even letters directed to officers or members of the firm, but most business men open their own mail. By addressing your letter of application to some member of the firm or officer, it is likely to reach one in authority and to receive some attention. If the member of the firm or officer opening it is not interested, he may turn it over to some department or to somebody who is interested, and in that way your application reaches the proper person, when it might not do so if addressed merely to the firm or company. In addressing an individual, it is well to find out whether or not he has some military or other title. If he has, be sure to use It. Most military men are proud of their record, even if it is light, and they resent being addressed as " Mr." or " Esq." Men holding the title of "Honorable," (Hon.), usually note its absence. Never spell out the words " Hon- orable " or " Doctor." Write " Hon." or " Dr." Most doctors prefer to be addressed as " M.D.," and when so addressed, " Dr." must not precede their names. Doctors of Divinity may be addressed 90 HOW TO GET A JOB as "Rev. John Smith, D.D."; the "Rev." or " D.D." may be omitted, but it is well not to omit either. If " Ph.D.," " LL.D.," " Litt.D.," or other titles, (college degrees), follow the name, "Dr." must not precede it. Any one holding the degree of "Ph.D.," "LL.D.," "Litt.D.," may be ad- dressed as " Dr." It is proper to abbreviate mili- tary titles, as " Col.," " Gen.," or " Capt," but the spelling out of these titles is preferable. " Mr." is to be preferred to " Esq.," although " Esq." is proper. The titles " A.B." and "A.M." are not much used, because every college graduate is "A.B.," and many are " A.M." The following correct forms may assist you: Mr. John T. Smith. John T. Smith, Esq. Dr. John T. Smith. John T. Smith, M.D. Colonel John T. Smith. Col. John T. Smith. Rev. John T. ^mith, D.D. Rev. John T. Smith. John T. Smith, D.D. Professor John T. Smith. Prof. John T. Smith. Professor John T. Smith, Ph.D., LL.D. John T. Smith, Ph.D., LL.D. Applying in Person for a Position THE personal equation Is of paramount im- portance. Comparatively no one is engaged without an interview with his prospective employer. This interview may be the result of a request to call or an application in person without any previous correspondence or preliminary effort on the part of either party. Whichever way it may be, your personality is of eminent consequence. You are virtually upon exhibition. You are presenting yourself as though you were a salesman of yourself. The only differ- ence between you and the regular salesman is that he is negotiating for the sale of some commodity, like flour or soap, while you, as an applicant for a position, are soliciting for yourself, your abilities being the commodities for sale. The transaction is purely a business one, and should be considered and conducted on no other basis. The employer desires to purchase a certain amount of service, ability, and experience, with their accompanying personal appearance. The employer is the buyer; and you, the applicant, are the seller. There is no sentiment about it, unless you are a close friend or a friend of a relative or friend. Even then 92 . HOW TO GET A JOB friendship founts for little, and the transaction is business, and often cold-blooded business. Your personal appearance, and the way you have of presenting yourself, will make the first impression, and this initial impression is of considerable conse- quence. As you look to be, irrespective of what you are, so will you be considered at the start. While intrinsic value counts, and while appearances are but surface deep, the outside is supposed to represent what is beneath it. For this reason, appearances, no matter how shallow they may be, sustain a leading role in the drama of business. True, the employer may care little for personal beauty, and he realizes, undoubtedly, that many a homely and unpretentious boy or man has back of him unusual capacity; yet he, as an employer, is not oblivious to the commercial value of good personal appearance, for it counts mightily when one has to meet the public or is to devote the major part of his time in selling. A fine-looking man, who appears to know some- thing, who knows how to meet the public, and who is courteous and a good talker, stands a better chance as a salesman, and often in other directions, than does one of more ability, who is objectionable in appearance and is neither gentlemanly nor courteous. It is a fact that some employers refuse to con- sider an applicant if his appearance is against him; and many a thoroughly competent man, who could have won out had he been given an opportunity, has been turned down at the start because his personality or his personal appearance was unsatis- factory. APPLYING IN PERSON 93 By personal appearance I am not referring to physical beauty. A pretty maji is effeminate; a hand- some man may and may not have the appearance of manliness. One can maintain an effective personal appearance and yet be decidedly homely In face and feature. Our personal appearances, although not Indepen- dent of our physical condition, are largely within our control. We can usually appear to be what we are, provided we take pains to do so. Of course, the plain man cannot make himself handsome, nor can the scrawny, ungainly Individual obtain, naturally or artificially, grace and elegant poise. But if he will put his mind to It, and If he has the right kind of stuff in hirri, he need make no other than a fairly good appearance, nor should he be handicapped by his physical deficiencies. I have known of homely men, almost hideously homely, who are personally attractive, because even their ungainly features reflected character and energy. From a business point of view. It Is one's duty to look as well as he can. Every one may appear neat and wholesome, even though his clothes are not of fashionable cut. Dress Is an important fac- tor, — not over-dress, because that is unprofitable and foolish and shows a lack of sense and character. Employers are not fashion plates or dudes, and most of them wear ordinary clothes and less expensive neckties than those worn by many of their clerks. If they were, they never, probably, would have become employers. They don't like showy clothes. They abhor sham. Therefore, you should dress neatly, cleanly, and In good taste. Wear the kind 94 HOW TO GET A JOB and color of clothes which become you. The right sort costs no more than the wrong kind. _Be sure that your shoes are blacked and your clothes well brushed. Be careful of your hands. Dirty hands and unkept nails have worked against many a boy or man when applying for a position. If you shave, never present yourself unshaved. Avoid any article of dress like fancy vests, gaudy shirts, cheap jewelry, or any other thing which outrages good taste and sense. Better dress too plainly than too gaudily. The employer chooses the boy or man who dresses becomingly, not conspicuously. The slovenly man is likely to be out of a position, no matter what his abilities may be. Long hair and a careless appear- ance are no longer marks of genius, — perhaps they never have been. The unclean and unkempt man, untidy in dress, and careless about his hands and shoes, does not favorably impress his prospective employer, who rightly feels that a dirty applicant is likely to be an objectionable and unsatisfactory clerk. The salesman or other employee Is a part of business, and his personal appearance is an asset, an important factor in the selling and conducting of every department of trade. Like the actor, he should appear his part, and he must sustain it if he would have more than a walking role. The employer is busy, or thinks he is. He judges quickly, if not too quickly. He may judge by appearances more than by intrinsic worth. The appearance of ability is likely to impress him favor- ably. True, if one's capacity is insufficient, the appearance of ability is of little lasting importance, APPLYING IN PERSON 95 yet unless one presents a favorable appearance, abil- ity alone may not be of sufficient value to obtain a first-class position without the most strenuous effort. Ability counts In the end, and the man of capacity will succeed eventually; but if he has the faculty of appearing to be what he is, if his face fully reflects his capacity, he will then market himself more quickly and to far greater advantage. Unless you are personally known to your prospec- tive employer and he has reason to have confidence in your word, he may require you to substantiate your claims and statements. Do not refuse this demand. It is right and proper. The employer will seriously consider and carefully weigh your expe- rience, for this is of much importance to him, second only to your ability. The development of your ability is also of con- siderable consequence to him, perhaps as much as your apparent present ability. Unless he is engaging you to fill a temporary position, your probable future capacity is of more Importance to him than what you may do during the first few weeks, or months, or years. He hires you, not altogether for what you know at the time of the engagement, but for what he expects you to know, and probably do, a year, or many years, afterward. He takes, therefore, into consideration the prospective value of your present qualities and experience. Of course, he may not be able to size you up accurately, but he will weigh you, nevertheless. A recital of your experience, and your appearance while telling him what you know, may assist him in finding your level; and the better 96 HOW TO GET A JOB you appear, — the more you have yourself in hand, — the more likely you are to receive an engagement. If you impress your employer favorably at the start, he will naturally do more for you than he would if he were unfavorably impressed and engaged you under doubt or unrealized protest. References are usually demanded, and one can- not easily obtain a position unless he has them. Be careful never to give as references men who do not know you personally, or who would speak indiffer- ently about you. If your prospective employer is prepossessed with your appearance and is convinced that you have the necessary experience, or can readily obtain it, he is reasonably sure to engage you, if your references are satisfactory. The more definite, and even enthusiastic, the references, the more they actually say in your favor, the better they are. The reference which is neither good nor bad, or one which expresses a good opinion in a commonplace way, may not be worth much of anything. Some men are known as professional ref- erence-givers. They will recommend anybody. They are optimists and see no faults In anybody. A ref- erence from them may be worth less than none at all. Before giving one as a reference, you had better have an Interview with him and get his consent. Post him about yourself, unless he is thoroughly familiar with your business. This last is very im- portant. Every one of those whom you give as references should know about you, in a business way anyway; and it would be better if they were acquainted with your social as well as your business life and experience. The man who knows something APPLYING IN PERSON 97 about you, who can actually outline' your life and present your experiences and your successes, is worth more than six men who know you in a general way. Before calling upon your prospective employer, it is well for you to know something about him, that you may anticipate his questions and wants, and thereby be more likely to meet them properly. Un- doubtedly he has eccentricities. Few successful men are entirely normal. The well-balanced man does not exist, or if he does, he is automatic and worth little to the economy of business, and nothing to progress. The more successful the man, the more likely he is to be erratic and to be influenced by useless fads and senseless fancies. He may be im- pressed by things which should not affect him. On the other hand, he may not always see what it would be better for him to observe. The very greatness of his proficiency, which makes him strong in one direction, may operate for weakness in another. It is more necessary for you, as an employee, to under- stand your employer than it is for him to understand you. If you, seeking the position, are familiar with the characteristics of your prospective employer and are properly prepared to meet him, you stand a much better chance of engagement than if you are not. It is not difficult, in most cases, to discover the likes and dislikes, the characteristics and personality, of the business man with whom you are to have an interview. Perhaps you and he have friends and acquaintances in common. His reputation may be common property. Certainly, he is known to his trade. With a little effort on your part, — the ask- ing of a few pertinent questions, — you may be able 98 HOW TO GET A JOB to fonn a good idea in advance, not only of the busi- ness you are seeking, but also of the man you desire to have for your employer. Don't forget that you want the position more than the employer wants to give it to you, unless you are a genius or a man of unusual capacity. You are the seeker. You, therefore, should be active, while the employer has the right to be passive. If possible, obtain a specified time for the inter- view. This cannot always be done, and should not be insisted upon; but it is better for you and for your prospects if you are allowed to call at an allotted time, which time should be set by the employer to suit his convenience. Perhaps you may be requested to call at any time, and in that case it would not do for you to force him to make a definite appointment ; but in many cases you can get him to do this without apparently urging him to do so. If an appointment is made, he is ready to receive you, because he expects you, and he is likely to be in a receptive mood. If you call without an appoint- ment, you may find him busy, and he may consider your appearance as an intrusion, although he asked you to call. If you cannot obtain a definite appointment, then make it a point to call when he is most likely to be at leisure. When you are in your prospective employer's presence, have yourself " on tap," so to speak, ready to answer any question in the shortest number of words which will give a clear meaning and prevent APPLYING IN PERSON 99 misunderstanding. Give definite information about yourself. Don't hesitate. Use crisp, short sentences, and avoid superlative adjectives. Don't plan out a dialogue in advance, committing the order of ques- tions and answers to memory. If you do so, you may appear stagy and mechanical. You cannot fully anticipate the questions, and it is impossible for you to know the order in which they may be given. Avoid all generalities. Be specific. If you are a stenographer, tell your speed. Don't say you can take ordinary dictation, for that means nothing defi- nite. Ordinary speed may be slow for one man and fast for another. Say that you can write 125, 130, or 150 words a minute, if you can do so. If you are looking for a position as salesman, have in your mind a resume of your qualifications, that you may present them in the fewest words and in a convincing way. Don't say you have had con- siderable experience, or that you have occupied a certain position for a number of years. Tell what your experience is, and state that you have been one year, or two years, or some specific time, with a certain house. Have confidence in yourself. You can't show confidence, if you haven't it. Don't under-value yourself, for self-under-valuatlon may be less profit- able than self-over-estimation. A reasonable amount of self-respect, even if tinged with some self-conceit, is preferable to an exclusively modest demeanor. The business man has no confidence in those who have none in themselves. While modesty is a virtue, too much modesty is a detriment to business. The first-class business man 100 HOW TO GET A JOB is predisposed in favor of the boy or man who shows confidence in himself, although he may feel that the boy or man, with considerable apparent confidence, is not unsupported by self-conceit. Never apply for a position, no matter how sub- ordinate it may be, until you know what you can do, and know how to tell what you can do. If you cannot present plainly and clearly your qualifications, the business man is not likely to feel that you would be of much use to him. He may engage you; but if he does, he will hire you as an ordinary boy or man, and even though you possess hidden ability, it may be a long time before he realizes it. » If you know that you can do a thmg, claim to be able to do it. Claim it emphatically. Claim it with all the enthusiasm you can muster. Be pre- pared to prove your claim, if you are asked to do so. Don't let anybody down you on your own ground. Be sure that you are sure, and then show that you are sure. The world reckons you as you reckon yourself. Self-confidence begets confidence in others. Don't misrepresent. It will do you no good. Your lies will be discovered. Better not obtain a position by misrepresentation, for if you do, and your fraud is discovered, you are likely to lose your position, even though you have rendered satisfactory service. It is more profitable to fail to obtain a position, than to lose it after you have it. If there is anything against you, if you have any " outs," don't deny them.' It may not be necessary to flaunt them in the face of your prospective employer, but APPLYING IN PERSON 101 on general principles I would not advise you to make any effort to cover them up. If there is some one thing which you cannot do well, and you know that your employer will expect you to do it, or there is some reason to believe that he may, a frank acknowledgment of your inability or inexperience, at the start, is far better for you than any attempt at claiming to be able to do what you cannot do. If you cannot answer a question, say so frankly. Don't begin by asking what the hours are. This makes a bad impression. Of course, the working hours interest you; but you can find out what they are without making your question prominent. The business man wants your entire services and your best energy. He may never ask you to work over-time, but he wants to feel that you would be willing to do so should occasion require extra service on your part. Give your prospective employer the impression, provided you do so honestly, that you will be his, that his interests will be your interests, and that you don't care whether you work six hours, lo hours, or 12 hours a day, provided your health will permit and there is work to be done. Let him understand that you belong to him from early morn- ing until bedtime. Don't give him the impression that you propose to sell him a limited number of hours of your time, and that you are an office-hour sort of a fellow. Let hirp distinctly understand that he engages all there is of you, all that you know, your faithful service and your best energy. 102 HOW TO GET A JOB Don't misconstrue my meaning. I don't mean to convey the idea that you, as an employee, are to sell your soul or your character to your employer, nor should you voluntarily give up the necessities of life and devote yourself exclusively to business. I simply mean to impress upon you that the necessity of being willing to do for your employer what you would want him to do for you were your positions reversed. Whether or not the policy of the Golden Rule can be profitably applied to the conduct of business, and whether or not the employer or proprietor can superlatively succeed by following it, is a question which I do not propose to answer in this chapter. But whether or not it be so, the practice of the Golden Rule makes for success on the part of the employee, and any other policy contributes toward his failure and downfall. Don't prolong the Interview. If the business man is not ready to engage you, ask permission to call again, and try to obtain a definite time for the next interview. Leave a card with your name and address plainly printed on It. On the card write your references, unless you have already given them or you are personally known to the employer. Under no circumstances Indulge In pleasantries, jokes, or stories, unless you are applying for a high position, and even in such a case it would be better for you, when you have answered a question, to keep still until another is asked. It is the business man's privilege to take the initiative, so far as questions and jokes are concerned. APPLYING IN PERSON 103 Above all, be yourself; don't attempt to be any- body else ; if you do, you will misrepresent yourself. Remember that you cannot present yourself in the light of your true self unless you know yourself and know how to handle yourself. Therefore, know yourself before you attempt to tell anybody else what you are and what you are good for. Make a trade with yourself before you trade with others. Introduce yourself to yourself before you introduce yourself to another. Keep constantly in niind the fundamental fact that your ability and experience are commodities, that you, — a salesman of your- self, — are attempting to sell that part of yourself which is a business commodity, and, like a com- modity, is worth its price in its proper market. Ask a fair price. You cannot get more than you are worth. You may get less in money, and very likely will at the start. Holding a Position IT has been said, with at least a semblance of justification, that any fool can earn money, but it takes a wise man to keep it. This kiln-dried adage may be re-written to read that " any fool can get a position, but it takes ability and stick-to-it-iveness to hold it." Unquestionably, this assumption is freighted with truth, for practically every one has obtained one or more positions, while only the worthy hold them. The men who are of value to themselves, and, consequently, of benefit to their employers, retain, as a rule, their positions, and enjoy a record of posi- tion-longevity. It must not be understood, however, that success is dependent, necessarily, upon the re- tention of position for any specified length of time, for a change, and sometimes several changes, may be essential, and occasionally they make for sue-, cess. Certainly the records of prosperous business men show that a few of the rolling stones gather moss, and that men of considerable change are not always failures. The man of achievement uses judg- ment, and refuses to retain a position which offers him little for the present and less for the future, if he can obtain a better one; but, nevertheless, an axiomatic rule may be established here, subject only to infrequent exceptions: that the holding of a posi- HOLDING A POSITION 105 tion for a considerable time is distinctly in one's favor, and that the majority of prosperous men are those who have done little shifting of business base. I am arguing along the line of general principle, under the assumption that the law of average is safer to follow than the rule of exception. At the start, let me say, and emphatically, that no matter how much the boy or man just entering upon his business career may think that he is worth, and no matter how much he may be worth to him- self, he is of little value to his employer during the first year, and perhaps during the first two years. Notwithstanding that he keeps long hours and per- forms diflicult and disagreeable labor, apparently accomplishes much, and is faithful to his duties, he is in a training school, and should consider the experience he is receiving as a part of his wages. Unless it is necessary that he be self-supporting, what the position offers, — its present emoluments and its future prospects, — is of more consequence than the remuneration received. A dollar to-day with a pros- pect of many dollars to-morrow is better than two dollars to-day with less future opportunity. I desire to impress upon you another fundamen- tal fact : while faithfulness and energy count mightily in the winning of success, no material advancement is possible without a reasonable amount of sat- isfaction on the part of the worker or employee. Nobody can do his best work, however honest or faithful he may be, if he is chronically dissatisfied. The habitual fault-finder never succeeds. He begins as a failure, and he remains a failure, irrespective of his vocation or opportunity. I do not mean to 106 HOW TO GET A JOB say that one should be satisfied without reason, or that he should live continuously under the dictates of the oft-repeated and dangerous-to-foUow rule, that it is best to make the best of everything. Reasonable dissatisfaction breeds success, while too much self-satisfaction works for failure; but unrea- sonable dissatisfaction, — the kind that makes one fret and keeps him from exerting himself, — is one of the prime causes of failure. Every boy or man should enter the factory, store, or office with a feeling that he Is going to succeed, and with a firmly set determination to do so; and, further, with a willingness to work, a substantial desire to do his level best, and the -expectation of meeting obstacles, which he must overcome if he would win. Unless he is predisposed to be satisfied, and is willing to recognize trouble as a natural and inseparable part of his upbuilding, and unless he Is determined not to allow little things to affect him, he will not place himself in the line of promotion, and most likely he cannot retain his position. At best, he will be little better than a drone, automati- cally doing a mechanical part, — a spoke of a wheel In the great business-machine of system; and even there he may cause considerable trouble to himself and to the works of which he is a part. The following should be considered as sugges- tions, not as regulations. Ambition cannot be sur- rounded by rule, and faithfulness is not dependent upon the law. Rules are for those who do not know enough to follow them. The foregoing state- ment is paradoxical, but let it stand. HOLDING A POSITION 107 I. Never be late. Better be many minutes ahead of time than a few moments behind time. Being ahead of time may lose a minute. Being behind time may spoil a day. Nothing annoys an employer more than tardiness on the part of the employee. Often the tardy employee excuses him- self, because his duties do not appear to begin at the opening hour, and he figures that it does not make any difference whether he is on time or not. Therefore, he suits his convenience, and arrives promptly to-day, but is late to-morrow. This is the worst kind of business or economic policy, and is sure to react on its follower. The employer is entitled to the employee's services from the specified opening hour to the agreed-upon closing time. It is for the employer, not for the employee, to deter- mine these hours, and when they are settled upon, the lowest kind of selfish policy requires that they be kept religiously. True, promptness of arrival may not be of daily consequence to the employer, but unless the employee is Invariably on time, he cannot be depended upon. Neither the employer nor the employee can determine in advance whether or not either or both will be needed at the opening hour, and the employee's tardiness may injure the business, and Is sure to work against him. The day that he is late may be the one time of all when his services are particularly required. I never knew a boy or man, who was Invariably on time, to become a complete failure. Experience has proven that one of the fundamental elements of success Is prompt- ness, without which there can be no dependence. If your train is liable to be late, take an earlier one. 108 HOW TO GET A JOB Stay in the depot reading a good daily paper or an instructive book, and arrive at the office on time, or a little ahead of time, rather than to take the chance of delay. 2. Don't be in a hurry to go home. Success refuses to watch over the man who watches the clock. While the employer is not legally entitled to over-time work, and while, from a purely legal standpoint, the employee has a right to stop at the closing hour, a persistency in this direction is sure to work against promotion and ultimate success. The employer watches the employee. When the opportunity arrives, he will favorably consider the one who is not only on time in the morning, but who seems to be in no hurry to leave in the after- noon, who works as if the business were his, who is as much interested in his employer as he would be if he were his employer's partner. 3. Don't throw down your work at noon and leave it in an unfinished state, for injury is liable to occur by so doing. Of course, you should eat your lunch regularly, but five or ten minutes one way or the other will not affect your health. Be sure to return within the time allotted to you, unless you tell your manager that you may be delayed. When you request an extra ten minutes, don't exceed them. Your employer should be able to depend upon your prompt arrival in the morning and your equally prompt return at noon. 4. Don't consider your working-time limited to the specified office hours. Give your employer all the time he needs, provided it does not interfere with your health and your essential rights. If the firm is HOLDING A POSITION 109 busy, come in voluntarily half an hour or so earlier and stay a little later, if you can be of service. This will favorably impress your employer or manager. Under no circumstances be a clock-man. 5. Work steadily. You are entitled to breath- ing spells, and it is well for you to rest occasionally; but when you rest, rest, and when you work, work. Don't sit with your penholder In your mouth, and don't chew your pencil. Don't spend your time tell- ing stories or jokes. If your employer doesn't give you sorhething to do, find something to do. Better be dusting or cleaning here and there, even if it isn't a part of your work. Don't loaf. Loafing isn't resting. Learn about the business, — not only your part of it, but all parts of it. Keep constantly at something. Show your Interest in the business. Feel as though the business were your business. 6. Do and act the same, whether you are under surveillance or not. Do It because It Is right, and do It because it Is policy. Many a time you are watched when you see no one around. No reason- able employer expects you to work In a treadmill. He wants you to have renting spells, and he is will- ing you should be reasonably sociable with your fel- low-clerks; but attend to business first, and don't do nothing when you can find something to do. It is a sad fact that 90 per cent of employees do differ- ently when they think they are not being watched than when they know they are under the eye 6f the manager. The boy or man who doesn't need watch- ing is sure of promotion. 7. Remember, you can't attend to business and do anything else at the same time. 110 HOW TO GET A JOB 8. Don't smoke during business hours or upon the street. Better not smoke at all. There is no moral difference between smoking on the street and anywhere else, but some employers object to the appearance of smoking as well as to smoking itself, and it is good policy not to offend. 9. Don't dress flashily. Don't wear loud neck- ties. Don't be a dude. Keep your boots blacked and your clothes brushed. Don't wear dirty collars and cuffs. Better be cufiless than to wear those which are soiled. Look respectable, both in the office and on the street. If you can't afford to wear fine clothes, don't wear them. Your employer knows whether or not you are dressing beyond your means. Nothing prejudices him so much against you as extravagance, and especially extravagance in dress. Did you ever notice that the average employer dresses more neatly and less ostentatiously than does the average clerk behind the counter or at the desk? Clean clothes show the man, but extravagant dress and every kind of display indicate mental weakness and lack of character. The dude is a fool. Over- dress and brains seldom accompany each other. 10. Anticipate your employer's wants. Find out his likes and dislikes, and cater to him. You needn't do this in a cringing way at the sacrifice of your manliness. It is perfectly legitimate that you should do and be what he wants you to do and be, provided this doesn't interfere with your individu- ality and honor. Don't be obtrusive. Don't force yourself upon him. Be on the lookout for a chance to help him. There are many kindnesses and favors which you can do which will cost you nothing, and HOLDING A POSITION 111 which will be appreciated by him. He is more or less worried. He has a harder time of it than is generally supposed. The responsibilities and trou- bles of. business are upon him. A little courtesy and assistance here and there will attract his attention and make his life easier, and he is pretty sure to appreciate them. II. No matter how subordinate your position may be, learn your duties from the bottom to the top. Be master of the smallest detail. Be an authority upon your work, even if it is limited to sweeping out the store and to cleaning the cuspidors. Do the most menial labor so well that the quality of it will be noticeable. Take as much pains with sweeping out the corners as in removing the dirt from the middle of the floor. When you dust, dust thoroughly, and don't overlook the side places. Be thorough. Don't work mechanically. Use your brains. A broom and brains will sweep cleaner than a broom and hands only. Of course, you are under the discipline of the office, and must follow direc- tions; but there are two ways of obeying: the mechanical way and the sensible way. If you are told to do something, and you can think of a better way of doing it, first become reasonably sure that your way is an improvement, and then courteously and modestly suggest it to your employer. Perhaps there is a better method of filing the letters than that used by the house you work for. If there is, learn about it, and when you know about it, present the advantages of it to your employer. Keep up-to^ date. Don't be a mere doer of what you are told to do, but do what you do because you want to do it. 112 . HOW, TO GET A JOB 12. Read the trade papers, and keep posted upon the business you are interested in. At the start much of it may be beyond you, and you may not have for years an opportunity to use this infor- mation; but read the trade papers just the same. Some time the knowledge you have acquired will come into play, and it may play a mighty big part. The more you learn about the business, the better are your future prospects. A good trade paper is an exceedingly valuable educational medium. While you should confine your labors to the work allotted you to do, and while you should mind your own affairs and stick to your part of the business, if you would rise in it, your duty is to learn every part of the business, without neglecting your part. If you keep your eyes open, if you ask questions, if you devote your spare time to coming in contact with every branch of the business, sooner or later you will have a grasp upon the business as a whole, which will make your position permanent and work for promotion. 14. Read a good daily paper, and read it regu- larly. The successful business or professional man is not ignorant of current events. A good daily newspaper is a necessity. Without it we would be little better than savages. I cannot impress upon you too emphatically the advisability and necessity of keeping posted. Cultivate the newspaper habit, and never allow yourself to be rid of it. Don't confine your reading to the matter under the big type head- ings. Read the editorials, the solid matter, and the parts which give general information. HOLDING A POSITION 113 15. Don't sit up late at night. Sufficient sleep is necessary for your success. 16. Eat proper food. Plain, good, substantial, and digestible food costs no more than fancy stuff, and generally less. Don't hurry your breakfast. Get up earlier in order to have plenty of time to eat it. Never limit your breakfast to less than half an hour. Allow a little time after breakfast before starting for the office. 17. Don't hurry. Don't run for the train. You need exercise, but hurrying is not the right kind of exercise. If you live near the office, walk there. If, from necessity, you take a suburban train or trolley, leave the car a mile or so from the office and walk that distance, or take the car a mile or more from your home. Bad weather will not hurt you if you are properly clothed. A raincoat and a pair of stout waterproof boots are health acces- sories. Keep in the open air all you can. 18. Sleep with the window open. The popular Idea that night air is dangerous is sheer nonsense. The only air at night is night air. There can't be any other kind. The wide-open window and a thicker blanket are aids to health and builders of strength. Sleeping in a hot room Injures body and brain. Half of our tired feelings are due to close sleeping-rooms, lack of exercise, and to the consump- tion of poor or indigestible food. If we took proper care of ourselves, we would not have half so hard a time of it as most of us think we do. 19. I would advise you, before starting to work, to visit a first-class physician, and to subject yourself to a thorough examination. The expense 114 HOW TO GET A JOB is trifling, and the advice may be of inestimable value. Tell him all about yourself and what you are about to do. Ask him about exercise and the best food to eat. Have yourself diagnosed and a map made of yourself, and follow the prescribed rules. If you are sick, don't doctor yourself, and don't ask the druggist's advice, — a regular doctor is much cheaper. What seems to be a cold, a headache, or a sore throat, may prove to be some- thing dangerous. A doctor in time is worth a barrel of medicine. It is a good plan to visit a physician once a year, or once in six months, even if you are in first-class shape, or think you are. Prevention always costs less than cure. Avoid all patent medi- cines and other concoctions unless prescribed by a regular physician. Never consult a doctor who is not a member of one of the two great medical societies, — allopathic and homeopathic. All other physicians may be quacks, and are not likely to be reliable. 20. Remember you are working for yourself as much as for your employer, and that you cannot be faithful to him if you are not true to yourself. 21. Don't listen to cheap store gossip, and keep away from the habitual fault-finders. The majority of employees criticise their employers. Sometimes it is justifiable, but most of the fault-finding has little basis In fact. The cause of dissatisfaction Is often as much with the employee as with the employer. 22. Don't forget that your employer knows more than you do; not necessarily more than you may know some time, but more than you know now. HOLDING A POSITION 115 23. The policy of business-doing, whether right or wrong, requires obedience to certain written and unwritten laws, many of which may appear unjusti- fiable and unfair from the employee's standpoint, and even from the viewpoint of others; therefore, the average employee criticises his employer, and appears to be, or really is, disgusted with the meth- ods pursued. He doesn't think he is treated fairly; he feels he is not given the opportunity which he deserves. I am not denying that this is true in some cases, perhaps in many cases ; but, so long as business is conducted along its present lines, unfairness will be a part of business. For good and sufiiclent rea- sons, the employer cannot take all of his employees into his confidence; and the employee, not knowing inside conditions, is likely to misconstrue and to form wrong ideas and unfair opinions. It is the duty of the employee to have confidence in his employer, to believe in his methods, and to be true to him until he has obtained reasonable proof that his employer does not deserve his confidence or is unbusinesslike or dishonest. So long as there are employer and employee, the employer is the superior of the em- ployee during business hours. Perhaps socially the conditions are reversed; such conditions may exist educationally and otherwise. In the end the em- ployee may become the employer's superior; but so long as one remains an employee, his employer is his superior during the action of business, and it is the employee's duty to respect his employer as his employer, whether or not he respects him as a man. It is the employee's duty to obey or to resign. Busi- ness cannot be conducted without discipline, and this ai6 HOW TO GET A JOB is impossible where all men are equal for the time being. Some time this distinction may hot obtain, and there may be universal equality in business and in other walks of life; but so long as the present state of civilization or lack of civilization remains, and business is done as it is now done, there must exist a sharply drawn line between the employer and employee, — the one to command, and the other to obey. During the period of business the employee is in the ranks, and the employer carries the sword. Remember this, employees; engrave it upon the tablets of your minds: no man can successfully command who has not been successfully commanded. The fact that your employer is in cpmmand of you is evidence that he is your superior in business. The better you serve in the ranks, the sooner you will be promoted to command. No one can begin at the top and succeed. From the best employees spring the best employers. He who is successful in doing small things becomes able to handle great things. Experience with a gun is essential to success with a sword. Do your best where you are, no matter where you may be. Your best work under all cir- cumstances is the only kind of work which will enable you to obtain a better grade of work and to place yourself in the line of promotion. Be true to yourself, for if you be true to your- self, you are true to your employer. Be true to your employer, because when you are true to him, you are true to yourself. To Those Who Have Lost Their Positions I DO not propose to present accurate figures, because I cannot do so. Reliable statistics are impossible. Yet, may I not venture the statement that considerably more than half of our successful business men, and even those of moderate achievement, have made one or more changes during their career; that is to say, they are not now con- nected with the concern with which they began. But this condition of things should not be used as an argument in favor of change of base, because the major part of men who amount to anything are those of stick-to-it-iveness. Not one of them, or, at least, but few of them, ever made a business change with- out a well-thought-out and thoroughly legitimate reason for doing so. The change which they made was not from voluntary choice, but from necessity, or because appearances seemed to definitely point in another direction. Practically all of us began as wage-earners, working for somebody besides ourselves, and con- tinued in the capacity of employee for a few years or for many years. Fully 90 per cent of our business men, from the small country merchant to the great city captain of 118 HOW TO GET A JOB industry, have failed or will fail during their busi- ness career, although many of them recovered or will recover, and continued or will continue in business. These figures, representing a 90 per cent proportion of failur'e against a 10 per cent of success, are rea- sonably accurate and present the results obtained by statisticians who followed commercial agency and other reports. It is advisable that I make myself perfectly plain, even if it requires repetition. Ninety per cent of our business men are not failures, although 90 per cent of them have failed or will fail. The greater part of those who pass through bankruptcy recover themselves, and become eventu- ally successful; but it is a fact, nevertheless, that 90 per cent of those in business for themselves have experienced bankruptcy or may expect it. This deplorable condition necessitates, at times, a change in business; consequently, a proportion of every class of business men make, voluntarily or involuntarily, some change during their career. On the other hand, the professional man is more fixed, because he works for himself; therefore, for him material change is generally inadvisable, often difficult, and sometimes impossible. The employee gives up or loses his position usually for the following reasons: first, he resigns, because he has obtained what he considers a better position ; secondly, the firm fails or goes out of busi- ness, and he is honorably discharged; thirdly, he is dropped for cause, because he did not properly do his work; fourthly, he loses his position on account qf petty jealousy or for other illegitimate reason. This fourth condition occurs too infrequently to LOST POSITIONS 1*19 need more than passing mention. Nor Is It neces- sary to dwell particularly upon the case where one has resigned, that he may obtain a better position, or one which Is supposed to possess added advantages. In this chapter I propose to deal with the second and third classes, viz.: with those who have lost their positions on account of the failure of the con- cern they were working for, or for other business reasons, and through no fault of their own ; and with those who were discharged for cause, because they did not properly do their work. While the loss of a position through no fault of the incumbent should not reflect upon him. It does to some extent. The majority of employers desire to obtain, rightly or wrongly, their men from the ranks of the employed, except, of course, the boys who are just starting in business. The fact that a man holds a position is considered prima-facie evidence that he has some capabilities and is a more or less valuable employee. The fact that he Is out of a position, whether or not It be his fault, is considered by many business men as reflecting upon his ability. Therefore, the man out of a position may find It much more difficult to obtain one than will he who Is occupied. I would advise, most emphatically, every one to retain his position until he has found something which he has reason to believe Is better, yes, much better. His apparent and present value, if not his real and future value, is from 25 to 50 per cent higher while he holds a position than It is when he Is out of one. But, In many cases, he cannot help himself. His firm fails, or changes are made over which he has no control. He is literally forced 120 HOW TO GET A JOB out. He must obtain another position. In this case, — where he is not to blame for being out of work, — he is infinitely better off than is the employee who has been discharged for cause. He should obtain another position at the earliest possible moment, although he need not use undue haste. It may be better to wait a little longer, if one can afford to do so, and thus obtain a good position, than it is to take the first thing that offers itself, if this initial opening is undesirable. Here, as in other cases, one must use his judgment, and if he has little judgment, he should depend upon that of others, — an ex- tremely difficult thing to do, because it takes judg- ment to use judgment, and the boy or man without it generally refuses to appeal to the judgment of others. It is dangerous to wait, and it is also unprofit- able to be premature; but all things being equal, the quicker one gets a position, the better. The longer he waits, the more his commercial or position-getting value will decrease. It is a fact that the man who has been out of work for no longer than a week stands a better chance than the one who has been out of work for a month. The longer he is out of a position, the more he is open to the suspicion that he lacks ability, enterprise, and persistency. There- fore, I would advise the boy or man who has been thrown out of work to immediately bend every effort to replace himself. He should use the most strenu- ous methods. He should leave no stone unturned; he should keep continuously at it, — using his friends, his acquaintances, and everybody else who can pos- sibly assist him. He should obtain from his last LOST POSITIONS 121 employer a certificate of character and capacity, provided his employer stands well. He should go further than this. He should have letters of Intro- duction from leading business and professional men, even from those who have no connection with his business. He should fortify himself with every kind of legitimate ammunition. The fact that his firm failed, or that he was thrown out of work for equally good cause, allows him to be frank In his statements. He does not need to keep anything back. He may let It be known that he Is out of a position and Is looking for work. He cannot antagonize his future or present prospects by making a frank and complete statement of his condition and desire. He Is forced out of work, and he wants work. This fact should be known, and the more It is known, the better It Is for him. There Is no denying the fact that the boy or man who has been dishonorably discharged Is in a very disagreeable and hard position. He cannot show a recommendation from his last place, unless he has been so unfortunate as to be discharged from an unreliable and dishonorable concern, who would be willing to give him an undeserved and untruthful testimonial. This recommendation, however, would be worth nothing, because the value of the recom- mendation or testimonial Is dependent upon the reputation of the one who signs It. The dishonorably discharged employee will usu- ally find it difficult to keep his shortcomings secret. They are likely to be known to outsiders, and cer- tainly they are to the firm he formerly worked for. No matter if he Is truly repentant and sincerely 122 HOW TO GET A JOB determines to rectify his mistakes, he has lost for the time being a part of his reputation. While I do not recommend the public flaunting of one's errors, because we have a right to consider our mistakes confidential to ourselves, it is not usu- ally good policy to make more than an ordinary attempt to keep them secret. Our errors are usually found out, and any attempt on our part to keep them secret, or any misrepresentation, is likely to react against us. Frankness is one of the first laws of success-making. Notwithstanding that many business men are dis- honest, from inclination or from alleged necessity, the most dishonest employer admires and demands hon- esty upon the part of his employees. Even the worst of business men, — those who have built up . their business by the practice of open dishonesty, and those who demand that their employees be engaged in the furtherance of their nefarious schemes, — will not tolerate unfaithfulness or dishonesty, unless it be directed in their interest. They require tSeir employees to be honest to them. Even assuming that the dishonorably discharged employee can obtain a position without making known his disgrace, I rather question the expediency of not making a frank and clear statement. Sooner or later the new employer may discover all. It is better to be honest and frank at the start as well as afterwards. Bad as a dishonorable discharge is considered, that condition in itself is by no means fatal to reemployment. Many a good man has gone wrong and is better for the trial through which he has LOST POSITIONS 123 passed. A frank confession of wrong-doing, if it be made in a manly, straightforward way, begets confidence. The employer, while he may be some- what prejudiced against the man who has been dis- honorably discharged, may become prepossessed in his favor if he presents himself without disguise- ment, frankly tells the truth, and by so doing pre- sents tangible evidence that he is undergoing the right kind of repentance, and that he has an intense desire to use the disaster of the past as a preparation for the future. I would advise, therefore, the dishonorably dis- charged employee to tell the truth about himself, the whole truth, that he may sail under his own colors. Certainly, a frank statement about himself, and an open and manly confession, will relieve him of anxiety. He will know the worst at the start. He need not fear for the future. True, he may have a hard time of it, but he deserves it. A dis- honorable discharge in itself, then, need not, neces- sarily, be against a man. He may offset it, although it may be difficult for him to do so. But if he acknowledges his wrong, shows true repentance, and determines to right himself, he will find somewhere somebody who will work for him as heartily, and perhaps even more so, than he would for a man who had not done wrong. The kindliness of human nature is prone to offer a helping hand to those who are sincerely attempting to undo the wrong that they have done and to correct the mistakes that they have made. While it is necessary for the dishonorably dis- charged employee to make the most strenuous effort 124 HOW TO GET A JOB to replace himself, he should not allow himself to be discouraged. Instead of permitting his disgrace to injure him, he should use it as a foundation for better things. The very frankness of a confession, if it carries with it a genuine desire to do better, may result in the right kind of a reinstatement. Whether the employee has lost his position through no fault of his own, or has been dishonor- ably discharged, he should make immediate effort to obtain a position. He should strain every nerve and turn every stone, so that as little time as possible may intervene between his discharge and reengage- ment. One of the great general principles of successful business-doing suggests that we stick to some one line of business. The successful shoe clerk may become a failure in the real-estate business, and many a good real-estate man would not meet with the same degree of success in any other class of endeavor. Occasionally it may be well for one to switch off entirely, — to remove, not only from one house to another, but to make a complete change of vocation, — but this should not be done without a well-thought-out and well-defined reason for so doing. The majority of our superlatively successful men, and even of those who have met with only ordinary success, are those who have not only made few changes, but who did not go outside of the line of their original work. If they began in the dry-goods business, they remained it it, whether or not they moved from one store to another. LOST POSITIONS 125 While there are underlying principles, which apply to all business-doing, from the selling of nails to the distribution of soap, each line has its pecu- liarities. The selling of soap, for instance, while following the principles of trade, is handled some- w'hat differently than are many other commodities. Therefore, it would seem expedient that one should stick to his line and limit his changes to similar houses. For instance, a dry-goods clerk out of work is likely to obtain a better position and at a higher salary in the dry-goods business than he will if he goes into some other line. Experience, particularly in business, owes its commercial value to its continuity. Our capacity is limited. We can do only a certain amount of work, and even the cells of our brain are numbered. It is necessary, therefore, for us to economize our ener- gies, to concentrate rather than to spread out. Then, this is an age of specialty, and there appears to be little room for the versatile man; in fact, versatility, unless it has the power of concentration. Is a curse rather than an advantage. Few versatile men amount to anything. The great achievements have been made by men who have known one thing many times better than anything else, who were specialists, who devoted the major part of their life to the development of some particular faculty. You cannot learn one thing too well. It Is impossible for you to learn everything about any- thing. Occasionally I hear business men say that they know all about the dry-goods business, for instance. They lie, although some of them may lie unintentionally. No one man knows all about any 126 HOW TO GET A JOB business. The greatest brain capacity can hold no more than a limited amount of knowledge. There- fore, and particularly during the present age of trusts and combinations, it is evident that the boy or man will find it expedient and profitable to stick to some one thing, and to perfect himself along that line. If he begins with a dry-goods house, it is better for him to remain in the dry-goods business, all things being equal. The knowledge he has obtained of the dry-goods business he can carry from one house to another; but if he changes the class of his business, much of what he has learned about his former calling will be next to worthless to him. I admit that occasionally one's business offers so little that he is justified in making a complete change; but when it seems best to make such a change, it is well for one to consider the profitable business near- est the one he has been in, — a trade which would allow him to use some of his experience. Our education in business, or out of it, can never be completed in this world. It is, therefore, better to learn more about the things we know something about than to attempt to learn about the new things that we know nothing about. At best, we can know but little, and It is wiser to know much about little than little about much. When out of a job, work as hard to get a job as you would work in a job. Getting a Better Position Is the position you are holding satisfactory to you? Do you feel that it offers you oppor- tunities within the realization of your capac- ity? Have you a conscious or subconscious feeling that some other position, in the same line of endeavor or in another, would be better for you or would offer you eventually advantages which your present envi- ronment does not seem likely to contain? Is your satisfaction or your dissatisfaction, whichever It may be, based upon good common sense? Are you dis- satisfied because you are too lazy to make the best of present conditions? You have no right to be satisfied or dissatisfied without reason. It Is not sensible or proper for you to let " well-enough alone," unless^ the alleged " well- enough " has a tangible basis In fact. Nor, on the other hand, have you a right to be dissatisfied, or to develop dissatisfaction, unless you are doing your best where you are and can prove conclusively to fair-minded friends that present conditions offer opportunities beneath the quality and quantity of your capacity. Stagnant satisfaction and Irrational dissatisfac- tion are enemies to every kind of progress. To be satisfied Is not sufficient, unless the satisfaction Is the result of Intelligent consideration and a proper 128 HOW TO GET A JOB weighing of present and prospective values. Fault- finding dissatisfaction always works against successful effect. Success, then, appears to be dependent upon sensible satisfaction and reasonable dissatisfaction. Continuity in position-holding is to be encour- aged. Intermittent success is but the imitation of the real. In continuity is strength, whether it apply to the holding of a position or to any other human endeavor. The Builder of the Universe did not skip his working days. On Monday he did Monday's work, and on Tuesday he connected Monday's work with the work of Tuesday. He who feeds his horse on Monday, gives him less food on Tuesday, still less on Wednesday, and none on Thursday and Friday, may have a weak or a dead horse on Saturday. Success is built upon connection and the conti- nuity of endeavor. A better position, if one can be had, is dependent upon the present position, unless one is just starting in business; and even then, going to work is but a continuation of the preparation which preceded it. While it Is unprofitable and foolish to continue any policy of stagnation, even though it possess the element of permanency, a change of business base is never to be advised unless one Is as sure, or nearly so, of his prospects In another direction, or under different environment, as he Is under present condi- tions. I am aware that some successful men owe their attainments to a change from one position to another, and sometimes from one line of business to another, and I would not advise any boy, young man, or man GETTING A BETTER POSITION 129 to allow the satisfaction of stagnation to grow upon him, nor would I advise him to refuse to climb the safe branches which spring from the main trunk of his calling. But I would ask him to use every cau- tion not to make any movement until he has reason to feel that there are good grounds for success in some other position, whether or not it connects him or disconnects him from the class of his work. Upon general principles it is inadvisable for one to change his business, although he may change his position. Nothing is more unsafe than to jump from one business, trade, or profession into another. To do so means that one must sacrifice from half to two-thirds of his experience. True, all lines of business follow fundamental rules, and there is a similarity pertaining to them all ; but each calling has an individuality, and there is something about it which is different from all other lines of trade. This peculiar something becomes the property of the man who is familiar with his trade, and this special training or familiarity he cannot carry intact into any other business. When he changes his business, he must learn the specialties of his new business, even though he may be well founded in business principles. Therefore, I would advise every boy and man to stick to the line of his choice, unless there are unusual reasons, — reasons which can be substanti- ated, — which suggest the necessity of a complete turning about. If you are dissatisfied with your present position, and this dissatisfaction owes its birth and develop- ment to the conditions under which you labor, and 130 HOW TO GET A JOB there appears to be, upon investigation, reasonable evidence that your lack of success is due to your environment and not to yourself, then you have the right to consider a change. To persist in holding your present position under these circumstances is foolish and unprofitable. It is your duty to look for a bet;ter position, presumably within your call- ing; and this better position you will find if you hunt strenuously for it and prepare yourself to meet it. But if your dissatisfaction is due to yourself, to your lack of ability, over which you have no control, or to shortcomings for which you are responsible, then it is better for you to stay where you are, and gain by inches if you can, than to take the next-to-fatal chance of losing what you have, by jumping into another position which most likely will require a man of greater or different capacity than yours. It is safer to stay where you are, unless you know you can do better somewhere else. It is not enough to think you can better your condition by changing your position; it is necessary to know that you can. In the first place, it is your duty to yourself as well as to your employer to do your best where you are, no matter how disagreeable the position you hold may be. Unless you are a success in a small way under handicapping environment, you will not be a success with right conditions. The subordinate who cannot succeed as a sub- ordinate will not succeed as a master. The man who cannot, as a motorman, properly handle his car cannot superintend other motormen. Every man of success won his spurs by first riding in the ranks, as a member of a company of workers. GETTING A BETTER POSITION 131 I do pot care how subordinate your position may be, how little opportunity it may offer, how disagree- able may be your environment, unless you are suc- cessfully doing your work, you stand absolutely no chance of doing better under favorable condition. Nine-tenths of our unsuccessful men are chronic fault-finders, who blame everybody and everything save themselves. Their dissatisfaction with their present positions is not due to the positions they occupy, but to themselves. They are looking for what the boys call " snaps." I have heard of snaps, but I have never seen one. A snap is like the prize in the lottery, — you read about it, but you never see it. Every kind or grade of success owes its existence to hard and persistent work. Occasionally men seem to succeed, and it would appear to the superficial observer that luck was the agent of their achieve- ment; but if you investigate, you will find that what seemed to be success was little more than a flash-in- the-pan appearance of the genuine. Young man, if you do not like your present posi- tion, and you know why you do not like it; if you can satisfy yourself and your friends that you have reason for your dissatisfaction; and if you can fur- ther prove to yourself and to others that you are able to assume greater responsibilities ; then, and only then, have you a right to make a change. A change under any other circumstances is pretty sure to be fatal to your interests. Do not be so foolish as to imagine that anybody or anything but yourself will be responsible for what you do. Outsiders and your environment may help you or hinder you; but the 132 HOW TO GET A JOB responsibility is yours. Unless you have done some- thing where you are, no matter where you are, you are not likely to do anything anywhere else. Be master of the little you have before you attempt to handle greater things. Do not give up a good position, or even a poor one, until you know that the position, not you, is responsible for your failure. The more you are where you are, the more right you have to go somewhere else. Let me sum up : Stay where you are until you know of a better place. Don't attempt to obtain a higher position unless you have succeeded in your lower position; and even then do not make a move unless somebody besides yourself feels assured that you are adapted to greater responsibility. Your employer, unless he be an exceptipn to the general rule, will give you as much opportunity, provided it is within his scope, as will somebody else. It is true that because you began with him as a boy he may not realize your worth. This condition has often occurred. Many an employer fails to recog- nize the value of the employees who have grown up with him. They were his boys at the start, and, like a father, he does not realize that they have become men. If the firm you work for does not appreciate your services, and I am here assuming that you are rendering an efficient service, the fault Is due to one of two conditions : first, that the firm unintentionally refuses to recognize your ability, In which case you have a reasonable excuse for a change, provided you GETTING A BETTER POSITION 13S can make an advantageous one; secondly, you have not properly presented yourself or have not allowed your employer to see what you are or to know what you are doing. The best advice that I can give you, young man, who are considering a change of position, is for you to find out what you have in hand, to properly weigh it and measure it, before you make a change. If, after you have done this, you find that your present environment will not give you deserved opportuni- ties, then, and only then, should you make a change. You are working for yourself, whether you be in business for yourself or on a salary. You cannot be faithful to your employer unless you are faithful to yourself. The employer who will not give you what belongs to you is unfit for you to work for. You are justified in making a change. But, as all business is selfish, and as all employers keep their employees for wEat they can get out of them, it is obvious that the employer worth working for will recognize the employee's ability and earning capacity if he has an opportunity to do so. You, as an employee, have the same rights as your employer. He keeps you because it pays him to do so, and you stay for the same reason. There is no sentiment about it. It is cold-blooded business. It is a question of selfish policy. As an employee, it is your duty to weigih yourself, and after you know your weight, to force your employer to pay you pound for pound. If he be a successful business man, he is likely to do this. If he will not do this, whatever may be his reason, then you have a right to get out. But remember, young man, that hard 134 HOW TO GET A JOB as your present positlbn may be, your next one may be more difficult to sustain. You know the difficul- ties which confront you. You have lived with them. iYou may not be able to diagnose your prospects in another position. No nlatter what your new posi- tion may promise you, it may not fill all those obli- gations. In more than half the cases it is the man, yourself, that counts, not the position. Get all you can,, provided you get it honestly. Consider yourself as merchandise and realize that you are entitled to a fair price for your possessions. If your present em- ployer will not pay market prices, find another em- ployer; but remember that no matter how good or bad your present position may be, you stand a much better chance of getting a better place while occupy- ing a position than you do when out of one. Keep both feet on the line of permanency. Branch out with your arms, if you will. Don't let your feet get off the ground until you have clutched with your hands something strong enough to hold you. Choosing Friends FRIENDS are both a business and social asset, preeminently essential to the making, of every degree of success and of every grade of achievement. They are a basic necessity. Without friends, social life is impossible, and any business comfort or satisfaction is improbable. The multi-millionaire, steeped in cash, has what he con- siders friends, although they are more likely to be but semblances of true friends. They probably would be of little intrinsic value to him should he pass through straits of any kind; but so long as he keeps his head above water, they are his friends or appear to be. They answer the purpose of friends, to some extent, at least, make life bearable, and assist in the promotion of his social affairs and business prosperity. The bricklayer or other laborer enjoys associa- tion with others while at work and at home. Even the thief refuses to get along without what he con- siders friends, — those who are apparently friendly with him, even though neither places much confi- dence in the mutual friendship or relationship. They are disreputable characters, but they may be friends, nevertheless. No one can live happily or profitably, nor can one progress further than the initial jot, without 136 HOW TO GET A JOB human cooperation, without mingling with men and things, and without being surrounded by those who are in friendly relations with him or who appear to sustain such association. The hermit and the recluse are worthless mem- bers of society; they are store-houses without exits; they are derelicts, useless to themselves and menaces to society. It is, then, simply a question of whether you will have true friends, — those whom you may use legit- imately to your advantage, — or whether your friends shall represent the elements which are opposed to every grade of decent progress. Friends, or what stand for friends, you must have. You begin to choose ybur friends, or to earn them, at boyhood, and they remain with you, either in fact or by substitution, so long as you live. In the first place, let it be said that you and your friends must be of necessity alike. You cannot have as a friend one who is morally or mentally your superior or your inferior, for your friends are like you, otherwise they would not be your friends. The old saying that " likes repel and opposltes attract " has little foundation in fact. True, many a man Is apparently different from his associates; some of his interests may^be along other lines; but, if you will study his characteristics and those of his Intimate friends and associates, you will find that their likes and dislikes and their Ideas of right and wrong and of other things in general are not in opposition, but much closer than appearances some- times show. As a matter of fact, these men, although CHOOSING FRIENDS 13Y they may appear to be opposltes, have much in com- mon, and what they have in common is the cause of their mutual friendship. A man of intellect is not, and cannot be;, on intimate terms with one of undeveloped brain. He who is good for the sake of being good does not select his friends from among those who care only for money and for what money stands for. The man of strict integrity is not happy in the presence of iniquity. He may associate with the representatives of every kind of vice that he may do the criminals good, but these disreputable characters are not his friends, — they are but objects of his philanthropy. They present opportunity for him to act out the kindness of his heart. Virtue and crime associate only because virtue is willing to meet crime that it may change crime into virtue. It is useless to advise a bad boy or man to make his friends from among those who represent char- acter and integrity, for so long as one is bad, he will not want to associate with good people, and good folks will not be willing to be on intimate terms with him. But the moment he wants and tries to be good, he begins to become good, and he is worthy to asso- ciate wilii those who are as good as he is trying to be. But the boy or man at the start of his reforma- tion may not expect to receive the actual friendship he needs; he will rather obtain encouragement. He must throw off first his bad habits and attempt to obtain better ones. This attempt, in itself, is evi- dence of his reformation, and he may feel assured that the helping hands of approval will reach out to him and that he will be given opportunity to 138 HOW TO GET A JOB better himself. Good boys or men will be friendly to him, — they will want to become his friends, — but they will refuse to become his intimate friends, or to trust him, until he has proveq his worthiness. He must do something for himself before he can expect others to help him. Neither God nor man gives more, nor should give more, than opportunity, encouragement, and assistance. To do more is to take from man his most precious heritage, that of self-responsibility, self-respect, and self-agency. There is nothing worse for a boy or a man than continuous and close association with thoughtless," unambitious, and disreputable persons, unless such association is for the definite purpose of doing them good. Even then, it should be off-set by an intimacy with those who are his equal in character. I am thoroughly democratic in my ideas of equality. I have no patience with those who feel that men are born unequal, and who, in their thoughtlessness, self-containment, and handed-down- pride, attempt to assume that one piece of human clay Is better than another piece from out of the same earth. The boy or man, who is filled with his own Importance, and who thinks he is better than others, because of inheritance or on account of those things over which he has had no control, and, there- fore, for which he deserves no credit. Is a cad and a fool, — an object of genuine pity. The world would be better off if he were not allowed to be at large; and yet, the world should not be taxed with the cost of his confinement. The respectable blacksmith, who handles his hammer to the best of CHOOSING FRIENDS . 139 his ability, is, in every respect, equal to the great scientist, who, with his marvelous capacity, has but done his best. But the good blacksmith has as little in common with the great scientist as the scientist has in common with him. They may become gen- eral friends, but they will never be specific friends. It is not a question of equality or of inequality, it is a question of preference, of having something in common, of being interested along similar lines. But because we are born equal, because we are all branches of a common trunk, does not mean that we have no right to choose our associates or to make our friends at will. It is a question of selection. The choice depends upon a mutual exchange. This is a compensatory world. We pay for everything we get. Reciprocity is the first law of nations, of society, and of the making and mainte- nance of friendship, and should be the first law of business. Unless we give, or are willing to give, an adequate return for what we receive, we have no right to receive, and no one has a right to give unto us. No two boys or men remain friends unless each buys of the other the friendship he receives. He does not pay for it in money, but he pays for it by giving in return as much as he receives or by being willing to do so. All friendship is based upon mutual giving and receiving. This is not selfishness in an objectionable sense, because it is of that greater selfishness which represents the purity of character, — the selfishness of reciprocity, — the basis of all friendship worth while. The willingness to return favor for favor 140 HOW TO GET A JOB constitutes an adequate return, provided one is unable to do so in a material or substantial way. Friendship, analyzed properly, is nothing ftiore or less than a mutual trade. True, many of us do more favors than we receive, but no decent boy or man accepts a favor that he does not want to return if it is needed. The fact that he is willing to make return for what he receives gives him the right to receive, whether or not he makes a substantial or material return. The purpose of the Golden Rule is not independent of legitimate self-interest, — a willingness to receive favors with an equal desire to return them. No one should do more for friends than he would have his friends do for him, if he needed their aid. To give assistance to one, who will receive and not return, and who is unwilling to make return, is not philanthropy, or charity, or Christianity, or friendship, or kind-heartedness, but is the product of a false idea of goodness and is founded upon cheap sentimentality. The boy's first duty is to obtain friends. Let him remember that he must pay for friendship, — r that he must earn it. The friendship he gets for nothing is worth what he pays for it, — nothing. I would encourage most emphatically every kind of social life among boys and men, except wh^t has a degrading influence and interferes with the sterner duties. With the right kind of companionship, we are in every way better off. We need social inter- course, and plenty of it. The recluse may be a book-worm, but like the worm he will crawl through CHOOSING FRIENDS 141 life. The boy or man in business should not eat his lunch by himself. Table companions aid digestion and are mental stimulants. Many of us are isolated at night, and are alone too much of the time. This getting into one's closet, so to speak, or of being alone for extended periods, is an advantage at times, for too much social life is wearisome and an enemy to ambition; but there is a healthy and profitable line drawn between too much sociability and over- isolation. The right kind of social life aids ambition and gives to the boy in school or to the man in business a delightful, profitable, and labor-saving opportunity for the development of his truer and better self. The proper club or other organization is an educational institution. The establishment of reading rooms, gymnasi- ums, and other places for study and recreation, like those maintained by . the Young Men's Christian Association, are worthy of the highest commenda- tion, and should receive the hearty support and cooperation of the community. They are clearing- houses of thought, keep boys and men off the streets, discourage loafing, and present opportunities for their members to give and to take, to exchange ideas to mutual advantage. Attendance at the right kind of club or association does not mean late hours or Interfere with home and home duties. No good thing is any good if it is carried to excess. All school, all home, all club, or all Church, would ruin a boy and condemn a man to failure. Change of occupation Is the best kind of health- giver and mind-developer. The breaking down of 142 HOW TO GET A JOB many boys and men is not always due to the strenu- ous life of the shop or to the office, but often to the lack of a different kind of a life when the day's duties are done. The best men, those who have made the most of themselves, are, as a rule, those who work syste- matically, sleep systematically, read systematically, study systematically, and take recreation systemati- cally, who realize that they, by themselves alone, are worth little to themselves or to anybody else and that the proper mingling with others in business and out of business is essential to the rounding-out of manhood and the establishment and maintenance of any grade of proficiency. The boy or man with good friends has insured himself against failure. If he is willing to work, and has fair health and ambition, it is impossible for him to become a complete failure. There is nothing in the world worth more com- mercially, socially, or religiously, than friends, and the more of them the better. Friends are an asset, a business and social invest- ment and protection. Using Your Friends THIS chapter Is a part or a continuation of the one which precedes it. Both theoreti- cally and practically, a friend, or what stands for a friend, is an individual who likes us as well as we like him, and who is, or may be, will- ing to do for us as he would have us do for him if conditions were reversed. Friends are supposed to be disciples of the Golden Rule, and the claim or extent of their friendship should be measured by the degree of their practice of the Golden Rule Policy. Even the most despicable man, the most selfish, the most disagreeable, the most Irritable, the most irra- tional, has one friend at least, or what he supposes to be a friend. The friendship between them may be of the lowest order, they may be friends in crime only, but with all that, there exists between them at least a semblance of friendship. The friendless boy or man would do himself a personal favor and place the world under obligations to him should he jump overboard with an apology to the water for accepting its open generosity. We are judged by our friends, and rightly so. Friendship does not consist In taking a drink with a friend or in going gunning with him. It is something stronger and deeper, and has, or should have, a definite Intrinsic and marketable value. 144 HOW TO GET A JOB While a bad friend is a dangerous proposition, and while association with him may assist in leading one astray, I am inclined to feel that one is better off with a bad friend than with no friend at all; for without friends one does nothing and is as nothing. But bear in mind one fact, and a most important one: if you are down, you cannot be lifted up by your friends nor by the application of any other outside process. To rise, you must do the rising yourself, or the major part of it. True, a friend may assist you, but he cannot drag you out of the mire or turn your failure into success. Unless you make an effort for yourself, unless you actually do a part of the up-lifting, all the assistance in the world will avail you nothing. The strong friend of the weak man, assuming that a weak man can have a strong friend, is worth little to him, because the value of friendship cannot go beyond coopera- tion and assistance. Our friends are for our personal use, and we have a right to use them. If It were not so. If they could not be put to use should occasion require, they would be worthless to us, and, therefore, would be friends in name only. There Is no code of honor, of modesty, or of self-respect, which should prevent you from using your friends, provided you do so legitimately and are willing to reciprocate. You have just as much right to use your friends, if you do so In a proper manner, as you have to take and hold what you buy at the store. The fact that you have friends is prima facie evidence that you have earned their friendship, and have paid for It in one way or USING YOUR FRIENDS 145 another; consequently, you may consider them as legitimate assets, a deposit, so to speak, to be drawn upon as necessity requires. It may not be necessary for you to keep a debit and credit account, for friend- ship does not admit of any form of commercial barter. A true friend is as willing tq do a favor as he is to accept a favor. Right here is a point, which is often overlooked, and which has never been considered by many: he who will not accept a favor, when by doing so it would be of material assistance to him, is abnormally sensitive and probably unbalanced. The quality or value of friendship is founded in reciprocity. You have a legitimate right to use your friends, and they have an equal right to ,use you. Don't hesitate to use them if occasion requires. If you want their help, ask for it, and keep on asking for it. If they are unwilling to give it, they are not your friends. Perhaps nine-tenths of your friends ' may reply in the negative when you ask them if they know of an opening. Most of them will promise to keep you in mind. They mean what they say; but they, like the rest of us, are forgetful. They intend to remember you, but they are busy, and other matters interfere. It is your business not to allow them to forget you. Very likely one of your friends knows of a good opening, and yet he may not realize it. He needs to be stirred up continually. You should be the stirrer. You need not be obtrusive. Don't irritate him. But you can keep yourself in his mmd in an unobjectionable way. Run in occasionally to see him. Ask him if he has heard of anything. Talk over with him your desires and prosepcts. If 146 HOW TO GET A JOB you cannot see him personally, write him brief letters at frequent intervals. Remind him that you haven't been properly placed, and assure him you will appre- ciate his assistance. Better write to several of your friends, in fact, write to every friend you have, even though it may appear that some of them are not in positions to aid you. If you don't hear anything from them within a week or two, write them again, and make your letter brief. Use some expression like, " I am not placed yet. Telegraph me if you hear of anything." This does not offend and helps to jog the memory. Use your acquaintances as well as your friends. When you are out of a position, or desire to obtain a better one, use all of your friends and acquaintances; pull every wire. Remember that modesty, though it may be a great and uncommon virtue, may be your worst enemy. You are after something. It is your business to get what you want, and in the getting you should use every legit- imate means, which will, in any way, lead to success. Even the friend or acquaintance, who may be slightly annoyed at your persistency, will admire rather than condemn your progressive methods. Few men, even those of busy business, are offended at brief letters or at short calls. Ask the advice of your friends. It cannot pos- sibly do any harm, and it may do considerable good. True, advice is often worthless, and one should not be over-influenced by it; but it may have value never- theless. Nothing brings a man out so much as to request his advice. Most of us are willing to give advice. Some of us are anxious to do it. Asking USING YOUR FRIENDS 147 advice often leads to other things, which you may use to your advantage. Consult with your friends. See them at every opportunity. Keep in touch with them. The more of your friends who know about your ambition and what you want, the better you are off. Many of the best positions have been obtained through the direct or indirect influence of friends. The friend, who knows your capacity and character, is in a position to speak of you in a way which good taste would not allow you to talk of yourself. But remember that your friends are not going to obtain a position for you; they will only assist you in that direction; you, yourself, must do the actual work. Don't depend ,upon your friends beyond the rendering of assistance. Depend upon yourself. You, not they, should do the work. You are in command; they are acting as your assistants. Unless your friends are thoroughly familiar with your desires and experience, it would be well for you to furnish them with a number of letters stating what you have done and what you want to do. Give each of these friends from six to a couple of dozen of them. They may be written on the type- writer or set in type. If set in type print a few hundred slips or proofs. At any moment one may approach your friends and intimate that he desires some one of your qualifications. Your friends speak of you and recommend you, but they are in a much better position to assist you if they can hand the inquirer a written or printed statement of your ability and experience. 148 HOW TO GET A JOB It Is not only necessary for you to ask your friends to help you, but you should make It easy for them to do It. I heartily recommend the proof-slip Idea. The cost is very slight. It should contain your name, address, qualifications, and references; In fact, It should be, a typographical map of who and what you are. Even your best friend may not know hov» , to properly present your qualifications, or may be unfamiliar with many of them. In conversation with a business man, your friend mentions you and inquires if there is an opening. If there is, he may attempt to talk of your qualifications, but he may not give them all. He may not properly represent you. This little printed proof of your qualifications may act as a clincher. The business man puts It In his pocket. It takes up little room. He reads It at his leisure. Your address Is upon it. He sends you a letter or asks you to call. This little slip, in con- nection with the recommendation of a friend, may bring you the position you desire. In the chapter, " How to Apply by Mail for a Position," are given suggestions for the prepara- tion of the proof-slips referred to. Use your friends. Use all of your friends. Use even those who may not be in a position to be of benefit to you. When you want something, whether It be a posi- tion or anything else, get it, provided It Is right for you to have it, and bring to bear upon the case every- thing which may assist you. Consider yourself as so much merchandise. Consider your friends as your salesmen. Engage your friends to act in that USING YOUR FRIENDS 149 capacity. That they may succeed, it is necessary that they be prepared to properly describe you, that they can recommend you specifically as well as generally. Many a friend has failed to render aid Because his recommendation was altogether too general. The business man, looking for an assistant, wants specific information, and cares little for general matter. He wants to know what you are specifically, what you have done specifically, and what you can do specifi- cally. Therefore, you should see to it that your friends, in assisting you to sell yourself, should understand what you are and what you are after. It is just as easy for a friend to recommend you specifically as to do so in a general way. When out of a position use your friends and keep using them. Working for Yourself or for Others THE world of workers consists of several more or less distinct classes: the common laborer is one who works exclusively with his hands, performing a grade of work requiring the minimum of intelligent guidance. The street cleaner and digger are examples of common labor- ers. The ordinary farm hand, although a laborer, ranks above the common laborer, because the effi- ciency of his work depends to some extent upon his mental capacity. The common laborer is seldom in business for himself, and is usually under the direct command of a boss or foreman, who directs his work as he would manage a machine. In this book I shall not consider him, because he lacks ambition, is naturally or otherwise inefficient, and is not likely to receive or to care for outside assistance; more- over, the greater part of our common laborers are foreigners, who do not read the English language. The classification, servants, would apply to those who render domestic or similar service, to men and women employed to do the necessary work about the house, hotel, club, or stable, and who are subject to the direction of a house-master or mistress. In this class are included cooks, butlers, coachmen, and WORKING FOR YOURSELF 151 stable hands, but not necessarily farm workers. For obvious reasons they need not be considered in this chapter. In the class of mechanics I would place all work- men above the grade of common laborer and below that of the expert workman. The majority of mill hands and factory helpers may be considered mechan- ics. They do not work for themselves, but are under the direction of a foreman. Theoretically, they are laborers, but commercially, they rank higher, because their work requires the definite exercise of their men- tal faculties. As they are not likely to go into busi- ness for themselves, they need not be treated in this chapter. The skilled workman is a high-grade mechanic and is competent to do difficult and intricate work. As a rule, he works for another; yet, although he is under the direction of a foreman, his work is not watched as carefully as that of the ordinary mechanic, and he is much more independent. He is not likely to go into business for himself. The expert workman represents the highest grade of skilled mechanics. Generally, he works for another, but occupies an enviable position; for, although he Is under direction, he is independent of ordinary factory discipline. A few expert me- chanics are In business for themselves, and sell their services as they are needed to manufacturers and others. The term clerk is very elastic and Is made to cover every grade of clerical work. Bookkeepers are seldom In business for themselves, unless they are what Is known as expert accountants, — men 152 HOW TO GET A JOB who travel from store to store balancing accounts and doing expert clerical work. Ninetyrnine per cent of salesmen work for others and depend upon their salaries for their support. They are either inside salesmen or traveling sales- men. The inside or counter salesman is a salaried man. The traveling salesman or drummer is usually on salary, but occasionally is on commission, which makes him, to some extent, in business for himself. Stenographers are, as a rule, salaried men, although a few maintain offices of their own. Under the classification of business men may be included both those in business for themselves and those who are upon salary or wage and who depend upon business for their livelihood. But for the sake of convenience, I group under this classification only those who are in business for themselves, are officers in corporations, or managers of extensive depart- ments. The officer of a corporation or the manager of a great department, although in a sense an em- ployee, ranks with the man in business for himself, and many of them out-general most of our business men. Doctors and lawyers are professional men, and nearly all of them are in business for themselves, if I may put it that way, for few of them work on salary or depend exclusively upon a salary for their income, although a few physicians are paid salaries for hospital services and some lawyers re- ceive yearly retainers, which, in a sense, may be considered salaries. Ministers depend upon their salaries, and, there- fore, cannot be considered as in business for them- WORKING FOR YOURSELF 153 selves, although they are not under the direct direction of any one person. Editors of great city newspapers and other peri- odicals are, as a rule, salaried men, comparatively few of them having any ownership in the publica- tions that they represent; but the country editor is usually a proprietor. Artists may be divided into three classes: the artist in business for himself and maintaining a private studio ; the artist who does work by the year for some lithographer or engraving concern and works under direction, keeping regular office hours; and the artist who maintains a studio of his own and yet draws a salary from publishing and other business houses. Literary men are in business for themselves, unless they are regularly employed on some publica- tion. The majority of fiction writers depend upon their books and other writings for their income, and comparatively few of them are under salary. Fate decrees that all men shall belong to one of three classes of workers: those who are in business for themselves, those depending upon a salary or wage, and those who are subject to the combination of the two; but the third class is uncommon, for substantially every one is either in business for him- self or is working for another. It is, therefore, hardly necessary to consider more than, the first two estates. We may divide, then, boys and men, as they run, into two primary classes of livelihood earners: those on wage or salary and those in busi- ness for themselves. 154 HOW TO GET A JOB The first class, that of employee, comprises about 95 per cent of the self-supporting population. Practically every boy starts as a wage-earner, and for a considerable time is under the command of others. In every sense he is an employee, having little or nothing to do with the policy of the busi- ness, his duty being largely confined to obeying orders and to doing the work which others have laid out for him to do. Therefore, the boy or young man must look forward to many years in the ranks of employee, unless he is so unfortunate at to have a both wealthy and foolish father, who is idiotic enough to place him in a commanding position at the start or to set him up in business for himself. No boy or young man, just out of school or college, no matter how high his scholarship or how great his ability, is fitted to occupy more than a subordi- nate position. To place him above his plane of ex- perience, or to put upon his shoulders responsibili- ties which he cannot carry, except theoretically, is devoid of sense and smacks of cruelty. It is sure to be directly injurious to him as well as to the busi- ness over which he is in command. Considerably more than half of our boys and young men, even including the dullest of them, at some time during their career look forward to being in business for themselves or to occupying an execu- tive position of a commanding order; and substan- tially every ambitious boy or young man has a well-defined intention of going eventually into busi- ness for himself. This ambition is natural and is to be encouraged within reasonable bounds, but it must be borne in mind that the great majority of WORKING FOR YOURSELF 1&5 men are incapacitated for assuming the responsibility of proprietorship, and especially so during these modern times of fierce competition and the over- crowding by gigantic monopolies. The optimist may claim, and may deceive him- self into believing, that there are as good opportu- nities to-day as there ever were, and he may refuse to recognize the peculiar condition of present busi- ness. But no one who has investigated things as they are, and who is neither an optimist nor a pessi- mist, and who is capable of weighing things, feels that business, as conducted to-day, offers as much opportunity as it did several years ago, except to the favored few, who, rightly or wrongly, reach the top. True, the capital prizes are larger, but there are fewer rewards of ordinary worth. There is, to-day, as there always has been, plenty of room at the top ; but there is less opportunity between the bottom and the top than there has been in the history of business. Most men are ordinary, and the ordinary man, to-day, has less opportunity than he had 25 or 50 years ago. To deny this Is both foolish and wrong. The boy and young man should be told the truth, for to misrepresent cannot work other than injury. But, notwithstanding these increasing handicaps, every boy or man of fair education and health and of ordinary ability, who is willing to work, is able to take care of himself and earn sufficient money to procure the necessities of life. Going beyond this point of necessity is dependent upon one's super- ability and is not entirely independent of environ- ment. 156 HOW TO GET A JOB The average man cannot be more than a wage- earner, unless he enters some small business, where there may be little opportunity for the exercise of more than ordinary capacity. This ordinary man is in the vast majority. Therefore, it may be said that most men will continue to work for others and will not rise above the employee station. However, this need not mean that a boy or man should not have the ambition to become an employer, for this ambition, in itself, can do him no harm, and may increase his effectiveness as an employee, provided it does not make him unreasonably dissatisfied.' Let me attempt to place side by side the advan- tages and disadvantages which accrue to the em- ployer and the employee. The employer may have these advantages over the employee: He is somewhat in. command of himself, and does not have to give account of himself except to himself or to his partners, provided he does not dis- obey any rule of business or of custom. He may, by himself, decide most business questions, and act, to a certain extent, as he pleases. He is under no direct direction of any individual, unless he has partners, in which case he shares responsibility with them. His success may be limited, but he may reach the very extreme of his capacity. He cannot be discharged without remuneration. He cannot be ordered In a peremptory way to do this or that. In most cases, extra efforts on his part will bring larger returns. He has more opportunity than the employee to realize any reasonable ambition. He may look forward to becoming a great captain of industry, although he Is not likely to rise more than WORKING FOR YOURSELF 157 two or three points beyond the ranks. His repu- tation and fame may extend beyond his town, his State, or his Nation. He has an individuality, and is known by name and reputation to his trade, if not outside of it. He is not obliged, except as necessity demands, to keep regular office hours. He may take an afternoon off, or a day, or a week, or a month off, provided it does not materially affect the action of his business. His Income, if he be successful, may be many times larger than that of any of his employees. But the employer labors under mainy disadvan- tages. His income may never be settled definitely. He may be successful one year and unsuccessful the next. He is under the constant strain of responsi- bility. He must keep his fingers on the pulse of business and listen to every beat. While he may not be required to observe office hours, all of his hours are working hours. He may not leave his business In his office and stop doing business with the closing of his desk. The responsibilities of busi- ness are with him by day and by night. It is a fact that, more tha;i 90 per cent of men in business for themselves have either suffered or win suffer from at least one financial failure. True, many meet success eventually; but we must not for- get that all but 10 per cent of our business men have been bankrupt or may become so, whether or not this disaster cripples them permanently. The average man In business for himself has twice as hard a time of It, and works twice as hard, as does the average employee. With the maximum of success he must suffer the maximum of worry. 158 ' HOW TO GET A JOB Although his time is theoretically his own, he is more often tied down to oifice hours, and has longer work- ing hours and less time to himself, than have those who work for him. In these times of severe competition, and of accumulation and centralization of capital, the busi- ness man, without a large sum of money, or unable to command capital, is at an unfair disadvantage. All his ability, all his mastery of the science of trading, may do him little good, if against him are arrayed men of unlimited resources, even though they may not be of his business caliber. The com- bination of vast capital and business ability is pretty sure to ruin the man with ability only and the man with capital only. And, for this reason alone, I would advise the young man to hesitate long before giving up a good position to go into business for himself. Before doing so, he must weigh himself, and be weighed by others, and he should study the situation from every inside and outside point of view. He should seriously consider the ability and financial capacity of those with whom he will come into competition, for what others are doing in the lines he intends to enter is as important as what he proposes to do. A man in business for himself must have courage, — active, heroic courage. He must have that pecu- liar capacity which will allow him to act, and to act quickly, in emergencies. Complications are always arising, and many of them have to be settled at a moment's notice. Caution is a virtue, but too much of it may be as disastrous as premature action. WORKING FOR YOURSELF 159 Altogether too many men start in business for themselves with borrowed capital. It is difficult for them to compete with others in their line who have ample capital. One cannot honestly manipulate bor- rowed money to the same advantage that he can his own money. But I would not refuse, necessarily, to start on borrowed capital, because many a man has succeeded with little money of his own at the start: I would, however, advise no one to go into business for himself, unless a part, at least, of his capital Is his own or he is backed by some relative or friend, who is in every sense a true and dependable support. The lack of capital, quite as much as lack of business ability. Is the rock upon which many a busi- ness has been wrecked. Sufficient capital Is as impor- tant as sufficient business capacity. Neither can hope to live without the other In these strenuous times. Occasionally, the lecturer, or other adviser, has much to say about merit receiving Its reward; and this Individual, who may have had no more than superficial experience, assures the young man that perseverance, will win against all obstacles. So it will where there Is enough of It and where It is pushed by sense and ability; but, unfortunately, com- paratively few men are more than ordinary, and only a small proportion of the few are In any sense extraordinary. Therefore, ability, and even consid- erable capacity, may not hope to win In these tlme^, unless It is as well equipped as is that with which it has to compete. The advantages and disadvantages of being ah employee may be summed up as follows: 160 HOW TO GET A JOB The employee, on the whole, is surer of his income than is the man he works for, for the employer may be able to carry him during a dull season, while his services are worth nothing in the way of profit-making. If he is faithful, and has fair ability, he is reasonably sure to retain his position permanently, or, in case of his employer's failure, of finding another similar one. Because he knows what his Income is likely to be, and can reckon upon it with reasonable certainty, he can adapt his expenses and his savings to his condition. Of course, he is not exempt from worry, nor is responsibility removed from him; but because he plays a second, a third, or a fourth part in the drama of business, the weight of leadership is not upon him, and, if there is any worrying to be done in the business, the major part of it belongs to his employer and not to him. As a rule, he keeps regular hours and does but little over-time work. He can better reckon his time and may often use his off-time to more advantage than can the man who is in business for himself. No matter what occurs, he has some one to advise him and direct him. He assumes no exclusive responsi- bility. On the other hand, he may not have more than ordinary opportunity for the realization of his ambitions, and the expenditure of extra energy, and the doing of additional work on his part, may not receive full recognition. If, through his endeavors, the firm he works for materially increases its busi- ness, he may not expect more than a small percentage of what he actually earns. His employer, who fur- nishes the money, and who takes the financial risk and responsibility, absorTjs, rightly or wrongly, sub- WORKING FOR YOURSELF 161 stantially all of the extra profits, even though the idea may have originated through the employee and even though to the employee is due its successful execution. The employee cannot occupy so high a business position as that held by the employer, nor is his place in society likely to be on a par with that given to the man in business for himself. There is a sharp line drawn between the employer and the employee, and this line extends into the social world. The employee is in the ranks, the employer carries the sword. The business and social worlds recognize the man with the sword, but often fail to give proper credit to the man with the gun. Yet let me here impress upon you a great and fundamental fact: a first-class employee, who occupies a position of responsibility, is far better off, both In a business and social way, than is the unsuccessful employer. It is far better to be a good employee than a poor employer. Upon general principles, I think that a young man of considerable capacity may be made better off, both for the present and in the end, by throwing his entire energy into his work, thus increasing his chances of an earned promotion, than in attempting to cut loose from an established business and a position of reasonable permanency, or in taking the chance of safely steering his business boat on com- petitive and dangerous waters. I am not trying to dishearten the boy or man of ambition, because I would give ambition much play, if not full play; but I would caution him against making any desperate attempt to better con- 162 HOW TO GET A JOB ditions against more than ordinary odds, unless he. is sure that he possesses a capacity far more than ordinary and not much below the extraordinary. No man is fitted to go into business for himself, even on a small scale, unless he possesses a sense of proportion which will enable him to finance busin'ess. Many a splendid salesman, — a receiver of a salary of several thousand dollars, — is unfitted to assume the responsibilities of proprietorship. He can sell more goods than can any of his employers. As a trade-maker he is a success. But he has done this business as an employee, while playing a second part, and with the higher responsibilities resting upon others. He may be lacking in what is known as financial judgment. He may not be able to diag- nose the future or finance the present. If the man- agement of the business were placed in his hands, perhaps it would go to pieces. If this be the case, he had better remain an employee than to attempt to go into business for himself, unless he can become a member of a partnership with partners capable of supplying what he lacks and of keeping him in his place. For instance, the faithful bookkeeper, who seldom makes an error in figures, whose accounts are models of neatness, may not possess the capacity to do business for himself. Bear in mind that it requires a different kind of ability to finance a busi- ness than it does to sell the product of the business. The successful business man, while he takes advice from others and follows it, usually decides by him- self alone what to do and what not to do. If he has not the power to quickly, profitably, and intelli- gently settle the vexed questions of business, if he WORKING FOR YOURSELF 163 does not know what to do in emergencies, if he can- not read the future with some degree of accuracy, if he does not know how to buy as well as to sell and how to sell as well as to buy, he is not fitted to go into bu^ness for himself. Brilliancy of salesmanship, and the ability to execute under direction, do not, by themselves alone, make for proprietorship. The ability to buy to advantage, without the capacity to sell at a profit, leads to failure. Many a first-class buyer, receiving a handsome salary, cannot sell the goods he buys other than at a loss. I am aware that a few men possess financial instinct to a marked and almost abnormal degree, and that these men succeed, even though they may outrage the principles of business and work diamet- rically against every form of profitable custom. These men are generals of industry; they are masters of finance; there are too few of them to set the pace for others; their methods are so peculiarly their own that what they do and how they do it mark no figures on the slate of ordinary endeavor. But one thing is certain, and that is, that no man, barring abnormal exceptions, ever succeeded as an employer who did not make, or could not have made, a success as an employee. No man can successfully command who has not been successfully commanded or could not have been successfully commanded. No general ever succeeded in time of peace, or in time of war, unless at some time in his career he obeyed orders and did so willingly, conscientiously, and profitably. The successful business man springs from the successful employee. Therefore, let me 164 HOW TO GET A JOB say to the boy or young man, or to the man of any age, who intends to go into business for him- self, that the first thing for him to do is to serve his present employer to the superlative of his ability, and to become a success as an employee. When he has made that success, it may be well for him to consider going into business for himself; but even then he should analyze and place himself upon the rack of criticism, that he may discover whether or not he has in him the elements necessary for the profitable financiering of business. If he cannot con- vince others that he possesses this capacity, he had better remain an employee. The country offers a better opportunity than does the city for one who would go into business for himself. Competition is there, but it is not of the city kind. It is not so fierce, or cruel, or remorse- less; it is a competition which can be more easily and successfully met than the fierce fight of city business. Many a young man, a success as a city employee, has left the city and built up with his savings a profitable business of his own in the country, wJth or without the help of borrowed capi- tal. He has started a country stbre or has purchased an interest in one already existing, and there, even with competition, he has succeeded to an extent which would have been impossible in the city. If a man possesses the necessary qualifications, he may be better off as a country merchant than as a city employee or as a city proprietor. I would advise any one who has reason to feel that he is ordinarily competent either to retain his present position as an employee and to be satisfied WORKING FOR YOURSELF 165 with the usual raise of salary or to consider a move into the country, there to establish himself in the business he understands and there to become and remain a representative of business respectability, with a reasonable amount of comfort and satisfac- tion. The country does not offer a large income except to manufacturers, but it presents a much greater certainty of reasonable success, and gives to its inhabitants the best there is of life at the minimum of cost. I believe that the country presents to the ordi- nary man, and even to the man of considerable ability, opportunities far in excess of anything which the city can give. The popular idea that the pro- gressive country merchant does not enjoy life is a common and commercial lie. The average country merchant sees as much of life as does the city employee. He is likely to do comparatively little real over-work, and has opportunity for the improve- ment of his mind and for social duties which the city refuses to give to other than her selected few. He may live in a well-appointed house. His food is wholesome. He has a horse. He may spend from one to a dozen weeks a year in the city; and when he is in the city, he may see more of that part of the city worth experiencing than does the actively engaged city resident. Ninety per cent of our coun- try storekeepers know more about New York City than do 90 per cent of New Yorkers. I am not referring to the cross-roads district or to the little village, but to the progressive towns of the country, large enough to give the advantages of the city and .166 HOW TO GET A JOB small enough to allow one to live somewhat accord- ing to Nature's intention. In closing this important subject, let me impress upon you that if you cannot convince others that you have the ability necessary for a change, the chances are you have over-estimated yourself. The man of ability shows his capacity, and he can easily prove it to any reasonable friend or acquaintance. When in doubt, stay where you are, but don't remain in doubt, reach some decision and stick to it. After you have become a successful employeCj find out what you are good for, and when you have properly read yourself and have substantiated your self-claims, It is then time for you to decide whether you will remain a successful employee or take the chances of proprietorship. Better be a success in a small way as an em- ployee, than a failure in a large way as a proprietor. At Home or Away THE argument of this chapter, while not independent of statistical fact, does not depend necessarily upon the actual accu- racy of more or less presentable and reasonable figures. Even though I may not be able to sub- stantiate it, I think I may venture the estimate that about two-thirds of our city boys remain within the place of their birth, and that practically all of those who make a change of residence move into some other city and not into the country. Observation allows me to present the opinion that about half of our village boys, those known as " country boys," either begin their business career away from home, or later migrate there, forsaking their home-town, that they may re-locate in an environment decidedly opposite from that surrounding their birth-place. In this estimate, I am referring to all conditions and classes of society, save the lowest. Probably con- siderably more than half, and perhaps as many as two-thirds of farmers' boys, of every grade and kind, and those who live in small country places, leave home to enter business in some city or large town. The conditions of country business and home- environment, the real or apparent lack of opportu- nity in the sparsely settled districts, often offer, or appear to offer, reasonable and tangible excuse fo^ 168 HOW TO GET A JOB the boy or man to make a change. Investigations show, however, that in more than a majority of cases the exodus is a matter of personal choosing, the boy 6r man desiring, with or without good reason, to try his fortune under new and unexperi- enced conditions. This deplorable state of affairs has its origin in the undeniable fact that there is, or appears to be, little opportunity in the small country town or sparsely settled district. If this be true, and in many cases it must be true, the boy or young man, who does not love the soil, and to whom farm work is drudgery, has a reasonable excuse for a change of working base. Because he knows what is not in his home-town, he assumes that there must be something In some other place. He realizes the shortcomings of the village of his birth; and as he knows little about outside conditions, he is predisposed in favor of the unknown. It is a remarkable fact that we see the " outs " in things about us, and refuse to look for them among distant places. We are prone to dislike that which we have, partly because we may cbrrectly size up what we have, and, therefore, realize and appreciate its disadvantages. Because we cannot analyze or value what we know little or nothing about, we naturally assume that this ' un- known something possesses advantages, which. In fact, may be foreign to It. Then dissatisfaction Is almost invariably bred upon our Immediate premises, and we dislike or despise our environment. Because we want something else to be better, we allow our- selves to believe that that something else Is better, even If we have no proof that it is. AT HOME OR AWAY 169 The farm, and particularly the small farm, does not and cannot offer a life of ease to those who work upon it. Every rock and stump is a monument of trouble. What the farm will not give is ever pres- ent, and is passing before its occupants as A living panorama. They are discouraged, and because they do not know that discouragement is everywhere, the discouragement which they see assumes gigantic pro- portions. If they could but realize that there is no such thing as perpetual ease, and that no achieve- ment is possible without the hardest kind of endeavor, they would be better satisfied with their lot, even though the action of their life has little that is satisfactory. Practically every boy or young man, at some time during his career, considers leaving home, whether or not he eventually makes the move. This is right and proper. To think about doing a thing does no harm, but rather develops the quality and quantity of a man, provided he does not do it unless judgment points the way. I am aware that I am approaching dangerous ground, and that any advice which I may choose to present must be more general than specific, for cir- cumstances must govern individual cases; yet general rules do not refuse to cover most of the specific con- ditions, and general laws may be safer to follow than a majority of the rules of exception. There are more apparent specific cases than there are real specific cases. While individuality has the right to specialize, and while no two human beings are alike mentally or physically, there is a greater similarity than most of us are willing to admit. For this 170 HOW TO GET A JOB reason, we may establish general laws or rules of conduct, which, in many cases, may rightly apply specifically. I am emphatically of the opinion that the place one is born in, or is reared in, is the place for him to stay in, unless he can give substantial reasons for a change. Where we are, may be Nature's choice. All change is freighted with danger. The boy or man, no matter how confident and competent he may be, does not and cannot possess actual knowledge of conditions outside of his experience. While the expe- rience of others should be considered, and in some cases may be allowed to operate as a safe or definite guide to follow, it is impossible for any one to diag- nose with absolute correctness the conditions that exist in any locality with which he is not personally familiar. Because one boy or man has made a success away from home is not good evidence that all possess the same ability and can go and do likewise. On the other hand, the accomplishment of one at home is not a criterion, necessarily, for another to follow. The personal experience of one person, or even of several, may be dangerously misleading. For that reason, individual advice, unless It comes from one of broad experience and from one who Is able to weigh values correctly may be worse than no advice at all. Even the advice of the parent Is often too Individual and may be more prejudiced than fair. The parent desires, naturally, to keep his boy at home. He may not be more than ignorantly to blame for this, for it Is not to be expected that the ordinary parent would deliberately tell the boy to AT HOME OR AWAY in do something, when the execution of it tended to break up the home. On the other hand, the parent who failed in his birth-place, and who succeeded away from home, may labor under a delusion that home-success is next to impossible. Again, the parent who has known of several away-from-home failures is likely to feel that a change of residence base encourages disaster. The Eastern boy, who has become successful in the West, and returns home for a visit, most likely misrepresents, intentionally or unintentionally, the advantages of his new home. He either colors them or magnifies them and transversely depreciates East- ern home opportunities. Because he has succeeded in the West he over-credits the West for a success with which, as a matter of fact, it may have had little to do. In 75 out of every loo cases, Western success or Eastern success is due to the boy or man more than to his environment. The boy or man who cannot make a fair success at home, except under the most favorable conditions, will never achieve success away from home. True, many a boy or man, who appeared to be a failure at home, has succeeded away from home; but his success is largely due to the fact that he made a, greater effort away from home than he made at home. The change aroused^ ambition. To some extent he was placed upon his own resources, and it became necessary for him to make strenuous effort ; but this greater effort, if it had been made at home, would have resulted most likely in the same degree of accomplishment. But this cannot be considered an argument in favor of staying at home or of 172 HOW TO GET A JOB leaving home. The right kind of a boy or man, with the right kind of stuff in him, will succeed any- where, if he be given any kind of an opportunity. He who succeeds fairly well at home, or who can succeed at home, may meet with greater success away from home, if his home-town offers little opportunity for the exercise of his ability and energy. It is conversely true, that many a boy or man, who leaves a good or fair opportunity at home, obtains less success away from home. The fundamental elements of success are in the individual. The boy or man of ability, who is faithful, industrious, economical, and willing to work, will win out under substantially all conditions. The man, who has gotten out of his rocky Eastern farm all that the land could give him, may right- fully consider the fertile Western prairie; and if he goes where there is more ' soil-opportunity, he will probably obtain a more substantial reward; but he succeeds in the West because he has succeeded, or would have succeeded, in the East. Understand, I am using the East and West to illustrate a principle. I could apply the same prin- ciple by transferring the two locations. The East offers more, in some directions, than does the West, and the West presents greater oppor- tunity in other lines than does the East. Each has its own individuality, its own advantages and dis- advantages. While failure at the start does not necessarily mean an unprosperous life, failure at the start pre- disposes one to failure all along the line. True, many a boy or man turns his losses and mistakes AT HOME OR AWAY 1Y3 into stepping-stones to better things, but no sensible person would encourage failure for the sake of build- ing a ladder to success. It is, therefore, necessary for the boy or man to locate permanently soniewhere, whether he remains where he is or emigrates. The quicker this is done, the better, after one has reached the years of reasonable discretion. It is true that certain states, cities, and towns are better adapted to specific lines of trade and to some occupations than are others of equal size and impor- tance. The country boy, who desires to become an architect or a mechanical engineer, may find it neces- sary or expedient to leave his home-town. The cross- roads man cannot successfully practice law where there are few or no clients. Conditions force him away from home. But no move is justifiable with- out a reason for making it. The boy or man, who cannot present proof of the correctness of his views or desires, had better remain where he is. For the sake of convenience, let me consider this country as divided into foui distinct districts, each with its own territorial individualities and with some exclusive opportunities : The East, the Middle West, the Far West, and the South. The East possesses advantages and presents opportunities which are not held in the same meas- ure by any other part of the' country. On the other hand, it is materially handicapped by the lack of certain conditions, and by over-crowding and con- servatism, which may, and probably do, affect stren- uous progress. The rust of the East may be as unhealthful as the dust of the West. 174 ' HOW TO GET A JOB The Middle West is a newer country. Its pop- ulation is more scattered. There is more room to move in. Its fertility is superior to that of the East. Its inhabitants are made up from emigrants of the East or their descendants, — the bone and sinew of the East, — which dared to take the chance of mov- ing. As a rule, these people may be considered as representative of the active and strenuous East. It is probable that they possess more than ordinary ambition, are more willing to work for prosperity, and are more prone to encourage new industry. Therefore, the Middle West offers advantages which do not seem to be possessed by any other territory; and yet, the Middle West has, in connection with all other districts, many disadvantages and plenty of pitfalls. I The Far West may be considered the Middle West intensified. It is sparsely populated, and there Is much more land. Its very newness is both an ad- vantage and a disadvantage. It is less under the control of conservatism, and it is freer and far more open physically and otherwise. Yet, these very con- ditions operate against it, although they present it with exclusive advantages. The South has its characteristics and its own methods of doing business, which are not altogether similar to those practiced in other parts of the country. It is a fact that the inhabitants of warm countries are less active than those of temperate zones; yet the South, to-day, is a New South, and it is growing newer with every sunrise. It is shak- ing off much of its conservatism, and its activity is receiving the favorable comment of the world. AT HOME OR AWAY ItS But, with all these territorial differences, the great principles of business-doing are found and practiced wherever business is done. Manufacturing, buying, and selling are much alike, whether of the East, the Middle West, the Far West, or the South. Opportunity exists everywhere, except in the desert, and even the desert has its oases. Failure is due more to lack of ability, to lack of ambition, and to sheer laziness, than to unfavorable environment. Many of the best opportunities are lying dormant. They exist, but they have not been dug out and developed. These opportunities are at the cross- roads, in the country centers, and in cities of every size. Your first duty is to consider seriously what you want to do, not forgetting that you should not try to do what you cannot do. After you have made that decision, and have proven to yourself and to discriminating others that you have reason for that decision, you must then find a field for your work. There are a few questions which you should ask yourself : " Is it your ambition to obtain money, or influence, or fame ? " " Do you prefer to do good rather than to amass a fortune?" "Would you rather have money than anything else? " " Would you prefer to possess little money with considerable fame, or would you rather have more money and less prominence?" "Would you rather devote your life to the good of the race without gaining much fortune, and build for yourself a monument which will stand as constant as the northern star? " If you care only for money, then your superlative success is likely to occur under the most strenuous 176 HOW TO GET A JOB conditions. You belong to the ^reat city. A quieter district will offer you more opportunity for the real- ization of the better things of life. City environ- ment does not stimulate man's highest qualities. The country gives him the opportunity to grow along the lines of better development. If I were to frame a general rule, I would say that the best opportunities, giving a reasonable amount of fame, fortune, and citizenship, and the better development of the character, are not found In the great city, but inhabit the country center, where one does not suffer from tireless rurallty and is not oppressed with consuming commercialism. Going from the East to the West, from the West to the East, from the North to the South, or from the South to the North,- never made a man, and never will. The failure of the East becomes the failure of the West, and the success of the East may be more successful In the West. A boy or man, who cannot earn his living under fair opportunities, whether he lives in the North, South, East, or West, Is not likely to amount to anything anywhere. The lazy boy or man is pre-destlned to failure, whether he stays at home or goes away. The winner of the East may be a greater conqueror In the West, but unless he can do something under any environment of fair opportunity, he will not win out under the most favorable conditions. Upon general principles I would advise one to stay where he is, unless he is reasonably certain that a change will be to his betterment. Leaving home means a re-opening, a new begin- ning, and the taking of chances with the unknown. AT HOME OR AWAY 177 Therefore, I say, in summing up, give the home- town the preference. Do not leave it until you are positive that there is something better for you some- where else, and be sure that that better something is a good deal better. It is easier to make success under known conditions than to win away from one's experience. It is obvious that one must work harder away from home to accomplish the same result which may be produced at home, all things being equal. Let me sound a note of warning, and I wish I could ring it upon a million bells : — money is not, and never can be, the chief end of any life worth living. Business is a necessity, for the present, at least; but there is no real human pleasure in busi- ness. He who loves business for business' sake is less than half a man. Under our present form of civilization it is necessary for us to earn money; and in order to earn money, we must, for the present, do business. I do not mean to say that we should' hate business, and that we should derive no pleasure from doing it, for the better one likes his work the quicker and easier will be his success. But business should not be the first consideration. It should be done because it is necessary to do it, and because the right-doing of it assists us in the right-doing of something else and something better. The trouble with the business man to-day is that he continues in business and thinks of nothing else. He has no other god before business. He may think he is enjoying himself, but he is not. Life is beyond business, as life is beyond eating. While we must eat to live, and while we must do 178 HOW TO GET A JOB business to obtain the necessities of life, the man who has won wealth from attending to business and only to business is the worst kind of a citizen, — the greatest block in the road to progress. He should stand aside and help others to succeed. He should practice business for others, for the good of the community. In closing this chapter, let me somewhat repeat myself. The place where you can make the most of yourself is the place for you to live in, and to work in, whether it be the home-town or the distant city, and where you are is the best place for you to stay in, until you know of a better place. Do not think that any other place is a better place, but know It is a better place, before you make a change, for no change is devoid of danger, and a change is as often for the worse as for the better. The Causes of Failure WHAT Is the principal cause of "failure?" Has it a principal or fundamental cause, or is failure in business and in other things due to many conditions? I don't know. I know of no one who does know. Opinions differ. Reliable statistics are Impossible. Some people fail and some do not fall, and others meet with every degree of success. What causes one man to fall may aid another to rise. Ability, inclination, experience, environment, and their opposites, all count, some- times one more than ahother, and sometimes all of them have something to do with the making of success or failure. I do not propose to establish any rule or reason which will apply specifically to failure. I do not, because I cannot. Still, certain things work for failure ^hile others facilitate success. General dis- cussion upon this all-important topic, although It may not be specifically directed, may be of some benefit to boys and young men, and even to -those of older growth. I asked a number of men of prominent attain- ment, who represented collectively, practically all of the leading professions, businesses, and trades, to answer the following pertinent question: 180 HOW TO GET A JOB "To wEat cause, more than to any other, do you think is due the majority of failures? " Two hundred and eighty-seven replies were re- ceived. The vote was scattering, and did not appear to establish a law, or even a semblance of it, of failure-making. But a condensed recapitulation of the result may be of practical use to those who are broad and sensible enough to study and see them- selves as they may study and see others, who are able to look upon themselves, for the time being, as outsiders, and who can judge themselves, not as they are reflected in their own mirrors, but as they are seen in the light of every day. Eliminating the causes which received but a few votes, the result stood as follows: Lack of judgment, 36; extravagance, 33; lazi- ness, 27; lack of ability, 23; bad habits, 18; lack of perseverance, 18; lack of experience, 14; specu- lation, 14; lack of energy, 12; lack of integrity, 12; carelessness, 1 1 ; desire to make money fast, 11; dishonesty, 10. One of our large commercial agencies, which certainly would appear to be in a position to statis- tically judge of cause and effect, classifies the reasons for failure under 1 1 heads, and places lack of capital at the top, incompetence being a close second. Statistics, more or less reliable, appear to indi- cate that insufficient capital and pronounced incom- petency cause about 60 per cent of financial failures, these failures, of course, being limited to those who are in business for themselves, and dependent, there- fore, upon capital and executive ability for the suc- cessful maintenance of their businesses. The lack of THE CAUSES OF FAILURE 181 capital does not, therefore, apply to those who are upon salaries and who have little or nothing to do with the framing or making of business policies. In this book, I am referring primarily to those who are wage or salary-earners, the majority of whom are not likely to work for themselves or to have any ownership or actual direction in the busi- nesses with which they are connected. What, then, would appear to be the principal cause of failure, as failures run, provided, of course, that there is a principal cause, — a fundamental or basic reason? My investigations convince me that the majority of failures are not due to any one cause, unless that particular trouble is of consuming volume, for instance, habitual drunkenness operates against any kind of success. Laziness, if pronounced and chronic, is sure to invite failure. The majority of boys and men of all ages, while weaker in some directions than in others, have more than one short-coming, and are incompetent in more than one, and in, perhaps, several directions. Undoubtedly, lack of ability is responsible, pri- marily, for failure to make more than ordinary success. It is obvious that no one can rise beyond the limits of his natural capacity. No matter how hard he may struggle, and no matter what may be his environment or the degree of assistance that he receives, his inborn capacity draws a line over which he cannot pass. Right here let me explain myself, as it is neces- sary that I be correctly understood. By natural capacity, or natural ability, I refer to what a man possesses. What he does not possess, he cannot 182 HOW TO GET A JOB acquire. This I say with all respect to develop- ment, knowing well that capacity, even of high degree, may be as worthless as no capacity at all, for its value is dependent upon development, and development must have material to work upon. Wheat cannot be grown upon barren soil, but even poor soil can be made to raise some sort of a har- vest. Development, then, is not of secondary impor- tance, but is co-responsible with ability or capacity. What would appear to be the reason for this condition of things ? Why do we not make the most of ourselves and obtain the obtainable? From one to a hundred things intervene and interfere, but while the hardest workers sometimes fail, or do not achieve success, it is noticeable that no one meets with any satisfactory degree of attainment, who does not make, at least, some effort in his own behalf. If there is a primary cause of failure. If there is one thing which seems to be more responsible for it than anything else, it is, I am inclined to believe, laziness. It Is not hard to believe that laziness Is largely the cause of bad habits, and of every other form of dissipation, because the bad boy or man is too lazy to be good or decent. It may be that laziness is, at the base, responsible for lack of ambition, because one cannot be lazy and ambitious at the same time. The ambition of the lazy man is but an imitation, it is not a genuine feeling. I am inclined to feel that laziness is the greater part of extravagance, because the extravagant man Is not willing to make the effort to save. Laziness, how- ever, cannot be held responsible for lack of natural THE CAUSES OF FAILURE 183 judgment or for dearth of natural ability. Its responsibility must be limited, necessarily, to those things over which we have some control. It is lazi- ness that makes the boy late at school and the man behind time at work, because neither need be tardy. It is laziness that makes him unwilling to do his best, because he can do his best if he will, and there is no valid excuse why he should not do so. It is laziness that makes him watch the clock. It is lazi- ness that keeps him from loving his work. It is laziness that makes a loafer of him. ' Any boy or man of ordinary capacity, who is willing to work and who is in fair health, can make a living, if he will. A failure on his part to do so, if continued, is his own fault, and it may be ^ attributable to pure and simple laziness. The active, energetic boy or man cannot become a complete failure or remain so under fair conditions. Go with me through any large department store, factory, or wholesale house and watch the men and boys at work. Those who are active, those who keep continuously at it, those who seem to enjoy what they are doing, those who are not unreason- ably dissatisfied with their work, those who are doing their best, are the boys and men who have succeeded, who are going to succeed, who have some chance of reaching a point not far inside of their capacity line. No loafer ever made a success of anything under any conditions. It is utterly impossible for him to do so. He ceased being a loafer before he accom- plished anything. Ninety-nine per cent of those who owe their failure to laziness may not mistrust the true cause 184 HOW TO GET A JOB . of It. They are likely to lay it to something else, generally to lack of opportunity. I am aware that one cannot succeed without opportunity, but oppor- tunity comes to those who are looking for it, not to those who are waiting for it. There is much more opportunity in the world than most of us are aware of, notwithstanding the unfavorable, unnatu- ral, and worse-growing condition of financial things. Opportunity is in the very air we breathe. Our achievement depends upon our finding it and devel- oping it. By Itself alone it is worthless, but it can- not be developed if it is not discovered. Laziness prevents the discovery and utilization of opportunity. Of course, I do not deny that many boys or men have greater opportunities than those given to others: I know of men whose paths appear never to have been crossed by opportunity. But I am dealing in majorities, not in minorities. Our oppor- tunities, barring a few exceptions, are somewhat within our control. If we do not look for them, If we do not fight our way to them, we are not likely to find them. Opportunity never carries a torch. It travels by by-ways and along the side streets. It makes no noise. No herald sounds its approach. It passes along in the quiet of the starless night. It makes no effort to meet any one. It never extends Its hand. It minds its own business. But It is ready to grasp the hand held out to It, to become a permanent guest at the house of progress. Right here, may I not digress for a moment, and yet is It digression, because that concerning which I am about to speak has a place In the econ- THE CAUSES OF FAILURE 185 omy of human affairs. The truth is what you want, and it is my duty to present it in its undressed state For the sake of truth, it is necessary for me to admit that there is such a thing as that peculiar something, which, for the want of a better name, is labelled " luck." What is luck? I know not its component parts. I know of no one who has been able to analyze it, to explain it, to present it intelligently. The success- ful man, especially, denies its existence, because of his own self-respect or self-conceit, as you will have it. He disowns luck, and is neither fair nor unprej- udiced. To admit that there is such a thing as luck, and that luck contributed to his success, takes away from him the self-credit, which is part of his very being. But luck, at its best, is but the result of chance, while success is the product of intention. At times luck appears to play an important part upon the great stage of universal business, and many a man would not have reached superlative fame, nor approached a small degree of it, had he not been what we call " lucky." Something, over which he had no control, or over which he appeared to have no control, assisted him, and may have actually lifted him on to a higher plane of attainment; and this something, good or bad though it may be, is called " luck." Yet no thinking man, no man who is able to make a correct diagnosis of things, believes that luck, in itself, has any permanent value, nor does he feel that luck is worth anything to those who are unable to use it properly. 186 HOW TO GET A JOB As a rule, luck, comes to those who deserve it. Luck may be but another name for grasped oppor- tunity. Let me illustrate by example: a friend of mine perfected himself along an original line of endeavor. He was the authority. No one else could do, or did do, what he did. He became famous. His name was known throughout the world. In conver- sation with him, the other day, he spoke of luck, and claimed that luck brought him a, certain client. He based his assertion upon the fact that he had done nothing to get this client. He had never heard of the party in question; yet he was sent for and engaged, and at a very handsome figure. It may be true that what we call " luck " connected this man, — my friend of ability, — with the concern which engaged him; but luck did not get him the position. Luck, at most, introduced him. If he had not had the ability and reputation he could not have obtained this position of responsibility. Luck assisted, but luck did not accomplish. Luck helps the man who deserves it, and luck curses the man who depends upon It. Luck may be our friend, if we deserve its friendship ; but luck is our enemy, if we do not reciprocate. No sensible man ever depended upon luck, and no man of attainment ever waited for it. Luck is of no benefit to the lazy boy or man. If it comes to him, he Is unprepared to welcome It. Luck never started anybody unless he was reason- ably aroused in the first place. Luck does nothing for any one who is unwilling to do anything for himself. THE CAUSES OF FAILURE 187 Luck helps those who help themselves. A willingness to work, and a well-defined and developed ambition, will dispel much of our languid- ness, cure many of our ordinary aches and pains, and remove half of the forms of indisposition. Doing something, and keeping at it, is one of the best doctors and one of the most efficacious medi- cines. Laziness may be the great cause of our troubles. Certainly it is a bitter enemy. The active and suc- cessful man keeps continuously at it. Neither indi- gestion, nor headac'he, nor anything save something of serious character, more than temporarily inter- feres with his duties. He is doing something or planning something, even while he is on his sick bed, and his activity increases with his convalescence. True, he often over-works, and I deeply regret to say that over-work seems to play an important part In the making of almost every kind of success; yet, as much as I deplore this condition of things, I would rather see a man sick from over-work than well from laziness. It is better to wear yourself out doing something than to rust out doing nothing. If you are not succeeding, it is your duty to find out why you are not accomplishing something. Don't begin by blaming your employer or by finding fault with your environment. Don't attempt, at. the start, to locate the trouble anywhere except within yourself. The chances are lo to one that you and your laziness are the causes. Don't think about changing your position or environment until you have evidence that your present position offers 188 HOW TO GET A JOB little opportunity. Investigate- yourself first, others afterward. Perhaps you cannot control your environment, but you are master of yourself to an extent at least ; and when you have yourself in hand, it will be diffi- cult for you to be far from master of the situation. If you are lazy, get laziness out of your sj^tem at any cost. Better go through life with one active leg and one active arm than to have to carry two lazy legs and two lazy arms. Don't be fool enough to fool yourself. If you are a failure, or if you have not yet made any sort of achievement, there is a reason for it; and, mark you, the chances are that the reason is within yourself, because laziness, not ambition, not activity, is In control. Persistency I COMMUNICATED verbally or in writing with 298 American men of mark, each one a superlatively successful representative of a leading trade, business, or profession. To each of them, I propounded the following question : " To what one thing, or to what two or more things, do you attribute your success?" The vote stood as follows: Persistency, stick-to-it-iveness, and constancy, 66 Application, 59 Hard work, etc., 54 Industry, 28 Faithfulness, 22 Concentration, 20 Earnest desire to succeed, 19 Diligence, 14 Determination, 8 Energy, 8 Total, 298 The result of this ballot appears to show, and probably does show, that persistency, and the quali- ties closely allied to it, are essential to any achieve- ment which is worth while. 190 HOW TO GET A JOB In the practice of my business-profession, I come in direct contact with thousands of business and professional men, most of whom represent self-made success. By self-made success, I mean that they earned their present position and achieved something without direct dependence upon inheritance or other material outside aid, and that a big something, which, for want of a better name we call luck, had little to do with the result. All of these men were persistent at the start and persistent all along the line of their endeavor. Substantially all of them, at an early age, and before they had passed their teens, definitely selected their walks in life; and most of them did not deviate materially from the marked- out courses. Some of them, and perhaps all of them, did not accurately diagnose their futures, because none of them can definitely foresee the unforeseen; but for all that, most of them remained upon or near the main road of their initial choice. Some, at times, may have been subjected to diverting temptations and may have seriously considered a complete change of operations. Many undoubtedly took chances, and at one time or another may have approached the verge of failure; but all of them, as I could gather from their seriously considered affirmations and from what I know about them Irrespective of what they told me, never, at any one time, took their entire selves from off the main road of travel and never so far left that highway that they would not have been able to get back Into line If disaster had threatened them. Not one of these men, so far as I could judge, was ever a lazy boy or a lazy man. They were all workers and con- PERSISTENCY 191 tinuous and chronic workers. Each one had an ambition, which was, at least, partially realized, and he succeeded, because he had the capacity to fill his position, and because of his unwavering persistency. I have followed closely the career of many men who were failures, or who failed, rather, to make the most of their lives; and not one of them was ever permanently persistent. Some of them had ambition, but it was not thoroughly grounded. Many of them wished to achieve success, but their desires were not backed with a willingness to make the sacrifices which accomplishment demands. None of them had what I call a " long-distance ambition." One day they wanted to do one thing, and on the next day another. Their desires were as changeable as the weather-vane, but without the weather-vane's excuse, for the weather-vane fulfills its mission, even if it must remain upon a fixed pivot. Some of these failures were men of no mean ability. Many of them were geniuses, and half of them were versatile. They could do many things fairly well, but were unable, apparently, to do any one thing very well. Their particular trouble was lack of persistency. Their work was not continuous. They spurted to-day and loafed to-morrow. I have met thousands of boys and young men, and out of this number, have never seen or heard of any one who succeeded in any line of trade, business, or profession, no matter what may have been his natural ability, unless he exercised persistency. In every community there is a genius, — a lazy sort of a fellow, who loafs and dreams and goes to sleep again. 192 HOW TO GET A JOB The man of vision is a useless piece of property. The man of action may direct his energies in the wrong direction. The right kind of a man is a man of both vision and action. He thinks while he works and he works while he thinks. He keeps his feet upon the ground, and does not allow one foot to go beyond the security of the other. A part of him all the time is founded upon some kind of permanency. He keeps his feet on earth, although he may turn his eyes to the sky. He is persistent in vision, persistent in action. If all the ability and capacity in the world were concentrated into one human being, that person would be a dismal failure if he did not have in him that something which we call persistency, that some- thing which would enable him to utilize the product of his brain or hand. Lack of ability, with or without persistency, usually terminates in failure or in a small degree of success. Ordinary ability with pei'sistency is sure to produce ordinary achievement. Considerable abil- ity or any amount of ability without persistency is usually worthless. Great ability with persistency brings about the highest success. Neither ability nor persistency has, In Itself, any intrinsic value; but in the right mixture of the two there Is a guarantee of profitable result. The man with ordinary ability and much persistency will make a greater success of himself than will he of much ability and ordinary persistency. What weighs the heaviest In the scale of profit Is not limited to what we have, but, rather, to what we do with what we have, and no doing is worth PERSISTENCY 193 the doing unless it is owned and controlled by per- sistency. All the ability in the world, if unused, would be as valueless as would be all the bread in the world stored away from the reach of men. Persistency is an essential to success, and so much an essentiality that without it no achievement is possible. Ability vs. Opportunity SUCCESS and failure are dependent upon, or to put it differently, are not independent of, three conditions : first, ability or inability ; sec- ondly, opportunity or inopportunity ; thirdly, activity or inactivity. Ability or Inability. Every human being, even the idiot, possesses some degree of capacity and a grade of understanding beyond that of the animal. Therefore, may I not assume that every one has abil- ity? The question, then, before us is not that of capacity, but of degree or quality of capacity. I do not propose to discuss the equality or inequal- ity of man. Theoretically and ethically all men are equal. Each one of us, no matter what our station may be, and irrespective of our natural capacity, pos- sesses equal rights in the law, and is neither the supe- rior nor the inferior of any one else. But, in a book like this, which is attempting to paint with natural colors, and to tell the truth as the truth runs in our every day life, it may be necessary to sacrifice, for the sake of argument and for present expediency, much of the ethical or theoretical side of life, that both the reader and the author may get down to hard-pan, rock-bottom, practical facts. I So far as the quality of natural ability is con- cerned, all men are not bom equal. Comparatively ABILITY FS. OPPORTUNITY 195 few possess more than ordinary capacity. Geniuses are bom at infrequent intervals, and men of great capacity are in small minority. There are as many kinds of ability as there are degrees of it. None of us are normal or balanced. Most of us, especially those who amount to anything, are both abnormal and unbalanced, sane in some things and close to insane in others. The difference between a so-called sane man and the man we call insane is very small indeed. The sane man Is not likely to injure himself or to harm others Intentionally, unless he be a crimi- nal; while the insane man may not have sufficient control of himself to be trusted with himself or others. Geniuses, as they go, approach the insanity line. They are sane about some things and close to the reverse in other directions. They are abnormal. Their brains allow them to make marvelous achieve- ment, but may refuse to properly guide them In some of the common walks of life. The very quality and Intensity of their ability exist at the sacrifice of other kinds of capacity. The sanest man and the balanced man, if there be any of them, are but products of conventionality and of automatic ambition, sorts of respectable non- entities. The man of marked achievement almost invariably possesses one kind of ability, and that In immense volume. In his way he is a genius, — a specialist, — whether he is in trade, business, or profession. Certainly, so far as ability and inability go, we are in no sense equal nor can we all travel along a common path. 196 HOW TO GET A JOB This diversity of mental capacity separates us into classes, and offers to some extent excuse for the maintenance of classes and masses. But it does not, or should not, interfere with the rights of man. It simply suggests that men divide themselves into groups of similarity. The competent blacksmith is in a class far aboye that occupied by the mediocre lawyer. That something which we call ability, and which appears to be a natural product of germina- tion, and over which we have no control, marks the upper degree of our success or the outside measure of our failure, or has much to do with it. The most earnest, hard-working, and painstaking would- be lawyer cannot succeed at the bar, or even attain ordinary success, unless he has, in the first place, a natural ability in the direction he has chosen. All his hard work, all his faithfulness, all his strenuous endeavor will amount to naught, unless they are directed towards something within the scope of his natural capacity. Comparatively few men are fitted for the law, a less number for the ministry, and perhaps a lesser number still for the practice of medicine. If they attempt to enter these professions, handicapped by the lack of natural capacity, they will fail at the start and fail all along the line. Whether or not ability can be bred in man is a question for the scientist to decide upon; certainly it is a subject meriting the studious attention of the whole world. But, after one is born, it appears to be impossible to inject into him any kind or sort of ability. What is there, seems to have been pre-natally put there. The only thing which he should do is ABILITY FS. OPPORTUNITY 197 what he is best fitted to do. Any attempt to force himself beyond his natural capacity is foolish and i unprofitable. We cannot be other than we are, no [ matter what we^ant to be or how Jiard we may I struggle to be what we wish. Opportunity and Inopportunity. Popular opin- , ion says that opportunity comes to all men and that opportunity stands upon a hill with an electric cap on its head and with hands outstretched to every- body. This doctrine, if I can give it so dignified a name, is pernicious and should be suppressed by public opinion. Equal opportunity does not come to all men. Opportunity is not always within our con- trol. We cannot make it to order, nor can we order it to call. Opportunity is a something which we do not understand, and which modern science has not, as yet, been able to analyze. Yet, opportunity exists in the very air we breathe, and while it refuses to come often to some of us, and while it may appear to be without the reach of many of us, 90 per cent of those who do not seem to find opportunity fail to discover it because they do not make effort to find it. h Opportunity almost invariably comes to those who; ^ I 'are seeking for it, and refuses to meet those who are' not willing to go out of their way to get it. Upon opportunity, nevertheless, we depend for more than ordinary success. Unless we find a good opportunity, we cannot succeed beyond a moderate degree, even though we possess marvelous ability and superlative natural capacity. But, may I not assume that great capacity and unusual ability are most likely to'find opportunity, because they are made 198 HOW TO GET A JOB of the stuff that hunts for things and does not wait for them to pass by. Yet, I must admit that there are many men of immense capacity, who do not seem to possess that something which enables them to prac- tically utilize their natural brain power. They are dependent, to a large extent, upon outside aid. If opportunity is brought to them they will do much more than it would seem to be possible for them to accomplish if left to themselves. Few of us, and I am including those from every walk of life, realize the necessity of hunting for opportunity. The college graduate perfects himself for a great work, and then slumps. The great sci- entist, or, rather, the man who is capable of becom- ing a great scientist, buries himself in his books or sleeps in his laboratory, dreaming of the things he may not accomplish because he does not take advan- tage of opportunity. Therefore, it would seem that success is as much dependent upon opportunity as upon natural ability. May I not put it differently, express it so that I may not be misunderstood? The value of natural ability or capacity is vested in its development, in its utility, in the use made of it. Unless ability is handled so that it produces results, there might as well be no ability at all. I repeat myself, that I may impress this point upon you: Undeveloped ability is worthless. The good of ability is vested, not only in its degree, but in the volume of its development. The natural musician, for instance, can, without train- ing, produce harmony; he may play by ear, so to speak ; but unless he carefully and persistently trains his talent, he will never become a finished musician ABILITY FS, OPPORTUNITY 199 or is he likely to be a factor in the musical world. The power of argument, the ability to see things, or to come to logical conclusions, by themselves, alone, do not make the lawyer. An education in law, — a development along legal lines, — is essential. The natural bone-setter or uneducated practitioner is a menace to public health and should be suppressed by law. True, he may possess a wonderful hand-skill and a remarkable power of diagnosis, but these things, by themselves, are worth nothing. Without the aid of education and an opportunity for de- velopment all this proficiency and skill will come to naught. No one can reach the flush of his capacity unless he develops his ability by education and training., The attempt to develop that which you do not have is as foolish as it is to be satisfied with what you have with no effort to develop it. Something cannot be made out of nothing. In the combination of abil- ity and development Is the prospect of achievement. Activity and Inactivity. The flush of success de- pends, not only upon ability and development, but is largely dependent upon hard work and continuous labor. Of course, development without work is impossible. That I may make this point more im- pressive, I will consider activity by itself, although I know that It Is a part of development. Certainly ability and opportunity, in themselves, without d&- velopment or activity, are worth practically nothing. Thousands, yes, millions, of men possessing ability with opportunity, fail, and fail miserably, because they are unwilling to earn success. They are too lazy to make the most of themselves. 200 HOW TO GET A JOB Success, properly analyzed, weighed, and meas- ured, consists of doing one's best. No development worth while is possible without strenuous and con- tinuous labor. You cannot succeed unless you earn the right to succeed. You do not deserve to live unless you are willing to work to live. The loafer, whether he be the son of a million- aire or a bar-room hanger-on, is unworthy of the respect of man, and even a dog should be ashamed to bark at him. He is a failure, whether he wears broadcloth or rags. He is a menace to society, even though he may be morally clean and respectable. The drone, by doing nothing, injures the world more than the villain who does something. While your ability may be limited by Nature, its original germ may be grown and developed to an extent so large that it would appear to have actually and materially increased in quality and size. Read the lives of men of success, — in trade, in business, or in profession. Find, if you can, a single man of marked achievement who was not a worker from boyhood up. Every man of superla- tive success will tell you that he owes his position in life, not only to ability, not only to opportunity, but to the work he started in to do when he was a boy and to the work he continued to do. If your ability is limited, accept the condition. You cannot help yourself. Be as happy as you can. If good opportunity does not appear to be within your reach, do not fret and worry over it, but keep ABILITY FS. OPPORTUNITY ^201 looking for it ; it may pass through your street in the still hours of the night. Whether you have great or little ability, whether you have small or large opportunity, if you have health, you can work, and keep everlastingly at it. If you do, some result is sure to come. Perhaps you will fail even though you be faith- ful and strenuous in labor, but you will fail surely unless you are active in mind and body. If you do not work, you are a failure. If you do work, you may be a success. What to Do Evenings NEARLY all city stores, both wholesale and retail, and practically all city offices, close by six o'clock in the afternoon, and many of them cease to do business as early as five o'clock. Substantially all professional offices close, or are supposed to do so, by five o'clock, although many lawyers and other professional men take little account of time and require their employ- ees to labor to any hour in the evening, receiving no extra remuneration beyond the cost of supper. In the small cities and country towns practically all of the stores close at six o'clock, or at five, or five-thirty, two or three evenings a week, and remain open until nine or lo o'clock during the remaining week days. Workers in restaurants, hotels, and in some other lines, are obliged to be on hand nearly every evening and do not enjoy more than one or two free evenings a week. Where evening work is required continu- ously it is usual to give the employee some " off- time " during the day. Notwithstanding the condition of things, consid- erably more than seven-eighths of employees, whether working in stores, factories, or offices, or serving in other capacities, in the city or country, have either WHAT TO DO EVENINGS 203 all, or a part, of their evenings to themselves, or are allowed to enjoy some leisure during the week. These between-working hours belong to the em- ployee, and he is privileged to use them as he will, provided it does not interfere with his regulr duties. But none of us, from the president of a great cor- poration to the baker's errand boy, is entirely inde- pendent or may do as he pleases. ' We all are under restraint. None of us, if we are decent, can be other than under obligations to society and public policy, and we cannot outrage the customs of business if we would be in business. No one is, or ever can become, in full command of himself. Often I have heard boys and men, and particu- larly those who are worth little to themselves and to others, claim bombastically that after the store or office door is' closed their time is completely theirs, and that they may use it as they please, subject to no interference except that of criminal law. Theoretically, the employee sells a certain num- ber of hours to his employer; and theoretically, it is none of the employer's business what the employee does out of business. But the erreat unwritten law of custom, — a law more powerful than any on the statute books, a law of more or less equity, a law over which neither the legislature nor the referendum has control, — requires that the employee consider all of his time as partially belonging to his employer; and this law gives to the employer some right of dictation covering the whole 24 hours pf the day. The employee Is a man, and has the right of independence. He Is not a slave. Legally, he may do as he pleases, and the law will protect him. He 204 HOW TO GET A JOB may spend his " off-working " time for study, for diversion, or for dissipation. He is legally monarch of himself, and no one has a right to interfere with him if he does not outrage statute law. His em- ployer has no legal control over him, either in office or out of office ; but the employer has this one great right, — whether it be right or wrong, — the legal right to discharge the employee, the right to say that if he does not do this or refuses to do that, that he, the employer, will discharge him. As all of us must earn our living, and as only a few of us can be in business for ourselves, most of us must work for others, and all of us must begin as employees, whether or not we remain in the ranks. As employees, we have two distinct duties : first, a duty to ourselves; secondly, a duty to our employ- ers. If our employers and we are equally decent, there may be no interference, because the more wc improve ourselves, the more valuable we become to our employers. Therefore, nearly all ambitious and respectable boys and men do as they please after working hours, because what they please to do does not interfere with their work or with their employers' interest. I have gone deeply into this matter, because it seems necessary that I should impress emphatically upon the employee the fundamental fact that he is only theoretically master of himself, and that he may do as he pleases only when what he pleases to do does not interfere with statute law or with the policy of society and business. It is obvious that most of us enjoy " off-time," and have regular or intermittent spare moments or WHAT TO DO EVENINGS 205 spare hours. How shall we employ them ? We may spend the whole, or a part, of them in study or improvement, or we may employ them for dissipa- tion, or we may divide them, using a part for study, a part for diversion, and a part for other purposes. But we cannot be true to ourselves or true to our work if we do not use these out-of-working hours for the mutual benefit of ourselves, our employers, and the world at large. While I would not advise you to carry the burden of business into your home, I believe you cannot make any marked success if you close your work with the closing of your office. The man who gets through never accomplishes anything. Don't misun- derstand me. Business should be done during busi- ness hours, and between-working time should not be taken up with business matters. The active part of business should be shut off with the closing of the office door; but, while business should be done during the hours of business, the connection between busi- ness and other things remains to those who would succeed. Much of the great work of the world, whether it be of business, invention, discovery, phil- anthropy, literature, or religion, is done outside of the office, the laboratory, the shop, the study, and the Church. Between-times often become the great times of life, and in them are accomplished many of the monumental deeds of civilization. The " off- hour " is not removed from your life's duty. Every" moment of it should be devoted to the accomplish- ment of your ambition. You should not rest for the sake of resting. Loafing is not resting. You should not take diver- 206 HOW TO GET A JOB sion for the sake of diversion. Resting, and diversion are worth while, partly for the pleasure they give, but largely because by receiving pleasure one is ena- bled to do his duty better. The diversion which is taken for pleasure only, and which contributes noth- ing to the up-building of the mind and the body, is of no higher quality than that which allows the hog to bask In the sun. The man of character, he who amounts to something, so regulates his life that he may, in -the end, accomplish all that his capacity and conditions permit; and he rests, plays, studies, reads, and does everything for the rounding-out of his full- ness and for the mutual benefit of himself and the world. Sleep is not that we may sleep. It is that we may do better work when we are awake. The majority of boys and young men waste their " off-times." They use them for mild forms of dis- sipation and for a loafing sort of resting, which con- tribute nothing to anything or anybody. On the other hand, many boys and young men, who work hard during the day, devote most of their spare time to study and to what they think will be of intellec- tual benefit to them. This shows a proper spirit, and they are likely to succeed; but there is such a thing as carrying it too far. There are only 24 hours in a day, and a part of the day is for sleep, another for resting, another for diversion, and an- other for work. No one can profitably work all of the time any more than he can naturally sleep all of the time. The boy or man who spends all of his evenings in study, or in doing some other hard work, would WHAT TO DO EVENINGS 207 accomplish more if he gave part of each evening, or some of his evenings, to resting and to suitable diversion. One can accomplish more In an hour when he feels like working than he can In several hours when he is fatigued. Quality of work is worth more than quantity of work, unless It is of manual labc^r. Many of us over-work and over-do under the delusion that this over-work and over-doing will pile up greater accomplishments. As a matter of fact, they may do the opposite. If the mind and body are not given the rest which belongs to them they may refuse to do their best work. The proper kind of rest and diversion, not only keeps one In good health and allows the mind and body to do their best, but restores energy. A period of rest with one of work may accomplish more than two periods of work with none of rest. Most of us work too many hours. For many of us there seems to be no way out of it. The great majority of us carry the strenuousness of the shop, the store, or the office, into our evening life. The work-side of life should not be completely separated from the home-side of life; nor should the life of die home be entirely apart; from the life of work, for each is a branch of a common trunk; but the active part of business need not, and should not, be taken into the home. The time will come, and I hope it will speedily arrive, when thpre will be five days for labor, one day for rest and diversion, and one day for the special worship of God and the up-building of man's inner-qualities. Until that estate arrives, we must 208 HOW TO GET A JOB not ignore present conditions, yet we must not forget that it is our duty to contribute our part toward forcing conditions to arrive at a better and more civilized state. For the present, this over-work will continue, and business in the near future is likely to be more strenuous and more trying to our bodies and minds. There appears to be no relief in sight. The boy or man, who enters any calling, will find it neces- sary to work hard, and often to over-work, if he would meet anything more than the lowest degree of success. It is for him to regulate his 24 hours so that he may make the most of them under exist- ing conditions, ever striving to do his part toward the betterment of the world. If your work is sedentary, you should take exer- cise in the open air. You should not devote more than a part of your " off-time " to heavy reading or to hard and systematic study. A fair proportion of your evenings should be used for restful diver- sions and for those pleasures which are all the more pleasurable because they contribute to progress. A little of the right kind of reading and study will give more than many times that amount in mere quantity- bulk. Systematic reading and study are essential to the making of a reasonable degree of success, but it should be done without undue pressure. Reading should not be confined to books, or to newspapers, or to other periodicals. Book-reading is^ essential to the rounding-out of success, provided books of quality are read. A good newspaper is civilization's present and advance agent. No one can keep up with the times who does not habitually read a first- WHAT TO DO EVENINGS 209 class newspaper. There are several reviews, and other general periodicals, which contain the gist of ' about everything worth knowing, and a systematic reading of them will keep one well informed. Choose the cream not the skim-milk of literature. The principal of any school, or editor of any paper, or your librarian, will glkdly assist you in selecting your reading matter. I would not, however, advise you to depend upon the opinion of any one adviser, unless he be of broad education and of liberal ideas. Many a close reader reads as the miser hoards, that he may obtain and not distribute. He is biased and prejudiced. His advice will do you more harm than good. Therefore, obtain the advice and counsel of several people, and plan your reading by the com- posite result of their opinion. One of the best ways to combine diversion with study is to form classes of three or more, and to meet at stated intervals. The gatherings should not be devoted entirely to reading and study. General conversation should be encouraged, particularly if It be directed toward some solid, and yet, entertaining subject. You can obtain in this way much informa- tion and at the minimum of mental fatigue. I heartily commend societies of every kind, except those which lead to dissipation. An association may consist of as few as three or four, or the member- ship may run up to a hundred. These associations, if properly ' conducted, will give their members the right combination of mental improvement, social intercourse, and sensible recreation. They are espe- cially commended to young men who board and whose homes consist of hall-bedrooms, with few 210 HOW TO GET A JOB or no home privileges. We need association and close, congenial companionship for the development of both our bodies and minds. The lonely walk and solitary diversion of any kind Is to be recom- mended only when it is impossible for one to have companionship. A walk of a mile with a genial and interesting friend is worth one of two miles alone. One game with friends rests the mind more than a dozen playings of solitaire. Exercise in the class, or with friends, allows the mind to assist the body and adds diversion to what would be monotonous and laborious without it. In closing, let me say that success depends as much upon the use of our " off-working time " as it does upon our regular hours of labor. It is as essential to properly regulate and use our evenings as it is to attend to our business affairs. As the influence of the shop affects the home, so does the influence of the home affect the shop. What we do between our working hours may control the quality of our accomplishment. Business Schools IN this chapter I shall not refer to regular insti- tutions of learning, like the public, common, and high schools, colleges, institutes of tech- nology or other technical schools, and private schools having a curriculum similar to that prevailing in the common or public schools, hut to the so-called com- mercial college, or business school, in which is taught the technique of the clerical side of business, and often the principles of business itself. These schools are usually located in a city or at a country center. Commercial colleges, or business schools, are thoroughly legitimate institutions of learning, their intrinsic value is recognized by educators and by business men in general, and they are considered a necessary part of our broad educational system. While some of the public schools teach stenog- raphy, bookkeeping, banking, and some other depart- ments of business, few of them give more than superficial attention to the technique of trade. It is, therefore, incumbent upon the commercial college, or business school, to supply this want, the necessity of which is growing more apparent every day. At one time there was on the part of business men a prejudice against the graduate of the business school, some of them believing that a boy would better obtain his clerical education after entering 212 HOW TO GET A JOB business. In those days, the commercial college was looked upon as a theoretical, and not as a practical, institution. This prejudice or unfavorable opinion was largely due to the lack of efficiency and practi- cability practiced by the earlier business schools. Like all other innovations, they were faulty at the start, and may have worked rather for injury than for efficiency. To-day these schools are, for the most part, maintained by able business men, — com- posite men who are familiar with business as well as with educational methods. I certainly would advise the boy, intending to become a bookkeeper, to learn bookkeeping at school, and, preferably, at a commercial college. True, he can master the rudi- ments and the full principles of bookkeeping at the business desk, but a good business school will teach him the thorough practice of bookkeeping in a much less time and at considerable less actual cost, because time is money. A good commercial college will give him both a general and specific knowledge of book- keeping, both of which are necessary to the making of an efficient accountant. The business desk, de- voted as it is to one form of business, is not as likely to give him the principles of bookkeeping as it is to teach him that part of bookkeeping which pertains to a particular line of business. Stenography and typewriting cannot be learned in business. Some proficiency in them is necessary before one obtains an engagement. It is difficult to acquire a knowledge of stenography from books alone or in any other way except from a teacher. I would advise a would-be stenographer to attend a first-class school of stenography or a reliable com- BUSINESS SCHOOLS 213 mercial college which makes a specialty of stenog- raphy and typewriting. But it should be borne In mind that the business school does not, and cannot, even with its perfected system, teach actual business-doing as experience gives It to Its practitioners. It cannot do this any more than an Institute of technology can produce a practical working electrician of experience. Actual experience In trade or business is necessary to the rounding-out of any kind of expertness. But this fact must not be considered as opposed to the com- mercial college or to other technical Institutions. It is the business of the school to prepare one to expe- rience experience, to make him able to utilize expe- rience. This preliminary work, — this school work, — Is of tremendous consequence, and cannot be over- estimated or over-valued. The boy or young man, equipped with a proper school education. Is prepared to meet and utilize experience to an extent Impossible If he begins with experience and does not enjoy the school-training preparatory to the exercise of experience. The boy, who has properly studied bookkeeping, stenography, typewriting, or other technique of business, at a first- class business school, is better prepared to take hold of and to use the experience of business. He gets there quicker, and when he is there, he has, with his knowledge, built a more solid foundation. It Is hard to shake him. He stands more firmly upon his feet. I would, therefore, recommend the business school to every boy and young man who Intends to take up the 'clerical side of business or to begin by 214 HOW TO GET A JOB so doing. The mental training at this school is likely to be of extreme value to him. While I would not particularly recommend the commercial college to the would-be salesman, or to the other would-be business man who does not intend to touch the clerical side of business work, I can see no reason why this knowledge should be other than of value to him, because, even though he does not practice the clerical, a knowledge of it may not come amiss. The practice of stenography has shown an unpar- alleled growth. There are, to-day, a hundred stenog- raphers to one of yesterday. While stenography appears to be a woman's vocation, there is no reason why it should not be practiced by men much more than it is. I consider a knowledge of stenography of extreme value to every boy or man, and I would recommend its study, provided there is no reason why he cannot afford to give the time to it. The male, stenographer, if proficient, is likely to occupy a confidential position. He is close to the head of the firm or to the manager of a department. The secrets of the business pass through him. He is familiar with every condition. He is in a position to know what is being done and how it is done. If he is bright, if he has an observant mind, if he is diligent and painstaking, sooner or later he will obtain a grasp on the house he works for which must result in promotion. A knowledge of stenography enables one to do an immense amount of work, which he could not do in long-hand. After one has mastered the principles of stenography it is simply a question of a reasonable amount of practice. The BUSINESS SCHOOLS 215 stenographer has at his command an easy method of, recording his thoughts. With little effort he may write what he is likely to forget. He can use his stenography on the train, at home, or in the shop. He can take down the conversation of conferences and business talks. I do not think that the average business man realizes the business value ot stenog- raphy, irrespective of its practice as a livelihood- maker. The first-class commercial college teaches stenography in a thoroughly practical way. The business school should be selected with care, with the same attention that we apply to choosing any other institution of learning. Some commercial colleges are unreliable and unworthy of patronage; They are merely money-making schemes, which hold out false inducements to their scholars and are appar- ently guaranteeing to do the impossible. Fortunately, this class of schools is in the minority. It is very easy to ascertain the character and standing of a commercial college. If it is a worthy institution and doing good work, its principal and teachers are closely associated with the business men of the city or town, and they are conversant with the educational policy pursued. Therefore, inquiries made of repre- sentative business men of the town, will give you authentic information regarding any school or schools located in their vicinity. If more than a few good business men know nothing of the school, and are unable to recommend it, you may assume that the school is either too young to have established a repu- tation, or else, by its ineiEciency, is unworthy of your patronage. Needed Education WHAT constitutes the proper quality and quantity of a profitable school educa- tion? This everlastingly vexed ques- tion was asked of the original hieroglyphic carvers of pre-historic curriculums. The answer, if written at all, was stencilled in the stars. Educational authorities differ, and there is little likelihood of the establishment, for many years to come, of an universally acceptable educational scheme or any near approach to it. But, notwithstanding the diver- sity of opinion, the majority of authorities favor a higher education for substantially every one, irre- spective of the vocation to be pursued, if this school learning can be had without undue sacrifice. A proportion, but hardly a majority, of business men would not recommend a college course for those who propose to follow business; and yet, these same men would be next-to-unanimous in their belief that a classical education Is advantageous, even essential, to those who are to take up a profession. But both the educational authority and the business man would recommend unanimously a technical school education for those who are to follow a mechanical trade, and especially for those who Intend to practice the higher vocations, like electricity, engineering, or chemistry. NEEDED EDUCATION 217 After the most careful investigations and con- sultation with educational and business men, and a close contact with existing conditions, I think I may present the following opinion, which is not exclu- sively my own, but represents the composite ideas of men of marked experience and ability: Shall the boy, who intends to take up a mechan- ical trade, enter it directly from the common school or shall he pass through some high-grade technical school or institute of technology? Unless it is absolutely necessary for him to begin at an early age to earn his living, the technical school is to be recommended, and most emphatically. It is so close to essential that I consider it practically necessary for anything more than ordinary success or for the making of success within a reasonable time. In these days of skilled labor, the ordinary workman has little chance of rising from the ranks, unless he possesses unusual genius or is remarkably skilful. Without a technical school training he may not hope to be more than an under-foreman. The great institutes of technology, and similar schools, are graduating, with almost incubator speed, trained and com'petent men. These men enter the field of business and trade thoroughly equipped to assume responsibility. Many of them, perhaps, do not pos- sess more natural ability than that given to those who have never enjoyed a higher education ; but this technical training, which they have received, has developed them and made them able to do what they could not do as readily without it. Therefore, the manufacturer, naturally. and rightfully, gives the school trained man the preference. He places him 218 HOW TO GET A JOB in the line of promotion, and the good places, the higher places, the places of responsibility, are his, to the exclusion of those who come directly from the common school. It may be set down as a fact, that the common school trained mechanic is likely to remain in the ranks unless he be a pronounced genius, and even notwithstanding the fact that he may have as high a natural capacity as that possessed by his technical school trained brother. While the technical school does not and cannot give the full or actual experience of the shop, and while working experience at the bench is neces- sary to superlative result, the technical school gives something which no factory or shop can present, and which no amount of working experience can hope to realize as economically or as profitably. The technical school teaches the great fundamental theory or purpose of mechanics. The shop or factory can- not go beyond what Is done there, or, at best, but little beyond it. For instance, a young man proposes to become an electrician. He enters an Institute of technology. There, for a while, he studies general science, not that of electricity. He begins to become a scientist in general, not a specific scientist. He becomes familiar, first with the principles of general science, and then with those of electricity. When he takes up his life's work, no matter if he be confined to one branch of electricity, he is a rounded-out scien- tist and electrician, familiar with general science and especially with that of electricity. Therefore, he is NEEDED EDUCATION 219 in a position to rise, and to rise rapidly, provided he has the capacity, ambition, and reasonable oppor- tunity. On the other hand, the boy who enters the shop without a tedinical school training comes in contact only with some branch of the work. He does not become an electrical scientist, but an electrical worker. Of course, in time, he may absorb the entire science of electricity, bub he cannot do so without the hardest over-work, and this work he must do in a depressive atmosphere. Working experience in the shop and factory, essential though it may be, cannot give the funda- mental education which is presented at the higher institute of learning. In the shop one must do some- thing which brings money, whether or not the doing of it adds to his store of knowledge and experience. In the school the conditions are right for the absorp- tion of information. The very atmosphere of the school-room encourages study. The environment favors intellectual activity. There is no necessity of doing anything for the sake of money. All one has to do is to learn and to take no thought of financial return, except in a general way. Occasionally, I run against the argutaent that the three or four years spent at a technical school are wasted, because the graduate may begin his trade on the same round of the ladder as that stepped upon by the unschooltrained boy or man. Let us take two boys for example: One enters the factory directly from the common school, with- out any technical school training. The other spends four years at an institute of technology. It is pos- 220 HOW TO GET A JOB sible that the school trained young man will begin where his untrained school friend started four years ago. But wait, in five or ten years, abilities being equal, the technical school trained man will outstrip the other. From the start on he will begin to approach him and will pass him eventually, unless the unschooltrained man possesses exceptional ability. In these days of wonderful machinery, most workmen are but parts of a machine, — mechanical workers only, — and this condition makes a mechan- ical education' essential to success In any mechanical business, more so than ever before in the history of the world. The technical School can teach more of the great broad principles of mechanics and of science in a day than the shop or factory can teach in a month. Economy, then, suggests a technical school course. Shall the boy who has chosen business, graduate from college ? There is a great diversity of opinion here, but I think that few business men would vote against a college education, if the young man wanted it. Comparatively few of them, however, would more than advise a college course to those who intend to devote their lives to business, and very few of them would force the would-be business fcoy into college. A college education is in no way detrimental to business success, although it may not be essential to it. College never made a fool of anybody, except that it may have made a bigger fool of the fool who was a fool before he became a college fool. The boy who does not get some good out of college, has simply refused to use his opportunities. Most NEEDED EDUCATION 221 likely he would have been a failure with or without college. The college, at best, can do no more than help one who would help himself. If the would-be business boy dislikes study, and cannot be made to realize his advantages, it probably would be useless to force him into college, even assuming it Is right to force a boy in this direction. The parent or friend has a right to advise and to spread before the young man all the advantages of a college course, but the final decision should be made by the young man himself, for unless he is competent, after he has seen both sides of the question, to decide for himself, he has not the ability to properly use a classical education. Still, there is no objection to considering the matter, under the assumption that education has been known to change an apparent fool into a really wise man, — a condition which the parent may look forward to as a forlorn hope, if he has an alleged worthless boy on his hands. I would advise the young man who intends to enter business to graduate from a first-class cbllege, provided he can do so without material sacrifice. I would not ask him to impoverish himself, to wear himself out, to undermine his health, or to make any undue sacrifices for the sake of a college education. He can succeed without it. While a knowledge of the classics will be of little use to him in business, the training that he receives in college is likely to be of value to him. At college he meets a high- grade of men. He comes in contact with the great problems of life. He is in the environment of prog- ress. He is where men are taught to be men, to think for themselves, and to be more than machines. 222 HOW TO GET A JOB College associates are an asset which remain through life and which pay a perpetual dividend. Compara- tively few college men, whether they enter a busi- ness, a trade, or a profession, regret the years spent at college. But I would not advise the boy, who thinks only of money, who looks upon wealth as the chief end of life, who is selfish, and whose desire is limited to the development of financial accomplish- ment, to consider college. He would better enter business, and die in business, and the quicker he dies the better. Should the young man who intends to enter a profession receive a classical education? Yes, and I say, yes, enthusiastically and decidedly. A college training is next-to-necessary to full success in the practice of any profession. The professional man deals in brain-products. His head is his factory and his store-house. The more he can develop his men- tal faculties, the better off he is. No amount of practice in the world at large can give him what he should receive at college. He needs the educa- tion and the mental discipline, and it is well for him to have lived in the atmosphere of education. The friends he makes at college should be of mate- rial assistance to him. As a college graduate, he can more easily rise in his profession than the man who has not received a higher education, and in every other way he has an advantage over him. Of course, the genius will pick success put of the rockiest field, and will be great, although he could not read or write; but geniuses are too scarce to be accorded a column in the table of vital statis- tics. Of course, I admit that there are uncoUeged NEEDED EDUCATION 223 , thousands, — clergymen, lawyers, doctors, authors, teachers, and other professionals, — who have climbed to the top round of the ladder, but these men are exceptions. They could not help making marked successes; with half an opportunity they would have succeeded. Yet no one of them feels a lack of a college education had anything to do with the degree of his accomplishment. If all of them could have begun over again, they would enter ' college, even at great sacrifice. To sum up, let me say that I would advise every boy to get all the education he can, of course, within reasonable limits, and to lengthen, not shorten, his school life. School life, once dropped, cannot easily be taken up again. To some extent, the boy or young man burns his educational bridges behind him when he severs his connection with school. Of course, the world is a great institution of learning; but the world, as it stands, does not give the atmos- phere or the opportunity for an absorption of tech- , nical or other educational knowledge. The place to receive it is at school, and nowhere else can it be obtained so cheaply or so quickly. The office, the sanctum, the shop, and the factory, cannot give you that mental discipline or that rounded-out education that is received at the properly conducted school. To succeed, one must obtain a certain amount of information, whether it be of a high or a low order. Without it no achievement is possible beyond that of manual labor. It may be obtained out of school and after one's school days have passed, but 224 HOW TO GET A JOB it can be had much more quickly, much more easily, and much more cheaply in school than out of school. Therefore, let me say to you, young man, lengthen your school life and don't shorten it. A year or more in school, even if you have to work your way through, will pay you in the end, for it will better equip you to meet life's difficulties and to do life's work. The strength of the nation is in the schools of its people. The strongest glass cannot over-magnify the advantages offered by the well-equipped institu- tion of learning. Nothing in business, in profession, in trade, or in experience can take the place of the school, nor do what the school can do, for in the school the conditions are favorable to the absorption of knowledge and to the obtaining of that mental discipline which cannot be had in any other direction, except at an increased cost of time and labor. Stay in school as long as you can. A year more of preparation may be worth more than a dozen years of actual experience. Getting Married 1 APPROACH this subject with a semblance of fear, yet with a strong pulsation of established sincerity. It is possible, and, perhaps, prob- able, that I may be misunderstood and that a part of what I shall say may be misconstrued and per- verted. I know that I am naked-handedly meeting the world's most worshiped god, — Conventionality, — the trouble-maker-in-chief, — who in his almighty sway has successfully prevented more than a zigzag stream of progress and who is responsible for our present deplorable grade of civilization. In the writing of this book, which is addressed to boys, young men, and to men of all ages, I assume, rightly, I think, the privilege of telling the truth, of presenting it in its undraped state, even if by so doing I am shocking those who love to be shocked and outraging the feelings of those who have no meatier character than gaseous sentiment. I have no quarrel/ to pick with sensible sentiment, for I respect It from the bottom of my heart, and honor It, yes, adore it, even though I am not able to measure it by rule or scale. Nor do I question the permanent worth of that misunderstood some- thing, which we call love, for love, with Its accom- panying sentiment, rules the better part of the world to-day, and is sure to govern the whole of it in the 226 HOW TO GET A JOB civilized future. There is nothing higher, broader, or better than love, — pure love, — not the danger- ous imitation which misrepresents the original, and which is so often taken for what it is not. At best it is but a surface reflection. There is nothing, from pure love to sickly senti- ment, which should not be made to stand the test of the cold and unimpassioned practical. Unless it is tested, whether it be good or bad, it has no estab- lished basis of value, and cannot command intelligent respect. Therefore, I feel that I possess the right to discuss marriage, and to do it from a practical standpoint, even if to do so I find it inexpedient or unprofitable to give much thought to its sentimental side for the time being. May I not, for the present, handle marriage as roughly, and as fairly, I hope, as I would a commodity, for marriage is a com- modity. If it is not, it has no place in the economy of human aifairs. I find myself obliged to consider the conventional marriage as well as the true mar- riage of the higher love, because the conventional marriage is in the vast majority. In a book like this I must give more attention to majorities than to minorities, for majorities represent the conditions with which we have to deal, while minorities present, in many cases, little more than exceptions. I do not apologize, either here or anywhere else, for handling marriage as a commodity. I could not insult matrimony more than to decline to analyze it from a commodity standpoint. If it is strong, it will stand that analysis, and come out the winner. If it is weak, it will fall of its own fault. Mind you, I am now referring to marriage as marriage runs, not GETTING MARRIED 22Y to the Heaven-made exceptions. This book is intended to be practical, to call black, black, and white, white, to paint the primary colors, not the tints, of life. Man has two basic duties: that of becoming a man and that of assisting in the propagation of the species. He cannot dodge either. The first he must accomplish if he would amount to anything, and the second he should attempt to do unless there exist reasons forbidding its realization. The churchy, but not religious, reader may criti- cise me for seeming not to place religion or the worship of God as man's first and greatest duty; but this irreligious churchite fails to comprehend the true meaning of becoming a man. When a man becomes a man, he worships God and he is religious. No real man ever lived who did not believe in God, whether or not he had respect for theology. The men of the world, — the great men, — the men who have built the institutions of civilization, have been God-loving and God-worshiping men. This book is not the Forum for the discussion of theology and creed, and I do not propose even to attempt to con- sider either. But, I wish to repeat, and with all the emphasis in my power, that man's first duty is to become a man, — a man in the truest sense. When he becomes a man, he is a religious man, a God- worshiping man. It cannot be otherwise. Becoming a man, as I see manliness, covers everything worthy of being catalogued In the Book of Life. This is man's earth, given to man by God, and the more manly a man is in man's land, the better adapted he is to occupy a higher position in God's land. 228 HOW TO GET A JOB When he becomes a man, he need not worry about his duty to God, or his duty to men, or his partic- ular form of religious belief. His very manliness will take care of that, and his love and worship of God will be a part and parcel, yes, the better part, of his very existence. Our present form of civilization requires mar- riage for the establishment of the home and the breeding of children. It has been said that there cannot be a home without a family. This is a broad statement, for many men have bachelor headquarters, which, although different from family homes, encour- age the highest thought and endeavor ; but as the world runs, and as there is necessity of properly producing offspring, the home resulting from mar- riage would appear to be the fundamental or only form, subject to the changes of higher civilization, as civilization grows in quality. The fact that some able thinkers and educators feel that marriage is a failure should not operate against the legal union of the sexes. Until some- thing better than the present home is discovered, no one has a right to refuse to become a part of it, unless there be individual reasons which suggest bachelorhood. Notwithstanding the vital consequences which surround marriage, notwithstanding that it is one of the most solemn earthly acts of man, the average man selects his life partner thoug'htlessly and with- out using more than a suggestion of judgment. He meets a young woman, accidentally or by arrange- ment. Her physical charms attract him. They fall in love, or think that they do. They take no pains GETTING MARRIED 229 to analyze their feelings. They do not seem to care whether or not these feelings are genuine. When the delicious moment comes the man loses the ability to think or to judge with any degree of accu- racy or fairness. He is in love, or in alleged love. He magnifies his intended's virtues, until she is, in his perverted imagination, but little below the angels, and perhaps a peg or two above them. He sees her, not. as she is, but as she appears to be to him at frequent or infrequent intervals. Ask the average engaged man why he made the selection, and pin him down to witness-box answers, and he will stampede. He does not know why he asked a certain woman to be his wife, because he gave little thought^ to the matter, except that she attracted him and he wanted her or thought that he did. Young man, and man of any age, unless you can see the woman you are to marry as she is, and unless you can know- her as she is, you have neither legal nor moral right to marry her. Let me repeat, that I may not be misunderstood. Unless you can give to me, or to a friend, several positive, definite, clean- cut reasons why you have made the selection, there is something the matter with you, whether or not there be something the matter with the woman. There cannot be more than a minority -of happy marriages or of profitable unions, until husbands and wives are selected with the same care and attention that is given to the purchase of a horse, an auto- 1 mobile, a boat, or to a deal in business. 1 No successful man ever does anything m business without pre-meditation, or without a careful weigh- 230 HOW TO, GET A JOB ing of values. He does not buy a horse until he knows the horse or until he has made every effort to know it, unless he is a fool. Yet, this self-same man, of profitable business attainment, may select a wife at random, may not subject her to any sensible or reliable test, and may marry her in the "bliss- fulness" of criminal ignorance, and I use the word "criminal" without modification. The sacredness, yes, the awfulness of marriage and the responsibilities which it is sure to incur, would seem to be sufficient to make men pause and think, and to force them to investigate; to suggest to them, at least, that the same attention should be given to the selection of a wife as that used in the purchasing of a material commodity. What most men call love is little better than ordinary sentiment and often ranks as low as pure and simple passion. Love, in its purity, is an abso- lute safeguard, but until love can be weighed and ■measured, we must, as humans, apply the test or else we take criminal chances. In this chapter I refuse to treat marriage from the woman's standpoint. This book is directed to boys, young men, and men of all ages, and it is, therefore, eminently proper that I should confine myself to their interests. Let me attempt to bring marriage up to a prac- tical basis and to strip from it every kind and grade of ordinary sentiment. It has been said that marriages are made in Heaven. Theoretically, they may be; practically, they should be. No marriage is justifiable unless the united parties believe that their union is blessed by GETTING MARRIED 231 both God and men, nor should any other action be taken without this dual blessing. But marriages, as ordinarily contracted, suggest a carelessness and irre- sponsibility, even a criminality, with which Heaven would not and could not have been a party. To accuse the Almighty of being an accessory to the mating of disease, to the union of unfitness, to the legal gratification of lust, is blasphemous. In the law, marriage is a civil contract, and is considered in no other light. Stripped of Its senti- ment, it consists of an agreement on the part, of a male and female to live together with the expectation of establishing a home and producing children. The proper or happy marriage gives to the con- tracting parties the greatest blessing possible to real- ize upon earth. It lifts the man and woman above the world itself, and carries them into a realm of superlative happiness, — a joy unspeakable, unwrit- able, and of a quality too fine to be considered earthly. There is no other human state so much to be striven for as that of a happy and proper mar- riage. On the other hand, the unhappy and improper marriage produces a result which carries with It the very superlative of human suffering, a curse more cursed than any other curse the earth can give. To be married right is Heaven. To be married wrong is hell. The right kind of a wife, while she does not and cannot make her husband, gives him an Incentive to a development and opportunity for the realization of a happiness which is impossible from' any othet earthly source. 232 HOW TO GET A JOB The wrong kind of wife may not unman a man, but she places in his way an everlasting and ever- present obstacle, which he cannot fully overcome, and which he is not likely to even partially overcome unless he be of the strongest character. A bad wife is a millstone around a man's neck, which may not drown him, but which will keep him forever struggling against the rising tide of trouble and the sea of sorrow. No marriage is happy or profitable unless each of the contracting parties would make affidavit, after they had been married a reasonable time, that they would do it over again. The application of this test, — a fair one for married people, — would produce unmistakable evidence that not exceeding half of the married couples entered into unsatisfactory and unprofitable union. While exact statistics are impossible, I think I may venture the statement that at least a half of the marriages are both improper and unprofitable, and that they are failures when viewed from both a mental and physical standpoint. If this be the case, the young man stands half a chance of contracting a satisfactory marriage. He takes 50 per cent of risk. I do not propose to present marriage rules, but a few suggestions, which I have numbered for con- venience, may have some value to the man who is engaged or who is considering marriage. I. Do not marry until you are financially able to do so. Love, even of the finest quality, will not pay for food, clothing, rent, lights, or fuel. If you are unable to support more than yourself, you are GETTING MARRIED 233 a criminal before God and man if you link yourself to a woman and help to bring children into the world. The claim made by siclcly sentimentalists that two people can liye at the price of one is a contemptible and deliberate lie and based upon the ignorant fallacy of nothing. True, two economical people can live as cheaply as one spendthrift, but the spendthrift before marriage is likely to be a spend- thrift afterwards. If you will not do what is right before you are married it may be presumed that you will not do right after marriage. I would not advise any man to wait until he becomes rich, because riches are more likely to injure than to assist. But, I would counsel against a matrimonial union until one is not only more than self-supporting, but has put aside a reasonable sum for emergencies. Thousands of men owe their financial failures in life to early marriages, to the assuming of a responsibility which they could not meet except under favorable conditions. The sunny-day man, dressed in his sunshine clothes, can- not weather the storm. No man can reckon with more than a small degree of accuracy what his post- marriage expenses will be. Calculations often go for naught. The early arrival of children, and of sev- eral children, sickness, business disaster, and many other things, may be more than he can financially stand. The unborn child has as much right as the living child. A marriage contract, under unfavor- able and unwise financial conditions, is not a love match. It is but the realization of passion, lust, and selfishness. The decent man loves the woman he would marry too much to subject her and their future children to undue hardships. Love is not responsible 234 HOW TO GET A JOB for unhappy or unprofitable marriages. The man who does not or cannot save before marriage will probably not be saving after marriage. Marriage does not make a bad man good, although it may make a good man better. He who will not reform before marriage is not likely to change after mar- riage. 2. You have no right to marry until you have formed your character, until you are old enough to know yourself, and until you know something of the world at large. Marriage is too grand, too impor- tant, and too sacred a function to be entered into by the immature in mind or body. No one under 25 years of age is mentally or physically fitted for matrimony. An age of 26, 27, 28, or even of 30, is better. Comparatively few men have themselves in hand and really know themselves until they have passed the 30-line. 3. Do not marry unless you can take your pencil in hand and write down not less than a dozen practical and substantial reasons why you have chosen the woman to be your wife. These reasons should be specific and not general. If you cannot give as many reasons, either the woman is unworthy of you, or you are not good enough for her, or there are other conditions which operate against a profitable union. Do not evade these questions. If you cannot tell why you want to marry the woman, and cannot put it in writing, something is wrong somewhere. The love which refuses to be analyzed and to bear any reasonable test is not pure or safe love. At best, it is but a dangerous imitation. Unaccom- panied sentiment, — sentiment which has not an GETTING MARRIED 235 intelligent appreciation of itself and a proper real- ization of its action, — is more dangerous than poison. 4. Ordinary love may not beget respect, but respect may beget ordinary love. It is safer to marry a woman you respect, although you may not have a passionate feeling for her, than to marry for what you call love without a well-defined respect for the object of your alleged affection. 5. Do not marry unless you are reasonably sure that it will pay you to do so, not financially, but in the broadest and truest sense. To contract a union, which is not likely to be of benefit to you, is robbing yourself and the other party. Marriage should be a mutual trade, like all other good things. Unless you are to be better off, unless you are sure that your wife will gain by the transaction, marriage is an outrage upon society, ethics, morality, and sense. 6. Do not marry unless you know that both you and your wife are physically able to have chil- dren. The union of weakness and disease is a crime against Nature and the superlative sin of sins. Chil- dren have a right to be born properly. The love which suggests the union of physically unfit persons is merely an imitation of love and is no better than animal passion. It is but a damnable burst of crim- inal selfishness. True love, the kind that lasts, does not and cannot take pleasure in the doing of any- thing which will harm another, whether that other be the husband, the wife, or the innocent offspring. I am fully in sympathy with the law, which some of the States are sensible, broad, and civilized enough to consider, that of requiring a physical examination, 236 HOW TO GET A JOB the passing of which is necessary to the issuing of a marriage license. I know that I am fighting against conventionality, and am pitting myself against that something called old-fashioned love, which, by many, is considered sufficient for any union-, and which takes no thought of anything save of itself. But the love which is not considerate of others, which does not take thought of the coming offspring, which does not look upon every phase of marriage, from the prac- tical to the sentimental, is a love which is not love at all, but merely a relic of the sentimentality of barbarism. 7. Do not marry a woman that you do not like or respect irrespective of sentiment. Remember that you are to live together, probably for life, and that unless respect and friendly relations con- tinue, you are not likely to have a moment of real peace or happiness. Your wife should be your friend as well as your wife. Your interests should be mutual; You should be happier together than apart. 8. If you cannot share everything you have with the woman to whom you are engaged, if you do not want to tell her the innermost thoughts of your heart, if you do not make her your companion, if you cannot trust her, she is not the woman for you to marry. 9. Do not marry a woman who differs mate- rially from you. The old idea that unlikes attract and likes repel is sheer nonsense. Friends have some- thing in common. If they did not they would not be friends. True, a friend may differ from you, and you and your wife may not always agree in non- GETTING MARRIED 23t essentials; but if you differ materially, if you have differences of consequence, you can never be happy together, nor can you be of much use to each other. Your wife is to be not only a part of your flesh and blood, but she is to be the mother of your children. She should be competent to be the senior partner of your home and the junior partner of your business. If she cannot occupy these positions, she never can be your wife, except in name. 10. Do not marry upon short acquaintance. Better wait five years, or ten years, than to be premature. If you cannot be happy for several years with the woman before you have married her, you can never be happy after you. have married her. Your interest in her should begin with the moment you are engaged. From the view-point of higher things, you are married, although you are not legally bound to each other. Your interests should be iden- tical, and If the interest of one of you shows a particle of wavering, the quicker you separate the better. 1 1. When in doubt, wait; when in much doubt, don't marry at all. Health WHY not a chapter on health? Is not health a part of the stock of success? Does it not play a leading role in the unromantic drama of business ? Without it, are not the wheels of endeavor out of true, and do they not zigzag from the economic path of every kind of profit? Health is Nature's intention. Sickness is unnat- ural, and seldom comes unbidden. Most of our ills are traceable to some outrage upon Nature, either upon our part or that of our ancestors. Nature's laws are immutable. He who trans- gresses them must pay the Nature-set penalty. But while Nature never allows the transgressor to go unpunished, she is the most motherly of care-takers, continually endeavoring to restore him to what he was in the first place and to what he should be at all times, — healthful, — and, consequently, able to do his physical and mental best. This book is hardly the place for a scientific discussion of the rules of health, and, particularly, of the laws of inheritance. Years ago inheritance was looked upon as a curse, from which there was no escape or appeal. In those by-gone days, it was popularly supposed that substantially all the ills to which flesh is heir came directly from our forebears. HEALTH 239 Although modern science has not yet reached its zenith, it has proven conclusively that the major part of our sicknesses and physical troubles are due to environment rather than to inheritance; and, further research may present indisputable evidence that there is more to be feared from present living conditions than from that which comes from direct inheritance. Inheritance counts, although many of us may inherit tendencies rather than actual diseases. The boy of weakly parents, placed in a healthy en- vironment, may have a better chance to become strong and vigorous in body and in mind than has the boy born of giants and reared in an unhealthy atmosphere. But we must not discredit the vital importance of inheritance. While we cannot prevent our own present prenatal illnesses and weaknesses, we should so live that our posterity will not be handi- capped or injured by what we do or by how we live. It is our solemn duty to prenatally aid the next gen- eration, and we cannot do this better than by making the best of our present opportunities. The way we live to-day will affect the life of the myriads to come. It is no less important than how we were born. Most of our ailing population, whether very sick or only partially disabled, could materially improve its condition by taking proper care of Itself and by being placed under proper care. Right attention to living would transform this nation from a set of dyspeptics and sufferers into a healthy, and, con- sequently, happy people. We are sick, not altogether because we are born weak, but because we do little to keep ourselves well and strong, because we insult rather than respect God's agent of health, — Nature. 240 HOW TO GET A JOB As we live, so may we be. It has been said that it is a sin to be sick, and so it is if one is responsibjie for his illness or could have cured himself with effort. Investigations by those whose words are next to certainty, whose integrity is above suspicion, and whose experience makes their sayings almost axio- matic, show that not more than a small proportion of our boys and men obey and live according to the laws of sense and of Nature. Therefore, as law- breakers they are laying the foundation for future troubles of every kind, both physical and mental, and are handing to their posterity an inheritance for which they are more criminally responsible than they would be for committing 90 per cent of the crimes listed in the court calendar. If our boys and men, — and I am not referring to the product of the dives and slums, but to the members of our better classes and the product of our alleged civilization, — received the same care from birth to maturity as is given to the hogs and cattle and to other live-stock upon the well-kept farm, our present generation, and the generations to come, would be far and away ahead of our present human production and of that of the ages which have pre- ceded them. Business, which has neither fad nor conscience^ which handles things for profit and for revenue only, reckons things as they are, and, so far as possible, makes them as they should be, and yet without prin- ciple other than that of cold-blooded motive. It finds that it pays, — pays financially, — to raise good live-stock, to breed good horses, good dogs, good HEALTH 241 cattle, and good hogs; and for the same "paying" motive it takes proper care of Its non-human animals. It gives to them the right start at birth and keeps them in a good saleable condition. Why this care should not be applied to the human stodk is some- thing which our present form of civilization has not answered satisfactorily. The hog, better able than is the human child to take care of himself when left alone, receives all the attention that policy can bestow; yet the boy, whose body is the temple of his soul, and whose soul is eternal, is allowed, in many cases, to grow up as he will, subject only to indifferent direction and to unscientific, unskilled, and unsystematic oversight. The farmer, even of the lower grade, reads con- scientiously and persistently his agricultural paper, and applies, to some extent, at least, the principles of science to the raising of his cattle. How many fathers or mothers, chink you, do this for their own flesh and blood, for the rearing, building, and main- tenance of the temple of the soul, — the body, — by God dedicated as the earthly receptacle of that which must become a part of everlasting life? How many children, think you, have a hog's chance of health? Seldom will you find In any house a paper or a book devoted to the bringing up of the young; and yet, in any one of these homes, if it be the abode of a farmer and stock-raiser, will be many books and periodicals telling how to properly raise and keep wheat, corn, cattle, and hogs. I am speaking plainly. This Is no time to chop words or to paint pictures. The day has coipe, yes, it came thousands of years 242 HOW TO GET A JOB ago, for parents to have and to raise children with physical bodies fit to house eternal souls. Nature's greatest gift to man is health. With- out health, one cannot do any considerable part of the work he may accomplish with it. The health of the man is determined, to a large extent, by the health of the boy. The shelves of our libraries are bending under the weight of books written by men and women of brains and experience, telling the truth about our- selves. The material is at hand. What is lacking is the inclination to make use of it. Seventy->five per cent of our puny boys may be developed into strong and healthy men. Most of us sleep in unventilatjed rooms. Noth- ing is worse. It makes us weak, and it invites in- fection. Most people bathe too infrequently. The daily bath, or, at least, a bath three times a week, is one of the essentials of making and keeping health. Water properly applied, externally as well as in- ternally, is one of the greatest life-savers and body- builders. Many of us sleep in our underclothes at the sacri- fice of cleanliness and vigor. Boys particularly, and many men, refuse to brush their teeth habitually, which means poor teeth and bad digestion or chronic dyspepsia. Good digestion is the foundation of all strength and endurance. Without it we may live, but the life of a dyspeptic is one of physical and mental suffering, sufficient to break down ambition and to ruin those who do not possess extraordinary ability. HEALTH 243 Few of us are rightly clothed. We wear either too many clothes or too few. Our clothing is not always adapted to climatic conditions or to our voca- tions. Comparatively few of us are properly fed. Most of us eat too much, especially too much meat, cake, and pie, and too little of real nourishment. Thou- sands upon thousands are fed upon stuflF which is unfit for the stuffing of a dead goose, to say nothing about a live one. Many a breakfast is made of a piece of meat, altogether too large and covered with grease, a griddle-cake, and bread improperly cooked. Ninety per cent of us eat too fast. We may not feel it while we are young, but sooner or later we shall pay the penalty. Comparatively few of our boys or young men are allowed to know anything about themselves, except what they may pick up in the streets; and, ignorant of their bodies, they subject themselves to every kind of harmful abuse. . The refusal to tell the boy about himself^ or to learn about one's physical self when one is old enough to do so, is an insult to God, the maker of the physi- cal body as well as of the eternal soul. Neither modesty, nor reticence, nor sensitiveness, has any right to be considered as an excuse for not knowing about what God made, when the one is old enough to comprehend it, and he is old enough to know about himself much earlier than most people think. He is going to find out something, and he will find it out in the wrong way if not in the right way. He had better be properly told, that he may, at an early age, know enough about his physical make-up to care 244 HOW TO GET A JOB rightly for himself. But no parent can tell his boy what he does not know himself, and not one parent in a hundred knows enough about the human Jbody to intelligently instruct another about it. There is no duty to God and to man greater and more vital than that which the parent owes to the child, — the duty of properly bringing up, of properly instructing, and of giving to him a chance to use what God gave him. Any attempt to evade this responsibility is criminally wrong. Thousands upon thousands of boys are irrevo- cably damaged by improper care or by the lack of proper care. The mother virtually assumes the right to dic- tate the physical and mental policy of her childrep; and she does it, whether or not she knows anything about the subject. She frequently resents outside aid, which she, in her ignorance, considers interference. Half of our boys are improperly dosed, and by dosed, I mean that when they are sick, or appear to be sick, they are filled with all sorts of concoctions, from herb-tea to physic. The enormous sale of patent medicines indicates that Americans are a race of self-doctors, self-dosers, and self-made fools. Millions upon millions of gal- lons of unknown fluids are put into the universal stomach, to the sacrifice of sense, health, and the pocket-book. Patent medicines are, for the most part, made up of cheap physic, poor alcohol, opiuni, laudanum, or other narcotic. Their chief medicinal quality, assuming that they have any, is due to the alcohol which they contain, alcohol being acknowl- edged to be one of the greatest of quick tonics; that HEALTH 245 Is to say, alcohol will make almost any one feel better; but this apparently better feeling is merely transient. For every ounce of tone it gives the patient it takes away two ounces of the red blood of health. A cure is seldom the result. The patient feels better, and thinks he is cured, because he is more or less under the influence of alcohol or of some narcotic, which gives him a pleasant feeling at a dangerous sacrifice of health and sense. The buyer of a patent medicine, no matter what that medicine is labelled to do, may save money and accomplish better results, If he would buy a few cents worth of physic and mix It with a pint of whiskey and water. I am not recommending any such con- coction, but I am simply saying that he who would take patent medicines may more safely swallow one self-compounded of alcohol and physic, if he would have a better article and save money. I do not question the genuineness of some of the patent medicine testimonials. Probably most of them are written in good faith, and the writers be- lieve that they are telling the truth. They were written probably shortly after the writers began to take the medicine, and at a time when they were apparently feeling better, a condition due, in most cases, to the alcohol. Have you ever noticed how few of these testimonials are by people from the vicinity of your home, that most of them are from a far-away State, that those printed in the West date from the East and those printed in the East date from the West, that most of the eminent divines are located in towns too small to go on the map, and 246 HOW TO GET A JOB that it is a cousin or distant relative of the Con- gressman more often than the Congressman himself who signs the printed testimony? Assuming that some patent medicines are effica- cious, and probably some of them are made from pure drugs and from prescriptions of regular physi- cians, I contend that it is unsafe to take any patent medicine, or any other medicine, without the advice of a physician. The label on the bottle cannot diagnose. Two people may have the same symp- toms, and yet each suffer from an entirely different disease, and need, consequently, a different sort of treatment. That which may cure my headache may make your headache worse. What is good for your digestion may give me indigestion. No medicine is safe to take without the advice of a physician. Often one reads of the marvelous cures of per- sons who have been given up by physicians and who have been brought almost from the grave back to life by a dozen bottles. I appeal to your common sense. Is it logical or sensible to believe that a con- coction made at wholesale and distributed broadcast over the entire land can do what the regular physi- cian fails to accomplish? True, there are incompe- tent doctors, for the doctor is human, and occasionally a physician gives up a patient and the patient lives; but for all that, I do not believe anything is more illogical or more absurd than to contend that a pat- ent medicine would cure where a doctor fails. Even assuming that this may be so in some instances, they occur too infrequently to be worthy of consideration. HEALTH 24Y Every regular physician, graduated from a recog- nized medical school, is a member of some town, city, State, or National association of doctors. He is bound by the most sacred obligations to practice along ethical and conscientious lines. He is a com- posite man. He represents, not only his own learning, but the knowledge of the whole world of medicine and surgery. He is in the way of obtaining the freshest information for the alleviation of human suffering. Even though he may sometimes lack adapt- ability, if he is a graduate, he cannot help possess- ing a knowledge to which the patent medicine bottle with its label cannot be compared. There are com- paratively few regular physicians without some intel- ligence and learning, and even the worst of them are much safer to follow than the lifeless, commercial label on the patent medicine bottle. Unless you are suffering from some transient ill- ness, and are sure that you understand your case, a doctor should be immediately summoned, and his instructions followed. I consider it essential, both in the policy of health and. in that of economy, to invoke the aid of a good physician at the slightest provocation. The cost is comparatively slight, and by doing this systematically money will be saved in the end, be- cause unless you are a weakling, you may be kept In good health. Prevention is better than a cure and costs less. Many an apparently healthy boy or man has some disease growing upon him, something which may be checked if taken at the start. 248 HOW TO GET A JOB In the interest of health and economy, I recom- mend regular visits to a physician, even to those who are or appear to be in excellent health. It is worth the cost to know that one is well, and if a disease is discovered, the timely visit may save life and money. The boy, particularly, needs health of the first degree, that he may properly equip himself to do man's work when he becomes a man, and every- thing that is done for him when he is a boy in the way of maintaining his health, to develop him physi- cally and mentally, pays the highest possible dividend to the future. An out-of-doors life is the best for the boy, and for most people of all ages, unless the physician orders otherwise. The more one Is out of doors, the better, upon general principles. Athletics should be encouraged; that Is, reason- able athletics; but every effort should be made to keep away from any form of exercise or of physical labor which requires more than ordinary training. Nearly all athletic contests do more harm than good. The contestant, to win, must subject himself to long and continuous training. He Is victorious at exor- bitant cost. In these days of so called " strenuous life," no boy can hope to win at foot-ball, at sculling, or other of the more active sports, unless he is over- trained, and over-training means a weakening, par- ticularly of the heart, which may show itself dozens of years afterwards. In my opinion, the athletic side of school life, as practiced by most of our colleges, is diametrically opposed to health, sense, and civilization. There HEALTH 249 are plenty of sports, proficiency in which strains neither the body nor the brain, and these pastimes are far more enjoyable, or should be, than those which depend upon the brutal or purely physical side of man. I am not asking our boys to be weaklings or " sissies," as one commonly speaks of the effeminate boy. I want them to be manly, and to be strenuous in everything within the lines of sense; but the strenuosity requiring an unnatural training, and forcing them into dangerous competition, is a relic of barbarism and should be discouraged by school, home, and Church, and should be forbidden by the State. The instant we strain our body or mind beyond its natural strength, we outrage Nature and injure ourselves and our race. Therefore, any game which requires more than ordinary training should not be commended or allowed. We should live close to Nature, that we may be able to fight Life's battles and to win the contests. Everything we do in youth, which is opposed to Nature, we must pay for, either in our youth or exorbitantly in our manhood. The cigarette-smoking boy sometimes is appar- ently as strong as he who has sense and manliness enough not to smoke; but if he continues this habit, or any other similar habit, he will pay the penalty, even though he may not be called upon to settle until he has passed the prime of life. But cigarette-smoking, bad as it is, is only one of the things the boy should not do. It is popular, nowadays, to talk against the cigarette, as though the cigarette-smoker was the champion sinner and 250 HOW TO GET A JOB must sufter punishment by continuous torture. The cigarette is bad. No boy should smoke cigarettes, or anything else ; and no boy, no matter how strong, can smoke without injury; but the time has come, not for us to turn our attention upon the popular wrongs, but upon all wrongs. It is just as important to bathe properly, to eat properly, to sleep properly, and to breathe properly, as it is not to smoke. Great as is our school system, and wonderful as has been its results, it is, indeed, a pity, that the school, upon which the nation rests, should not take up the physical life as well as the mental life more generally than it does. It is the duty of the school not only to teach the mind, but to train the body. I believe that it is in the province of the school to give the boy all that he is not likely to obtain outside, to aid him to a more complete and useful life. What he should receive at home, he does not usually get there. It is the bounden duty of the school to supply outside deficiencies. In our schools we do not want so many foot-ball coaches or gymnasium trainers, although I would not dispense with the gymnasium- master; but what we need the most is somebody and a system that shall teach the boy how to be a boy, that he may from the proper boy become a proper man. We need in our schools a compulsory study of our physical selves, not confined to the training of our muscles, but broad enough to cover every- thing, from the beds we sleep in to the food we eat, from the clothes we wear to the exercise we take. Civilization will never progress rapidly until something is done to make the coming generation, HEALTH 251 which is the rising generation, fit for the responsibili- ties of manhood; and the flush and glory of manhood will not begin to approach their zenith until the physical body and the brain are willing and intelli- gent subjects of the King of health-trainers, — Nature. Employment Agencies THE employment agency Is an ancient institu- tion. Originally Its province did not extend beyond obtaining situations for servants or other manual laborers. Subsequently it extended Its work, and began to place every grade of employee, - — clerks, salesmen, bookkeepers, stenographers, and other clerical and business workers. Some of the agencies are maintained by philanthropic associations, like the Young Men's Christian Association ' and Industrial unions. The commercial agency usually receives its re- muneration from the employee, and, as a rule, makes no charge other than a small registration fee unless It obtains a position for him. Some agencies require the employee to pay the whole or a part of a week's or a month's salary. Usually the agency is a local affair, its work not extending beyond the town or city and its environs. Of late, however, there has been established several so-called general agencies or bureaus, which claim to be able to place boys and men at any part of the country. I think that all of these agencies require a registration fee of two, three, four, or five dollars or more, which fee carries with it no guarantee to place the position-seeker, properly or otherwise. Besides this fee, it is usual for the agency to exact a percentage of the first year's salary. EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES 253 The employment agency has become an institu- tion, and it exists by right of business convenience and necessity; but I would not advise the employment- seeker to depend upon it exclusively. Registration with an agency should not be an excuse for not using other methods, such as personal application, application by mail, and advertising. Some employers depend upon the employment agency, but comparatively few place exclusive de- pendence upon it, and some business men never go to an agency of any kind, preferring to obtain their employees through Inquiry and by advertising. I would caution every position-seeker to avoid all employment agencies which are not of estab- lished character and reputation and which are not recommended by substantial business men. Many agencies, and especially those which de- mand a large registration fee payable In advance, may make little or no effort to obtain positions for those who apply to them, unless the applicant's experience makes it easy work for the agency. In other words, these agencies are more likely to obtain a position for one who would have no difficulty In obtaining a position for himself. Some of these agencies largely depend upon the advance registration fees for their profit and not upon the percentages accruing to them from obtaining positions for those who apply to them. By extensive advertising they obtain thou- sands, and even hundreds of thousands, of registra- tions, and the applicants are not likely to receive any return beyond the privilege of having their names entered in a big record book. 254 HOW TO GET A JOB The employment departments maintained by good commercial schools and typewriter concerns are usually worthy of recommendation. They make no charge. It is to their interest to properly place their graduates or purchasers or users of their machines. For this reason, if for no other, they are likely to render efficient service. They are much patronized by first-class employers. The recommendation of a good commercial school goes a long way towards aiding one to obtain an advantageous position. The commercial school is a business institution. Its proprietor is likely to be a business man of standing. He can easily place any bright or intelligent student. His opinion is respected by the business world. However, I would not advise you to depend upon any one thing or upon any one person. You should use every available means, — application in person, application by letter, advertising, the intervention of friends, the commercial school if you have attended it, the employment agency if you know of a good one, and every other legitimate and progressive means. But keep away from the employment agency, which makes its money by registration fees and not by obtaining positions for its applicants ; have nothing to do with an agency which assures you by mail, and without knowing anything about you, that it can properly place you, and yet requires an advance fee, which it is under no legal obligation to return to you if it fails to make good.