, 1877-12-07
ROOM AT THE TOP,


The following article from the pen
of DR.. j. G. Holland, editor Of "Scrib.
ner's Monthly" is recommended to
the careful psrusal of every young
man:
To the young men annually max
ing their entrance upon active life,
with great ambitions, conscious ca
pacities and high hopes, the pros
pect is, nninety-nine cases in a hun
lred, most perpIexing. They see
every avenue to prosperity thronged
with their superiors in experience, in
social advantages, and in the posses
sion of all the elements and condi.
tions of success. Every post is oc-
cupied, every Office filed, every path
crowded. Where shall they find
room? 1t is related of Mr.. Webster
that when young lawyer suggested
to him that the profession to which
he had devoted himself was over.
crowded, the great man replied:
Young man, there is always room
enough at the top" Never was Il
wiser or more suggestive word said,
There undoubtedly is always room
enough where excellence lives. Mr..
Webster was not troubled for lack of
room. Mr.. Clay and Mr.. Calhoun
were never crowded. Mr.. Evarts,
Mr.. Gushing, and Mr.. O'Conor have
plenty of space around them.
The first years of every mans busi.
ness or professional life are years of
education. They are intended to he
in tho order of nature and Provi.
dence. Doors do not open to a man
until he is prepared to enter them.
The man without wedding garment
may get in surreptitiously, but he i'm.
mediately goes out with flea in his
ear. We think it is the experience
of most successful men who hare
watched the course of their lives in
retrospect, that whenever they ar.
rived at a point where they were
thoroughly prepared to go up higher,
the door to higher place has swung
back of itself and they have heard the
call to enter. The old die, or volun
tarily retire for rest. The best men
who stand ready to take their places
will succeed to their position and its
honors aud emoluments.
The young men will say that only
a few will reach the top. That is
true, but it is also true that the fur
ther from the bottom one goes, the
more scattering the neighborhood.
One can fancy for illustration, that
every profession aud every calling is
pyramidal in It's living constituency,
aud that while ohiy one man is al the
top, there ATE several tiers Of men 10.
low him who have plenty of elbow.
room, and il is only az the base that
men are 90 thick that tbey
pick the meat out u osc an
Others teeth b keep them from siarv
ing. Ia man has no poser % get
out Of the rabhle Of the bottosn. then
he 10 seli-cunvirtsd ~ having chosen
a calling or prutessi0n o. whose do
iirs be has no adaptation
The grand mistake tbsi yoanE msu
make daring ths Erss tsn Vesrs ol
their husiuPss snd pruftssiunss. lits, 10
n IDLY wsiung Nv thsH cha80s
Ehsv sesu o. fasNst uf tber Co nat
huo~. thsi 3aTng these tsn Fesrt
ttsy sn1ay shs aaly lsisafs theF -
ets base AhsF 1su vsars n tts -
turp' ruartr ~ thlaTs tssy 90 ts
shs.Flseg'y husv Ihrss wl 10 o.
t,u.s g. rsst,aE. ra.turs. go s,afv
if tb~s a. 90 hsrasns taasa.xt'y N
gruar.ied n a. rrHurpAss So F.rtrta
ca defs - rf thFg rFstsss.r r aafssr
fhass ysars H 49, o. uai marf
ths.r n.uis wsk assfa3 tal~ ~
a 1hss a. nat rarsas h4t.ts ~ resa
lng ass aisssrratsr sua saeisI atsr
roafss ~krh rssaF tE ra'tars ttf
gutsiles wAsFteF fkrY o. FFsf rts
81 ocCsFy placs uhefs lhsft a