The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-07-23
A TALK WITH THE BOYS.

A TALK WITH THE BOYS.
Now, my lad, if you have arrived at
the age of sixteen it is time you began
to. think of trade or profession. This
isn't a country in which you can live on
your fathers name or money for any
length of time, and even if you are cal
culating on coming into possession of 8
comfortable fortune at your majority you
may see the day before you are forty
that trade would clothe and feed you.
Ninety-nine out of every hundred
young men of to-day must make their
own future. What that future will be
depends, first, upon how you start in.
1t is easy enough to answer that you
intend to become merchant, lawyer,
doctor, editor, dentist, machinist, car
penter, matchmaker, ''and SO on, but
Just wait minute and examine ypurs
SELF. Take your horse to the black
smith shop and you may see the smith
look over hundred ready-made shoes
before he gets one to fit. All are horse
shoes, but perfect fit is the question.
Now, then, examine yourself and seek
to discover what particular forte you
have. You were born to fill certain
place in the world. 1t may be that of
carpenter or it may be that of q poet.
Make no mistake in starting out.
When you hear man who has moth
ing in particular to work at wishing
that he had learned trade, he is talk
ing nonsense. He had no fitness for
one. Had he set out to learn any of
the dozen you can name he would have
been failure. Every city has dozens
of lawyers and doctors who live starva-
ton lives, and more or less preachers
and artists who are seldom, If ever,
mentioned by name. These men are
mistakes They have no heart in their
professions, and never belonged there.
l can name you carpenters, painters,
blacksmiths, wagon-makers and others,
who are out of work half the time, and
the .other half is mostly consumed in
kicking and complaining against the
times. 1t is their own fault. They are
botch workmen. 1t like putting an ac-
cordeon under piano and expecting it
to play piano music. Had each learned
the trade he was fitted for he would
have excelled.
You have the same idea of being a
merchant that I had at your age. 1t
was simply to buy and sell goods. That
seems easy enough, but the merchant
who hasn't the "knack " for the bust
ness is doomed to certain failure. Not
one out of fifty clerks ever become
merchants. Probably not more than
three or four out of fifty are fitted to dc
business for themselves.
A boys idea of being doctor is to
visit the sick, cure them if possible, and
collect fifty dollars, and the one who
answers that he is going to make q
lawyer Of himself thinks of nothing but
big fees and verdicts in favor Of his
clients.
But, as l told you at the outset, if you
have arrived at the the age of fifteen OIL
sixteen it is time you looked matters
square in the face and had some idea ol
your future. If you were to answer al
once you would say that you would take
a profession in preference to q trade
A profession means several years o.
hard study, quite large cash outlay
and then trials and rebuffs to get star
in business. 1t is one thing to graduate
as q lawyer or q doctor, and quite
another to pick up clients and patients
If you have fully decided on a profes
sion be careful of your first move. I
you have a large head your grand
mother has doubtless many times ex
claimed: What a great lawyer thi
boy would make" Don't try to max
one on the size of your head. We'v
got any number of that class in tn
country now, and they can't pay thei
grocers' bills. If you can pull slive
out of your finger without winking /
may be sign that you would make
great surgeon. 1t may also be a sig
that you are born to be butcher.
, How will you know what to pursue
Your own feelings are the safest guide
If left to your parents and to circum
stances you may be forced into trad
or profession which you can neve
make a success. When you come t
realize that you must make your ow
way in life your particular forte wi
be apt to reveal itself. One of the bes
LAWYERS in Detroit was intended for tn
ministry another served three year
dS u UuO eth uhO OahtO lCO1n
that he was out of his element; anothe
was forced by his father to learn th
trade of harness-maker. | know
machinist who at first studied medicine
of matchmaker who tried to becom
q lawyer; of carpenter who thre'
away three years Of his life trying
become dentist.
After you have selected your profel
sion or trade, what thenP Strive {
master it in all it's details and to exec
If you become a carpenter, don't /
satisfied when you can saw and plar
and match. Don't be satisfied wit
two dollars per day. Make yourse
worth three dollars. Master detail
\, and push yourself from carpenter
r. 1buiider Don't imagine that man
search OF q lawyer walks down stree
and drops in at the first sign hangin
out. 1t is the lawyer who has climbe