Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1888-10-27
Men Who Succeed.

You see some men nr0m0GPn an'
others not. Rv what process o
selection are the successful mAl
picked ont from the ranksf TAX
mercantile life. Cor instance. L
there anv definite system of pro-
motion thprp9 1s.there a search.
ing eye that is always on the look
ont for those who. promise to b.
capable men? Or is it luck AM
chance that cause some men Il
succeed and other men 70 fail or I
remain where they are2
Men rail against "fate." There
are always some thousands if moi
some millions. Of our fellow crea-
lures who are doing this. and who
blame everything. from the stars
5 toi..the weather. for1tllesill success
sanEthe midst;ofs.which fin
u lfemsel yes; 500 ner s orr sBnl
we're rev 1o ii tile Id sc Ives largeaS
osblamel for not getting ont Iiss
jealous and Impartial critic were
10 examine, the records of tliAil
lives from day to-: Nay, would he
not find very good reason, OF
plenty of reasons, perhaps, why
fortune had not smiled on the com
plalnantsg One often hears that
So-and so is sdown on his luck -
Tom is now in the same humble
position that he held ten years
ago, while Dick is happy in the
favors ofthe coy jade fortune. and
Harry, as if to explain matters.
says: "It's inst TOMS lnck''
But was If, or is iti What is
mans 'lluck7" Is rational man
going TO believe that every indi-
vidual has his own,particular moon
which rules the tides of MS life
irrespective of his own volitionf-
TOMS "bad lnck ,"and Dicks good
lnck," and Harry's medium luck"
may prove TO be. if you examine
closely, only the result of the ex-
ertion or the lack of.exertion made
by Tom, Dick or Harry in their
course through life. One hears Il
great deal of talk about "self made
men," and, on the other hand, one
often hears it said that there is
not the chance for. men to make
good fortunes for themselves that
there WAS ii generation back. Com
petition, You are assured, is "the
life of trade," but also the death
Of individuality.
Says the young fellow of today:
"The self made man about whom
We hear SO much promoted them
selves. They bad the advantage
of living in a time when they could
take affairs into their own hands.
and they did not have to depend
as we do upon the good graces OF
others. Look at Horace Greedy as
a case in point. Greedy was his
own editor,printer and cOmpositor,
and be published his paper in meal
ger, inconvenient quarters. Look
at Tlurlow,Wee starting coun.
try weekly while his family were
compelled TO live for days without
tea, sugar or meat-on bread aud
butter only, with cold water! You
couldn't start in the newspaper
business in that fashion today;
there is too much competition con
ditions have changed; capital is
required. And so it is through
the various lines of business. You
don't find men running small shops
nowadays-that is, you find but
few Of them, and the numb;r is
growing gradually less. This is
the day of big capital, big enter.
prises, big everything, and men
cannot start in for themselves az
they could twenty years ago, with
anything like the same chances OF
success"
On the face of it. there seems to
be {; good deal of logic in such a
presentation of the case. But it
were idle to let matters rest here.
II it is true that times and condi
lions have changed, that men
must change with them and adapt
themselves to circumstances. a
man must bear himself well before
that searching eye. After all i!
is just as true as ever it was, de
spite this talk of '.luck,' that 4
mall is the architect 4of his OWL
fortune. Men rising today, al
though competition is keener THAI
ever it was; tney are making theil
individuality felt as their fathers
did in the days gone by. a good
deal is said about opportunities
and taking advantage Of them
about opportunities coming tosomt
men and uone to others. But. at
ter all, is it not thes most success
full man who practically creates bis
opportunity By keeping out of lllt
rnts, aud by handling affairs diff
lerenrly from the methods en-
ployed by other inenf
1t is quite true that a young
man desiring TO be Il money king
after he fashion OfsMr. JAY Gould
might find it ilnpracticable to at
tain his end by beginning in thu
business OF peddliug mouSetraps
around the State Of New York.
The embryo Astor OF today vii
doubtless fnd the fur trade monop
olIzed, aud the young Vanderbilt
vii! discover that steam ferry boats
owned and managed by municipa
corporations, arc quite likely t
shut away from his modest cor.