Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-22
''What Should the College Gradu-
ate of To-Day DO?" Dis
cussed.
Views OF Gen. Butler. Congressman
Vaux, Col. Taylor, Postmaster
General Wanamaker,
James A. Whitney, Gov. Campbell. Ex-NayOr
Hewitt, Albert P. soutLwick, Richard
Watson Glider, Huntington.

What should college graduate of to-
dag do.
The great ship of higher education
makes landing but once year. She is
now, as in Junes past, nearing her dock,
her decks crowded with the youth Of the
land, and win in few days discharge
her passengers for 1890 upon the shores
of the city of active life.
Each bears his diploma, certificate of
intellectual health. The passengers are
all ambitious to win conspicuous, or at
least lucrative place in the, to most of
them, unknown land of business and
professional competition. Their lives
thus far have been spent in great part in
anG about this big school ship, steered
by the rudder of parental direction and
means, with little TO think about except
the studies of to-day or the examination
of tomorrow.
Some few, of course, have had hard
row, unassisted, to reach the ship in the
first place, but they are q meager minor
ity Probably oDe-third of the youthful
passengers will have friends at the wharf
to meet them, who, taking them in the
carriage of plenty, will drive directly to
the point where the life opportunity
made by father, brother or other rela-
tiyes awaits them. The great majority,
however, will land with no helpful hand
to greet them, with no one TO direct
them through the tortuous streets of
work and competition, with absolutely
nothing to depend on for finding the
right highway, and eventually pushing
along them to the block Of success except
their own Judgment, ability and energy.
To such word of suggestion and en-
couragement at this time means good
deal.
The GAZETTE wishing to be helpful to
them has, as it were, invited TO the
dock TO meet the graduates, men of
conspicuous experience and recognized
success in nearly all lines of desirable
endeavor, many of them who landed, a
few years ago. just as these young men
will now, to make q ngle-handed
struggle. Surely their ideas and obser-
vations must be of value. The
letter which has brought these generous
responses was as follows:
DEAR SIR in preparing an article of interest
and of benefit to the multitude of young men
who will graduate from college month hence,
we earnestly ask an ans. er from you to the fol-
lowing question; What should college gradu-
ate of to-day do?
Our idea is to secure symposium OF views
from the most advanced thinkers aud most sue
cessful men of affairs, whose suggestions, based
upon practical knowledge of the worlds ways
and opportunities, must have great value to
young men abou to enter la life of which they
anxious to make the most.
The answers that have come are full of
suggestions not only to college graduates,
but to every young man who desires to
make his future better, happier aud more
successful than his past. Every man
who writes here is leader in his column
of the human army. Many of them have
business interests that compass the world.
1t is not intended TO give specific
recipe for success to each graduate.
That Is impossible. But no graduate can
read this article without finding some-
thing of interest and much of helpfulness
in it. Here are the responses to the let
ter above given:
MEDICINE OR CIVIL ENGINEERING.
The law and ministry used to open the largest
professional field for graduates of colleges
The law is now overstocked, although there is
plenty of room at the top. The religious incli-
nations of the graduate must determine as to the
ministry. Assuming that the graduate has
taste for the physical sciences, a good address
and good patience, let him enter the medical
profession, But if he has at all a turn for math-
ematics let him study civil engineering, includ-
ing hydraulic and mining engineering, as pro-
fession That is the great field now open to
Young men 1t requires hard work, but every
Thing else that is going TO be successful re-
quires hard work. II had SON who had just
ematcal mind should put him into that pro-
fession as the best hope for his future:
BENJAMIN f. BUTLER.
LEARN TO THINK.
You ask, ''what should college graduate of
to-day do?'' The reply which suggests itself
can be thus formulated. Have faith in God
is to be acquired as life work. There is no
terminal period TO learning. Take no theory for
granted. Investigation and energy are the tools
called, either elude or deluee. A training that
qualities for this work is the best Instruction of
' 'O-''- S'''NN RICHARD vAux.
AWAY WITH KID GLOVES AND CANES.
What a young man should do when he is
graduated from college is question that is
very hard to answer. 1t depends upon the
young man himself, his ambition, his capacity
IN any given line of work or thought, whether
he is poor or rich, lazy or industrious. The
first step should be to lind out what his steps
are and what his particular ability is. Having
ascertained his fitness for any kind of business
or profession, he should take the first opening
that he he find that is directly or indirectly
in sympathy with the special avocation for
which he thinks he is fit. His kid gloves and
cane must be discarded and he must not care
how hard ne works how many hours he is
employed. he must be active, intelligent, self
reliant and put through whatever ne attempts at
any cost. One cannot give recipe for success
in life physician can prescribe for the cure
of disease Artemus Ward advice TO a man
as 10 what he had better do in case Of emer-
gency is really as good a recipe as / have ever
seen. Il was 20 rise up and cave in the emer-
gency's head Life is a series OF little and big
emergencies, and man who succeeds is man
who caves in the head of each one as it comes
across his path. CHARLES II. TAYLOR.
EACH MAN BY HIMSELF.
''whst should college graduate of to-day
dos'' II depends entirely upon the nature of
his preparation, his native talents, tastes, his
health and habits. The advice that I would
give TO one person would not at all suit another.
/ should have to be governed by circumstances,
taking each case by itself.
JOHN WANHAMAKRR.
SUPPLEMENTAL TRAINING NECESSARY.
The first thing for college graduate TO learn
is that only q small percentage of his college
education is capital available for immediate
use: that by far the larger part can be used only
when ne sas climbed far higher, and that IL may
prove at last to be merely the gliding ofskseareer
achieved through other agencies. A-rokege
education in itself affords no guidssi5y wnlefaa
yoang man may shape his course d life. 1h4fs
is almost invariably determined III natural pros
clivities. by pressure of circumstances or by
accidental opportunities. The leaning that A
man possesses is valuable in propoEtipns5Es 81 !
strengthens his natural aptitudes, fashions hirnf7
70 his environments or fits him for excepNopifA
conditions in professional or business tpu<s
suits. There is 90 one pursuit that ircre
that another affords opportunities TO the
college graduate. The law offers him
greater reward than it offers to the self-taught
man, except that il be by reason of greater
facility of verbal expression, and this, like the