The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1891-11-19
ADVICE TO sALARIED MEN


dress before the Queen City Railroad
Clerks Association, Cincinnati, recently
1t contains pithy advice, which is as APP
plicable to one class Of clerks or wage
workers as another. We reproduce thu
greater portion of it. After graceful in
PRODUCTION, Mr.. ingalls, said:
II was asked to give a few words O.
adviee-to say something of what con
stitutes success, of what will give sue
cess. 1t is easy to give advice always
Everybody is willing to do that and
charge nothing for it, and l cannot re-
sist the temptation to give little. The
first thing that would say to these
young men who work on salaries in this
| city, is to live within their incomes. Ii
you are getting $50 per month, do not
spend over $45 or $40. You remember
the story of Sidney Smith, who said that
| TWO and sixpence earnings and two shil-
! lings expenses made happiness, but that
two shillings earnings and two and six
pence expenses made unhappiness.-
There is nothing truer than that, and
everybody should resolve to live within
his means No matter what your salary,
spend less and put by a little every
month. If you will put some in saw
ings bank Or building association you
will be surprised to see how fast it grows.
There is nothing like it. 1t earns inter
est days, nights, holidays, Sundays and
every day in the year. and long before
you ever dream of it, with little money
put by, you become a capitalist.
''It would be much better for you if,
instead of taking a glass of beer or
smoking cigar, you would take the
money that you would spend in that way
and save it. have made little calcula-
ton on how much you would save. Sup
pose one of you took three glasses of
beer q day and THAT you are twenty
years of age, and will take the money
that you would pay for beer and save it
up for thirty years, keeping it up each
month until you are fifty years old, you
would have $4,000 accumulated. Now,
gentlemen, you must Judge whether the
three glasses of beer a day for thirty
years will be better than $4,000 l be-
lieve that $4,000 will give you more real
pleasure than all the beer you would
drink in the thirty years. If you will
take and add to this the price of three
cigars every day-and if you take the
cheapest kind they will cost not less
than nickel apiece-at the end of
thirty years you will have $4,000 out at
interest and the principal.
"This is pretty good temperance
lecture. Don't you think it is? In any
event my advice to these young men is
to avoid all intoxicating beverages or
not need when young, and if you do use
it while young when you get old it will
not do you any good.
Furthermore, the best thing for ev>
cry one of you to do is to make up your
mind that you will be the best railroad
clerk in Cincinnati. and that you will
attain the highest place there is. There
is nothing SO pitiable as young man or
boy who starts out without any future
in view. The first thing for you to do
is to make up your mind to do something
in the end and outline your future. Do
not for one moment imagine that you
are going to remain at the same routine
work all your days. Put your mark
high, then work every hour and day of
your life to get to that mark.
'"There are hardly any of us get where
we expect, but the fact that you have
your mind made up to reach further will
help you to get nearer your goal than
the man who has no fixed purposes, and
by the resolutions of your own will carry
yourselves to higher places"
Mr.. ingalls, next gave some interesting
narratives from the lives of Disraeli and
Warren Hastings to show how each had
overcome tremendous obstacles and at
tanned the goal of their ambitions, and
then continued:
Therefore, I say to these young men
when they start in to make up their
minds what they are going to be. These
railroad clerks today are engaged in the
best paying business there is for brains
and talent. There is no business that
grows like the railroad business-every
ten years it doubles itself-and they need
more men and more brains all the time.
Do not start in as railroad clerk except
with the resolution that you are going
to have the highest place in the railroad.
You may say this is all very we'll for a
man in my position to say to you. |
started in as a clerk on salary of $37
per month land if any of you have gone
in any lower you must have taken the
subcellar), yet out of that $3.50 | laid
up money. l give you that instance,
and hope you will make up your minds
what you are going to do and stick to it..
The fact that | worked for so small a
salary, believe, has broadened my love
for humanity, and it was this that led
me heres tonight. If the few words |
have said shall add strength and en-
couragement to the association and
make you better employees or employ
ers in your profession l would be amply
paid for my trouble