The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-02-13
ADVICE TO YOUNG MEN
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS TO THOSE
STARTING IN BUSINESS LIFE.


nAiuy D@f<
The N. Y. Herald thus replies 10 the
following letter:
VA am a. couEn,sEy bog % came s szs4 3 fzsm g
fame e The | fgrtnns a1 you'd ssfisfy % ne. but I
S1iT 1 sins sse aIs me o@ csn carve o
for myself successful csrcerz
The results OF our experiences and
observatiou are entirely at your service,
young man.
Suppose we begin our conversation
by defining terms. What do yeu mean
by "a successful caraer7n
II. as you sag. you are ambitious to
become a millionnaire two or three
times over your chance Is one in :
thousand.
Possibly you may be that one. IL
depends on your natural gifts and your
opportunities But how about the
other nine hundred and ninetT-nineP
Are their lives TO be q failure because
they can't acquire an immense bulk Of
capitalP
In other words. Is . surplus Of cash
the prime factor in the problem Of
happiness. and is citizens usefulness
to be measured by his bank account
solely?
You may also get the fame ron wish.
1t depends ON your education. on the
quantity and quality Of your brains
and on your native genius. With these
everything is possible; without them.
you viii eTerIastingly hunger for ths
unattainable. and In the end draw the
coverlid of wasted life over your head
and die disappointed man.
The number of those who achieve
such greatness that the public build
monuments to their memory il we
few. but il Jour name happens 10 be.
that list the Herald win gladly subscri4
for the purpose.
Don't make any mistakes in this mat
ter. II you wish 10 get out of life all
there IS in it-for you-there Is way
to do It
Real happiness consists of health,
self-respect. the good will Of the SOM
munity and n sufficient income TO
gratify your reasonable wants. Every
thing else Is trivial and not worth both
erIng about The man who has steady
work, fair wages. a cosey homs. enough
to eat. q thick overeoat. and the con-
sciousness of personal integrity. Is .
nightly favored fellow. in possession
OF more than three-quarters Of the best
things which this world affords.
Now. you can have all this. If ron
make certain rules the basis of your
conduct
Fsrst-Don't aim too high, bat aim
straight Emerson's advice to hitch
your wagon to star is the meresk
buncombe of rhetoric. You viii pro-
duce larger practical results if1Fou
hitch your wagon to wen fed mule
.LongfeIlow's poem. Excelsior a
another bit of exquisite trash. OF
course it Is beautiful. and NIL like that
you know but it is not adapted to 4
rough and tumble fight With circum-
stances.
The young man in that poem
shoulders flag and starts for-weil.
for nowhere, so far as we-caa discover.
He is one of the climbers-an explorer
of the celestial Alps. When he gets TO
the top of q hill he turns back and
screams out Excelsior What for
we can't say. This is q free country,
however, and he can do as he pleases-
Up he trudges until he gets 70 the
snow-capped summit of the next ascent
Unreasonable boyi he seems to be Just
as dissatisfied as ever. Evidently he
wants the earth. In spite of chronic
bronchitis and in constant danger Of
pneumonia. he waves his bunting. Telis-
-Excelsi0rI once more and strikes cut
for an altitude where the mercury
freezes In the bulb.
He may be going yet for aught We
know. He has undertaken tough job.
though. and his flag by this time must
be in tatters-
You want to get rid of good deal
of this excelsior" folderol. It is q
mighty poor investment of talent.
Stay down below aad let the glaciers
and the mouHtain peaks take care of
themselves.
Second-Do your work wen. no mat
ter what it is. Study your business
Make yourself master of it by putting
your head and heart into it. II e
is bookkeeping, then keep books in
such fashion that the Angel Gabriel
will want to lend you his crown M q
| mechanic, or artisan, or farmer, be
proud of yourself. and the rest Of the
world viii soon come to be proud Of
you. Nothing is needed 50 much in
this generation rs man with skilled
fingers. You may have . long pull.
but the clock will strike an unexpected
hour and the opportunfty-which comes
to everybody in turn. but which most
| people miss-wiN present itself. Study
the bulldog. and when you get your
teeth into big thing. let them stay
| there.
T7ird-Save money. The coward
runs in debt. the brave man has . Eve
dollar surplus in his pocket. The
world may laugh at you because you
can't have four-in-hand necktie. All
right. let 1t laugh. You are your own
world. and the people who sneer ara
simply outside barbarians. When they
see that five dollar bill growing biggea
they all want TO shake hands with you
and send you to Congress. Keep well
within your income and you VII save
yourself from skulking round the
corner like kicked dog when the dun
is on your track. The handiest thing
on the planet Is the penny laid up fol
rainy day.
| Now. young sir. get rid Of the non
sense that you are 8 genius, settle
down to the conclusion that you arr
just an average North American boz
and start in. Keep yourself alert. }ee1
after your digestive apparatus, don't
smoke Cigarettes, get to bed early. be
square toed in all~ your dealings, and
we will wager aec6okie -that at sixty
you will have to lapls- hHkward fol
those who began the racMcJhen you did
Are you redayA Then Go!