The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-10-26
CHOOSING A PROFESSION.
Those Things That should Help Boy o
Girl in Deciding What to Do.

Those Things That should Help IA Boy or
Girl in Deciding What to DO.
There are three things which should
influence the choice of a profession: the
first is aptitude: the second, heredity;
the third. opportunity.
Aptitude is the most important. 1t is
natures index finger, pointing out the
road which we are best fitted to pursue
in life. Almost every young person
| has strong liking for some par
| ticular kind of work, and a marked ia
cility and skill in it's performance. One
will take to mechanics. another to
trade, another to some form of art, an
| other to science, another to books and
reading, and so on. Aptitudes are very
various, and it is well that they are so.
| for this would be very one-sided kind
of world if we were all engaged in the
same, or nearly the same, pursuit. Ma
ture has so arranged it by giving us
these various and marked aptitudes
that proper balance and proportion
shall be preserved among the different
kinds of work in the world, and that
each kind shall be performed by those
who have an enthusiasm for it and a
natural facility in doing it.
In the choice of profession, then,
the first important question which a
boy or girl should ask is this: SIN what
direction does my aptitude lie?" For in
that direction the greatest amount and
most effective kind Of work can be
done with the expenditure of given
amount of energy. In the great ma
| jority of cases aptitudes are not hard
to determine; indeed the difficult thing
would be to overlook and disregard
them. Boys and girls turn to what in
terests them as naturally as the leaf of
plant turns toward the sunlight. You
may be sure that the boy who will make
good artist is going to be interested in
all kinds of beautiful forms and colors
while he is young He will notice these
things when others are blind to them
and at an early age he will begin to try
to reproduce them.
So, likewise, girl who has genuine
aptitude for music will be quick to APP
preciate the language of music She
will learn to play or sing as if bv
magic, and the exercise of her gift
will always be a source of keen delight
to her.
Aptitudes frequently crop out very
early in the games and amusements of
children. The born merchant will have
passion for playing store;" the in
ventor or machinist will be always try
ing to make things" the embryo
teacher will be perfectly contented only
in the midst of her mimic school.
knew a boy-now successful minister
who was never so happy as when,
mounted upon chair or table, he could
repeat scraps of Sunday-school wisdom
to an admiring circle of brothers and
sisters.
Aptitudes will out. There is very
little danger of mistake in determining
the kind of work which nature intends
we should do. But there is another
factor which should be considered in
choosing profession. and it is often a
very helpful factor when, as may hap
pen, there seems to be no particular
aptitude for any kind of work. This
second factory is heredity. 1t is
the latent, transmitted, stored-uI
power of doing well what one.
ancestors have habitually done well
The children of musicians generally
!, have a gift for music. The children O
mechanics have an aptitude for tool
| IL r1a - ~ pt
. especially if they come from a long
line of preachers-are apt to have gift
for public speaking. If, then, a DO,
!. displays no particular aptitude Their
is the strongest probability that success
, in life for him will be found in his ia
. theirs profession. If he displays lils
ing for more than one kind of work, lie
, the consideration of heredity have it
. due weight with him when one of thos
preferences is for his fathers profes
:, sion. The chances are that boy vii
succeed best in that for which he ha
:, an inherited fitness. Asa rule, boys d
!, "step into their fathers Shoes" and
: wise arrangement it is, for thus ther
, is cultivated from generation to genera
ton faculty and skill for doing Gel
tain kinds of work, which must pre-
duce, by the principle of natural selec
!; ton, those who are progressively bette
!. and better fitted for performing thes
: tasks.
The third and least important consiC
Grafton in choosing a profession is OF
portunity. Sometimes all doors seel
to stand wide open to a certain line {
: work, while to all other lines they al
= tightly closed. There certainly al
cases when such apparently prov
: dentiar openings should not be disr
garded, especially if the opportunit
. which offers is of nature to enforC
hereditary fitness. Suppose, for il
', stance, that boy has chance to 6
. into machine shop as assistant to h
' father. If he has no strong desire an
aptitude for another kind of work, an
n is ready to enter upon the active duti,
Il of lie, here Is certainly an opportunii
which he ought not to ignore. tt
d opening is one which, IF he avails hin
b. self of it, may result in successful ser
IS ice and rapid promotion
le Young people may properly consid,
r leadings of this kind as well as those
s aptitude and heredity. A young man
'r entire future often depends upon h
Is getting a chance to work at certaI