The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1894-06-07
THE YOUNG NAN IN BUSINESS.

THE YOUNG MAN IN BUSINESS.
From THE Young Man in Business by
Edward w. Box.
The average young man in business
to day is nothing more o less than
a plodder-a mere automatic ma
chine. He comes to his office at nine
O'Clock in the morning, is faithful in
the duty he performs, goes to lunch
at twelve, comes back Mt one, takes
up whatever no is told to do until
five, and then goes home. His work
for the day is done. One day is the
same to him as another; he has a
certain routine of duties to do, and
he does them day in and day out,
month in and month out. His duties
are regulated by the clock. AS that
points, SO he points. Verify, it is
true of him that he is the same yes
terday, to-day, and forever. No
special fault can be found with his
work. Given a particular piece of
work to do, he does it just as a ma
chine would. Such a young man,
too, generally considers himself
hard worked, often worked
and under-paid, wondering all the
time why his employer doesn't rec
ognize his value and a his
salary. IL do everything l nm told
to do" he argues, land do 1t well.
What more can | do?'
This is simply a type of a young
man which exists in thousands of
offices and stores. He comes to his
work each day with no definite point
nor plan in view; he leaves it with
nothing accomplished. He is a mere
automaton. Let him die. and his
position can be filed in tweuty-four
hours. If he detracts nothing from
his employers business, he certainly
adds nothing to it.. He never ad-
vances an idea; is absolutely devoid
of creative powers; his-position
remains the same after he has been
in it for five years as when he came
to it.
Now, l would not for a moment be
understood as belittling the value of
faithfulness in an employee. But,
after all, faithfulness is nothing
more nor less than a negative quail
ity. BY faithfulness a man can hold
a position a lifetime. He will keep
it Just where he found it. But by
the exercise of this single quality he
does not add to the Importance of
the position any more than he adds
to his own value. 1t is not enough
that it should be said of a young
man that he is faithful, he must be
something more. The willingness
and capacity to be faithful to the
smallest detail, must be there, serv-
ing only, however, as a foundation
upon which other qualities are built.
A substantial business ucces
means several things. 1t calls, in
the first place, for concentration.
There is no truth so potent as that
which tells us that we cannot serve
young MAI successfully serve two
business interests, no matter how
closely allied; in fact, the more close
the interests, the more dangerous are
they. The human mind is capable OF
just so much clear thought, and
generally it does not extend beyond
the requirements of n position in
these days of keen competition. II
there exists a secret of success, ii
lies, perhaps, in concentration more
than in any other single element.
During business hours a man should
be in business. His thoughts should
be on nothing else. Diversions OF
thought + killing to the best
~cndeavors. The successful mastery
of business questions calls for a
personal interest, n forgetfulness OF
self, that can only come from the
closest application and the most alb
-Ulute concentration to business
interests in business hours, as to
argue that a young mans personal
letters have 10 right to come to his
office address, nor should he receive
his social friends at his desk. Basi
ness hours are zone too long in the
great majority of our offices, and
with a rest of one hour for luncheon,
no Ii has a right to chop off fifteen
minutes here to read an irrelevant
personal letter, or fifteen minutes
there to talk with o friend whose
conversation diStracts the mind from
the problems before it. A young
man cannot draw the line between
his business life and his social life toe
closely.
UNTRUE, or COURSE.