Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1896-12-26

The Chicago Record asked severa
successful business men to write arti.
cles upon h subject OF success In life
Tor young men, pointing out how, ac-
corning to their own experience, Ii Ia
pest achieved. From an article written
ny Harry @. Selfridge, OF the firm OF
marshall Field q Co, the following IL
an extract:
otatisticians inform US that in New
iork city, for example, of the recog-
nlzed successful business men. includ-
ing bankers, railroad presidents, large
merchants manufacturers. vessel
owners, doctors, lawyers, ministers,
etc, n~inety-six out OF every 100 are
c~ountry-bred boys, and those who spent
the nrst twenty years of their lives on
farms or In small villages, and that, APP
pafently, the better air, the freedom
from confinement and the usual phys
ical labor give to co~untry-bred boys
such splendid constitutions hat In the
battle OF life with city-bred boys the
country lad too often has a great d
vantage.
Such being easily proved facts. we
are led TO think that country life during
boyhood Is the chief requirement for flu
ture success in the city, but 1t must not
De forgotten hat while the niaety-six
men are building monuments of success
out OF the stones in each days path
there are thousands or hundreds OF
thousands OF country-bred men whose
starts In city life seem desirable in ev-
cry way. who utterly fail in reaching
the goal.
Why is IL?
The young man who Is about to
start out for himself should, IL possible,
thoroughly know his own strengths and
weaknesses. OF you, therefore, young
man, the asker OF the question which /
am trying TO answer, / ask in return:
Can you resist temptation
Have you the moral courage to say
MOI when. perhaps, the word will
bring upon you the ridlcuIe OF others?'
Are you able to pick your compan-
ions carefully, or, when experience
proves them to be not such as you
should have, have you strength suf-
hcient TO allow you TO break with them
n form other associations
Have you determinarion?'
Have you perseverance, or are you
easily discouraged?'
Have you good health?' For tho.
battle OF life is rarely successfully
fought in the great cities without his
splendid gift.
Are you energetic, even when the
work in and is not OF a pleasing kind,
or Is there a thread OF laziness in your
nature You can't keep up with the
leaders IL you are lazy. and the city is
no place for one who is. and the fact
that there are great numbers Of lazy
In every city makes 1t more posi-
Bile for those who are free from this
handicap TO success to win the goal.
Are you willing 10 dor
Can you control your temper
lar you absolutely honest-not rea-
sonably honest. but is your determine
ton, no matter what happens, TO do
that which will always Withstand the
strongest investigation Of any critic or
OF your own conscience?'
In answering these questions to
yourself, don't fool yourself, don't make
yourself think that conditions exist
which do not; that you have p~ersever-
hen sober thought tells you that
you lack it; that energy is there when It
IS really wanting; that you can say no
when you have tried 1t and failed.
Don't fool yourself. Ii is much wiser to
assume that you are not right in these
points ard then try To prove to yourself
the contrary. Because one lacks these
things today is no eason for always
lacking them. Young men can. / be-
llevc, make themselves largely sucn as
they choose. n that desirable trait Of
which is wanting can h buil;
up and encouraged Until IL becomes a
part or ones self"