The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-15
THE YOUNG MEMS SIDE
ANOTHER EXPLANATION OF WHY
THEY DO NOT SUCCEED IN LIFE.
Cases Frequent Enough Where Merit
and Ability Fail to Win-Incen-
tive of Hope often Lacking.

Correspondence New York Evening Post.
The attentive perusal of an article in
last Saturdays Evening Post entitled
why Young Men Often Fail has aroused
in me a belief that if the young men,
were allowed to give their side of the ques-
ton, a different idea might be shown to
prevail among them. which. no matter how
small its value, would at least be interest
ing. We have had observations from vari-
Gus persons on the one side, but as yet
the young man" has failed to speak in any
way that could mma a hearing. The
Letter to Garcia Of Mr.. Ebert Hubbard
and the last speech of Mr.. Andrew Carne-
gle both deal with the subject, and in the
Evening Posts article we are given views
of no less than five employers of clerks who
give IL as their opinion that the main cause
of such failure is laziness.
That laziness does operate, in a great de-
gree. to hold back from advancement many
intelligent young men is no doubt true: but
from the belief that it is the main cause of
failure L must humbly but ~emphatically
dissent. 1t is very easy for a bank presi-
dent. the manager of a large corporation. a
vi tAS Va On
Important Railroad who has reached the
goal of his ambitions. to look back over his
career, and to give his ideas of why he has
succeeded where other men of equal ability
have failed. 1t is flattering JUNCTION TO the
soul of the self-made man to be able 10
say. with a great deal of gusto. Thus and
thus 1 did; in this manner 1 acquired my
position; for yours, my friend, my advice
is to hustle"
This sounds splendidly TO the speaker, but
TO the hearer, if, like the writer, he has
spent some ten. or like a friend of the
writer's, whose case l will instance later
on, some twenty years in hustling, which
has been reproductive. it has no true gold
en- ring, but instead the dead tone of the
base coin.
In my opinion the true causes of failure
are two-mOdesty on the part of the as
pirant and the small knowledge employers
have of the good qualities of their en-
ployes. To these may be added nepotism
and favoritism shown by employers and
the desire of the employee TO retain his
self-respect and Independence. / do not
maintain this TO be true in every case, but
| am certain that If a census of opin-
ion is taken from the same number of
employees as of employers in the Even
ing Posts article ii would bear out the
main points of my assertion. / do main
tain tndI neDOtlSm Is mOcn more prevalent
in corporations, especially in railroad Of
fees, than is generally acknowledged, and
| call TO mind a case of a young man who,
after working steadily for some time as
chief clerk i'm the freight office of a certain
railroad In a large town was deposed from
his position to make way for a younger
man of no greater ability and of less ex-
perience, whose principal qualification Tor
advancement was his friendship with the
general manager of the road. The good
qualities of the deposed young man were so
well known that a paper urging his reten-
ton was circula sed by his friends among
the most influential business men of the
town, and many of them not only signed IL,
but also wrote personal letters 20 the head
of the freight department of the division.
only to receive a curt answer or 10 answer
whatever to their communications.
IN RAILROAD CIRCLES.
Such instances are far from
/ can myself recall many. and L have no
doubt that any old railroad man. If he is
frank, can instance as many more. In fact,
a current expression among railroad men
is tina without influence, the opportuni-
ties for advancement in the freight de-
partment of some railroads are much less
than for those in actual train service, and
that a fireman or a brakeman has a better
chance of recognition than a clerk in any
department. 1 might here instance a case
which | mentioned above. 1t is that of a
young man who began TO work as a fore
mans clerk in the machinery department
of a Western railroad some twenty years
ego. When first employed, there were only
about a dozen men under the
charge, the clerks duties being to keep
the mems time, issue supplies. make daily
reports of arrival and departure of ngine
and crews, and all such work as is incl
dental to the position OF clerk in any sub
ordinate machinery-department office of
9nV railroad. For these duties he received a
salary of $500 a year. There was no tele-
graph Office within several minutes walk
of his office, so with some pains he learn
ed biography, and had a wire cut in
the labor of telegraph operating being add
ed to his other duties. After some time
his foreman was promoted and another ap-
pointed In his place. VINO was so absolute
ly incapable that he knew hardly any more
about the business of his department than
a child. So to the clerks duties were add
ed the greater part of the foreman's, and
still at the same salary.
After a few years this foreman was dis
charged. not, as he should have been long
before, for incompetency but for stealing
from the railroad company; and my friend
received his position, which he was ex-
pected to hold without the assistance of a
clerk, at the muniicent advance over his
former salary of $500 a year. The position
paid his incompetent predecessor 81. 200,
while the careful and competent man, hold
ing the position of both foreman and clerk,
was found TO be worth only $500. Since then
he has instituted reforms in his depart
ment which have saved his company nun
dreds of dollars. In partial recognition of
this the railroad ompany has within the
last year advanced his wages $50 a year.
and this only after repeated urging and the
final fear of being obliged to find some one
to fill his place. In the meanwhile, be-
cause of the growth of the town and the
consequent increase of the business of the
railroad, the labor connected with the po-
sition has about doubled. He has now
charge of a large force of men, and his re-
sponsibility is constantly increasing.
SELF-ASSERTION LACKING.
That it may not be thought my friend
suffers from "laziness." l would remark in
cidentally that L have known him to leave
his bed at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning
to wade several miles through snowdrifts
to the scene of some wreck which happened
on the portion of the railroad under his
charge; and his working day is oftener fif-
teen hours than ten. AS for his ability
that is unquestioned. and from the practi-
cal knowledge he has obtained in twenty
years experience, he is able not only to
supervise, but 10 himself perform work
which other foreman leave 10 machinists
and boilermakers: and although he is self
taught, his technical knowledge of mechan-
les surpasses that of many of his superiors.
What are the causes that operate against
this mans success? / say, first. his mod
esty: second, his self-respect. Because he
will neither truculently assert himself nor
meanly curry favor with his superiors, he
has the satisfaction of seeing men of less
ability obtain the rewards in a few years