The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-04
A BARGAIN In BRAINS.


"Ship US Immediately on receipt of
this telegram, f. o. b. Chicago. per S.
P. r. r., one-sixth dozen Al mining
engineers. one-twelfth dozen expert
bookkeepers,- one half dozen high grade
stenographers. Send C. o. D., with
privilege of examination
That is slightly exaggerated YER
sion Of telegram which came the
other day to one of the brokers in
brains who are one of the newest de-
velopments in the world of business.
The corporation which sent it is the
owner and manager of a large mining
business IN Arizona. and it orders all
its high grade employees by telegraph
in the same cold blooded. business way.
The business of these brain brokers
Is TO act as Intermediates between men
VINO want to hire other men to fill i'm
portant positions and the other men
who are qualified to fill them. They
would be insulted at the suggestion
that they are employment agencies, and
they point out, in defense of their posi-
ton, that they have no dealings with
men who are out of work. They get
set of specifications from a corporation
covering a certain position, and then
go out and try to find somebody who
answers to these specifications. For
instance, a big company wanted a gen.
eral manager. They offered to pay
salary of $4,000 q year. Here is a
copy of the specifications which ac-
companied that order:
"Must be not more than 80 years old,
born on a farm, and lived and worked
on a farm up to the age of 16; worked
his way through college without out
side assistance of any kind; began ac-
tive work at the bottom in the employ
of some large manufacturing corpora
ton, and. without the assistance of pull
of any kind, worked his way up to a
position in the employ of the same cor
poration which pays a salary of not
less than $1,000 a year.
The broker in brains did his best to
I'LL that order. He sent out men to
take the measure of more than 80 men
in Chicago alone, but not one of them
could exactly fill the requirements. The
nearest was man of 80, born and
worked on a farm, who had worked
his unaided way through college, gone
to work pushing a truck in a big fac.
tory, and was then holding a position
which paid him $4,000 a year.
The order was not filed and has since
been withdrawn, but it is interesting
as indicating just what kind of a man
one big concern wanted for its general
manager.
Some of the brokers are in the habit
Of advertising themselves sensationally
as man hunters" That phrase ap
parently means different things to diff
ferent people. Here is a copy of let
ter received soon after the man
hunter advertisement was first pub
lished:
81 am a maiden lady of 46, owning
my own home and a little property be-
sides. Seeing your advertisement that
you are mar hunters 1 write to say
that I would like you to hunt me up
one. I want good looking man of
not more than 80. of good moral char
acter. and worth not less than $4,000
,s,T, f- ra1r Of
ertv.''
The man hunters have discovered
some interesting things in the course
of their business experience. They
have found. for instance. that mere
brains are one of the cheapest COM
modities on the market. To be really
valuable brains must be backed up
with some other practical quality
preferably that intangible something
known as executive ability.
Executive ability" might be defined
as the power not only to think and
plan but to put into practice and carry
out thoughts and plans To speak in
the vernacular, it is ability to turn
brains into doodle.
Executive ability is the rarest and
most highly paid quality in the man
market.
The brain brokers have also discov-
cred in theil search, for men that the
best place 10 lok for executive ability
is the middle west AS matter of
fact, Chicago is the center of the ter
ritory where executive ability is bred
to the highest perfection.
If. on the other hand, an order calls
for skilled expert in some technical
line of work-if a technical expert in
silks, or bronze castings. or Duplicating
machinery, is wanted-the brain brok-
ers start their eastern men looking for
him.
The east for technical specialists;
the middle west for executives.
II the call is for man with nerve
successfully to carry through a specu-
lative venture experience has taught
them to go to the Pacific coast for
him. There seems to be something in
the air west of the Rockies which fits
man to take a chance without finch
ing.
The brokers in brains take issue with
the theory that a college education is
a handicap to a man in business. And
as their opinion is based on practical
and widespread experience and is a
matter of cold business sentiment, it
ought to worth a good deal.
More than so per cent. of the young
men who enter college nowadays, they
say, do so with the purpose of going
into business after gradua ton. And
more than half of the remaining so per