Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1903-12-30

pEOHteE3ANo
&tS4Nl ton 10 the field Of opportunity open
SNSN1D to young men. The young man
SdCsSE1l himself is prone to lamentations
B6ee because he Is unable to see before
RS% him such opportunities as were
ft-NN/E open years ago to his father and
his grandfather for making careers and building
fortunes The circumstances that the iAther and
grandfather in question pretty generally iaied %
take advantage Of Che opportunities which were
open TO them and that the value OF such Opp0rtuni
ties then-as they have been ever slnce-Were len
to the discerning few for demonstration, ought q
have q certain educational value to The young man
who is Just starting in lie. He sho1ld give himself
little self examination.
There is no dearth Of opportunities In this cOun
try for young men. They are more plentiful aud
more easily availed Of than at any time IN the histo
~ Of this country. The place for their develop
ment has simply shifted to new fields While 1t II
no longer possible to trade pair OF boots for the
site Of the city of Chicago nor buy up square mile
Of mineral and timber lands in the North for song
few generations hence stories OF fabulous wealth.
based upon modest investments in the nndevelOpeC
South, will sound as apOcryphal as many Nf thOs'
relating to the amazing development OF other see
tiOns in years past, which are nevertheless true.
A technical iOurnala few years ago published
statement relating to ! valuable undevelOped miner
al section in a Southern State, pOrtraying very
gIOwingly, and at the same time very truthiuily,
wonderful resource with all the essential accessories
convenient and available for manufacturing gTea
staple product cheaper than it could be made in an!
other part Of ihe world. The article was reprOduc
ed in other journals and excited passive interes
in the minds Of perhaps million readers. A lead
ing hnancier, mLsh given to epigram, once remark
ed: "S0me men may be cOaxed into good thing
the others have to be driven" was several year
later, and not until after the great find had UeeI
trumpeted around the world several times, that
man susceptible of being cOaxed into becoming (h
pioneer Of a tremendously good thing, came for
ward and developed it. OF course thousands fol
lowed, and great industrial center was ushered In
to existence
Several years ago geologist stepped of a trail
at way station down in Alabama and chipped oi
piece Of the Out.crOpping rock IN railroad cut
After he had examined it and announced to th
world the discovery Of a geological formation con
stituenty identical with that &C Dover, which ha'
for hundreds of years been yielding the wOrds sup
ply of Portland cement did investors fall over eac
other in the race to develop itY No; 1t litteral
went begging for years; for Whileit had been mad
the subject OF one or more learned essays, whicl
had been duly embalmed in official publications b.
the state who wanted to invest in lot OF wild lan
that wouldn't yield decent support for HARLEM
gOatf Moreover, what assurance was there tina
the real commercial value Of the discovery had no
been Obscured By the enthusiasm OF the discOVeTer
In the course of time the Southern Railway cam
into existence and with it was inaugufated the poll
cy OF rational promotion. The cement rock Of ala
bama took it's turn with other dormant interests re
Quirng attention; English capitalist we're interests
in the long neglected discovery; and, finally, ther
was erected near the spot where the geOlOgist chip
ped on the rock years before, Portland cemen
plant costing million dollars What are the pc
tentiates Of this great resource Of the state Of ala
4 bamaf The other day, In the Senate Chamber |
Washington, lie geographical situation and CONNER
cial outlook we're discussed with reference to th
construction Of the Isthmus canal, and Senator Al
lisOn Of Iowa, declared that in this respect it is
the utmost Importance to al the people Of the Uni
ed States.
A sportsman was going through strip Of wood
land down in North Carolina when he encOuntere
8 party Of men engaged IN saving pine logs. Will
conversing with them be casually fell into cOuntin
the growth rings in the logs; thm led to inquire
which established the fact indubitaby, that the OI
est Was Just 80 years Of age; and the men pOinte
ont to him the marks Of tie furrOWs where cOttO
had grown before the field vas s'turned Out' {
grow nd in pine. TO was an easy matter 30 lear
what the land was "W0rth, or what ID could haY
been bought for when 1t Was "turned ont" and
course the value Of the growth commercially, th
cost Of conversion into lumber and the narketin
were ell factors Of 3 simple problem In arlthmeti
which vas. not hard to solve. After computing ev
ery possible element Of expense in carrying IN il
vestmeat in old abandoned farm land from the bar
ground ND to forest trees Of commercial size, thi
inveetivatnQ huntsman was amazed to dnd that CD
investment figured out several hundred per cen
ard on its face appeared to be the safest and mot
profitable form OF Investment that had ever com
nnder his notice, There was just one thing againl
it-a thing which counts with the undiscerning mu
titude, but which cuts no figure with the man vi
ID competent to take advantage Of genuine oppa