Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-09-08
THE CALL FOR TRAINED MEN

At no time in the history of the
country has the call for trained men
been SO pronounced as now. This is the
age Of departments, of Specifications
in every line of business. No more is
the jack of all trades in his glory. The
man who can take up one line of work
and handle it well is the man who sue
ceeds now. The man who educated
himself along one line is the man who
climbs steadily from the lowest to the
highest point in the business.
There is a reason for this fact. Bust
ness organizations in America are big
ger, are organized on a larger scope
than ever before. One firm now does
the work that formerly was the pro-
duct of the labor of half dozen. To
do this the larger concern must be di-
vided into departments, each of which
is Independent, but upon each of which
depends the ultimate success of the
whole
This is a fact which cannot be too
thoroughly impressed upon the boys
and young men who are beginning
life. The business man of the flu
ture must be man who understands
will not dwarf himself by learning this
one line to the exclusion of others.
There was time when this would
have been the case but with the
growth of the country and of the in
dustries which compose it this age
has passed. 1t is a man of very I'M
usual ability and enjoying the most I'M
usual advantages who masters all the
branches of an industry now, and as
we are not all unusual men we cannot
all expect to do this. Select the line
of business to which you are adapted,
study 1t thoroughly, carefully and full
ly, then follow it, beginning at the bot
tom, and time and perseverance will
bring You to the top.
The call is for special men, for
trained men, and the reason it is not
answered is clear. When young
man starts in at the bottom he must
be content with low wages and there
are few young men who are willing to
accept this condition. Instead of TAX
ing position at the bottom of de-
partment whose head is a high salaried
man they will, in many cases, choose
another place with less possibility of
advancement and with fewer advan-
tages even at the top, but paying a
better salary at the start This is
noticed by business men and an OF
tumwan only a few days ago stated
that his greatest trouble is to get boys
who are willing to start learning a
a business at small wage. He can
secure any number, he said, who are
anxious to take clerkships or positions
as bookkeepers, with the probability of
staying there all their lives, but with
a little larger wage at the start A
few days ago business man advertis-
ed for an apprentice, stating that he
did not want man for president of
the company but boy who was willing
to start at the bottom to learn profit
able business. His advertisement was
unanswered for several days but final
ly he found lad willing to accept the
conditions. That boy is in a fair way
to climb. His wage Is small now but
in a few years, by attending to bust
ness, he will have reached point
from which he can look down on his
playmate who read the advertisement,
thought the chance small one and
chose to drive delivery wagon for a
dollar week more than he would have
received had he answered the adver-
tisement.
Success is not gained in moment
but only by persistent effort, self-sacri-
flee and hard work