The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1904-01-27
START LIES BATTLE RIGHT.

Upon bright June day seventeen
years ago, fffty-fve promising Young
men babe each other good bye at the
ruilroad station of a little town ON the
Hudson river, within few hours ride
from New York City. These young
men had just graduated from a famous
military academy and were going out TO
take up their battle of life. The strict
dicipline of an excellent four years
schooling had finely equipped them for
their campaign.
A week or so ago member Of that
college class visited the academy. Old
recollections and "reminiscences were stir
red up and he began an investigation TO
find out what had become of those fifty
five young men. An old catalogue of
the academy was dug up AMI the iuvesti.
cation was started. Letters and inqui-
ries were sent out and when the returns
were all received the result was start
ling.
How had Those young men succeeded
in lifei How many of them were i'm.
bued with that spirit, grit and ambit On
TO make their way successfully
OF the entire ffty-Rve members OF
that class, only twenty nine, or about
one.half, had attained reasonable
measure of success. The rest could be
counted rs failures.
One of that promising class Of bright
young men twenty-one tempted their
fortunes in New York City. Twenty
six of them chose to stay in their homes
in the smaller towns and cities of the
country and win their way uthe world
IN place (which they had small, yet 4
very valuable start, to assist in their
fathers business to ultimately to sue.
coed them or TO branch out in their own
chosen calling il in another field of en-
deavor.
of the twenty-one young men who be-
gan their life's battle in the metropolis
only four succeeded, seventeen of them
being counted among the failures Of life.
OF the twenty-six who chose 10 be num-
bered among the "stay homes" TWEEN
ty-fve had achieved success.
What was the cause of thisf Why
had these young men failed in the met
Opolis and succeeded Mt homer One
man says. and he is unquestionably true,
that the young men in the city had
yielded to TEMPTATION. Ii was not
because the young men who stayed at
home were tne eleverest and shrewdest.
On the contrary, the college records show
that the ones who had attained the high
est grades IN their school studies were
chiefly the ones who went 10 the city.
When the young men left school the FIRE
of ambition burned furiously within eaeh
bosom and each had the spirit b do or
die imbued within him.
The fatal glare of Broadway was the
cause OF failure. If the yong men who
went 10 New York could have STAYED
of Broadway at nights they might now
be numbered among the successful men
of life. One of the young men toId his
story and said that after he had EN-.
barked in business and settled down ne
began to sport" around. He PLAYED
The races, the fascinating glitter Of the
Broadway lights held him captive and |
he began to drink. Little by little he
went down and finally in an effort 70 |
regain his financial losses he speculated
and lost all he had. He lost position
after position through his designations
and today he does not know what 70
do with himself.
On The other hand the young man WIN
stayed at home rose slowly but surely
and finally succeeded his father in bust
ness. lie was happy and contented and