The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-24

The letter paper of a we'll known publishing house bears seal compos- ed of two long, 1eafy fern fronds in- tertwfned wreath fashion and encir- cling the following motto: ''Le success est un devoir'' Success Is duty.D
 It is the life and business motto cho-. ser, by Boston woman book publisher, Mrs C. M. Clark Atkinson. It would be interesting to know how many girls who start in life to earn their own living look at 1t from the viewpoint of being morally and socially bound to become successful. Yet that Is the only right way. It is certainly true that 1t Is the duty of everybody who has good sense to be at least moder- ately successful financially. To be oth- erwise stamps one as either criminal ly lazy or lacking mentally. The man or woman who Is willing to drift through life as a sort of half pauper, merely wishing he or she had this or that. but making no hustle to get it. is rightly looked on with some thing like contempt.
 Again, there are two kinds of so called business people. Let us say two girls go from the country to a large city to obtain employment. Both are intelligent, attractive young women, and both presently get work, either as clerks. stenographers, telegraphers or DO matter what. Now, you will see one of those girls piodding on like a blow horse in a furrow-a blind horse at that. She has no ambition to rise higher, makes no effort to learn any thing out of her little rut or even to devise ways to get on better in that little rut She merely does the work she is told to do, -automaton fashion. and draws her weekly wage. She stays just where she Is, mayhap. till she becomes gray headed and cranky and set in her ways Then she is dismissed to make room for somebody younger and brighter. aud small wonder.
 The other girl got work at the same vocation and the same wage. But the other girl said to herself, Success Is g duty" The other girl learned everything she could about her business as she went along and picked up outside knowledge besides. She said to herself that every thing coming her way was something she could acquire helpful knowledge from. More than all. the other girl said to her self: 'T will depend only on myself to rlake my fortune. The experience of all the world shows that nobody but herself ever made a fortune for working wo- man"
 dozen years ago a girl of this sec- end kind. Carro M. Clark, went from Unity, Me. to Boston to get employ ment. She was we'll educated. pleasant tempered and remarkably capable and shrewd.. She was attractive looking and had good health besides will power and ambition. She first got work as book keeper in an office. While there she learned telegraphy She also began. like Jchn D. Rockefeller. to save her money from the start. If success Is a duty. one must know as mucn as possible about everything that will help on success. and. besides. one must always have money.
 Presently Miss Clark had saved $150. Then she made her first venture in busi- ness for herself. It does not appear that she took the advice of any of the hun dred friends who are always standing around waiting to tell us what to do: but she just advised herself. She rented store in new block in the Back Bay district and stocked 1t with stationery. books and miscellaneous goods She was obliged to ask credit for a large part of her stock, but there was such an express sion of honesty and dependableness in the young girl's clear. straight looking elue eyes that she got the goods where ninety-nine out of hundred women. and men. too. would have met refusal. A friend from her home town stood sponsor for her besides. Here undoubtedly the
 
 her, Another might have been just as honest. capable and energetic and not found anybody to give her the little lift. Still it is safe to say Miss Clark would not have been downed even if her first attempt at. independent business had failed.
 It was difficult in the new enterprise at first. and for three years the young lady worked tremendously hard. not sparing either mind or muscle. She confesses now that sometimes she had outstanding accounts that frightened her if she stopped to think of them. But this she refused to do. She work ed on, keeping before her the thought that she was going to win.
 Tn the Back Bay stationery store Miss Clarks gift for originating ideas In advertising began to develop. She started a circulating library in com nection with her business. She planned new schemes of show window decors . tion that advertised her establishmeut and drew many customers. At length. gaining artistic and advertising skill as she went along, she devised an art calendar She took this and personally went from place to place getting or-