davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-26
Euery Man Wants a Title

WE WAS picture in black and
white as he appeared before me
h Il to submit an estimate on in
terror decorating. Even his shiny black
face was spattered with aecks Of white
and his slouch hat was pulled down as
if to protect his head from shower
Of calcimine.
eeDo you intend. to do this work
yourself7'7 asked. u ,-.,s, e.. H.
claw, No." came the answer,
promptly. II doesn't do no wuk my
self; I does de negotiatin'. I hires
cheap men to do de wuk an does de
negotiatin'." j.. ~. r.
Did it ever occur to you how many
s'negotiators' there are in the world
and how few workerss The other day
I met woman in the hall carrying a
pail of water, scrubbing brush, washing
powder, and everything required to
scrub a floor. Ny office had been neg
lected for a day or two and thought
I saw an opportunity to get ahead Of
the janitor and enter plea at head
quarters. So I asked the woman to
come and wipe up the floors around
the rugs. She gave me one whitening
look, set her pail down on the floor,
placed her hands on her hips, and lit
orally sized me up. "Sir,' she said,
stI am the head scrub lady. IF you
want your floors scrubbed I will send
some one else to do it. Half am hour
later, when T passed thru the, hall,
saw the efhead scrub lady" down on
hands and knees scrubbing away just
as if she were, an everyday working
woman. gte a.
!. 4 !.
It is the fad Of the moment to be
sthead' this and e'chief'' that. Where
an office carries no title with it one
must be made to fit.
Ask John what his oldest. girl is do
ing. s1She is head bookkeeper at
Sparkman s. =
go, yes,,,' you say, "and the little
: dark-eyed sisterqi What is she doingR''
"Why, she's head trimmer at Case
man, Blank & Peabody's. Fine position
, she has. And by Oldest boy William
Henry-is chief craftsman over to
Carr:s.''
You conclude that Johns family Is
nicely placed and wonder If there !.
much in heredity after all
! A woman was buying some ribbon
the other day and the salesgirl said to
, her: 'sI know you will not be able
!, to find the color combinations you want
, because, you see, buy all these goods
! and I know ii ism t made in those col
! ors. y The customer turned to he1
) friend and remarked: g If this were no,
! the third fbuyer T had met in this de
) partment, the argument would be more
convincing.
|. Not long ago I was in a place o.
8 business owned and operated by a suc
: cessful woman. I was engaged in con
sversation with her when some one cam,
d il and asked to see the manager. Tax
The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-26

fDick, are you ready to 60 on the
road for me now7'' he asked. 81 can
use you and gif you a goot salary.
When can you starta"
I had been trying to decide on the
course I would pursue wheH Isaacson
offered me that long -looked-for job, but
I couldn't It give him definite answer.
I was thinking Of what McGinnis said
to me one day. :. e.
"Keep it up, me b'ye,'' said he.
be long bafure the peepul II be givin'
ye somethin!' better"
+ + !.
I asked Isaacson to wait a few days
On my answer. He promised to hold
the job open a week. Isaacson was a
good merchant, and his employees all
liked him. Besides, he had the biggest
clothing house, in that part of the state.
tt was hard to make the decision. eeThe
doctor" advised me to accept Isaac
Son s offer, but you know how old men
are. They don't believe In taking
chances, and, the DOCTOR not having
had any great amount of success with
anything in q business way, ] didn u
seriously consider his advice. ALL the
cold fogies'' told nae I'd better take a
sure thing with the clothing firm than
look to 'unsartinties in the city hall.
I was sorely perplexed until the day
before I was to give Isaaeson my an
swer, when was summoned to McGin-
MIS- office.
'eDiek, how d yer Like. ter be siere-
terry to the mair?'' he said, before was
seated ] was surprised but, of course,
/ expressed nay desire to attain height
so lofty, if it was possible.
fsWell, it g possible" continued Nc
Ginnis, "and it be up to ye. Now,
what I'm tellin ye is confidential. I'm
derstand9'' :
7 understood. / knew McGinnis was
, going to propose something to me that
! answered his question and waited.
aisy wan,o he said. eff ye succeed
it n mean more ter ye than re think.
Then he told me the difficulty thai
the regulars would experience in elect
ing the next mayor. Councilman Hug
5 gins, more often called Squire Hug
gins, the reform candidate, was popu
lar and the sentiment against the ad
: ministration was growing. Only ont
thing would defeat Higgins, MeGinni
said, and that would be to change hi
vote in the city council from nay t.
yea, when the burning question of :
twenty-year extension of the lighting
! franchise came up. Huggins was sucl
staid old veteran, always in the RICH
! and for the people, that his position o.
the one important plank in the antis
, platform had never been questioned.
. AS for changing his vote, that won
be an easy job. When McGinnis said
was difficult job he meant the hidin
of it after it had done the damage.
e The council was to meet the nigh
before the election and If it could be Al
The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-26

red liquid that will cure, them quick.
The slightest betrayal of indeeisi0n
would be fatal, so that the assumed air.
of wisdom soon molds the hahitual
hypocrite. He must give, people what
they want or else he doesn' get the
business. And SO. the young enthusiasts,
unless he has ambitions Of steel, will
become less keen in his desire to make
a thoro diagnosis; the makeshift,, snap
shot diagnosis answers his purpose, and
he usually ends in the, hnmdrum rut of
routine.
AS he gradually becomes enured to
the grievances Of his lot, he finds that
the greatest handicap he labors under
is his youth. People are exasperatingly
10th to employ the young man. The
ages Of medical lore have worn dis
tinct crevice in the average cerebral
surface from which association fbers
lead which impel patients to seek the
advice Of gray-headed physicians.
The great misfortune Of the practice
Of medicine is the fact that the laity
are totally unfit to judge the merits Of
a physician. In the vast majority Of
cases their choice is governed by the
personal element. It doesn't seem to
matter how much the young physician
has studied and worked in universities
and laboratories, how much actual prac-
tical experience he has had in hospitals,
what finishing touches he has had in
European clinicsl In spite of all, peo-
pie will run to the old man across the
corner, who may be and often is made
quately equipped for the practice Of
modern medicine, whose twenty-five
years. experience are Frequently not
worth one year Of experience in mod
ern hospital, and who in the majority
of cases is too busy to even try to make
an accurate diagnosis. In self defense
he makes frantic attempts to appear
old. A beard, if possible, will work
wonders; if not, he needs must content
himself with a moustache. Eyeglasses
will help some, too, and he halls with
joy the falling hairs which warn him
Of the. approaching bald fate. The
cares Of his lot will gradually wrinkle
and age his face, but in the meanwhile
he finds his youth a grevious impedi
ment. s
!, Another source, of disappointment te
the young beginner will be the way he
is. treated by some Of his professions
brethren. He has been carefully reared
In. great faith and reverence for thu
ancient code Of ethics and entertain.
ideal motives towards. his fellow prac
titioners. He is shocked, therefore, tt
learn that patient No. doesn't care
for his services any longer because DIR
Neighbor had told the sick one thai
the young DOCTORS medicines were tT,nt
good.'' It pains him to hear that Dr.
Mary Pince-nez habitually confdes tx
the good mothers in his territory, teOh
yes, the young doctor is q nice youny
| man, but then he is too young, yol
know" He may even hear Of fellow
practitioner advising the young medi
CO.'S patient to quit the tyro. Whel
The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-26
"A Political Job Ruined This Man
Does Public Office Pay?

II DIDN'T think when old Michael
McGinnis, who had become tired Of
Il holding office in our little town and
had gone into the business of electing
his friends and his friends friends
wherever and whenever it was for the
good Of two or three corporations that
their interests-I didn't think when he
told my father, and my father told me,
that could have the vacancy in the
city clerk ks office that would become
an instrument in the hands Of the
town s political "boss.''
In fact, I didn It think Of anything
but the present. I needed a job. Four
months Of idleness had caused me to
lose nearly all my self-respect, and /
was ready to jump at anything that
afforded living. I knew I was offered
the place because my fathers vote was
wanted for the McGmnis candidate for
mayor in the approaching campaign.
My father wasn't a politician, and, ap-
parently, he took little interest in
things political, but he was pretty we'll
thought Of in our ward, and when his
deliberate tongue spoke it usually car
ried with it some influence. I knew
"the doctor,' as I called him, was
going to vote for McGinnis candidate,
anyway, but old McGinnis didnT. He
wanted "the doctor's' vote, and he
WASH It sure which way it was going
until he gave me the job.
i. i. !. 49,.
I went to work willingly. I eonsid.
cred that few months in the city
L. 41,@s sSos,~
for me, and I was at liberty to change
any time I wanted to. It would be a
good place to wait for the job on the
road that old man Isaaeson had prom
ised me months before. 81. ... -.
So I made the best of things ane
grew to like the place pretty well, a1the
the conduct of the other fellows IN the
office disgusted me when thought Of
who their employers were. they were
the most uncivil fellows you ever saw
and only when one of the abosses'
was around did they show the leas1
manliness. 49,.
When I first went there was httIt
more polite and attentive than tht
others and won popularity among the
people that had business with tha
branch of the city government They
used TO wait in lines FOR me when / wa
busy in preference to being waited OF
by Brown and Jones and the other fel
lows. Some Of my friends told me
would get grouehy like the rest of then
before the job was old, but I didn It be
lieve them. I began to think that
civil and accommodating clerk in
public office being such an innovation
to the people, would make a hit an,
probably get something better after
while. In fact, it was several time
limited to me that better things were i
store, and I was soon glad the doctor
voted for McGinnis' man, who wa
elected with q little struggle.
/. \ !.
Old man Isaacson came around on
day and called me, aside.
The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-26

ranged to have Higgins vote printed
in favor Of the corporation the next
morning explanations Of fraud or mis-
take would come too late to prevent his
defeat. AS for cries of fraud, what
would that amount to after the race
was won, and there would be no way
Of proving it unless % somebody
"squealed." Then it would go on rec
ord as mistake, and the reformers
would have to wait two years more.
@.Im back ye sufficiently, concluded
McGinnis. "I've figured how much
ye IL need. Here it is. Now, do good
Job, bye, and the reward will be yer
own" .a
And thus I started on the gilded ave-
niue that promised to lead to fame. The
job proved simpler than I anticipated.
It was easy to bribe the young clerk Of
the council and it was easy to bribe the
reporter Of the morning paper. L
needed the services of no one else. The
council session was lively, but not a
word did the reform candidate for
mayor say. Everybody knew where he
stood. The vote looked to 5, and vic
tory for the corporation was assured.
The ballot was taken. Seven yeas and
FIVE nays read the clerk. On Huggins
ballot the clerk erased "nay' and
wrote "yea,' and on "ring' council
MANS ballot he erased "yea' and
wrote "nay.' -,...s ....
# There was great excitement the next
morning when the Bugle, the morning
organ Of the corporations, :heralded the
news that the reform candidate voted
against his own platform. Angry mobs
composed of hitherto stanch supporters
!, Of Huggins demanded an explanation
and then refused to listen to The cries
Of fraud. They could not be consoled
They must vote before the polls closed
and vote they did for the administra
tion candidate. The margin Of reform
support was overcome and McGinnis
won the race for his man. Higgins, dis
gusted and disappointed in his friends
refused to prefer charges of fraud, ant
in a few days everything was quiet fol
the time being.
So became & sicritery to- the mair.'
A year elapsed and began to plan fo
still further promotion. But something
happened. The reformers had beef
busy, but we're saying nothing. A ney
!. management took charge Of the Bugle
and with it a new editor with new poll
, ties. The reform wave was sweepin.
, our state like all the other states. Th
, hammer dropped one morning when tn
Bugle recited in detail how McGinni
used me to change Huggins vote, an,
how McGinnis' candidate was eleete
/ solely on fraud. 1t was all up. TIL
/ Bugle had the proof.
McGinnis, realizing that the days, Q
his reign were over and that if he tai
t ried he soon would be under the shelte
of the state penitentiary, left our tow
! I repented, an,d, being young and ine1
perienced, was allowed to go unmt i1t
t Tested.
The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-26

dentally meet a desirable clientele. He
can also work the nationality racket
to good effect, especially be he Of
Scandinavian origin, as a. class nor
toriously clannish. Since ii is hard to
find q, corner in the outskirts of Min
neapolis where the Nersemen do not
exist, you have to think quick when a
foreigner shambled into your office and
says, ssTane SvenskaW There are still
more tricks of the trade which the
young professional man can employ to
ring his gong and still remain within
ethical bounds
F. i,
When he has employed the various
means to establish himself and does get
something to do, how different does he
find the actualities. Of the practice OF
medicine in the outskirts from what
he had expected when in the scientific
atmosphere Of laboratory and lecture
The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-26

come a country practitioner! by means,
of working day and night, out in all
sorts of weather and with little or no.
enjoyment of. Life, he might accumulate
a modest fortune in fifteen or twenty
years. But the visions Of a worn out
rustic country doctor s life again deter
him. Would it not be best after all to-,
struggle along i'm a large city for sew
eral years with the expectation of some
day having a lucrative practice7 The
majority Of his classmates take to the
woods,' but few ambitious ones cast
their lot with the all too numerous city
brethren. A chosen few Of these are
fortunate enough to become assistants
Of older and we'll established physicians,
and their trials are decidedly lessened.
But the many must butt in for them
selves choose their corner and after
hanging their shingle wait for business.
+ + +
In such plight might we find our
artful young practitioner, perched over
corner drug store in the outskirts of
the city, striving to acquire fame and
fortune. He finds his business Pc
culiar one. The ethics of his profess
sion do not permit him to get out and
advertise; he can't display his wares
in window; it would not do to offer
cut prices. Yet it seems to him most
unnatural that he is compelled to wait
around that stuffy office day after day
and wait for business. What can he
do to get around the battling bars Of
custom2
He finds his kind angel in the corner
druggist, who by means Of judicious
"boosting' can almost make. prac-
tice for the young man. To illustrate,
a man enters the drug store telling the
druggist that he has a headache or a
bad cough, and asks for some medicine
to cure it with. The "angel,' how
ever, solemnly informs the sufferer that
his case is too grave a one for an un-
trained mind to treat, but that an ex-
cellent doctor upstairs could undoubt-
edly cure him up in hurry. A few
further well-placed suggestions of pos
sible complications will usually hasten
the patient upstairs to the young
Hippoerates, who of course know moth
ing Of the previous maneuvers. II
doesn't take many such to. pay the
monthly expense and thus the game is
started.
j. j. J.
The young man has various ethica.
means which he can employ in cireulat
ing and establishing his name In the
community. His medical bag is ont
method. Wherever he goes he lugs hi
wade, mecum with him, and when the
people look at his grip and then quickly
up at him he must assume an air Oh
infinite wisdom and experience. A trim
equipage is another ethical ad, ane
young physicians have been known tt
/ hurriedly enter their rigs, drive pei
nell thru various streets and then bael
! again to the office without even. stop
ping, and thereby creating an impress
sion. In these latter days it Is evel
more impressive If an automobile whirl
The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-26

stenographer. A good many of
the ideas are applicable to other lines.
There is a belief current to the effect
that SIS to $25 is the. average, salary
paid stenographers. Judging from dis
cussions / have had with business men
whose. work was of a character requir-,
ing from twenty to thirty expert, edu-
Gated stenographers, and from my own
knowledge. Of particular instances, be-
lieve; that the average girl stenographer
in Chicago works for Sc a week the first
year, So the second year, and after that
stays at $40 or $12 until she abandens
the work. It is the exception that gets
$15, even after five or more years. ex-
perience. The women stenographers
who receive $25 a. week stand In q class
by themselves.
The business men referred to above,
after admitting that they paid small
salaries, have added: 2.... :.
"But, If I could get a stenographer
who could do more than take dietation
and typewrite, who could relieve me Of
most of the detail work conneeted with
my correspondence, would gladly pay
her from $15 to $25 a week. "
+ i. =
In order to get opinions, this state
ment was repeated to a. dozen steno-
graphers Of education and experience.
Every one Of them said:
" ''I know could do that and hold
such position. But I could never get
it in the first place, so would have NO
chance to prove my ability. / rarely
have heard Of such a position being va.
can't, and in the few cases where have
applied it was impossible to- convince
the man that / was worth the money. a"
Now to the point The
The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-26

nary Dub. L have about made up my
mind that there is more distinction in
being an ordinary dub and that it takes
more courage to bear the stamp of an
ordinary dub than anything else in the
world today, and I hope to land some
thing on the strength Of it."
r., While his plan is not one that could
be recommended for general use, in his
case history relates that ne ''landed'
&C. L. Martin.
The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-26
U wit

EE II WA0 d Voiy yoonS Aaht oiio
II with ideals and inexperienee,
IL - who asked me not long ago,
"Would you advise me to study medi-
cine9''
He was one of the multitude that
drift thoughtlessly thru their school
days only to find themselves stranded
when graduation forces them to choose
a career. 1t is usually the trivial cir
cumstances or passing whim which at
this crucial point becomes the nucleus
of their respective destinies. Perhaps
no career is chosen so illogically and
with so little idea of actual conditions
as that Of the practice~of medicine. It
is only too frequent that it is chosen
because it appears to be the path of
least resistance No door of trade or
commerce appears open to the anxious
eye, fond parent urges the nice call
ing Of physician, visions Of a genteel
and easy existence hover in the future
haze and the victim succumbs, as it
were, to his fate.
Having become disciple Of Escu1a-
plus and frequenter Of the temple of
medicine he soon becomes acquainted
with the things as they are. The one
time mysteries Of the cult dwindle into
- dry facts, respect for the healing art
changes into familiarity, which may
later even breed skepticism. The can
didate rapidly develops the character
istics which will shape his future meai-
cal career. In the first place he may
form bad habits, and many a sanatorium
has inmates who trace their downfall
to these early days. The destruction Of
- cherished ideals and revelation Of the
actualities Of the practice Of medicine
with its many uncertainties and neces-
sary hypocrisies reacts in extreme free
dom Of thought and action. Again he
may acquire slipshod medical methods,
contenting himself with but few prac-
tical data, and depending upon his per-
sonality and pull to get the business.
AS result only minority emerge
strong and ambitious to advance.
The four years of college over, our
hero is row dubbed M. D. He passes
from the halls Of his alma mater and
if possible spends another year or two
as house-physician in hospital. Then
at last he is ready to take up the actual
practice of his profession and to con-
tend with the endless trials which q
young physician needs must meet.
Problem No. Immediately confronts
him, "where shall he located" He has
probably been answering that question
ever since his freshman year, at which
time he probably had it all arranged
to his satisfaction. But as he ap-
proaches the actuahty the less certain
is he Of his plans, complications and
conditions arise which sway his choice.
He finds no community clamoring for
him-far from it. Visions Of the great
future Of the Pacific coast may attract
him westward, but returning travellers
tell him Of the painful congestion Of
medical men already there. Shall he
then 60 out into the Dakotas and be,
The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-26

England's first spinning mill to be
worked by electricity has been started
at Pendlebury, Manchester. It con-
tains $4,000. spindles, and has no
chimney.
The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-26
By Heller, Byrol,

man that you are worth the salary. /
am only getting $15 a week myself. But
with all conservatism, I can say THAR
this is a remarkable. salary for a stem
ographer 10 years old and with six
months experience. The, average, sten-
ographer writes as good shorthand as I,
typeWrites as neatly and quickly, is as
well trained in correct English. But /
have looked for opportunities and have
found them. I have. used system in
finding work as we'll as In doing work.
Every principle Of salesmanship can
be applied to looking for a position. Be
the first one on the ground, write a good
letter, convince the man by plain,
straightforward talk. Bring all the
tact and self-eonfdenee there is in you
to the front in an interview. Scien-
tifc salesmanship is a strong factor
when one is selling his services and ask
ing a good price. ~
The first step under my system Is to
watch the 'shelp Wanted' columns of
the daily and Sunday papers. Some re-
quire answers by letter. Some require
a personal call. AS to my letter:
thought it over, worked it over, /
wrote it; over. When finished it was a
good one and brought an average Of
one reply to every three letters. This
seems like; small, number Of replies
until one considers the hundreds Of let
ters sent out in. the ordinary course Of
business that never bring an answer.
A;.'- - -s>a<s -.
Several stenographers have said: sf1
have no faith IN those 1help wanted ad
vertisements. / answered Z two last
Sunday, and did not hear another word
from them 2S - a#@1
. Those people Thought they had triei
to get. better positions, They had moi
even half tried. To try really is, tt
The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-26

told me he wanted only honest men. ia
his employ. The other merchants told
me the same. I left home, but the part
I played in the McGinnis steal had
gone ahead Of me- 7 am still seeking
an opportunity to start ever again In
life. Wilt r. Hamilton.
The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-26

There are about $4,000 carpenters in
Cuba. Good men are paid from $1.50 to
So a day in the cities; in the smaller
places they work for much less.