The Washington times., 1905-03-23
VANDERBILT SPEAKS
TO BANK CLERKS
Says Day of Opportunity Is
Greater Than Ever.
He is WARMLY WELCOMED
Big Corporations Want Capable Men
Who Can Do Things Well to
Guide Affairs.
He is WARMLY WELCOMED

Several hundred bank clerks, members
OF Washington chapter. number of
local bankers and bank officials, and a
good contingent of Treasury officials at
tended the meeting of the chapter at it's
rooms, 12I4 f street, last night, the spe-
cial attraction being Frank A Wander
lip, formerly an Assistant Secretary of
the Treasury, and now vice president of
the National City Bank of New York,
who had come here for the special pur-
pose of addressing the bank clerks
The meeting was called by President
Watson, who invited to the chair Charles
j. Bell, president OF the American Sc
curity and Trust Company, saying. as
he did so, that from the very organiza-
ton of the chapter Mr.. Bell had shown
himself its steadfast and ever generous
friend.
Mr. Bell, on taking the chair, said that
while all present no doubt knew Mr..
VandeTlip by reputation, he wished to
give a brief outline of that gentIeman's
career simply to show what man can
accomplish by energy and SlnSleneSS Of
purpose He then sketched Mr.. Wander
lip s career from his life on the farm to
the machine shop, then as an editor
next as an officer of the Government, to
his present station as one of the leading
officials of one of the. greatest banks in
the country.
Greeted With Applause.
Mr.. Vanderlip was greeted with long
and enthusiastic applause when he came
forward. He expressed his qualification
at the large attendance, and said that
Washington chapter was, in his opinion,
the leader in the American Institute in
point of interest taken in its work. He
then delivered an address on the great
Importance of scientific training for all
avocations, but especially for bank
clerks. He said in part:
II believe it is OF the very greatest
Importance to q young man what that
young man does outside of his regular
work-what he does beyond what he has
to do. A young man who looks upon
a new duty as q new opportunity; who
is glad to find new duties pushed upon
him. glad of the opportunity that some
other young mans absence offers for
him to take up his duties temporarily;
the young man who is systema tieally
studying something that will improve
him in his absence, is as certain to ad-
vance as anything that l know of.
There is no question at all about the
demand for men who will do that sort
of thing; the only surprising thing is
the few who do do it,
In France and Germany.
Mr.. Nanderlip next made compare
son of the educational methods of
France and Germany. In the former
country, he said, the system was about
as poorly adapted to turning out eff
cient workers as could be imagined.
The sharpest contrast to that condi-
tion is to be found across the border, III
Germany There are many things in
Germany TO interest an American. They
are doing so many things better than we
do them. / think one will find in Ger
many more of real interest and more
worthy of study today than IN any of
the other countries of Europe and among
those interesting things, there is nothing
more so nor more significant to US than
The development there of the school sys-
TEN. / have said that with us the idea
Is to make an intelligent citizen. In
Germany the idea underlying the whole
educational system has been to make
an efficient Industrial people; it has been
SO to educate the man that he would be
the most efficient individual possible in
the particular line of work that he has
chosen for his special vocation.
These trade schools are more adapted
to the trades than to the professions. II
is true the commercial schools, which
are along much the same lines, are of a