Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-26
YOUNG MANS SUCCESS
Makes Good by Assiduous
Attention to Duty.
MASTER OF DETAILS
GOOD CORRESPONDENT, MODEL
PRIVATE SECRETARY.
Learns stenography in Three Months
and Takes Dictation at IN
usually Rapid Rate.


usually Rapid Rate.
That young man has made good. all
right" remarked a well-known Washing
ton correspondent to Star reporter few
evenings ago. He referred to the caller
who had just left the correspondents Of
flee.
Don't you remember him. he con-
tinued why. he was my assistant last
winter. My paper doesn't provide as
sistant. but he was volunteer. Now he Is
private secretary to one of the prominent
bureau chiefs in an executive department.
His story is rather an interesting one. I'll
tell 1t to you. and when you've heard 1t l
think you'll agree with me that any young
man that wants to knucke down and work
can make good.
About two winters ago he struck Wash
ington and brought letter Of introduction
to me from an old friend In Boston l had
a pleasant call from him. and subsequently
met him two or three times in a casual way.
One day about noon he dropped into my
office and. in the language of the street,
struck me for job
We'll, 1t didn't take me long to give
him to understand that my paper required
me to do all the Washington work by my
self, and 1t was all / could do to get an
| allowance of office rent, but told him that
would gladly give him letter OF intro
duction or even of recommendation If he
wanted 1T.
Then in a very polite way and with
pleasant smile, he said I don't think you
understand me, exactly. l didn't ask you
for salary. l only asked for some work
/ would like to learn something about news
paper work and l thought you could teach
me-
And then he went on to say: Soon after
l graduated from college / was given
position an instructor in the Boston In
| stitution of Technology and was plugging
along at that when, one day, / met Mr.. -
of New York. You know he's the president
of of the big banks in the metropolis
and is heavily interested in railroads and
mining schemes and lots Of big ventures
He was an old friend of my fathers.
" He asked me If l wouldn't like to go
into business and suggested that if l would
come with him he would give me better
training than / was getting.
81 jumped at the chance. and in few
weeks 1 was at work in the - Bank
| in New York.
Takes Pains to Inform Himself.
ct worked pretty hard, and ih reason
ably short time 1 had got pretty well in
| formed in a practical way of the banking
| business. for I took course in every one
of the departments of the bank.
"'Then Mr. asked me if / didn't
want to take a turn at railroading, and
| the freight department of one of his ROADS
| and then into the passenger department
| and then my health broke down and the
| doctors sent me south. L had to take
long rest cure, and now I'm in fairly gooo
| shape.
| " I'm not as strong as l was, but m not
| an invalid. My physicians say, however,
| that / must not come any further north
| than Washington l like this town first
| rate and as l have to stay here, l don't
want to be idle any longer. Now let me
take hold and do something for you and
good deal for myself.
| at lust occurred to me them remarked
| the correspondent, that / ought to have
some help. Anyhow I thought l would
| take him at his word. had just peen
reading a paragraph in one of the papers
| about an Agricultural Department bulletin
! on the horse. Clipping the item, l handed
| 1t to him and said: Take that as pointer
| and see what you can get out of it.
HE thanked me and left. That evening
he turned in story-a good long story and
a mighty well-written story. He had been
| to the department, had interviewed Chief
! Salmen and several other officials and got
| some interesting information that hadn't
| been given out yet. l mailed 1t without
! changing a word and it was printed without
! an alteration. That was the beginning, but
he kept right along, always doing good
work and the boys on the Row often spoke
| of him. 1 told them he was good, but pretty
| high-priced.
| Gets Another Chance.
| well, one evening last winter, Mr. -,
| chief of the bureau, who lives in our
| town, dropped into the office and told me
| with great glee that he was going to have
| a private secretary. congressional COM
mittee had investigated him pretty thor
oughly that day, he said, and had asked
/ some pretty hard questions. He told them
| that he couldn't carry all the details of
| big office in his mind. and that he would
| have to hunt through the records and would
,fpr~. 4;D,, to- yx<>,,x
| week.
| "'Why week.? asked member of the
| committee. Why don't you let your pri-
vate secretary get it UP tomorrow?
| Then the chief replied, to the surprise
| of the committee, that he didn't have any
| private secretary; that he wasn't allowed
| one, etc, etc. And the committee unani-
| mouSly said that he should have one, and
that they would see that one would be pro-
| vfded for In the legislative bill.
| 1--WE didn't think anything about my as
| sistant, who pounding the typewriter,
| when he said:
Mr. -, why can't I be your private
secretary when you get him?'
| :" Are you stenographer?'
| Not now, but can learn. When will
the appointment be made?
| In about three months
If can make good in three months
| will you give me the placer
| Sure but you've got a pretty hard
task. My private secretary will be no
dub / dictate very rapidly, you know"
Let 1t stand at that replied the
| young man.
/ Nothing more was said about the mat
| ter. My assistant kept right on at his
| newspaper work, but noticed that he
| was practicing making pothooks on odd
pieces of paper, and heard that he was
| taking shorthand lessons each day in the
| forenoon. One afternoon before the three
| months were up he said:
| 50 I wish you would try me and see il
will do for private secretary
You know l used to be pretty swift
| shorthand man when was working at it,
| remarked the correspondent land l know
| what's required / started to dictate slowly
| and deliberately SO not to rattle him,
and then gradually increased the speed but
| do you know he was right up on me after
| every sentence. And then l sprinted, and
by Jimmy, / found myself going my limit
| and he was right after me all the time.
| - Yes. you'll do, / said.
| <He got the place, and has held 1t ever