Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-03-21
TRY. TRY AGAIN.

A square peg IN a round hole" is
the expression so otter heard of some
man who, though intelligent, is not
success at the business in which he is
engaged. We all know Of such men
and while we sympathize with them
there is yet reason why they should
be the ones to see their defects and
to work out their own problems for
themselves. There are cases, Of course,
where circumstances make it impossf-
Bile for the square peg to extricate it.
self from the round hole and the result
is useless life. The story is recalled
of the bankers wife, who, when her
only boy was yet playing idly on the
floor, scarcely out of the baby talk
stage, began telling herself, her friends
and the boy himself that he must be,
like his father. banker. The boys
inclinations were otherwise. He was OF
a mechanical turn of mind and his
youthful days were spent in putting
clocks together, "tinkering" around
the house, and in similar boyish occu-
pations. But as he grew up he be-
came familiar with his mothers wish
that he came to think it his duty and
when old enough went into his fathers
presidency after the death of the older
man and when the management of the
bank devolved upon his shoulders he
found himself unequal to the task
and made a signal failure He was a
square peg in round hole
There are SO many different fields
of activity in which a man may en-
gage nowadays that it is almost mex
cusable for one to remain long in a
place which does not suit him or one
to which he is not adapted. He owes
1t to himself to eXtricate himself from
a distasteful position. If the first trial
does not bring success, he should try
again, and again, until he finds the
work to which he is adapted and at
which he can succeed.
A magazine article recently pub
lished on this subject contains some
valuable and encouraging words to the
man who is not satisfied 1t shows
that field is open for every kind of a.
man, for the ck-of-all-trades as well
as for the learned specialist, Among
other things the following is interest
ing:
In many cases man finds himself
in business or profession for which
he has no aptitude before he has had
experience enough to determine what
line he would like to pursue; and then
he hesitates to make change, fear
ing the charge of failure; but expert
ence proves that those who have recog-
nized their mistake and have taken
steps to remedy it have in many cases
succeeded beyond all expectations
Necessity is the mother of inven-
ton in professions as well as else
where. Today we have professional
window trimmers commanding large
incomes with books, magazines and
schools devoted to their requirements;
these are the young men who yester-
day, were called handy about the
house, who had taste for arranging
draperies, pictures and patterns. Peo-
pie smiled little at their so-called
femininity and said that they were not
good for much
1--WE have professional heraldists and
genealogists, who make excellent in
comes preparing family histories and
tracing ancestry This is now a rec
ognized profession, but yesterday 1t
was only fad. followed by those who
loved to stir up the ashes of a forgot
ten past.
Advertising is now a profession
governed by well understood laws;
! yesterday it was 'knack'
And SO 1t is, throughout, / might
say, hundreds Of lines. Where once
there was a small number OF profess
sions from which to choose, today
there are dozens commanding such
varying qualifications that almost any
hobby can be found of practical value.