Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-21
Written for The Star.


With commencement day but a few weeks
away many college graduate to be is now
facing seriously this question: How am !
gong 10 make use OF the college training !
have spent so many years to obtain? 1 am
supposed to have learned how to earn a
living in those years; now how am I going
to do it7
The typical college graduate as portrayed
ny the Iunny man of the newspapers never
mas any misgivings about his future, or, II
ne is ophged to earn his own living, any
doubt that he viii be able to get good
JOB without much delay, just because he is
graduate. Occasionally the real graduate
is very much like the humorists type. and
the present attitude of many of the coun
try great corporations and other empIoy-
ers toward the coming crop of graduates ,e
such as measurabiy TO encourage the TYNE
for inns year, as last year and for several
ears IN ract' corporation agents of one
SURF ana another are lowering pretty closely
around the colleges, looking for likely vouna
men VINO want Jobs and have the ability 10
rise to perhaps high executive duties.
mere Is specks in the amber though
Which makes some or the prospective grad
uates-those whose heads are undulv larpe
hesitate little before taking I'D with the
chances offered to them. This specl, ia ''en
premiership, and 1t seems dfsta stefll alika
. ~ .ne athieuc the grind and the idler,
unough there are exceptions For yvbila
the demand for new blood to reinforce the
WORKING force OF many of the country
great enterprises is SO great that thew are
Ieachlns out eagerly for graduates. the
latter must begin literally at the ho,+orn
or the latter, not only In the matter %
pay, out also in the nature Of their vyorL
AN one employing agent stated the case to
certain college official the other day:
we want about half a dozen younp
work in ba
that VIII barely support them till they find
OUT something about us and We find out
something about them. We'd rather have
srauaa.es than others because they've been
spending some time trying to learn to
mink and will probably catch on quicker
ana more easily than others We shall
nave to put them through a severe An
pleI.ceshlp and We don't expect them all
rise to places of trust and high nov, Sith,n
one flrst few weeks. but there are nIenty %
good chances for those who will go whole.
heartediy at the work we Offer
graduates in Department Stores.
ihis agent represents great cor1,ora-
tlon that operates department stores I'm two
cities' each Of more than a million tnhsh-
tants. and he began to visit various col
leges looking for youngsters to NM IN
the gang early in March He went straight
to the college authorities told them IN de-
Vol VIC soil oL Work he wanted to nut the
young men at to begin with, the pay they
would receive and what would be exnected
OF them. He made it clear that thew would
receive no special consideration either In
pay or Kind of work because thew were
graduates; he didn't want them because
theF knew something about mathematics or
Greek or any Of the sciences; he didn't
want them at all unless they were real
men, and they would have to prove them
selves such before they could look for pro
motion.
His idea was that having worked several
years to get through the college course.
they would now be ready and able to nick
UP the humdrum work Of earning a living
with some enthusiasm and the ability to
learn the business at least. He said his
company hadn't been very fortunate In its
attempts to promote low-grade employees,
not college bred to higher grades; now 1t
II graduates would be more able and adapt
able than those who hadn't been to college.
He wanted to know the young men per-
sonally before engaging them; wanted to
talk with each one named by the college
authorities as promising and to size him
up" as q possible employee of the company
first in the lowest place, not actually mental
1t could find for him, and later in whatever
grade his energy, willingness and address
would enable him to roach.
Don't Like to Begin.
Quite a percentage of the students to
whom this proposition has been mentioned
don't want to begin as members OF the
gang" they don't take kindly to the notion
OF being apprentices" OF the entire grad
uating class this year In the collegiate de-
partment of one big university-113 in num-