Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-17
ABOUT A CIGAR.
The Retired Capitalist Tells Not Of
His Start, but of His First Setback

From the New York Sun.
How did l get my first start in life?
Why, l think I'd rather tell you today"
said the genial retired capitalist, how I
got my first setback.
II had been plugging along at a job [
had, faithfully. with strict attention to
duty and as hard as l knew how. and 1
was getting the rewards that never fail to
come to that sort OF work II you've got the
nerve to keep It up. But there was a limit
to the possibilities where I was then, and
l was looking for a place where l could
have more scope, and In due time l heard
of a job that was just what / was looking
for.
II applied for that Job and I was received
by an elderly, but at the same time very
keen gentleman, who treated me very kind
Iy and told me finally that If they conclud-
ed to engage me they would let me know
the next day. 1 knew that 1 never would
hear from him and never did; another
man got the job
Now, why didn't I get it? l learned why
about two years later
Then, still working for the old concern,
J went one day into the Office OF a house
that we did business with, and got through
the business all right as usual, but when
l was coming away this man here, a good
deal older than myself, says to me;
Dung man. the next Tune you come
here I'd be obliged If you'd leave your
cigar outside the door
"And then II came to me all in heap
why l hadn't got the other job. I was a
smoker, and I had walked into that other
mans Office with q cigar in my fingers: and
ii wasn't n bad cigar. either but l had
gone into see him carrying a lighted cigar
which was contrary 30 good taste and good
manners and good business.
1T was Clinging to my own enjoyment
and showing that ] was slave to q habit.
or else IL was showing that / was clinging
to d picayuue sort Of independence that
made ne stick TO that cigar TO show It;
even when 7 was going into the presence
OF stranger. And he knew, of course,
that il l would walk into his office with a
lighted cigar ! would walk into other Of
fees where / might he looking for bust
ness for hlm In the same way, into offices
where my cigar would lie likely to strike
some other people just It had him. And
that wCUld be bad business
And there was my apparent flaw and he
didn't want to spare the time or take the
risk of teaching ne. And so l never heard
from him.
But l had learned considerable in that
two years time ri found 1 had when I
got that jolt from the man who invited me
to leave my cigar outside and l cut out
smoking altogether when / was around on
business and about a week later / went
again to see the man l had been to see
two years before, but this time carrying no
lighted cigar into his office and carrying
no stale smoky odor about my clothes.
II hadn't lost one single particle of my
independence. but I had acquired some
sort of sense OF the courtesy due TO other
people, of the respect, in fact, due to them
and their establishments. And the keen
old gentleman was sitting there just the
same and sized me up in minute. he
knew by how much ia grown, and there
was a different touch in his kindness to
me now, and
But l wasn't going TO tell you how I
got my first start in life, but how I got my
first setback, as I've just done; and If you
are looking for texts for aspiring young
men, why, you might set down as the one
for today:
Never go looking for job with cigar
IN your mouth"