Williams news., 1909-04-03
WHAT THE WORLD OWES A MAN

a living was the belief of Edward Mellan of Cleveland, who recently killed himself in cheap lodging house because he believed the world had not made good. In taking his departure Mellan made out bill to the world for what it owed him, including "one life, ruined," which account he said might "be squared by giving me a decent grave" |.
 Mellan was not logical. If the world really owed him. a living, a decent grave after death would not atone for it's dereliction. As a matter of fact, and begging Mel lan's pardon, the world owed him nothing. If he had had something to sell which was of market value the world would have bought it from him and paid him for it. It's business affair, this matter of living, not always straight and fair, perhaps, but reasonably so in the long run, and man has DO more right to expect the world to pur- chase from him what it does not want than he has to expect a cus- toner in a grocery store to buy a sack of flour when he needs a loaf of bread.
 A great many persons have a feeling that their failure is the worlds fault and their own. They spend a good deal of time, some of them, wondering whether life is worth living, says the San Fran cisco Chronicle. A venireman in l the Calhoun case last week said the trouble with things is that society is not properly organized; that until socialism comes there will be pov- erty and crime and graft and mis- cry. These are not the men who either themselves succeed or help the world to advancement. It is not the workers, the men who carry forward the worlds business, who indulge in speculation as to the extent of the worlds indebtedness to them.
 Speaking generally, the world does not owe any man a living until he has earned it. The excep- tions of course are those few unfor- tunates who, by reason of inherited defects or accidents, are unable to care for themselves. For these the world, society, very properly makes provision. It is only the incor- rigibly idle and shiftless who will dispute the equity of the arrange ment that all who are able to do 80 shall earn their bread, using the fgurative language of Scripture, by the sweat of their brows.
 Perhaps one of the chief reasons why many men fail in life is that in their youth they look for jobs rather than seek out vacations. The present is highly specialized age, and the man who early decides what work is best suited to his taste and abilities and then sedu- lously applies himself to it, ac- quires an earning capacity far beyond that of the mere seeker after jobs. The latter class-and they constitute the great majority will try their hands at almost any, thing and growing tired of one thing, or in a futile enthusiasm over something else, will change over and try their hands at new job for which they are no better
 fitted than for the first.
 These start out having no fixed idea of what they want to do be. yond getting a living. They may have versatility, may be able read. | ilv to adapt themselves to any new work which comes along. and for while may be fairly success ful bread winners. But something happens-a company fails, or they may have a quarrel with their employers-and at once, without special training or any fixed plan of life, they have to hunt up an-