The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1909-05-14
SeIfGtS OF success.
by ANGELA MORGAN.

Capacity for infinite pains" This
ing success In life.
Miss Tarbell herself told me SO
during half hours chat in her Office
at No. 341 Fifth avenue. She did
not know she was telling it-she was
simply answering questions. Nor did
this woman. who made the mastery
expose of the Standard OIL Trust
have the faintest idea that she was
convicting herself of being genius
Here is the story of her success
and the secret of 1t. as she told 1t to
me:
! II believe that success Is bound to
come when one is willing to take
pains-infinite pains with ones
work. The willingness and the abil-
ity to do this really constitute the
| prime factor in success.
Another great requisite Is inter.
est and zest in ones work One
should feel delight in his task and
enthusiasm for it.
The work which you speak OF as
ing the data for the Standard Oil
history and other historical Efforts
was really the keenest pleasure.
There is for me actual delight in
getting a clue end hunting it down.
II feel the same zest the hunter
feels, or the explorer. 1t is an ad'
venture of the mos, exciting and alb.
sorbing kind. only, instead OF con.
fronting trackless seas and danger.
Gus wilds, must make my voyage OF
discovery through a mass OF docu.
ments.
81 dig in these documents with the
same curiosity one would experience
mystery. 1t is really JOY; and thai
is what work should always be.
"You ask me If always wanted tc
write--if / determined early to fol.
low this career. No. That Is a curl
Gus thing. My first desire was to b
a biologist. / felt a passion for the
miscroscope such as I have never felt
for writing. I was never so happy
as when seated before a big binoculai
microscope, studying the fascinating
problem of animate life.
But circumstances encouraged me
to adopt writing, and after l had
made my choice I stuck to 1t. II |
should give advice to ambitious men
and women. 1t would be this:
Make your choice and abide by
It.
"No matter how many professions
beckon to you, make up your mind
to select one and devote yourself
wholly to it. This is a day when one
must specialize, in order to achieve
any definite thing.
But even writing could not be
followed on general lines. / soon
saw that ! must specialize in that
Fer example. after I had graduated
from college in Allegheny, Pa, !
wrote editorials for the Chautauquan,
But | found that editorial writing
was dissipating, so I determined ia
concentrate on one line of literary
effort.
THE writing OF history had ap.
pNoiNh w llts uC''l w bt'
come a statistician and historian. To
do this, | realized that / must train
myself thoroughly.
Through my writing had earned
enough, with the assistance OF my
family. to take me to Paris to study.
] studied in the College Of France
and in the Sorbonne, meanwhile writ
ing for magazines and newspapers.
1T was not long before | was con.
vinced that my choice of vocation
had been wise, for my successes-ii
you will call them that-came
through the channel I had selected"
Thus modestly did Miss Tarbell
refer to the gigantic achievements
which have singled her out as an in.
tellectual marvel-first her History
of Napoleon" then her wonderful
Life of Lincoln" and finally the as.
founding revelations which barred tc
the world the crimes and cruelties OF
Americas most powerful trust.
And her message to all aspirants
for success Is simply this:
Love your work. Be willing Ia
take pains. Concentrate. Specialize
Stick to it."-New York Journal.