Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1910-09-22


y be. president of the United
AAE States. the worlds greatest
detective. leader Of the
biggest band. or president
OF railroad. IL is doubtful what the
answer would be Probably. after long
consideration. be woaif say all four.
Anyhow. he would have only one
chance in some forty million every
four years OF being the nations presi-
dent and TO be the detective or the
band leader would depend somewhat
upon natural talents. which he might
or might not possess.
Therefore. be would do well. prob
ably. 10 select the railroad presidency.
for that position requires no special
genius. and It is simply a matter OF
getting a starting job. which is not
particularly difficult. working hard.
and attending strictly 20 business.
and the chances are not at all obscure
that he will reach the coveted goal
sooner or later
II your boy has his mind set on
striving for a railroad presidency. and
you believe he Is wise IN doing so.
there is no end Of places to begin. for
there are numberless tried avenues
leading 20 the presidency-such rs
FIRST getting job as a section hand.
or as clerk IN a railroad Office. or as
roustabout and assistant IN a small
station. Today the railroad presi-
dents who began in these and similar
lowly positions are by no means
scarce-in fact. they are in the ma
jority.
But your boy wants to get out into
the wilderness. so to speak. and learn
railroading literally from the ground
up-that is. he wants TO become a
civil engineer and build railroads be-
fore he bosses one? Fine, For by
far the largest number OF railroad
presidents who have worked their
way up from the crowd began on the
suilding side. the engineering side. OF
railroading-learned the life literally
from the ground up. Without excep-
ton. every president that one OF the
country's most famous railroads has
E AAAA IL q l0oAAA11 hA NAAN
construction side; and Il IS almost
railroad world axiom that a successful
railroad president must know thor
oughly how a railroad Is built and how
its physical condition is kept up TO
standard The reason IL obvious.
Well. then. your COY desires to
make his start for a railroad presi-
dency in this manner-what must he
know. Without doubt he ought TO
have good high school education be-
fore applying for a job: for he will
not get very far before there will be
figuring and other things TO do that
an ignoramus couldn't hope to sur
mount. and he could not get much be-
yond the bottom otherwise tOf
course. a boy with determination can
do anything he sets out to do. and he
might self-teach himself at nights and
other times: but that is not the kind
of hustler now under consideration.
Probably the initial work given your
sixteen or eighteen-year-old boy will
not appear as II IL would lead to any
where at all: for likely IL will be moth
Ing more than carrying stakes for sur
veying corps in the field. going back
10 camp on errands. and doing things
generally that are little more than
chores. But all this time he Will be
getting familiar with the methods OF
blazing trails through the wilderness
that are ultimately to be the line Of a
completed railroad. They are far from
civilization and have to supply their
own food and clothing, and many a
night. sleeping beneath the stars after
a long, hard tramp. the boy will think
Of his home comforts and long for an
easier lot But he sticks to il, as anv
boy must that expects to get on: and
he should rest assured that the boss
OF the outfit Is watching him and Will
promote him the minute he shows
that he is prepared to go on.
Before long he will be an AMMAN
then chairman. when his pay will be
anywhere from thirty-hve TO fifty dol.
lars month. In the beginning he
will not get much. IL anything: for
there are other boys that have mapped
out railroad careers for themselves.
and many of them are willing to work
for almost next to nothing TIL they
get above the stake-carrying stage.
The first distinct promotion that
amounts TO anything viii be from az
man or chairman TO rodman. the man
that manipulates the long pole with
rows OF figures on IL that everyday
sees with surveying parties. He gets
from forty to sixty dollars a month
which Is not at all bad, considering
that food and clothing requirements
are not expensive. and that the uro-
motion to this post is a sure sign that
your boy is getting on.
Then, IL the boy has been observin,
what the others do. and asking ones.
tions. and getting posted. he win ba.
come instrument man after awhile
and run the level or transit. and w,II
receive anywhere from sixty TO ntnstv
dollars a month.
} But right here. or before, II win he
necessary for the boy to get Soma
more schooling. II he expects IN 90,
much higher in his work: from in.
strument man on will come IN tech.
meal requirements that make Il A.,