Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1911-05-05

l@i UcLtCiifS, l6aQCr OF the
biggest band, or president
Of railroad it is doubtful what the
answer would be. Probably. after long
consideration. he wodld 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 derend somewhat
Upon natural talents, which he might
Or might not possess.
Therefore, he would do we'll prob
ably, to 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 to business,
and the chances are not at all obscure
that he will reach the coveted goal
sooner or later.
If your boy has his mind set on
Striving for a railroad presidency, and
you belioye he is wise in doing SO,
there is no end Of places to begin, for
there are npmborless tried avenues
leading to the pres;dency-such as
first getting @ job IS a section hand,
or as clerk in q railroad Office, or as
rougtabout and assistant in small
station Today the railroad preai-
dents who began in these and similar
lowly positions are by no means
fcarce-in fact, they are in the ma
jorlty.
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!
Well, then, your BOY desires to
make his start for a railroad presi-
dency in this manner-what must he
know? Without doubt he ought to
have a good high school education be-
fore applying for a job for he will
not get very far before there will be
flggling and other things to do that
an ignoranlus couldn't hoDe to sur
mount, and he could not get much be-
FOND the bottom otherwise. COT
REORGANIZATION
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 viii
not appear as il it would lead to any
where at all; for likely 1t viii be moth
ing more than carrying stakes for sur
veying corps in the field, going hack
TO camp on errands, and doing IT, sgs
generally that are little more than
chores But all this time he viii be
getting familiar with the methods Of
blazing trails through the wiiderr SIS
that are ultimately to be the line gs q
completed railroad.
Before long he will be an aXn IN,
then chairman, when his pay vii be
anywhere from thirty-fve to fifty 5ol-
lars month. In the beginning. he
will not get much, IL anything; Tor
there are other boys that have map} ed
out railroad careers for themselves,
and many Of them are willing to crk
for almost next to nothing TIL they
get above the stake-carrying stage.
The first distinct promotion T. st
amounts to anything viii be from *
man or chairman to rodman, the nan
that mauipulates the long pole I'll
rows of figures On it that everyb,l iy
gees with surveying parties. He is
from forty to sixty dollars a nor h,
which is not at all bad, considering
that food and clothing requiremo q Is
are not expensive, and that the FRO
motion to this post is q sure sign that
Your boy IS getting on.
Then, il the boy has been observing
what the others DO, and asking oues-
tons, and getting posted, he will be-
come instrument man after avn e,
and run the level or transit, and v i'll
receive anywhere from sixty to nine ty
dollars a month.
But right here, or before, it viii be
necessary for the boy to get some
more schooling, If he expects to set
much higher in his work; from IN
etruneat man on VIII come IL ch-
meal s1cuirements chat maze it al
InoSt 5CS5edly Luz HIN W nave tHS
equiys mt of four years course in
q schcol Of civil engineering. The boy
has seen learned this, Of course, and
has 81 ed his money, or has been lay
ing OF for few months now and then
to dey te to studying; or, if he should
have J appened to hare work at a
termi i near or in city, he has been
sble attend nigh: scnool. There