The Washington herald., 1914-03-18
Statesmen, Real and Near.
BY FRED c. KELLY.

Il
was only eleven years old. Col Geors,
w. Goethals. builder Of the Panams
Canal, has never yet had occasion to con.
suit the Help Wanted" column.
Lately Goethals has been the most
! sought-after man In the country by
those who have big jobs to fiil Whether
It's the governorship OF Panama. the
management of big city. the New York
police commissionership. building the
Alaskan railway--no matter what the big
Job is, the first name that pops into ones
head Is that Of George w. Goethals. The
chances are that IL the man were sudden
ly thrown out of employment today he
would soon find some task TO perform by
which he could earn a living. II is al
together unlikely that he would be found
hanging about billiard parlors with his
feet dangling from one OF the high chairs
along the side OF the wan. after the man.
ner OF great many rlen temporarily out
Of employment.
Goethals would have a job. and more
over he would not have to ask for il
Some good job would seek out Goethals
IL would find Goethals even II his abode
were In some vast wilderness or over a
livery stable.
Now. II is not surprising that after q
man has built Panama Canal and been
heralded as one of the greatest men Iiv-
ing. he should have little difficulty in OBJ
tanning work. The strange thing, how
ever, Is that Goethals has gone through
his entire life predestined, II appears, to
escape the annoyance of having to sit
about somebody's outer Office. hat In
hand. waiting to apply for a job.
To make his life run like that of a
story-oook hero. one should be able to
supply right here a narrowing tale of the
difficulties Goethals encountered trying to
obtain his first job-how he stood about
in the snow in thin-soled vici kid shoes
willing to do that which lay nearest him
or farthest from him-wilIing to do any
thing at all so long as IL was honest
toll and netted a modest stipend on Sat
urday evening. And how he received one
rude rebuff after another
But, adhering strictly to the verities
one must emphasize the fact that George
Washington Goethals has ever played in
luck in the matter Of jobs. When he
was eleven years of ago. unheraIded and
unsung. without any Panama Canal to
his credit. he found himself in need OF
work. Almost Immediately a job walked
iishl UP anu Juulpcu IillO MS idp.
1t had leaked out that GoethaIs de-
sired job. and an acquaintance OF the
family sent for h.7n to make him an Of
fer. The position was that OF errand
boy for a brokerage concern and yielded
$50 a week
Goethals held that first position for
a year or two. until II got too small for
him. and then he began to think about
looking for something else
But inasmuch as he was destined never
to ask for a job his next place sought
him.
The head OF a produce market had seen
Goethals bustling about the brokerage
office and sized him up as a likely young
chap. He asked Goethals how he would
like to become a bookkeeper.
day or two after that Goethals was
a bookkecper-at s. week. He sat on
a high stool and wore sleeve holders.
Imagine a young man destined to ac-
the biggest engineering feat Of
modern times getting his start on a high
stool bending over the books OF a produce
market,
Goethals kept on being a bookkeeper
and had his salary raised from time to
time until he was drawing the princeIy
of SIS a week
Meanwhile he had set his heart on be-
a doctor. The idea of going about
from house to house with a kit of medi-
cines in his hand. looking at peoples
tongues. taking ones pulse occasionally.
shut the lid of his watch-aII
such things that he had seen doctors do,
appealed TO him as constituting a profess
sion worth while.
But Goethals' health was not rugged i'm
hose days and il was believed that study
ng medicine would be unwise- for a medi- !
ral student is obliged TO study far into
Inc night. while others sleep. in order to /
Keep pace with the constantly increasing
list of newly-inventcd diseases, and this
VAS true even when GoethaIs was a hov /
so Goethals agreed to POSTPONE bccom. |
ng a doctor.
Then he was offered an apointmen, !
o West Point He went, but with a !
new to building up his health while !
here and studying medicine sooner or |
atcr BY the time he had finished his
curse at Wes: Point. however, he had
ecided to stay in the army.
AFTER getting into the army tho idea
I going to work for a living had lost
IL appeal" laughs GoethaIs, who as
matter OF fact works like a demon
bout fourteen hours a day.
Since he has been in the army. every
OBJ he has had to accomplish has, Of
curse. been assigned to him.
Ihus We see that throughout his life
rom early boyhood to the present day.
ioethals has been spared having TO
ay:
please. mister. will you give me a
rb?"
So. now with big jobs beckoning TO
i'm on all sides. naturally he takes the
Ituation just as a matter Of course
'cFyright. 1914. by Fred G Kelly. Al rights re-
scryeil