The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1915-07-01

good salary and be rated as nrSt class
producer. but the old order of things has
passed and the day of the Jack of ll-trades
is rapidly waning. Today is the day of
the specialist Man has discovered that
life time is all too short in which to be
butcher. baker, candlestick maker all
in one. Such man is detriment to hu-
man progress, inasmuch as he does not
delve into the innermost part ofany trade.
and often fails to grasp the fundamental
principles which tend to elevate and pro-
mote inventive genius among men. He
is a trifer, and not seeker of knowledge.
A hinderer, and not pace-setter.
The greatest results can only be obtain
ed by the man who concentrates his mind
on one trade and who takes to heart the
fact that he has been given a special job
to perform in this world. and that the
performance of this individual task, is,
and should be, his one great aim lin life.
He can then become a master in that
particular field which he has chosen, and
the world will become richer because it
can call upon him. knowing that his SER
vice and his labor are the best that can be
obtained.
Seldom does a man without a trade
reach the high water mark of success.
Captains Of industry are usually men who
had trade, studied it, improved upon
the method of working it, and toiled un-
til their rewards came. But always they
began with trade. To become master
of trade, you must believe in it; then on
ly can you proceed. You must honor it.
be it ever so humble and it will honor
you. But you must stick. The man who
repeatedly changes his position, who is
always shifting from one sort of a Job to
another is regarded as man with some
thing wrong mentally, morally or physic-
ally. He is often inefficient, self-opin-
donated, difficult to handle, aud lazy, and
therefore fails to taste the joy which
comes with the knowledge of trade thor
oughly mastered.
To man whc knows how" there is
always an opening. Money may be scarce,
times may be hard. and unframed men
may be laid off, but the man who is train
ed, retains his job as long as there is skill
ed work to be done. 1t takes patience
and plenty of hard work to learn trade,
and consequently, the expert draws a
large salary today for the years spent in
gathering the knowledge which enables
him to hold his position. Oftimes the ex-
pert had to pay large sum for the priv
ilege of working and studying under COM
petent instructors in the line of work he
intended to follow, and those apprentice
ship days seemed hard and weary; but
ever before his eyes was the vision of be-
coming an expert, of being capable of per-
forming his work in the manner of mas
ter and that hope cheered him to renewed
efforts. Most of us in this institution
have the opportunity to learn the essen
tails of good trade, if we are willing to
work for it. You cannot learn 10 accom-
plish anything unless you are willing to
work for it. Splendid opportunities are
going begging, simply because someone
wants another job, or one which looks
easier. All jobs look easy to the uniniti-
ated, and all work is easy to the man who
puts the right spirit into his work, who
goes at his daily task with belief that he
alone knows best his own particular line
of labor. But, on the other hand, to the
chronic fault finder; to the man who is
merely trying to get by" everything he
tackles is hard proposition. A man is a
fool to yearn for another trade before he
has become thoroughly familiar with that
which he has before him. 1t is only men
who are experts in every line of their
trade who are in great demand. One can
find any amount Of men who have smat-
terings of half dozen trades, and they
are unable to hold steady situation be-
cause of the fact that they cannot perform