Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-01-02
An Unconscious Sin Of Parents

Il
As | was passing along a country
roadway one day l stopped to talk with
a farmer. We became confidential.
told him l was going to college. He
looked at me with interest and said;
"When l was young fellow, after |
graduated from the high school, want
ed to 90 to college and study FOR ma
chinst, but my father wanted me TO
stay home and run the farm. | gave
in, but it was pretty hard. never did
like farming. II sit around the house
today, reading some magazine article
on machinery when | ouglt to be out
here plowing | guess the place LOCKS
| it, TOO. | never could make a farmer
OF myself, and it is too late now to be
anything else; so | fear IN never
amount to much of anything in this
life.
"The old man is gone. He meant
to be awfully gool to me. He didn 7
realize what he was doing. | would ce.-
tainly be ashamed to hold it against
him. Looking at me intently he con.
tinued: '.My advice to you, young
man, Isl "Never let anyone persuade
you to take up lifework that is un-
congenial to yol; no matter how near
and dear they may be to you"
| wandered back into the city and,
stopping in front of his store, started
convarsing vita one Of the small mer'
chants on the street. l seemed Ia
awake in him an interest in myself
lie asked me what | was doing. I told
him attending college. He wanted tc
know what intended to make Of my
self. | told him, and he said; "SC
you will be another man added to tht
army Of salary .earneis. He then looked
at me with greater interest and contin
ued; "My boy, if you feel the vocation
you have chosen will give you more
pleasure than any other work you coult
take up my advice is, stick to it, il
spite of all opposition.
"When l was a young fellow hk,
you | wanted to take up bookkeeping
| had a great love for that kind D
work. But my father wouldn I hear i,
it, He told me there wasn't one NAL
in 20 that worked for a salary that eve
laid up anything. He would point on
to me man after man that had qui
business to take up some oftlce or othe
, salaried position that were PRACTICAL,
worth nothing.
"My father made good for thos
days, but there were several of us boy,
) He started me out in this store, an
+ here still am. Today Some OF thos
. salaried fellows are worth more tina
, am. If | had the love for tnis wOr
) my father had | undoubtedly would b
) worth more than they are. But here
s where the mistake occurred My fathq
failed to look into the future of m
t life through my eyes instead of his ow,
I never had any liking for this worl
. and | know the cares and worries G
. it have taken good deal of pleasur
e out Of my life that | might have ha,
g had | taken up the profession | woul
e have enjoyed working at.
=" Yes, sir, my boy Stay by the cal
. ing you feel you are called "a"
One very noticeable feature amol
. students is their tendency TO excel
Z, certain lines of study, and stand 10
!. in certain other lines in spite of at
Q parent greater effort to keep up )
i those studies The reason for this
/. the difference in the amount Of int
J.. est they take in the different studie
n The interest is proportioned directly
!, the different subjects, On the interes
i. ing studies they are able to concentrat
y. their entire mind, and so exclude a
Il other lines Of thought. With the uni
I. teresting studies other subpect II
o though creep in, in spite of the st
+ dent 5 efforts to keep them out, an
f they find themselves reading over az
over paragraphs or whole pages wit
@ out being consciols Of thing the
t have read. One hour Of such study dl
X. to the strain they have to keep ther
d selves under, use up the nervous e
|. ergy more than several hours stuC
i on very interesting subject; and Il
/. amount of knowledge acquired is on
G a small per cent of what would ha'
d been acquired if the subject had be,
d to their liking,
/. The same feature applies To the MI
in the business world And their I
ture success is almost accurately for