The Washington herald., 1916-12-22
Why Are Good Jobs Going
a-Begging?
BY oRIsON SWEET MARDEN.

eign and Domestic Commerce could
not find enough men worth a $1,000
salary to make it worth while to hold
a competitive examination to pro-
cure eligibles for such positions
ain November" the statement says,
"the bureau announced that examina-
tions would be held on December E,
in various parts of the country, for
the purpose of obtaining ten eligibles
to fill that number of vacancies as
special agents. The candidates are
required to make a thorough study of
conditions in foreign countries that
our manufacturers and exporters may
profit through their Investigations
and the commerce of the United
States be extended. Up to date there
have not been enough applications for
some of the places to make the exam
nations worth while. There is still
time, however, for applicants to quail
ify for the examination in which they
may be interested by telegraphing di
rect to the Civil Service Commission
at Washington"
What is the matter with our col
lege graduates? Where are the thou
sands who were graduated from col
leges and universities throughout this
country this year and last? Are they
all supplied with lucrative positions,
or is it possible that after a four years
college course they are not qualified
to compete for those excellent and
promising government positions?
Possibly many of them are jobless,
bemoaning their hard luck, or COM
planning that there is no chance to
rise nowadays.
Not long since clerk in a big es-
tablishment was bemoaning the fact
that certain young man in his de-
partment had risen by leaps and
bounds to the position Of department
manager, while there was no chance
of advancement for him. But, he
said, of course his fellow employees
rise was due to luck and favoritism,
and he himself had not been treated
fairly.
Now l know both these young men
well, and know positively that the
luck" and "favoritism" in the case
of the one who rose so rapidly were
merely other names for his great am
bition and his fixed determination to
rise. Luck" and "favoritism" were
the names envy and jealousy gave to
his tactful courtesy, his indefatigable
industry, his spirit of helpfulness and
kindness and to his constant effort
to make every day a little advance
upon the previous day, to try a little
harder, to be little more attentive,
little more alert, little more inter
esting and accommodating to Gus
toners.
This young man had dedicated the
whole of himself to his upward climb.
He was determined when he entered
the store in which he works to get to
the top; and he told the other boys
who laughed at what they thought
his ridiculous ambition just to keep
their eyes on him, and see if he
wouldn't win out. Now they are en-
vying his luck" and wishing they
had his chancel
They don't seem to realize that
their chance is in themselves or no
where. The clerk who complained of
the unfairness of his own treatment
is one of those who never half COM
mitted himself to his vocation. From
the start he was always saying that
he could not see any chance to rise
and that he would probably be a per-
petual clerk. He could not see the
opportunities that were so apparent
to his ambitious fellow clerk. That
is the reason why he has not been
advanced, and why, in all probability,
he will always be slave to the yard
stick and counter. He has no en-
thusiasm, no ambition or gumption.
On the other hand, the enthusiasm
and ambition of the young man who
rose so rapidly was constantly no.
ticed by customers. They would oft
en- predict his advancement and some
wrote in to the proprietors of the
store telling them what an unusual
clerk he was.
Have you ever stopped to think
what miracles valiant souls in every
age have wrought out of the mo
time" mo opportunity" and mo
chance" which the do-nothings and
the amount-to-nothings have ever
given as an excuse for their failure?
The man who has it in him to win,
who is trying to get on in the world,
is too dead-in-earnest, too determined
to make the most of himself, to waste
time in complaining. He is too busy
trying to make the most of the op-
nOrtIIOjtieS he bac - 1L:.I- Il -.