The Washington herald., 1917-01-28
Interesting Chats
From Hotel Lobbies

Until we realize the necessity of find-
iis out just what vocation child Is mt
led Tor before sending 1t out In an un-
sympathetic world, we may expect To
nave our army OF unemployed and dis
contented workers." remarked X. n.
Dickinson, employment manager for =
henosha Wis) firm, stopping at the
naieigh. In. our public and private
SCHOOLS. said Mr.. Dickinson, there
snouid be vocational teacher. skilled In
an the peculiarities of child-nature and
,eanings toward industry. 1t is crime
20 SEND a boy or girl out into the world
Mithout their having something definitely
profession.
"Of course, lots of them drift around
until they find out where they belong.
ana then they forge right ahead. But
o'hers never find out, never get into the
une OF business best suited to their abili-
ties ana fnclinations. / know from my
own experience of young men who talked
al the time about being machinists,
until the time came for me to put them
20 work. and then they fell down miser-
AMY, because they were deceived about
.heir fascination for machinery. Many
young men are fascinated by a shiny
piece OF machinery, but when 1t comes
70 handling 1t, they are not there
ohe case / have in mind is a young
man, now designer of automobile ma
cninery' whom employed as an appren-
.,ce machinist some years ago. This boy
thousht he was cut out for a frst-class
machinist, and strange to say. he could
NOT Tor the life of him drill a hole
straight' without breaking the drill. 1
iouno out by observation later that he
was as much a machinist as he was a
preacher. He drifted around several
years, after I fired him, and not long ago
ne came to me for job, saying he could
oesish tools and machinery. He could,
and ne Is the best in the business. He
cannot do any mechanical work himself,
put he can show others, and supervise
10 the queens taste He cannot drive
a nail straight. He knows, but although
ne can put down on paper just how 1t
shouid be done, and why, he cannot
handle tool as well as can a 2-year-old.
rms brain is sharp, and his hands are
ouii' except where It comes to handling
a drawing Instrument.
Ihere are many such cases of mis-
placed genius, and It IS up to some one
to correct our youngsters"
The old slogan, Go West. Young Man
Go West does not hold good any more
as RUE Tor success" said w. w, Her
ron OF Mobile, Ala. stopping at the Will
iard. know Of several young men that
came East and have made a rousing sue
cess OF their venture. They originally
left the East and Travelled almost To the
toothiils OF the Rockies, and after putter-
lhs around for few years, decided there
were Just as good opportunities back
nome. Unlike the man in the story called
Acres or Diamonds they hiked back
right away
Il know, because 1 was one OF than.
and have found that the West is not the
only place in which to make good. No
man need go hunting around for a place
In which to make a living when he ha
one within few feet OF him. One thing
that discouraged me in the West was the
long distance to market, and then an un-
certain market, whereas In the East the
markets for produce are q sure fact. and
they are close.
The present demand for food Of ALL
kinds and the nearness to the great East
ern markets make a farm In Texas un-
necessary to success. There is enough
good land that can be bought at a rea-
sonable figure in the East and close
enough to the centers of distribution. to
use and keep using all the elbow grease
ana energy OF thousands OF young men
VINO think the West is the only place
Thfngs and conditions arc constantly
changing; the New England States can
not any longer be said to be unable to
raise enough foodstuffs to feed her own
people. With scientific methods and the
use OF the opportunities available today,
the State of Maine could outstrip the rest
of the world in potato raising. Potatoes
are today commanding a better price
than they did during the civil war, and
are as expensive as they are in Germany
or Austria, and think of the thousands of
acres suitable to potato culture in the
East lying idle and the East buying Col
orado potatoes
If we have not the ambition to raise
our own food, lessen the numbers of nom
producers. and swell the ranks of the pro-
ducers, we can expect to be bled by the