Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1920-08-06
man suffered a disadvantage while

at peak. In the professions and
the trades, the demand far exceeded
the supply, with the natural happy
consequences for those who were at
home and able partly to meet the de-
mand. A new crop of millionaires-
some $4,000 of them-sprang up
while the war was on. Corporation,
we showed you last week, profited as
they never had before. The service
mar lost heavily by not being in a
position to participate in this spree
on money-making.
You must add to this loss the dis
advantages the service man suffered
after he got out Of service to get the
sum total of his sacrifices. In some
cases the disadvantage was shortly
overcome. In some, it never can be
overcome. Perhaps one year is q
fair average of the length of time
after leaving service, in which the
service man was at a disadvantage.
Even the mental attitude of the
man who went back to mis- old jon
mitigated against him, at first. A
great many men found their old work
trivial after dealing with raw life and
| death on the battlefield. 1t TOOK
most men a little while TO readjuat
themselves mentally.
Many men did not go back to their
old jobs. Perhaps they found they
had not been doing their best work
or perhaps they simply wanted the
novelty of a change. These are the
men who have come to the attention
of the various employment agencies
F. A. Griffin, who is assistant d.
rector of the employment bureau for
ex-service men, supervised by the
American Legion in New York City
makes some interesting observations
on this class of men.
THE former service man who is
looking for a new or better job is
apt to misunderstood the conditions
that face him. said Mr.. Griffin. 81
have asked ex-service men, What
wartime experience has especially
fitted you for civilian employment
A great number answered that they
had heen taught that conscientious
hard work won rapid promotion.
The pathetic part of this is that
business advancement usually de-
ponds on the death or removal of the
man ahead or on an expansion of the
business. Normal business expan.
sion never is sufficient to make
places for all men of ability.
But in war the abnormal expan-
sion gave the opportunity to men tc
prove themselves Some of these
men forget this economic fact and
believe that wartime success was
entirely due to their own efforts
These men think they are not appre.
ciated now because their advance
rent, in the nature of things, car
rot be so rapids
These men do not deserve crit:
C.sm. but sympathy They hav,
proved tho7 have the stuff for bigger
things, but there are net enough op.
Icrtunitics - go around. Naturally
they lose in mental efficiency until
they make the reimbursement.
Certainly the man who come;
back from service to CIVIL life is az q
disadvantage Take the case of the
mental worker. 1t is admitted thu;
salaries il tfis class Cf work haVe
not kept pace with advancing living
costs. Tho man who lost two years
Of promotion in his line has to come
! back in 1920 existence on a 1917
salary. Had he stayed at his desk
conditions would have assured him
promotion SO that his salary now
would be at least nearer common
SUI ate with the cost of existing.
'Then, the boy who left school tC
fight has lost his education. The man
who planned to go through college
must give up that hope and compete
with men who stayed at home and
actually went through r he may &c
ahead with his education and post.
pone his entry into business by sew
eral more years.
Professional men find their ellen.
tele has disappeared in their absence
A great many lawyers, doctors and
engineers have to start all over
again.
''Such men as purchasing agents
traffic managers and sales managers
find that their absence has put a hole
in their knowledge of conditions
They are almost hopelessly behind
the times. Stenographers, machin
CT ouJ oarenne xrho 1onnnd ~, cly