Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1921-06-09

hEMEhBIh ulSulnCtly lne parting
words of my old schoolmaster that
June morning my class graduated
~ "What are you fellows going
s1Q~Nh to do now?" he asked. 81 suppose
6LA~NI&f every here has several ideas
81 L/fN1 of what he would like to be f1ut'
!: !: i: ! :: !: ]: ] ::
W 1X( terng around in his head. It's
NJr I3lG pretty hard to decide between them
.S41 ISL on a day like this-when the fish
M FNSR are biting up in old Sandy
Y VI "My advice to each one of you
w is to get your fishing pole and
carry the question along with you. Near the shores
of old Sandy you will find schools Of poliwogs.
Learn lesson from them.
"These pOlliwOgs are on their way to froghood.
You fellows are your way to manhood. But the
poliiwogs are not in any particular hurry. l don't
think you'll find them trying to leap around and lift
their voices like frogs. AS matter of fact they
are going to assume several different shapes be-
fore they settle down into froghood. For the
present, however, they are content to go right on
being pOIliwOgs
You fellows are in the powOg stage. Your
powers and abilities are only half revealed. Look
around before you decide what you want to be
do In few years you may become aware of quail
tiles in your makeup whose existence you never
suspected. At the same time abilities that you
think you now possess may fade away. Take your
time You may save yourself from the fate of a
misfit. You've heard of them-the doctors are
happy because they not lawyers, the chemists
who would be Of more service to the world as
newspaper men,"
have passed on these wise words to many boys.
And pass them with application
to the small-tOwn boy who dreams of achiev-
Ing success in the city.
His mind is crammed with Horatio Alger, Jr.,
stuff. He has read the picturesque life stories
of some of our big men who left the farm for the
CITY, The whistles of locomotive among the hills
makes him yearn for the city, bristng with OPP
portunities. He looks upon the glistening rails
as the one avenue to his opportunity.
He is shOrt-sighted.
few years ago. big city was the place for
an up-and-coming young man. 1t needed him, and
it was prepared to reward him with money and po-
stion. Today however, the story is reversed.
"America has grown too fast" say deep think
ing economists and publicsts "She has spread
herself thnly over large area The future of
the country lies in it's undeveloped small cities
and towns"
Are you looking for opportunity? Examine that
little old "one-hoss" town of yours, before you
think of buying a Oneway ticket from it. There
are many ambitious, and very wise, young men
who are deliberately leaving the larger cities and
moving into towns such as yours.
few months ago | visited country store in
typical small town of the West The owner Is q
young man. Ten years ago he left the town and
went to Chicago for a "real job" But he had not
worked long before he realized that it would be
many years before he could get the kind Of job
he wanted. There were opportunities for fore
men, managers, superintendent and other
"bosses" But they were purely administrative
jobs He wanted to create and build up bust
ness of his own.
The death of his father called him home TO care
for his mother, and he got job in general store
of the town. 1t a terrible grind. The work
itself was not back breaking But the daily round
of little things to do-the same dull routine, hour
after hour day after day, week after week, got
on his nerves. Weighing out a bagful Of this
wrapping up a handful of that-it was hard work
simply because 1t was not interesting.
Did this young fellow settle down and wear him.
self deeper and deeper into the rut? He did not
He simply began to look around to see If he could
lven things up.
He suggested to the that he advertise.
advertiser snorted the owner "What for?
Why-ptu !-everyone round here knows we're
here. And open for business all the time. P'tu
And carrying almost anything in stock that they'll
ever want Advertise! What for?
He suggested specializing. "Why not throw out
some of these slow-movng articles and put in
goods that sell more quickly?'
"No" said the merchant. 1--WE depend on the
farmers for the bulk of our trade, and we've got
to- carry general line-a little bit of everything.
No-p'tu well go right on with our line of
staples"
The next year the young man bought out the
old man and started in to be a business-builder.
His first reform was to get rid of hair the stocK'
You know what collection Of junk the average
country general store is, with its haunting odor
of harness grease, Calico soda crackers, horse
Eminent and cheese.
He had observed that the women did most of the
huying so he nodded his stores service to meet
their needs. He investigated their buying habits.
lie learned that those who could afford to buy
fnery patronized the large city stores, or sent
away to the mail order houses.
The young man visited the jobbers and manu-
facturers in the city. He brought back large
consignment of hats suits, dresses and other
stylish things that women wear. Then he fitted
up a special department in the space from which
he had thrown the gun oil and ten-penny nails