White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1929-09-13

1t is the onrush of our business life.
Our economic progress plunges ahead
at a rate unheard of in the history OF
the nations. of the world and every
Industrial and financial leader is daily
brought face to face with new and
perplexing problems requiring the
highest courage and intelligence for
their solution.
Ninety billions a year, they tell us,
this country is now producing in new
wealth. The rate of increase Is even
more staggering than the amount. 1t
Is difficult to say where 1t may lead
lis in even ten or fifteen years.
We are moving exceptionally fast.
Our economic and industrial structure
is placing before us problems OF
greater and greater magnitude. Few
men can see far ahead Few are in
complete control, for this is a chang
ing world, as even the most inexperi-
enced business man will readily tes-
tify. Our methods of adjusting our
selves rapidly to economic changes
and of cooperating are far from per-
feet.
What an opportunity the leadership
of five, ten or fifteen years from now
presents! What an adventure it will
be! What responsibilities 1T will lay
upon the broadcast shoulders that may
be found! This is the challenge to
leadership as see it. In the hands OF
the young men must rest the respon-
sibility for this leadership.
Boys Who Reached the Pinnacles
Business is full Of the romance OF
Youngsters whose chief characteristic
was working hard and keeping at 1t.
There was a green farmer boy who de-
cided he would rather stand behind
a counter than follow a plow. He
seemed so obviously lacking in sales
ability that for time no merchant
would hire him. He failed in his first
position, and in his second his salary
was reduced. He even agreed that he
was a misfit-but he stuck Out Of
his first five stores, believe, three
failed. But he persisted and worked
hard. And that boy, Frank w. Wool
/ worth, became the greatest retail
merchant in the world with a store
/ in every city Of eight thousand or more
J population in this country.
There was another lad who clerked
! in a grocery store sixteen hours a day
and studied mathematics in his odd
moments. He became interested in
] the doings of the steel plant whose en-
(, ployees traded at this store. He be-
gan to study steel and sought a posi-
ton in the plant. He carried sur
yeyor's chain and drove stakes. Al
, night he studied mathematics and en-
cheering. He did not despair. lie
could not be diverted. He kept the
pressure on for seven years. And thai
boy, Charles Schwab, mastered the
iron industry and became one OF the
! country's great industrial leaders.
There was a lad who sold papers or
train. When he grew up, several
/, million men and a score of billions CT
| dollars OF capital were given profitable
employment through his inventions
Even i'll middle life, Thomas Edison
continued to work twenty hours a day
if necessary to achieve his purpose.
Leadership is not play. Leadership
offers countless positions of varying
opportunity, Of which the highest pin
nacles will mean almost unbearable
responsibility in tho new era. There
will be men with the fire and iron tt
qualify even for these places. Such
men must have had the very fines
preparation and the most gruelint
tests Their reward will be the attain
ment OF these highest pinnacles O
achievement, and the rendering of al
Unreasonable service to their times.