,illustration3 book-cover  ,,the ,,young
 ,,man ,,in ,,business  ,,the ,,day',s  
,,work ,,series   ,the ,day's ,work     
,series  ,,the ,,young ,,man  ,,in      
,,business  ,,by  ,,edward ,,bok        
,,boston  ,l4 ,c4 ,,page  ,,company     
,,mdcccc  ,copyright1 #aijj  ,,by       
,,edward ,,bok4  ,all rights reserved   
,colonial press  ,electrotyped and      
,printed by ,c4 ,h4 ,simonds  ,co4      
,boston1 ,u4 ,s4 ,a4     ,,the ,,young  
,,man ,,in ,,business4   ,a             
,,well-,,known ,new ,york millionaire   
gave it as his opinion not long ago that
 any young man possessing a good        
constitution and a fair degree of       
intelligence might acquire riches4 ,the 
statement was criticised--literally     
picked to pieces--and finally adjudged  
as being extravagant4 ,the figures then 
came out1 gathered by a careful         
statistician1 that of the young men in  
business in ,new ,york ,city1 sixty per 
cent1 were earning less than #a1jjj per 
year1 only twenty per cent1 had an      

income of #b1jjj1 and barely five per   
cent1 commanded salaries in excess of   
the latter figure4 ,the great majority  
of young men in ,new ,york ,city--that  
is1 between the ages of twenty-three and
 thirty--were earning less than twenty  
dollars per week4 ,on the basis1        
therefore1 that a young man must be     
established in his life-profession by   
his thirtieth year1 it can hardly be    
said that the average ,new ,york young  
man in business is successful4 ,of      
course1 this is measured entirely from  
the standpoint of income4 ,it is true   
that a young man may not1 in every case1
 receive the salary his services merit1 
but1 as a general rule1 his income is a 
pretty accurate indication of his       
capacity4  ,now1 as every young man     
naturally desires to make a business    
success1 it is plain from the above     
statement that something is lacking2    
either the opportunities1 or the        
capabilities in the young men           
themselves4 ,no one conversant with the 

business life of any of our large cities
 can1 it seems to me1 even for a single 
moment1 doubt the existence of good     
chances for young men4 ,take any large  
city as a fair example3 ,new ,york1     
,boston1 ,philadelphia1 or ,chicago1 and
 in each instance there exist more      
opportunities than there are young men  
capable of embracing them4 ,the demand  
is far in excess of the supply4         
,positions of trust are constantly going
 begging for the right kind of young men
 to fill them4 ,but such men are not    
common2 or1 if they be1 they have a most
 unfortunate way of hiding their light  
under a bushel1 so much so that business
 men cannot see even a glimmer of its   
rays4 ,let a position of any real       
importance be open1 and it is the most  
difficult kind of a problem to find any 
one to fill it satisfactorily4 ,business
 men are constantly passing through this
 experience4 ,young men are desired in  
the great majority of positions because 
of their progressive 'ideas and capacity

 to endure work2 in fact1 young blood1  
as it is called1 is preferred in nine   
positions out of every ten1 nowadays4   
,the chances for business success for   
any young man are not wanting4 ,the     
opportunities exist1 plenty of them4    
,the trouble is that the average young  
man of to-day is incapable of filling   
them1 or1 if he be not exactly incapable
 7,i gladly give him the benefit of the 
doubt71 he is unwilling to fill them1   
which is even worse4 ,that exceptions   
can be brought up to controvert ,i know1
 but ,i am dealing with the many1 not   
with the few4  ,the average young man in
 business to-day is nothing more nor    
less than a plodder1--a mere automaton4 
,he is at his office at eight or nine   
o'clock in the morning2 is faithful in  
the duties he performs2 goes to luncheon
 at twelve1 gets back at one2 takes up  
whatever he is told to do until five1   
and then goes home4 ,his work for the   
day is done4 ,one day is the same to him
 as another2 he has a certain routine of

 duties to do1 and he does them day in  
and day out1 month in and month out4    
,his duties are regulated by the clock4 
,as that points1 so he points4 ,verily1 
it is true of him that he is the same   
yesterday1 to-day1 and forever4 ,no     
special fault can be found with his     
work4 ,given a particular piece of work 
to do1 he does it just as a machine     
would4 ,such a young man1 too1 generally
 considers himself hard-worked--often   
overworked and underpaid2 wondering all 
the time why his employer doesn't       
recognize his value and advance his     
salary4 ,i do everything ,i am told to  
do1 he argues1 and ,i do it well4 ,what 
more can ,i do8  ,this is simply a type 
of a young man to be found in thousands 
of offices and stores4 ,he goes to his  
work each day with no definite point nor
 plan in view2 he leaves it with nothing
 accomplished4 ,he is a mere automaton4 
,let him die1 and his position can be   
filled in twenty-four hours4 ,if he     
detracts nothing from his employer's    

business1 he certainly adds nothing to  
it4 ,he never advances an idea2 is      
absolutely devoid of creative powers2   
his position remains the same after he  
has been in it for five years as when he
 came to it4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,now1 ,i would not
 for a moment be understood as          
belittling the value of faithfulness in 
an employee4 ,but1 after all1           
faithfulness is nothing more nor less   
than a negative quality4 ,by            
faithfulness a man may hold a position a
 lifetime4 ,he will keep it just where  
he found it4 ,but by the exercise of    
this single quality he does not add to  
the importance of the position any more 
than he adds to his own value4 ,it is   
not enough that it may be said of a     
young man that he is faithful2 he must  
be something more4 ,the willingness and 
capacity to be faithful to the smallest 
detail must be there1 serving only1     
however1 as a foundation upon which     
other qualities are built4  ,altogether 

too many young men are content to remain
 in the positions in which they find    
themselves4 ,the thought of studying the
 needs of the next position just above  
them never seems to enter their minds4  
,it is possible for every young man to  
rise above his position1 and it makes no
 difference how humble that position may
 be1 nor under what disadvantages he may
 be placed4 ,but he must be alert4 ,he  
must not be afraid of work1 and of the  
hardest kind of work4 ,he must study not
 only to please1 but he must go a step  
beyond4 ,it is essential1 of course1    
that he should first of all fill the    
position for which he is engaged4 ,no   
man can solve the problem of business   
before he understands the rudiments of  
the problem itself4 ,once the           
requirements of a position are          
understood and mastered1 then its       
possibilities should be undertaken4 ,it 
is foolish1 as some young men argue1    
that to go beyond their special position
 is impossible with their employers4    

,the employer never existed who will    
prevent the cream of his establishment  
from rising to the surface4 ,the advance
 of an employee always means the advance
 of the employer's interests4 ,an       
employer would rather pay a young man   
five thousand dollars a year than five  
hundred4 ,what is to the young man's    
interest is much more to the interest of
 his employer4 ,a five-hundred-dollar   
clerkship is worth just that amount and 
nothing more to an employer4 ,but a     
five-thousand-dollar man is generally   
worth five times that sum to a business4
 ,a young man makes of a position       
exactly what he chooses3 a millstone    
around his neck1 or a stepping-stone to 
larger success4 ,the possibilities lie  
in every position2 seeing and embracing 
them rest with its occupant4 ,the lowest
 position can be so filled as to lead up
 to the next and become a part of it4   
,one position should be only the        
chrysalis for the development of new    
strength to master the requirements of  

another position above it4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,the     
average young man is extremely anxious  
to get into a business position in which
 there are what he calls prospects for  
advancement4 ,it is usually one of his  
first questions1 ,what are my prospects 
here8 ,he seems to have the notion that 
the question of his prospects or        
advancement is one entirely in the hands
 of his employer1 whereas it rarely     
occurs to him that it is a matter       
resting entirely with himself4 ,an      
employer has1 of course1 the power of   
promotion1 but that is all4 ,he cannot  
advance a young man unless the young man
 first demonstrates that he is worthy of
 advancement4 ,every position offers    
prospects2 every business house has in  
it the possibility of a young man's     
bettering himself4 ,but it depends upon 
him1 first4 ,if he is of the average    
come-day go-day sort1 and does his work 
in a mechanical or careless fashion1    
lacking that painstaking thoroughness   

which is the basis of successful work1  
his prospects are naught4 ,and they will
 be no greater with one concern than    
with another1 although he may identify  
himself with a score during a year4 ,if1
 on the contrary1 he buckles down to    
work1 and makes himself felt from the   
moment he enters his position1 no matter
 how humble that may be1 his advancement
 will take care of itself4 ,an employer 
is very quick to discover merit in an   
employee1 and if a young man is fitted  
to occupy a higher position in the house
 than he is filling1 it will not be long
 before he is promoted4 ,there are1 of  
course1 instances where the best work   
that a young man can do goes for nothing
 and fails of rightful appreciation1 and
 where such a condition is discovered1  
of course the young man must change the 
condition and go where his services will
 receive proper recognition and value4  
,but this happens only in a very small  
minority of cases4 ,in the vast majority
 of cases where the cry of              

inappreciation is heard1 it is generally
 the fact that the crier is unworthy of 
more than he receives4  ,no employer can
 tell a young man just what his         
prospects are4 ,that is for the young   
man himself to demonstrate4 ,he must    
show first what is in him1 and then he  
will discover for himself what his      
prospects are4 ,because so many young   
men stand1 still does not prove that    
employers are unwilling to advance them1
 but simply shows that the great run of 
young men do not possess those qualities
 which entitle them to advancement4     
,there are exceptional cases1 of course2
 but as a rule a man gets in this world 
about what he is worth1 or not very far 
from it4 ,there is not by any means as  
much injustice done by the employer to  
the employee as appears on the surface4 
,leaving aside all question of          
principle1 it would be extremely poor   
policy for a business man to keep in a  
minor position a young man who1 if      
promoted1 would expand and make more    

money for the house4         99       99
       99       99       99  ,and right 
here a word or two may perhaps be fitly 
said about the element of luck entering 
into business advancement4 ,it is       
undeniable that there are thousands of  
young men who believe that success in   
business is nothing else than what they 
call luck4 ,the young men who forge     
ahead are1 in their estimation1 simply  
the lucky ones1 who have had influence  
of some sort or other to push them      
along4  ,when a young man gets into that
 frame of mind which makes him believe  
that luck is the one and only thing     
which can help him along1 or that it is 
even an element in business1 it may be  
safely said that he is doomed to        
failure4 ,the only semblance to         
influence there is in business is found 
where1 through a friendly word1 a chance
 is opened to a young man4 ,but the only
 thing that influence can do begins and 
ends with an opportunity4 ,the strongest
 influence that can be exerted in a     

young man's behalf counts for very      
little if he is found to be incapable of
 embracing that chance4 ,and so far as  
luck is concerned1 there is no such     
thing in a young man's life or his      
business success4 ,the only lucky young 
man is he who has a sound constitution1 
with good sense to preserve it2 who     
knows some trade or profession          
thoroughly or is willing to learn it and
 sacrifice everything to its learning2  
who loves his work and has industry     
enough to persevere in it2 who          
appreciates the necessity of            
self-restraint in all things1 and who   
tempers his social life to those habits 
which refresh and not impair his        
constitution4 ,that is luck1--the luck  
of having common sense4 ,that is the    
only luck there is1--the only luck worth
 having2 and it is something which every
 right-minded young man may have if he  
goes about it the right way4  ,things in
 this world never just happen4 ,there is
 always a reason for everything4 ,so    

with success4 ,it is not the result of  
luck2 it is not a thing of chance4 ,it  
comes to men only because they work hard
 and intelligently for it1 and along    
legitimate lines4         99       99   
99       99       99  ,now a word about 
a young man's salary4 ,it is human      
nature to wish to make all the money we 
honestly can3 to get just as large a    
return for our services as possible4    
,there is no qualifying that statement1 
and as most of the comforts of this life
 are had through the possession of      
sufficient money1 it is perfectly       
natural that the subject of what we earn
 should be prominent in our minds4 ,but 
too many young men put the cart before  
the horse in this question of salary4   
,it is their first consideration4 ,they 
are constantly asking what salaries are 
paid in different business callings1 and
 whether this profession or that trade  
is more financially productive4 ,the    
question seems to enter into their      
deliberations as a qualifying factor as 

to whether they shall enter a certain   
trade or profession4 ,i never could     
quite see the point of this nor the     
reason for it4 ,of what significance to 
you or to me are the salaries which are 
paid to others8 ,they signify nothing4  
,if the highest salary paid to the      
foremost men in a certain profession is 
#aj1jjj per year1 what does that fact   
prove8 ,there is no obstacle to some    
one's else going into that same         
profession and earning #be1jjj4 ,the    
first consideration1 when a young man   
thinks of going into business1 is not   
which special trade or profession is    
most profitable1 but which particular   
line he is most interested in and best  
fitted for4 ,what matters it to a man   
that fortunes are made in the law if he 
has absolutely no taste or ability for  
that profession8 ,of what value is it to
 a young man who loves mechanical       
engineering to know that there are      
doctors who earn large incomes8 ,what   
difference do the productive            

possibilities of any line of work make  
to us if we are not by nature fitted for
 that work8  ,when a young man is always
 thinking of the salary he is receiving1
 or the salary he ought to get1 he gives
 pretty good proof that he is not of a  
very superior make4 ,the right sort of a
 young fellow doesn't ever-lastingly    
concern himself about salary4 ,ability  
commands income4 ,but a young man must  
start with ability1 not with salary4    
,that takes care of itself4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,now1 a  
substantial business success means      
several things4 ,it calls1 in the first 
place1 for concentration4 ,there is no  
truth more potent than that which tells 
us we cannot serve ,god and ,mammon4    
,nor can any young man successfully     
serve two business interests1 no matter 
how closely allied2 in fact1 the more   
closely the interests the more dangerous
 are they4 ,the human mind is capable of
 just so much clear thought1 and        
generally it does not extend beyond the 

requirements of one position in these   
days of keen competition4 ,if there     
exists a secret of success1 it lies1    
perhaps1 in concentration more than in  
any other single element4 ,during       
business hours a man should be in       
business4 ,his thoughts should be on    
nothing else4 ,diversions of thought are
 killing to the best endeavors4 ,the    
successful mastery of business questions
 calls for a personal interest1 a       
forgetfulness of self1 that can only    
come from the closest application and   
the most absolute concentration4 ,i go  
so far in my belief of concentration to 
business interests in business hours as 
to argue that a young man's personal    
letters should not be sent to his office
 address1 nor should he receive his     
social friends at his desk4 ,business   
hours are none too long in the great    
majority of our offices1 and1 with a    
rest of one hour for luncheon1 no one   
has a right to lop off fifteen minutes  
here to read an irrelevant personal     

letter1 or fifteen minutes there to talk
 with a friend whose conversation       
distracts the mind from the problems    
before it4 ,a young man cannot draw the 
line between his business life and his  
social life too closely4 ,it is all too 
true of thousands of young men that they
 are better conversant during the       
base-ball season with the batting       
average of some star player1 or the     
number of men put out at second by some 
other player1 than they are with the    
details of their business4  ,digression 
is just as dangerous as stagnation in   
the career of a young man in business4  
,there is absolutely no position worth  
the having in business life to-day to   
which a care of other interests can be  
added4 ,let a man attempt to serve the  
interests of one master1 and if he      
serves him well he has his hands and his
 head full4 ,there is a class of        
ambitious young men who have what they  
choose to call an anchor to the windward
 in their business4 ,that is1 they      

maintain something outside of their     
regular position4 ,they do this from    
necessity1 they claim4 ,one position    
does not offer sufficient scope for     
their powers or talents2 does not bring 
them sufficient income1 and they are    
forced1 they explain1 to take on        
something in addition4 ,i have known    
such young men4 ,but1 so far as ,i have 
been able to discern1 the trouble does  
not lie so much with the position they  
occupy as with themselves4 ,when a man  
turns away from the position he holds to
 outside affairs1 he turns just so far  
away from the surest path of success4   
,to do one thing perfectly is better    
than to do two things only fairly well4 
,it was told me once1 of one of our best
 known actors1 that outside of his stage
 knowledge he knew absolutely nothing4  
,but he acted well1--so well that he    
stands at the head of his profession1   
and has an income of five figures       
several times over4 ,all around geniuses
 are rare--so rare that we can hardly   

find them4 ,to know one thing absolutely
 means material success and commercial  
and mental superiority4 ,i dare say that
 if some of our young men understood    
more fully than they do the needs of the
 positions they occupy1 the necessity   
for outside work would not exist4       
,stagnation in a young man's career is  
but a synonym for starvation1 since     
there is no such thing as standing still
 in the business world4 ,we go either   
backward or forward2 we never stand     
still4 ,when a young man fails to keep  
abreast of the possibilities of his     
position he recedes constantly1 though  
perhaps unconsciously4 ,the young man   
who progresses is he who enters into the
 spirit of the business of his employer1
 and who points out new methods to him1 
advances new ideas1 suggests new        
channels and outputs4 ,there is no more 
direct road to the confidence of an     
employer than for him to see that any   
one of his clerks has an eye eager for  
the possibilities of business4 ,that    

young man commands the attention of his 
chief at once1 and when a vacancy occurs
 he is apt to step into it1 if1 indeed1 
he does not forge over the shoulders of 
others4 ,young men who think clearly1   
can conceive good ideas and carry them  
out1 are not so plentiful that even a   
single one will be lost sight of4 ,it is
 no special art1 and it reflects but    
little credit upon any man simply to    
fill a position4 ,that is expected of   
him2 he is engaged to do that1 and it is
 only a fair return for a certain       
payment made4 ,the art lies in doing    
more than was bargained for2 in proving 
greater than was expected2 in making    
more of a position than has ever been   
made before4 ,a quick conception is     
needed here1 the ability to view a broad
 horizon2 for it is the liberal-minded  
man1 not the man of narrow limitations1 
who makes the success of to-day4 ,a     
young man showing such qualities to an  
employer does not remain in one position
 long4         99       99       99     

99       99  ,two traps in which young  
men in business often fall are a        
disregard for small things1 and an      
absolute fear of making mistakes4 ,one  
of the surest keys to success lies in   
thoroughness4 ,no matter how great may  
be the enterprise undertaken a regard   
for the small things is necessary4 ,just
 as the little courtesies of every-day  
life make life the worth living1 so the 
little details form the bone and sinew  
of a great success4 ,a thing half or    
three-quarters done is worse than not   
done at all4 ,let a man be careful of   
the small things in business1 and he can
 generally be relied upon for the       
greater ones4 ,the man who can overcome 
small worries is greater than the man   
who can override great obstacles4 ,when 
a young man becomes so ambitious for    
large success that he overlooks the     
small things1 he is pretty apt to       
encounter failure4 ,there is nothing in 
business so infinitesimal that we can   
afford to do it in a slipshod fashion4  

,it is no art to answer twenty letters  
in a morning when they are1 in reality1 
only half answered4 ,when we commend    
brevity in business letters1 we do not  
mean brusqueness4 ,nothing stamps the   
character of a house so clearly as the  
letters it sends out4  ,the fear of     
making mistakes keeps many a young man  
down4 ,of course1 errors in business are
 costly1 and it is better not to make   
them4 ,but1 at the same time1 ,i would  
not give a snap of the fingers for a    
young man who has never made mistakes4  
,but there are mistakes and mistakes2   
some easy to be excused2 others not to  
be overlooked in the case of any        
employee4 ,a mistake of judgment is     
possible with us all2 the best of us are
 not above a wrong decision4 ,and a     
young man who holds back for fear of    
making mistakes loses the first point of
 success4  ,a young man in business     
nowadays1 with an ambition to be        
successful1 must also be careful of his 
social life4 ,it is not enough that he  

should take care of himself during the  
day4 ,to social dissipations at night   
can be traced the downfall of hundreds  
upon hundreds of young men4 ,the idea   
that an employer has no control over a  
young man's time away from the office is
 a dangerous fallacy4 ,an employer has  
every right to ask that those into whose
 hands he entrusts responsibilities     
shall follow social habits which will   
not endanger his interests upon the     
morrow4 ,so far as social life is       
concerned1 young men generally run to   
both extremes4 ,either they do not go   
out at all1 which is stagnating1 or they
 go out too much1 which is deadly4 ,only
 here and there is found one who knows  
the happy medium4 ,a certain amount of  
social diversion is essential to        
everybody1 boy1 man1 girl1 or woman4    
,and particularly so to a young man with
 a career to make4 ,to come into contact
 with the social side of people is      
broadening2 it is educative4 ,to know   
people1 says a writer1 you must see them

 at play4 ,social life can be made a    
study at the same time that it is made a
 pleasure4 ,to know the wants of people1
 to learn their softer side1 you must   
come into contact with their social     
natures4 ,no young man can afford to    
deny himself certain pleasures1 or a    
reasonable amount of contact with people
 in the outer world4 ,it is to his      
advantage that people should know he    
exists1--what his aims and aspirations  
are4 ,his evening occupations should be 
as widely different as possible from    
those which occupy his thoughts in the  
daytime4 ,the mind needs a change of    
thought as well as the body needs a     
change of raiment4 ,the familiar maxim1 
,all work and no play makes ,jack a dull
 boy1 contains a vast amount of truth4  
,at the same time1 nothing is more      
injurious to the chances of a young man 
in business than an overindulgence in   
the pleasures of what1 for the want of a
 better word1 we call society4 ,it is a 
rough but a true saying that a man      

cannot drink whisky and be in business4 
,perhaps a softer interpretation of the 
idea would be this3 that a man cannot be
 in society and be in business4 ,this is
 impossible1 and nothing that a young   
man can bear in mind will stand him to  
such good account as this fact4 ,no mind
 can be fresh in the morning that has   
been kept at a tension the night before 
by late hours1 or befogged by indulgence
 in late suppers4 ,we need more sleep at
 twenty-five than we do at fifty1 and   
the young man who grants himself less   
than eight hours' sleep every night just
 robs himself of so much vitality4 ,the 
loss may not be felt or noticed at      
present1 but the process of sleeping is 
only ,nature's banking system of        
principal and interest4 ,a mind capable 
of the fulfilment of its highest duties 
should be not only receptive to ideas1  
but quick to comprehend a point4 ,with a
 fresh mind and a clear brain1 a young  
man has two of the greatest levers of   
success4 ,these cannot be retained under

 social indulgences4 ,the dissipation of
 a night has its invariable influence   
upon the work of the morrow4 ,i do not  
preach total abstinence from any habits 
to which human nature is prone4 ,every  
man ought to know what is good for him  
and what is injurious to his best       
interests4 ,an excess of anything is    
injurious1 and a young man on the       
threshold of a business career cannot   
afford to go to the extreme in any      
direction4 ,he should husband his       
resources1 for he will need them all4   
,for no success is easily made nowadays4
 ,appearances are tremendously deceptive
 in this respect4 ,we see men making    
what we choose to regard and call quick 
success1 because at a comparatively     
early age they acquire position or      
means4 ,but one needs only to study the 
conditions of the business life of      
to-day to see how impossible it is to   
achieve any success except by the very  
hardest work4 ,no young man need        
approach a business career with the idea

 that success is easy4 ,the histories of
 successful men tell us all too clearly 
the lessons of patience and the efforts 
of years4 ,some men compass a successful
 career in less time than others4 ,and  
if the methods employed are necessarily 
different1 the requirements are         
precisely the same4 ,it is a story of   
hard work in every case1 of close       
application and of a patient mastery of 
the problem in hand4 ,advantages of     
education will come in at times and push
 one man ahead of another4 ,but a       
practical business knowledge is apt to  
be a greater possession4         99     
99       99       99       99  ,i know  
there are thousands of young men who    
feel themselves incompetent for a       
business career because of a lack of    
early education4 ,and here might come   
in--if ,i chose to discuss the subject1 
which ,i do not--the oft-mooted question
 of the exact value of a college        
education to the young man in business4 
,but ,i will say this3 a young man need 

not feel that the lack of a college     
education will stand in any respect     
whatever in the way of his success in   
the business world4 ,no college on earth
 ever made a business man4 ,the         
knowledge acquired in college has fitted
 thousands of men for professional      
success1 but it has also unfitted other 
thousands for a practical business      
career4 ,a college training is never    
wasted1 although ,i have seen again and 
again five-thousand-dollar educations   
spent on five-hundred-dollar men4 ,where
 a young man can bring a college        
education to the requirements of a      
practical business knowledge1 it is an  
advantage4 ,but before our ,american    
colleges become an absolute factor in   
the business capacities of men their    
methods of study and learning will have 
to be radically changed4 ,i have had    
associated with me both kinds of young  
men1 collegiate and non-collegiate1 and 
,i must say that those who had a better 
knowledge of the practical part of life 

have been those who never saw the inside
 of a college and whose feet never      
stepped upon a campus4 ,college-bred    
men1 and men who never had college      
advantages1 have succeeded in about     
equal ratios4 ,the men occupying the    
most important commercial positions in  
,new ,york to-day are self-made1 whose  
only education has come to them from    
contact with that greatest college of   
all1 the business world4 ,far be it from
 me to depreciate the value of a college
 education4 ,i believe in its advantages
 too firmly4 ,but no young man need feel
 hampered because of the lack of it4 ,if
 business qualities are in him they will
 come to the surface4 ,it is not the    
college education2 it is the young man4 
,without its possession as great and    
honorable successes have been made as   
with it4 ,men are not accepted in the   
business world upon their collegiate    
diplomas1 nor on the knowledge these    
imply4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,there are a great many    

young men in business to-day who grow   
impatient4 ,they are in a position for a
 certain time2 they are satisfactory to 
their employers1 and then1 because they 
are not promoted1 they grow restless4   
,these young men generally overlook a   
point or two4 ,in the first place1 they 
overlook the very important point that  
between the years of twenty and         
twenty-five a young man acquires rather 
than achieves4 ,it is the learning      
period of life1 the experience-gaining  
time4 ,knowledge that is worth anything 
does not come to us until we are past   
twenty-five4 ,the mind1 before that age1
 is incapable of forming wise judgment4 
,the great art of accurate decision in  
business matters is not acquired in a   
few weeks of commercial life4 ,it is the
 result of years4 ,it is not only the   
power within him1 but also the          
experience behind him1 that makes a     
successful business man4 ,the commercial
 world is only a greater school than the
 one of slates and slate-pencils4 ,no   

boy1 after attending school for five    
years1 would consider himself competent 
to teach4 ,and surely five years of     
commercial apprenticeship will not fit a
 young man to assume a position of      
trust1 nor give him the capacity to     
decide upon important business matters4 
,in the first five years1 yes1 the first
 ten years1 of a young man's business   
life1 he is only in the primary         
department of the great commercial      
world4 ,it is for him1 then1 to study   
methods1 to observe other men--in short1
 to learn and not to hope to achieve4   
,that will come later4 ,business1 simple
 as it may look to the young man1 is1   
nevertheless1 a very intricate affair1  
and it is only by years of closest study
 that we master an understanding of it4 
,the electric atmosphere of the         
,american business world is all too apt 
to make our young men impatient4 ,they  
want to fly before they can even walk   
well4 ,ambition is a splendid thing in  
any young man4 ,but he must not forget  

that1 like fire and water1 it makes a   
good servant but a poor master4 ,getting
 along too fast is just as injurious as 
getting along too slow4 ,a young man    
between twenty and twenty-five must be  
patient4 ,i know patience is a difficult
 thing to cultivate1 but it is among the
 first lessons we must learn in         
business4 ,a good stock of patience1    
acquired in early life1 will stand a man
 in good stead in later years4 ,it is a 
handy thing to have and draw upon1 and  
makes a splendid safety-valve4 ,because 
a young man1 as he approaches           
twenty-five1 begins to see things more  
plainly than he did five years before1  
he must not get the idea that he is a   
business man yet1 and entitled to a     
man's salary4 ,if business questions1   
which he did not understand five years  
before1 now begin to look clearer to    
him1 it is because he is passing through
 the transitory state that separates the
 immature judgment of the young man from
 the ripening penetration of the man4   

,he is simply beginning4 ,afterward he  
will grow1 and his salary will grow as  
he grows4 ,but ,rome wasn't built in a  
day1 and a business man isn't made in a 
night4 ,as experience comes1 the        
judgment will become mature1 and by the 
time the young man reaches thirty he    
will begin to realize that he didn't    
know as much at twenty-five as he       
thought he did4 ,when he is ready to    
learn from others he will begin to grow 
wise4 ,and when he reaches that state   
where he is willing to concede that he  
hasn't a corner on knowledge in this    
world1 he will be stepping out of the   
chrysalis of youth4         99       99 
99       99       99  ,there is another 
point upon which young men are often in 
doubt1 and that is1 just how far it pays
 to be honest in business4 ,does it     
really pay to be honest in business8    
they ask1 and they are sincere and in   
earnest in the question4  ,now1 the     
simple fact of the matter is that a     
business success is absolutely          

impossible upon any other basis than one
 of the strictest honesty4  ,the great  
trouble with young men1 nowadays1 is    
that their ideas are altogether too much
 influenced by a few unfortunate        
examples of apparent success which are  
prominent--too prominent1 alas6--in     
,american life to-day4 ,these successful
 men--for the most part identified in   
some way with politics--are talked about
 incessantly2 interviewed by reporters2 
buy lavish diamonds for their wives1 and
 build costly houses1--all of which is  
duly reported in the newspapers4 ,young 
men read these things and ask           
themselves1 ,if he can do it1 why not   
,i8 ,then they begin to look around for 
some short cut to success1 as one young 
fellow expressed it to me not long ago4 
,it is owing to this practice of cutting
 across lots in business that scores of 
young men find themselves1 after awhile 
in tight places4 ,and the man who has   
once had about him an unsavory taint in 
his business methods rarely1 very       

rarely1 rids himself of that atmosphere 
in the eyes of his acquaintances4 ,how  
often we see some young man in business1
 representative of the very qualities   
that should win success4 ,every one     
agrees that he is brilliant4 ,he is     
clever1 is the general verdict4 ,his    
manner impresses one pleasantly1 he is  
thoroughly businesslike1 is energetic1  
and yet1 somehow1 he never seems to     
stick to one place4 ,people wonder at   
it1 and excuse it on the ground that he 
hasn't found the right place4 ,but some 
day the secret is explained4 ,yes1 he is
 clever1 says some old business man1 but
 do you know he isn't--well1 he isn't   
quite safe6 ,quite safe6 ,how much that 
expresses2 how clearly that defines     
hundreds and hundreds of the smartest   
young men in business to-day4 ,he is    
everything else--but he isn't quite     
safe6 ,he is not dishonest in any way1  
but he is1 what is equally as bad1 not  
quite reliable4 ,to attain success he   
has1 in other words1 tried to cut across

 lots4 ,and rainbow-chasing is really a 
very commendable business in comparison 
to a young man's search for the royal   
road to success4 ,no success worth      
attaining is easy2 the greater the      
obstacles to overcome1 the surer is the 
success when attained4 ,royal roads are 
poor highways to travel in any pursuit1 
and especially in a business calling4   
,it is strange how reluctant young men  
are to accept1 as the most vital truth  
in life1 that the most absolute honesty 
is the only kind of honesty that        
succeeds in business4 ,it isn't a       
question of religion or religious       
beliefs4 ,honesty does not depend upon  
any religious creed or dogma that was   
ever conceived4 ,it is a question of a  
young man's own conscience4 ,he knows   
what is right and what is wrong4 ,and   
yet1 simple as the matter is1 it is     
astonishing how difficult it is of      
understanding4 ,an honest course in     
business seems too slow to the average  
young man4 ,i can't afford to plod      

along4 ,i must strike and strike        
quickly1 is the sentiment4 ,ah1 yes1 my 
friend1 but not dishonestly4 ,no young  
man can afford even to think of         
dishonesty4 ,success on honorable lines 
may sometimes seem slower in coming1 but
 when it does come it outrivals in      
permanency all the so-called successes  
gained by other methods4 ,to look at the
 methods of others is always a mistake4 
,the successes of to-day are not given  
to the imitator1 but to the originator4 
,it makes no difference how other men   
may succeed--their success is theirs and
 not yours4 ,you cannot partake of it4  
,every man is a law unto himself4 ,the  
most absolute integrity is the one and  
the only sure foundation of success4    
,such a success is lasting4 ,other kinds
 of success may seem so1 but it is all  
in the seeming1 and not in the reality4 
,let a young man swerve from the path of
 honesty1 and it will surprise him how  
quickly every avenue of permanent       
success is closed against him4 ,it is   

the young man of unquestioned integrity 
who is selected for the important       
position4 ,no business man ever places  
his affairs in the hands of a young man 
whom he feels he cannot unhesitatingly  
trust4 ,and to be trusted means to be   
honest4 ,honesty1 and that alone1       
commands confidence4 ,an honest life1   
well directed1 is the only life for a   
young man to lead4 ,it is the one life  
that is compatible with the largest and 
surest business success4         99     
99       99       99       99  ,and so  
it is easy enough for any young man to  
succeed1 provided he is willing to bear 
in mind a few very essential truths4    
,and they are3  ,above all things he    
should convince himself that he is in a 
congenial business4 ,whether it be a    
trade or a profession1--both are        
honorable and profitable1--let him      
satisfy himself1 above everything else1 
that it enlists his personal interest4  
,if a man shows that he has his work at 
heart his success can be relied on4     

,personal interest in any work will     
bring other things2 but all the other   
essentials combined cannot create       
personal interest4 ,that must exist     
first2 then two-thirds of the battle is 
won4 ,fully satisfied that he is in the 
particular line of business in which he 
feels a stronger1 warmer interest than  
in any other1 then he should remember3  
,first--,that1 whatever else he may     
strive to be1 he must be absolutely     
honest4 ,from honorable principles he   
never should swerve4 ,there can be no   
half-way compromise4  ,second--,he must 
be alert1 alive to every opportunity4   
,he cannot afford to lose a single      
point1 for that single point may prove  
to be the very link that would make     
complete the whole chain of a business  
success4  ,third--,he must ever be      
willing to learn1 never overlooking the 
fact that others have long ago forgotten
 what he has still to learn4 ,firmness  
of decision is an admirable trait in    
business4 ,the young man whose opinions 

can be tossed from one side to the other
 is poor material4 ,but youth is full of
 errors1 and caution is a strong trait4 
,fourth--,if he be wise he will entirely
 avoid the use of liquors4 ,if the      
question of harm done by intoxicating   
liquor is an open one1 the question of  
the actual good derived from it is not4 
,fifth--,let him remember that a young  
man's strongest recommendation is his   
respectability4 ,some young men1        
apparently successful1 may be flashy in 
dress1 loud in manner1 disrespectful to 
women and irreverent toward sacred      
things4 ,but the young man who is       
respectable always wears best4 ,the way 
a young man carries himself in his      
private life ofttimes means much to him 
in his business career4 ,no matter where
 he is1 or in whose company1            
respectability1 and all that it implies1
 will always command respect4         99
       99       99       99       99    
,if any young man wishes a set of rules 
even more concise1 here it is3  ,get    

into a business you like4  ,devote      
yourself to it4  ,be honest in          
everything4  ,be cautious4 ,think       
carefully about a thing before you act4 
,sleep eight hours every night4  ,do    
everything that means keeping in good   
health4  ,don't worry4 ,worry kills more
 men than work does4  ,avoid liquors of 
all kinds4  ,if you must smoke1 smoke   
moderately4  ,shun discussion on two    
points1--religion and politics4  ,marry 
a good woman1 and have your own home4