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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 15, 1901)
' & 'ff : "M , "Che Conservative , t WHAT ARE THE | I YOUNG MAN'S CHANCES ? | HERMANH. KOHLS A AT. Editor , The Chicago Record-Herald. / In ray opinion the field of opportunity for a youngman of energy and ambition in the newspaper business , was never so inviting as it is to-day. It is very certain , that it was never so large as it is at present , for the army of newspaper readers increases with the growth of GO c. : popular education and the popular de sire for knowledge of what is going on in the world. The army of readers is not only increasing with marvelous rapidity each year , but man's activities and enterprises are constantly multi or plied. This multiplication of activities in all departments of human endeavor , makes "news , " and the intensified human interest in these activities whets the public appetite for the "news. " To IIHKMAN H. KOHLSAAT. know what is "new ? " and to present it in attractive , readable form , with well- considered editorial comment , is the business of the newspaper man. It is easy to see that such a business , covering every day the wide range of human interest and endeavor , and cater ing to the over-increasing public appetite for knowledge and entertainment , must present a most fascinating Hold of em ployment for bright , ambitious young men , whether they purpose to enter it as a permanent vocation or as a train ing school for some other business or profession. As a sharpener of the wits and of " diamonds " a polisher "rough , nothing is comparable to a few years' training on the stall'of a daily news paper. It is well known that some of our most successful public men enjoyed the benefits of early traiu- ing in newspaper work , an experi ence which not only broadened their mental horizons , but gave them the ratiomd view-point that comes from wide contact with men of affairs. It is the common complaint that the profession of journalism is "over crowded. ' ' What profession or vocation is not overcrowded ? The colleges are grinding out thousand of doctors every year , and yet nothing is more obvious to observing men than the modern drift of humanity away from medicine. Physicians of the "old school" are giv ing less medicine than they ever did , while honieopathists never did give any medicine to speak of. There are now 122,1GO so-called "regular" physicians practicing medicine in the United States. This does not include the various groups of healers , who do not practice medicine and are not classified as physi cians. According to the last census there is a "regular" physician to every (522 ( inhabitants. In the city of Chicago there are 3,400 physicians , which allows a doctor for every 500 persons. It does not require any extended argument to convince an intelligent person , in this day of wide dissemination of knowledge concerning the laws of health and sanitation , that there is not enough real "sickness" among 500 people to give one physician a good year's income. The law colleges are also turning out lawyers by the thousand every year , not withstanding the fact that the present tendency > -of mankind is away from litigation. "More cases are now "set tled out of court , " than ever before in the history of jurisprudence. This does not mean big fees for lawyers. In Chicago there are very few lawyers who can earn a livelihood by confining them selves strictly to the practice of law. The argument of "overcrowding" therefore is not one that should dissuade a young man from entering the news paper business , if he feels that he has natural aptitude and taste for it. To say that the young man who has the greatest * est talent or natural aptitude for the work , will get. to the top , is to state a truism that applies to every other pro fession. In no other calling , however , do the chances seem to favor the young man who is endowed with a spe'cial talent , quite so much as in newspaper work. I can easily conceive of a man , whose cranium is packed with the erudi tion of several colleges and libraries , making a dismal failure of newspaper work. Chicago , July 1 , 1H01. M. E. INGALLS. President , Cleveland , Cincinnati , Chicago & St. Louis Railway Company. Answering your inquiry of Juno 20 , ae to "What are the Young Man's ' Chances , " I slunild'say ' that there waa not very much difference now in the opportunities for advancement from what they have been for the last century or more. As Daniel Webster once said , "There is always pleuty of room at the top , " and there always will be. If it is the ambition of a young man to become enormously rich , the chances are probably better today than ever , be cause with the increase of wealth and facilities of transportation and com munication there are more speculative conditions where success and good for tune may lead to wealth , although very few get the right path in this direction. If a young man desires to succeed po litically , there never was , in my judg ment , in the history of the Republic a bettor time than today. The great mass of the people are too busy with their own affairs to devote even the attention they ought to give to political conditions , and therefore a young man who will devote himself to the study of political economy , and give his time to it , has a very good chance to succeed. I should think that the proper ambi tion for a young man would be to suc- M. E. INGALLS. ceed in securing a fair competence for his support , obtaining the respect of his fellowmen and performing his duties as a citizen of one of the greatest and best governments on earth , properly and well. In that line , certainly he has his fair chance. There is a very great demand for workers in all grades and all classes. Attention and diligence and integrity are the requisites for success. Every young man should make up his mind , first , what line of business he wants to follow ; then he should endeav or to secure employment in that line , whether at the bottom or half-way up , the best he can. Then he should learn everything about the business and make himself so iiseful to his employer that ho cannot dispense with his services. A young man who does this has made his fortune and attained what ought to be considered success ; not meteoric , but steady , comfortable success , which brings happiness and health and con tentment. Cincinnati , June 25 , 1901.
