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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.