t *
'Cbe Conservative. 5
was bad , was the rnlo , and acccptnnco
of service iu the operating department
of a railroad was regarded as a pretty
definite stop on the downward road.
Today , the Young Men's Christian
Association with its commodious , quiet
reading-rooms , well-kept bath-rooms
and comfortable sleeping-rooms , has
taken the place of the saloon , and fre
quently the train and engine men from
various divisions gather iu union religi
ous meetings at the headquarters of this
association.
A candidate for the presidency , dur
ing the last campaign , propounded the
scriptural interrogatory , "Is it well
with the young man ? " and in reply ,
drew a very dark picture of the future
of the youth of our country unless ho
( the candidate ) should bo elected.
No person who knows anything of
the past or of the present , can agree
with his reply to his own question ; had
he commenced as a laborer on a section
thirty-two years ago , as did the writer ,
and kept in touch with labor and labor
ing men through all these years , ho
must , with a heart full of gratitude ,
acknowledge that it is "well with the
young man" bettor than it has jeeu in
all the years of the past , and instead of
preaching the heresy of discontent and
discouragement , bid the young man
turn his face cheerfully and hopefully
to catch and welcome the rising sun of
the new century , so full of promise for
the youth of this great uatiou.
Cleveland , O. , Juno 14 , 1901.
ROBERT C. CLOWRY.
V ice-President of the Western Union Tele
graph Company.
I have received your letter asking
for my views in reference to the young
man's chances of success in commercial
life and do not hesitate to say , that , in
my opinion , the chances of success iu
commercial business , for the right sort
of young men , have never been so good
as at the present time ; provided that
the young men are well educated , hon
est , industrious and faithful , and not
handicapped by mental or physical de
fects , or by * a full iiniversity course of
education , and enter business early in
life so that they may be molded to their
work , and in line for promotion when
opportunities present themselves. * .
To be successful , the young mtur
should be not only iudustriou y
faithful but always willing aiKJJ
ious to perform more service than is
allotted to him ; to guard and watch his
' interests at all times
employer's , regard
less of stipulated hours whether the
employer is the United States Govern
ment , a large corporation , a firm , or an
individual , and the service should be
performed not only intelligently , but
modestly and unostentatiously , so as not
* I think that a full university' course has a
tendency to unlit young men for the rougli
Htruggles , incident to the Bmall beginnings of
u commercial business career.
to excite the ill-will of other employees.
Ho should , if possible , acquire the habit
of performing extra work for his em
ployer , visiting his place of occupation
at night or on Sunday if consistent
with his religious convictions. He
should take a largo view of the whole
business of his employer , and become
familiar with the details of the different
departments. Ho should be a constant
student and reader , when not at work ,
giving special attention to biography ,
travels , history and geography. . He
should know what grout and success
ful men have really accomplished , rath
er than what some imaginative novelist
would have them do. H ould
such works as the joimials Xvis and
Clark on their expedition across the
continent to the Pacific coast of the
United States , in ISOtf , and when dis
couraged or disheartened , remember the
sufferings and vicissitudes encountered
by them. Ho should read "John Hali
fax , Gentleman , " and not only never
KOBE11T C. OLOWHY.
forget to be a gentleman , without being
prudish , but endeavor to associate with
gentlemen and ladies in social life , and
cultivate the acquaintance of persons
of more experience and culture than
himself.
It is a great mistake for a young man
to think that his efforts to be efficient
and to perform more work than is set
aparfc'for Jym will not be noticed by his
employers or sujferjor officers. The ap
preciation of such service may seem
lardy,1 butms almost sure to come , and
then it wilToihy-b a. qitestton of time
when his services will become indis
pensable , and his success certain.
Chicago , July 10 , 1901.
ALBERT WATKINS.
Journalist.
The amount of capital , enterprise and
skilled human effort engaged in the pub
lication of newspapers and other period
ical literature is not only absolutely
enormous but it is rapidly increasing.
The demand for efficient workers in this
vast industry has also been rapidly in
creasing , both absolutely and relatively
to the supply. To put it another way ,
the yoimg man who is reasonably well
fitted for the kind of work iu question is
pretty sure to bo able to find employ
ment , and for at least a fair compensa
tion. If his equipment is unusual , his
opportunity is sure and the reward liberal -
oral ; if it is extraordinary , rich prizes
are within his reabnX It follows that in
general tho. opportunity for young men
in the- general field of journalism and
magazine work is very good , and much
better at the present time than ever be
fore.
Furthermore , the remarkable outer-
prise which has lately characterized
the publication of periodical litera
ture quickly discovers and seizes upon
any unusual aptitude or talent pos
sessed by workers in this field.
Competition is so keen that employers
cannot afford to favor incompotency ,
and to quite a remarkable degree , I
think , the worker is rewarded "accord
ing to his works. " I make these state
ments mindful of the fact that competi
tion among such workers is very strong ,
that their work is very arduous , and
that , duly considering their ability and
intelligence , they are relatively some
what underpaid , But I think that the
advantages incident to this kind of work
tend to offset the disadvantages in ques
tion. As for the misrepresentation and
dishonesty , and the production of a pro
digious amount of trash in which the
worker in the field of journalism must
participate , a like objection lies against
other occupations.
In speaking thus of the opportunities
for young men in journalism I am not
unmindful of the disadvantages and
hardships which are incident to the
enormous capitalization and the ma
chine-like character of the vast news
paper and other publishing establish
ments. We nuist hope that in the
process of development and adjustment
to comparatively new conditions real and
serious evils will be eliminated , and
that others , which now seem real , will
bo found to be only apparent. A very
important advantage to young men en
tering this field of industry , and which
has resulted from the prodigality of the
production of the great publishing es
tablishments , and their finely developed
organization and systematic operation ,
is the great demand for good work and
the even chance for its recognition and
d\ie reward. . In other words the day of
the "self-made" man , who more often
than otherwise , is a fellow who by sheer
luck or through the force of some single
abnormal quality , has boon able to pre
empt some important property or place ,
has given way to the day of the all-round ,
well-equipped man. Those larger estab-
