Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 August 1883 — Starting in Life. [ARTICLE]

Starting in Life.

Some time ago Rev. W. F. Grafts sent a circular letter to a large number of successful men in various callings in life, requesting; them to answer the following questions: 1. Was your boyhood up to 14 years of age spent in the country, in a village, or in a city? 2. In either case were you accustomed to engage in any regular work when out of school, either in the way of sell help or for *your parents ? 3. At what age did you fie gin business life or undertake self support? 4. Did you use tobacco previous to the age of 16? 5. What maxims or watch-words, it any, have had a strong influence upon your life and helped you to success? 6. What do you consider essential elements of success for a young man entering such a business or profession as yours? 7. What, in your, observation, have been the chief causes of the numerous failures in the life of professional and commercial men? The replies to the first question in Mr. Crafts’ circular show that while 47 per cent, of our population of working aie live in the country districts, they furnish 57 per cent, of our successful men, While the cities, with 20 per cent, of the population, furnish but 17 per cent. A very large majority of America’s living famous men were farmers' boys, among them being Senator Edmunds, Senator Logan, Alexander H. Stephens, John Jacob As tor, Elihu Bnrritt, Joseph Cook, Joseph Medill and Mark Hopkins. In the majority of instances the writers, when boys, had worked, with more or less regularity, and many of them began to make their own living when scarcely in their teens. Four-fifths of them did not use tobacco before they were 16 years old, and those who did, with but three exceptions, mention the fact with regret. The maxims which were watchwords to these men were of great variety, a few being, “Business before pleasure,” “Work, economise, persevere,” “Never give up one job till you get another,” “Never fail to keep a promise,” “Always pay a hundred cents on the dollar, ” “Paddle your own canoe,” “Buy nothing unnecessary, however cheap,” “Save a portion of every dollar earned,” “Be honest, whether the ducats come or go,” “Eternal vigilanoe is the price of success,” “Make your employers’ interests your own,” “Have a debt, on your hotfSe as an incentive to saving.” Henry Ward Beecher said: “If a young man will only get in debt for some land and then get married, these two things will get him straight or nothing will.” Essential elements to success, in the writers’ opinions, were diligence, energy, good management, uprightness, determination to succeed, adaptation, conscientiousness, sobriety, unflinching integrity, fidelity to God and the right, faithfulness, promptness, unceasing labor, ‘etc. The many failures were mainly attributed to intemperance, extravagance, lack of enterprise and ability,' dishonest practices, living beyond one’s means, want of sticktoativeness, trusting too much to others, idleness* the notion of making a fortune in. a short time, licentiousness, bad habits, laziness, etc. Cincinnati Times.