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THE FUTURE CITIZEN
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CLIMBING TO THE TOP
BV FRANK FARRINGTON
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If a boy has no desire or inclina
tion to reach the top, there is no
need for him to know ..anything a-
bout how to climb there He will
never do any climbing himself.
Much his been said about the
advantage o f being contented
Contentment is a good thing; but
it is likely to become too much of a
good thing if a boy makes it his
hobby. Contentment may keep a
boy down by making him satisfied
with his present condition in life.
You can never find a perfectly con
tented and ambitious boy in the
same pair of shoes. •
If a bov is to climb to the top.
the first thing he needs is ambition.
He must want to get to the top.
and he must not.stop with wanting ;
he must make up his mind that he
will «e‘ there, that he is entitled to
a top and that he can fill it proper
lv. The boy who has determina
lion can do just about anything he
sets out to do.
A boy may have all kinds of a-
bility and yet fail to get the posi
tion he wants for lack of ambition
and determination, for lack of a
real desire to get it and a real de
termination that he will get it. A-
bility without something behind it
will not get a man to the top.
When a boy lacks confidence in
himself, he cannot convince others
of his ab'lity A lack of self-confi
dence is always contagious' and a
boy may better be conspicuous for
arrogance and conceit than incon
spicuous because of his modesty.
The bov with an abundance of self-
assurance has a valuable quality,
but when self assurance reaches the
bluffing point it has gone too far.
The first rule for the boy at the top
is to deliver the goods. He can
not make deliveries by means of a
bluff. A boy may secure a higher
position by bluffing, but there the
value of the bluff ends. Nowadays,
the boy at the top must be a boy of
action, a boy who does things even
though he does them wrong at
times. It is easier to excuse occa
sional mistakes than to excuse a
ch r onic lack of initiative. The em-
plo- er wants boys who are not a-
fraid. , when confronted by an un-
usu •’ and unexpected situation, to
decide for themselves what should
be l<>ne and do it instead of excus
ing themselves on the plea that
their instructions did not cover that
point. ^
Employes are unwise to take
matters into their own hands need
lessly, and there must be judgment
behind initiative if it is to be realty
valuable But self confidence and
the knowledge of when to act and
when to hold back mean much in
getting a boy to the top when he is
once on his way.
N iturally, some employers will
condemn a boy every time for a
failure when he has thought it wise
to use his own judgment, but there
are others who recognize the ability
behind the willingness to a-sume a
little independent responsibility.
He v. ho is rising with plenty of
place- open and waiting for him;
and he who is going down will find
plenty of holes waiting The boy
who doesn’t care is on the toboggan
or geting on. He will soon be
shooting toward the bottom, his
place to be filled by somebody on
the way up.
The National Cash Register
Comp my bids all its employes
“Think!” It impresses this’com
mand upon their minds whenever
possible. Most men, especially
young men, think entirety too little.
They work hard at what they are
told to do; but they think little a-
bout the reasons for what they are
doing, how ihey can do it belter
and how they can learn to do some
thing of higher value.
To the command “Think!” I
would add another almost as im
portant, “Study!” If a boy is to
get very near the top he must stud
y. and think about what he studies.
Nothing will do a boy more good or
develop in him important qualities
faster than studying the methods
used by others farther advanced
than himself.
You cannot drift up-stream. The
force of gravity is against a boy
sliding up toward the top. It takes
constant work to climb up and it
requires intelligent work instead of
a mere endeavor to lift one’s self
by one’s boot-straps. We must get
hold of something outside of our
selves to help us. If we do not
keep our eyes open for projecting
opportunities to grasp them when
they present themselves, we will be
likely to find them grasped by
somebody else first. It is prepara
tion that enables a boy to climb
when he sees something he wants
to reach. The boy who takes it
easy will not have the mental cr
the physical strength to climb when
the way is opened to him.
When you see a boy you think
has fallen into an easy job, you see
a boy who has climbed there, or
else the job is not what you think
it is. You may not have seen that
boy climbing and seen the stren
uous endeavors he made to get with
in reach of that excellent position.
Just because you did not see him
pass you does not indicate that he
did not go by.
Climbing to the top is not a joy
ride. It is not always easy or agree
able and it is seldom speedy ; but it
is certainty decidedly worth while,
and it gets you where you want to
go.—Glenwood Boy.
Try, although a small word
means perhaps more than any other
word in the dictionary. Try, do
your best, and when that is done,
you either rejoice in your success or
you find comfort and consolation
in the fact that you have been hon
est with yourself, true to your fel
low men and you feel that disap
pointment will not always be your
lot. An honest effort is worth
more than all the ill gotten fame or
riches.—Ex.
Can You Imagine A Time When Th. Future Citizen Will Be A Thine of The P«t?-We Can'>
