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THE FUTURE CITIZEN RAGE I r" I I l %%%%%%\%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%? <• S CLIMBING TO THE TOP BV FRANK FARRINGTON f 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'>