A remark made by an acquaintance in the street car showed such
familiarity with the work and trials of the busy conductor that inquiry
followed.
"Yes, I was a conductor once," the man said, "but I had my eye on
something else. At night I took a business course, and soon was able to
take a position with a railroad company."
"That was fine!" was the answering comment. "How you must have enjoyed
resting on your oars as you reaped the fruits of extra toil."
"Enjoyment--yes! But rest--no!" came the reply. "I wasn't done. I still
had my evenings, and I kept on studying. The things I learned in these
extra hours came in handy when the Superintendent asked me to become his
secretary."
Service in the railroad office was interrupted by enlistment in the
army, although the worker was well beyond the age of the draft. "How
could I think of anything but service at the front?" he said, with a
matter-of-fact accent. While in the service the habit of study in spare
hours persisted; becoming familiar with the military manual he attracted
the attention of his officers, and was marked for added responsibility.
At the close of the war he resumed his work for the railroad and entered
a technical school which provides night courses for the ambitious.
Forty years of age, and still learning!
An employer has written of an employee who, ten years ago, was securing
fifteen dollars per week. But he was studying, and he soon attracted the
attention of the head of the business, who called him "a rough diamond."
He knew that the ambitious man seemed to lack some of the vital
elements of success. But he watched him as he took evening courses in
business psychology and salesmanship. "This man is paid by me to-day
from $12,500 to $15,000 a year," was the gratifying conclusion of the
employer's story.
A great executive recently told in a magazine article of a young man in
the office of his employment director who attracted attention because of
an exceptionally pleasing personal appearance. Before the director saw
him the executive asked him what he was studying. "When I left school,"
was the reply, made with something of a sneer, "I promised myself I
would never open a book again as long as I lived, and I'm keeping my
promise."
The executive was about to leave the office for a two weeks' vacation.
First, however, he wrote a few words about the applicant, placed them in
a sealed envelope, and left this with the employment director, to be
kept for him. On his return he asked about the applicant, by name. The
answer came, with prompt disgust:
"That fellow was the limit! Fired him two days after he was hired. Dead
from the neck up!"
Then the sealed letter was produced and the message enclosed was read:
"You will hire A---- H---- on his looks. Within two weeks you will fire
him. He's dead from his neck."
A writer in _Association Men_ has made a comparison between two men, and
the way they spent their leisure:
"Here is my friend Chris Hall--that is not his real name, but I assure
you he is a real person. I like Chris, and so does everybody who knows
him. He is honest and kind and clean, but in spite of these splendid
characteristics he never makes progress. Five years ago he was promoted
to his present position, and he draws as salary just about what he did
then. And there is no prospect that he will ever draw much more. Yet he
could make himself worth four times as much in a very short while--$200
a week instead of $50--if he would only fit himself for the job ahead.
But he lives entirely in the present. Perhaps the best way to describe
him is to give his diary for a week, a record of how he spent his time
when not actually working. And, please notice that everything he did was
perfectly legitimate and honorable; but also notice, that everything was
for immediate personal pleasure:
_Monday_--Rainy evening; went to bed early after
playing a while with the kids.
_Tuesday_--Strolled over to see Mollie's brother,
who is just back from France; he looks well but
would not talk much about the fighting; advised
him not to hurry about getting a job, as he
deserved a good long spell of rest after the hard
campaign.
_Wednesday_--Left office early; first big league
game this year; went around to the club and talked
it all over with the boys after supper.
_Thursday_--Office closed all day on account of
parade of returning troops; took Mollie and
children to see it; awfully tired and went to bed
early.
_Friday_--Sold my two Liberty Bonds which I had
bought on installments; Mollie needed summer
dresses and there were several small debts I had
to pay; took Mollie to the movies after supper.
_Saturday_ (afternoon)--Whole family went to
Seaside Park by steamer--children enjoyed it for a
while but soon got tired and fretful; what with
the heat and the crowds and the late hour of
getting home it really didn't pay.
_Sunday_--In bed till nearly noon; read the
papers; changed the soil in Mollie's potted
plants; afternoon, Tom and his wife and Charlie
Nichols and his best girl came over and all stayed
to supper; strolled over to Mother's and found
everyone there.
"Over against that let me put a few lines from the diary of Elihu
Burritt:
_Monday_--Headache; 40 lines Cuvier's 'Theory of
the Earth'; 64 pages French; 11 hours forging.
_Tuesday_--60 lines Hebrew; 30 pages French; 10
pages Cuvier; 8 lines Syriac; 10 lines Danish; 10
lines Bohemian; 9 lines Polish; 15 names of
stars; 10 hours forging.
_Wednesday_--25 lines Hebrew; 8 lines Syriac; 11
hours forging.
"Who was Elihu Burritt? He was a New England blacksmith who worked on an
average 10 hours a day at his forge; but who studied in his spare
moments until he became known and honored all over the world as 'the
learned blacksmith.' He became great--not by forging--but by the way he
used his afterwork hours."