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ILLUSTRATED ODDS AND ENDS.
BUSINESS LIFE. j ■■ : ' ' 11*. ■■' *-' - "'"''. . '■'.; Taking chances is all'".: right. Only be t careful there is & clnince. Fortune breaks us of many faults which reason cannot. It is ever true that he who does nothing for 'others does nothing for himself. Make your money earn its capacity. That is what you are trying to do with yourself.- ■ ':'-'■ -I Wages , never made any man rich, but saving and good investment make a man , independent of wages. We should manage our fortune like our constitution; . enjoy it when good,; have patience when bad, and never apply violent remedies but in cases of necessity. > - Save at first, and you will have something to spend'after a while. Spend all now, and you will not be worth the saving after while. , -' The trouble with 99 per cent, of the business men is that they are trying-.to catch up with themselves. Make it a rule to declare dividends every month, or every week. Crumbs from the table of the patrons of ! Now is all that is left for the procrastinator. the hesitator, the ignorer, the ecorner of that ever-flying Now. Money is searching for work just as assiduously as is labour. In introducing the j m?n with the idle money to the man with j the idle opportunity, the former has just j as much to gain as the "latter. | A sovereign is a sovereign wherever you meet it. And, be it bright and shiny or dull and worn, it is worth just as much to you and the world. ' Some men, when they go hunting, expect to hit the game whether or not they aimt at it. They are the sort who invest in blue sky and then mournfully complain that they have been robbed." The shot hit : where the gun was pointed. If the investment was bad there were plain ways of finding it out. . I ' THINK THESE THINGS OVER. Strenuous individual application is the price paid for distinction. Excellence of any■ sort is placed beyond the reach of indolence. It is the diligent head and hand alone that maketh rich. ' ; An inheritance ! of * acres may be bequeathed, but an ; inheritance of knowledge' and wisdom cannot. Even when men are born ito wealth and 4 high ; social v position, any ; solid reputation which they may individually achieve can only be attained by 'energetic application. So far from poverty being a misfortune fit may, by vigorous self-help, be converted even "into a blessing. : ; Bacon says:' "Self-reliance and self-de-, nial will' teach a man to drink out <of his own cistern and eat his own sweet, bread, and to learn : and labour truly to get his living." ;' ; • . :;The spirit of self-help has in all times been a marked feature •in the;;;; English character, and furnishes the true measure of our power as a nation. ,' * Life/is "a soldier's battle." '. . Energetic individualism. ! produces the most powerful effects upon the life and :action of others, and really constitutes the best practical education. - j . High living, high thinking, and energetic action— are the thing? which make for success. ~ ; And so do these:- Self-help, patient purpose, ' resolute ■. working, and steadfast integrity. .: Difficulties are .the best helpers, evoking powers of labour and endurance. ; ■ " f Great men have belonged ;to no exclusive class nor rank in life. They have come from the hut as woll as the mansion. Some of God's greatest apostles have come from "the ranks." ■: , ■
ALWAYS BEGIN RIGHT. This" is the right tack to go on, young man. Rely on it, your conduct during the first few years of your life affects .your subsequent success. ; Not only do older people associated with you ■' in business form their opinions of you > at this time, but every beginner acquires, during these years, habits for or ill -which . colour your whole future career. / • : I have seen some of the ablest young men, • with every advantage of fortune and friends, . sow the seeds of ruin.; and early death by indulging too freely in the first years of manhood. > And I have ; seen others, with far less-capacity and without any backing but industry and energy, rise gradually to fortune, fame, and influence. Franklin is a familiar illustration of what a man can do who begins right." If he had been too proud to eat rolls in the; street when he was a poor boy, he would never have been minister plenipotentiary to the Court of France. -'
. ,Always begin right! , Survey the whole ground before you, commence any undertaking, and you will, then be prepared to go forward successfully. Neglect this, and you are almost sure to fail. A good commencement, remember, is half the battle. Everything '-■; must have a commencement. The first weed pulled up in the garden, the first seed put into the ground, the first shilling in the • °vings bank, and the first mile of a journ —all are very important things; They make a; beginning, and ! thereby a hope, a promise, a pledge that I you are in earnest with what you have ! undertaken. 1 Therefore, begin well. "I DOUBLE YOUR SALARY. People who just dabble along and stick to their regular salary never get far. Hours of work in- most lines are short now. That means two or three hours a day you can put to your personal profit. K: Utilise them, then, by earning money in a side line, but don't neglect your regular work in trying to double your salary. That word of warning is necessary, because I know some people who take a keener interest in their after hours' job than in their daily i duties.■■:." ' r . ' ■■"... . '.'.■.;. i Spare time employment advertised in the daily papers is usually a snare and a delusion. Insurance offers a fine prospect to the average man or woman, who can reap a plentiful supply of golden guineas by intelligently canvassing ■ friends. „- In this day of trade journals, anyone with technical knowledge of any sort can readily dispose of it to the papers dealing with the i subject. Articles and stories are well paid for by the periodicals and magazines. Advertisement .writing ;is another lucrative branch. ' Labouring men are always in demand for outside work. A young mechanic in the suburbs used to make little toys to please the children in th neighbourhood. Later, he sold .them, and now has a, small factory behind his house in which he is helped by two assistants.. _ ... :■: All can add to their incomes in some way or other. The chances are numerous. Often have J little ; ) side lines been worked up into such businesses that their owners have found it beneficial to drop their original work and make what was spare time employment ■rail/•*
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