Getting Started.

Otago Witness, Issue 2603, 3 February 1904, Page 72

Ge tting Started.

A strong inclination towards a trad© or profession is often one of the surest signs that f young person will succeed in it, and if the inclination is strong enough and! shows frigns of permanence-, perhaps the young person cannot, do better than to_ follow it, n< matter what some of his adviseTa may Fay to the contrary. A young man with mild manners stepped into the office of his somewhat crusty uncle, who was engaged in the practice of law "Well," sa ; d the old gentleman, "now that you are out of college, what ore you going to do for a living?" "I think I'll study some more and adopt f-e ■profe^ion of law/

"That's right," was the sarcastic rejoinder. *'Go ahead and have your own way. Don't take any advice. I thought we had a talk about that the other day. I told you the profession was overcrowded. But you won't believe me, of course. You've got to go ahead and put in a few years finding out for yourself " "I'm willing to tafee advice," replied the nephew mildly. "The. fact is, I'm trying to take all the advice I can get. When you told me- to give up tho idea of practising law I went to a friend who is a civil engineer. He said my general education ought to give me a gond foundation for my profession, but he advised me to let civil engineering alone. He eaid there were too many people, m the business now. He said commerce was the thing for a young man, and h© gave me the addrees of a friend of his who keeps a drug store. "The druggist said that I could go through a college of pharmacy without any trouble, but he wouldn't advise me to do it, as there were- as many people in the business as it would stand. He ask&d me "why I didn't take up medioine. I thanked him for the hint, and went to sea our family physician. He. told me that it was an exacting; life, in which the percentage of eminent success was small. In fact, he said that there were* more physicians now than there ■was practice for. He had heard me sing, and asked me if I had nev&r thought of a career in .music. I went to see a musician, and he tried my voice." " "What did he say?" "He wacn't as gently considerate as the othera. He said there were hundreds of people- with better voices than mine looking for work. He thought I might make a good bricklayer, or something of that kind. So I hunted up a bricklayer, and talked it over with him. "Ho said the bricklaying business was overcrowded, and that he should think a man with my training would be a lawyer. So I cam© back here, and I'm willing to start in and go to work studying with you, or go through the list again, getting more advice, whichever you think proper."