Life — June 25, 1903 — page 4: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

‘* While there is Life there's Hope." XLL JUNE 25, 1908 x West TULMTY-FIRST St., New Yo rill be returned untess stamped and addressed No contribution accompanied by trations in Live are copyrighted, not to be reproduced, pen on should be sent by subs address Hificat, oa GAIN Com- eli A mencement! ~~ More new graduates, more last words of parting, more injun tions to do right, step lively and be strenuous, More pointing out of the path to * success; more defining of the same and indicating the kinds that won't wash. More graduates than ever. More girl graduates than ever, nd better ones. More coeducated girl graduates? Perhaps not. The coeducation idea seems to have had a check in the colleges. It prospers in certain fields, but does not threaten, as it lately did, to overrun all the fields. The college-education-for-girls idea is prospering greatly, but it leans just now towards a preference for separate colleges, for girls. It that many good, and some wise, but Lire ducation is in some petitive, and boys in their early strag- gles should not be outclassed. The less competition there is between boys and girls, or men and women, the bet- ter. They were not made to compete, but to complete, each one the other. It is twenty first welcomed a group of new graduates into the great world. Of that group the members have now turned their fortieth year and become seasoned members of society. This year’s grad- uates will be more numerous than their predecessors in 1883, but other- wise not unlike them. Bat the world into which they come—what of that ? Is it the same world as twenty years ago, or is it different ? measure com- ears since LiF — coe Wr knows? Who know: seems different. The buildings are a lot taller hereabouts. There are more people ; there is more money ; lots more. The size of big fortunes has enormously Commercial power has tended towards centraliza- tion. Fewer men than formerly seem to control opportuni and the possi- bilities that they have tied strings to seem to be bigger than possibilities used to be. Corporations are vastly larger and more powerful, and the ac- camulations of capital, both in private and corporate hands, are immensely more vast and potent than like accu- mulations were in this country twenty yearsago, It seeni very much or- ganized, preempted and parcelled out world that the new graduate jumps into this year, It seems so, but many of the most striking changes are very, new, and how many of them are fun- damental and permanent, and how only apparent, is what a good re very much puz- zled to determine. Progress goes by jumps, with more or less reaction after ach jump. We have had a bigger jump than usual in this country don’t know yet just where the reaction will bring us, <ELRe> increased. many many old residen' are still clear and s, Mr. New Gradu- BUT some thing: sure, and one ate, that there is more work to be done in our American world than there ever was before, and that somebody is going to do it. You will in due time get your chance at the jobs, and will doubt- less do your share of the work, and if you like to work you will probably have your share of the profits and the fun. You don’t know yet precisely what you are good for, nor just how good you are, but in time you will find out, and whether you are pably or disagreeably surprised by what you learn, if only you make the best of it and of yourselves, you will find satis- faction in life. Don’t try to live some other man's life. Live your own. Don't pattern after Mr. Morgan. He is copper-fastened aud has steel ribs. In the whole bunch of you there is probably not one who is built like him. Don't pattern after Mr. Carnegie. You have not had his training. Such work as he has done is not for you, and you would not like it if it were offered to you, Don't pattern after Mr. Rocke- feller. If you do, you will probably go to jail early in life, and die poor and not much respected. Mr. Rockefeller has a very rare form of ability, His kind of exploitsare not for you. Don’t even pattern after Mr. Roosevelt. One of him is enough. You would not make another ; no, not if you practised ever so much. If be had patterned after-anybody he would never have pulled out of the ruck. PBE sourself, Mr. New Graduat strenuous as you can, as success ful as may be, but, please God, an hon- est gentleman always. The world— this country as much as any other— needs good men. It has all the grab- bers, all the promoters, all the smart men, all the ** smart sets" has an oversupply of fools speculators, idlers, degenerates and in- vertebrates. But it can take just as many more good people—men and women—with consciences, brains and backbones, as it can get. What you get will make a difference, but what you are will make vastly more differ- ce, and that will determine what you do. You will make plenty of mis- takes, but they won’t hurt you if only the man behind them is sound and true. The world looks full to you as you confront it. All the good places seem to be taken ; all the rounds of the ladder seem crowded, especially the lowest. Havecourage. There is room for you. Time will help you ; experi- ence will help you. You will certainly have your turn, and if, when it comes, you have qualified yourselves to take it, you will turn it to good account. You start with an advantage; a bigger advantage than all observers appre- ciate. Go it, dear young friends, and good luck to you! comicbooks.com