THE YOUNG MAN IN BUSINESS
The Day's Work Series
THE YOUNG MAN
IN BUSINESS
BY
EDWARD BOK
BOSTON
L. C. PAGE & COMPANY
MDCCCC
Copyright, 1900
By Edward Bok.
All rights reserved
Colonial press
Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co.
Boston, U. S. A.
THE YOUNG MAN IN BUSINESS.
A well-known New York millionaire gave it as hisopinion not long ago that any young man possessinga good constitution and a fair degree of intelligencemight acquire riches. The statement was criticised—literallypicked to pieces—and finally adjudged as beingextravagant. The figures then came out, gathered by acareful statistician, that of the young men in business inNew York City, sixty per cent, were earning less than$1,000 per year, only twenty per cent, had an incomeof $2,000, and barely five per cent, commanded salariesin excess of the latter figure. The great majority ofyoung men in New York City—that is, between theages of twenty-three and thirty—were earning lessthan twenty dollars per week. On the basis, therefore,that a young man must be established in his life-professionby his thirtieth year, it can hardly be said that theaverage New York young man in business is successful.Of course, this is measured entirely from the standpointof income. It is true that a young man may not, inevery case, receive the salary his services merit, but, asa general rule, his income is a pretty accurate indicationof his capacity.
Now, as every young man naturally desires to makea business success, it is plain from the above statementthat something is lacking; either the opportunities, orthe capabilities in the young men themselves. No oneconversant with the business life of any of our largecities can, it seems to me, even for a single moment,doubt the existence of good chances for young men.Take any large city as a fair example: New York, Boston,Philadelphia, or Chicago, and in each instancethere exist more opportunities than there are youngmen capable of embracing them. The demand is far inexcess of the supply. Positions of trust are constantlygoing begging for the right kind of young men to fillthem. But such men are not common; or, if theybe, they have a most unfortunate way of hiding theirlight under a bushel, so much so that business mencannot see even a glimmer of its rays. Let a position ofany real importance be open, and it is the most difficultkind of a problem to find any one to fill it satisfactorily.Business men are constantly passing through this experience.Young men are desired in the great majorityof positions because of their progressive 'ideas and capacityto endure work; in fact, "young blood," as it iscalled, is preferred in nine positions out of every ten,nowadays.
The chances for business success for any youngman are not wanti