--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Roberts, B. H. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 16 number: 4 published: 1913-02 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Roberts, B. H., "Department of Vocations and Industries VI," *Improvement Era* 16, no. 4 (February 1913): 366–368.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1604unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera1604unse start_page: 366 end_page: 368 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1913-02) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1604unse publication_year: 1913 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1913, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Department of Vocations and Industries VI 364 IMPROVEMENT ERA those over whom they had control, and upon investigation the reason would invariably be, that these individuals never placed themselves in an attitude to receive inspiration. They had closed their lives to the suggestions that would have filled them with inspiration permitted themselves to become selfish, and grow up ; in a little world all their own. Where there is nothing, you can give nothing, and the individual who closes his life to suggestion never can inspire others a retrogression sets in and development ; ceases he becomes a thing, not a man. The successful man in- ; spires those about him become animated and influenced by his ; presence they develop and grow strong. Why is he successful ? ; It is because he has opened the windows of his soul and permitted the sunshine, the flowers, the mountains, the trees and all of God's universe to enter and make him grow and love, and above all, he has permitted other people to come into his life and unfold to him their appreciation and thankfulness. He has received inspiration, and there are people who wonder why he carries with him such an influence. Characters are great only in so far as they are able to receive, and not what they give. The greatest of all characters, Jesus the Christ, bowed in humble obedience to God his Father, and said, "Not my will but thine be done." Leaders of men are submissive, kind and considerate as a general rule, and because they are able to direct, instruct and lead, is because they have been directed, instructed and led. Many there are who start out and fail before they have gone far. Why is this? There is some reason. There must be a cause, and if an investigation is made the cause is with the individual himself. You will always find with a failure in life a strong grain of selfishness, a lack of inclination to serve and to give, a strong tendency to speak disrespectfully about those who would be glad to assist him. A failure of this nature is always surrounded with doubt, and the feeling grows until it has developed the thought that everybody is wrong but the individual himself. The individual who is all the time counting his lost opportunities is unhappy; those about him partake more or less of the same feeling, and this is one reason that they are not successful in life. Vocation is a wonderful asset in the develpoment of the young, but there are so many that think they can't do a thing, and the result is, they never grow, they never do, and they never become. They only aim to get enough to live on. There is nothing that impedes the progress of our young people so much as the failure to select a vocation for life. Circumstances should not enter into a man's progress or development. He may be surrounded with poverty and bowed down with sorrow and grief, yet he can grow and become something if he only thinks so. With our environment, the splendid literature, schools and splendid agricultural advantages, VOCATION 3 65 there is no excuse for any young man not becoming what he wants to become. His only drawback is when he thinks he can't, when he should be thinking that he can. He must think so, and in thinking so he will become. There are so many who think they would like to become good farmers, mechanics, literary men, college professors and the like, and they go into each of these vocations with considerable energy and will power. In the course of their progress and development they observe some one else following another line of work and making good at it. Their attention is taken from their own vocation, and they act upon the suggestion of the success of the other man and quit their own vocation and spend their energy in following up the other man's vocation, and as a result they have mastered no one particular thing. Stick-to-it-iveness is the word. Stay with one thing until it has been mastered, and then if you have the capacity, master other things, always holding firm and fast this splendid thought "Give : the very best service you have." When William Morris came into the world, very little was known about modern household furnishing, etc. This man's soul was subject to all the beautiful things that came in his pathway. When he completed an eighth grade education he entered Oxford; when he was still in his youth he met a young man by the name of Edward Burne Jones, and these two grew strong together. They read to each other from good books they dis- ; cussed only the beautiful things, and each received from the other so much inspiration that they simply grew and became strong and mighty men. It is said of William Morris that he was the strongest all around man the country ever produced. He could do more things and do them well than any man of either ancient or modern times. He was a poet, an artist, a weaver, a blacksmith, a woodcarver, a painter, and a musician of no mean ability. He mastered all of these things because he accomplished one thing at a time. He just thought so, and kept on thinking so, and took from one vocation the inspiration he had received, put it into the next vocation and was continually contributing to the uplift of those about him. Never did he permit himself to speakdisrespectfully about any one. His life was full of sunshine and happiness to all. Yes decide on some vocation, and then gather ; together your self respect, push out, and make good. Too many of us become dissatisfied with the people who are employing us, and instead of giving them the very best we have, we are concocting some method or scheme to take advantage of them, and as a result of this they are naturally looking about for someone to fill our places, and when our places are filled and we are out of employment, we are loud in our condemnation and use almost every means of insult and abuse because a business method has been 366 IMPROVEMENT ERA applied, and we wonder why we do not progress, and are always in the attitude of fault-finding, and our work becomes a drudgery instead of a pleasure. A man never gains in influence who speaks, acts or appears disrespectfully to those who are providing for him a livelihood. There is a saying: "This thing of trying to get even is what keeps so much misery in the world, and makes demons out of otherwise splendid men." Carlyle also said "Get your : happiness out of your work or you will never know what happiness is." Happiness comes in liking a thing, and when we like a thing we are going to give the very best thought and the very best service we have. There is no institution but what will recognize good, honest service. Men promote themselves, the institution does not promote them, and in this case opportunity is always present, and the man who takes advantage of it, does so because he knows how. He has the ability, he has the courage to push out and take the chance. Responsibilities gravitate to him because he can take care of them, and responsibilities go to no other kind of individuals. LOGAN, UTAH Department of Vocations and Industries BY B. H. ROBERTS VI — Courage to Take a Chance. One of the essentials in all departments of life is courage. This is no less true in the matter of choosing a vocation than in following one. Indeed much depends upon the strength of the courage with which one starts in his vocation. "Jack" should be taught to dare much in choosing his life's work. That is, while putting no false values upon his ability, he should be encouraged to rate himself at the height of his reasonable possibilities, and choose his vocation accordingly. And not only choose his vocation accordingly, but deter- — mine what shall be his station in that vocation novice or finished workman; master of his trade, profession, line of business, calling, art; or only a middling workman, unskilful, untrusted and not honored in his industrial life. Without controversy "Jack" should be taught to look high for his vocation, as high as talents and character warrant him in looking. Having chosen he should now be taught to look to the very summit of possibilities within his vocation, with the view of attaining it. It is no inordinate ambition to seek and attain excellence