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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1900)
THE BATTALION. 55 placed in responsible positions; but if they realized what was best for then own welfare they would refuse these flat tering offers and begin work at the bottom and work up in order that they might become thoroughly familiar with every detail of their chosen profession. Thus if each man has occupied the various po sitions of axeman, rodman, chainman, levelman, and transitman, by the time he has been advanced to chief of party he will know exactly what each member of Ids party ought to do, how much he ought to do, and how he ought to do it. The objection often urged to starting at the lowest round of the ladder is that a great many never have an opportunity to get any higher. The answer to this is tnat all human experience goes to prove that good and faithful work in any voca tion will not fail, sooner or later, to be come known and to receive adequate rec ognition. No one can deny that it is infinitely better to start at the bottom and go to the top than to start at the top and be compelled to go to the bot tom. Recently a college graduate (not an A. and M. man) was by some means other than merit placed in the responsi ble position of assistant engineer on one of our important railroads. Owing to lack of experience he was entirely incom petent to meet the responsibilities of the position. After making a number of very serious and expensive blunders, he was advised by his superior to take a position as rodman. but he refused to act upon this advice, on the ground that it would be disgraceful to take a lower position. There was therefore nothing left for him to do but to sever his con nection with the road. In civil engineering, as in all other vocations, the surest and quickest road to true success is not feverish haste to rise, but patient, painstaking and per severing effort. If, however, man is a reasoning being, he is also a free moral being; a being who can only attain to that normal per fection which is his greatest good, to that self-satisfaction or blessedness of which he is capable, by means of effort.—Krug. The best and richest treasure of a city is that it have many pure, learned, in telligent, honest, well-educated citizens; for these can collect, preserve, and prop erly use whatever is good.—Luther. Studies serve for delight, for orna ment, and for ability. Their chief use for delight is in privateness and retir ing; for ornament, is in discourse; and for a'bility, is in the judgment and dis position of business.—Lord Bacon. Infinite good comes from good habits, which must result from the common in fluence of example, intercourse, knowl edge, and actual experience—morality, taught by good morals.—Plato. For a man to write well, there are re quired three necessaries;—to read the best authors; observe the best speakers; and much exercise of his own style.—Ben Jonson. The memory preserves the impressions which the outer and inner senses have received. If this faculty is not developed to a certain degree, any culture of the un derstanding is almost out of the ques tion; and all the other mental powers must suffer.—Niemeyer.
