Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from The Advanced Machinist: A Practical and Educational Treatise, With Illustrations
Just do a thing and don't talk about it. This is the great secret in all enterprises. Modest confidence in his own abilities is one of the most pleasing traits a man can possess, and it is often his best business capital. I know many a young man with the right kind of stuff in him, who has watched the operations of other people and has said, 'i can do it if they can.' Then, with all the judgment he pos sessed, he made the effort successfully. It is easy to do what one is absolute master of. Indeed, this absolute mastery commands the fighting-deck of any trade, profession or labor, and to be best in any thing honorable is to be secure of continual success. The man who undertakes to learn his business from books will never make a practical mechanic, but, on the other hand, the mechanic who refuses to read whatever he finds of interest on the subject can hardly expect to be successful. There are two ways of doing work. One may go aboutit with a clouded brow, a lagging step, and a general expression of dis gust and weariness; or it is possible to be alert, energetic, bright of countenance and elastic of step, as if the labor were really enjoyable. The work is done in either case, of course, but there is something in the latter manner that inspires confidence in the worker and assures him of a reward that would not crown his efforts were they put forth in the other way. The best rule for success in life that I have ever found is to do a little more than is expected of you. Whatever your position in life may be, whether in an office, store, or workshop, do a little more than is expected of you, and you will never be overlooked, be the establishment large or small. The word tact is equivalent to the word 'touch tact is that nice perception which comprehends everything Of the order, formation, location and disposition of aught which bears upon the successful issue of the enterprise at issue. The man of tact who has that presence of mind which can bring him on the instant all he knows, is worth for action a dozen men who know as much, but can only bring it to light slowly. The young fellow who will distance his competitors is he who masters his business; who pre serves his integrity, who lives cleanly and purely, who never gets into debt, who gains friends by deserving them, and puts his money into the savings bank. There are some roads to fortune that look shorter than this old dusty highway. But the staunch men of the community, the men who achieve something really worth having, good fortune, good name and a serene old age, all go this road. Our present gen eration Of coming men, youths of from fifteen to eighteen, can have not the least ground for fearing the temper and promise of the times into which their lives are going. Never before in the world's history has there been such a call from the near future to a rising army of eager workers. Science has probed the secrets of things, and the prae tical application of knowledge to all the lines of labor has lifted even menial services to a place of dignity, provided always that the operator is master of what he takes into hand.
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