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Progress and Achievements of the Colored People / Containing the Story of the Wonderful Advancement of the Colored Americans—the Most Marvelous in the History of Nations—Their Past Accomplishments, Together With Their Present-day Opportunities and a Glimpse Into the Future for Further Developments—the Dawn of a Triumphant Era. A Handbook for Self-improvement Which Leads to Greater Success cover

Progress and Achievements of the Colored People / Containing the Story of the Wonderful Advancement of the Colored Americans—the Most Marvelous in the History of Nations—Their Past Accomplishments, Together With Their Present-day Opportunities and a Glimpse Into the Future for Further Developments—the Dawn of a Triumphant Era. A Handbook for Self-improvement Which Leads to Greater Success

Chapter 111: FIT YOURSELF FOR SOME TRADE OR CALLING
By Kelly Miller
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History - AmericanHistory - Modern (1750+)

About This Book

The text surveys the social, educational, economic, and moral advancement of Colored Americans since emancipation, combining narrative chapters on leadership, labor, business, religion, health, and physical training with a detailed compendium of institutions. It presents statistics and government-sourced reports, profiles of schools and agencies (more than three hundred institutions described) and numerous photographs and portraits (over sixty illustrations), and offers practical advice on self-improvement, professional development, and community organization. Chapters address education, vocational and professional training, entrepreneurship, public employment, and civic life, aiming to document achievements and to guide further progress.

FIT YOURSELF FOR SOME TRADE OR CALLING

What do you intend to do for a living?

Plenty of time to decide that, you say for yourself or for your boy.

You deceive yourself, for there is not plenty of time. You must decide early, and educate yourself for the trade or calling you have decided to follow.

You must have some definite aim in life. Nobody can fix one for you. You know best what you can do, what you would like to do, and what sort of an education you need to do it.

Things move swiftly in these modern times, and you must decide quickly, or fall behind in the race to the life goal.

Others are treading on your heels and you must go ahead or fail out altogether, and the procession is so large, and so closely packed that you can not wedge your way in again without a hard struggle.

Do you want to be a farmer? Study farming, and everything that pertains to farm work.

Perhaps you would prefer to be a doctor. Well, then you must study for a doctor’s profession and let farming alone. If you are built for a doctor you can be one, but you should study yourself carefully and take advice on the subject.

You would rather be a lawyer? The same effort to be a doctor must be made. You can not be a lawyer just because you are bright and say funny things sometimes.

Whatever you decide to do, whether farmer, doctor, lawyer, blacksmith, carpenter, or merchant, be one or the other and do not try to straddle all of them.

A Jack of All Trades is master of none, and he is not wanted in this age of specialties. Be some one thing and be that thing for all there is in it.