The truism that every man has his place and his work in the world is often met by the remark that many men, if not actually useless, must be on the wrong track, because they appear to perform no function in the work of the world unless it be that of inertia. They are popularly believed to hinder progress, and certainly appearances seem to warrant that belief. Not only is this remark made to apply to the great army of the unemployed, but to that large class of dissatisfied and complaining people who subsist upon the mere pittance they receive in return for their services in whatever line their efforts may be directed In every branch of business such people may be found eking out a miserable existence. Why?
Of course, it is not possible here to answer this question fully. The only thing that can be done is to examine typical cases to discover the underlying cause or causes which have put these people under the yoke and made them mere beasts of burden; for such the great majority of them are, whether their labor be in the counting-room or in the factory, whether it be mental or muscular. But let us not examine into the private affairs of these people unless we really desire to discover and suggest a remedy for their apparent condition, or better still a preventive. If we could know the secrets of every heart, should we not find that the great majority of the dissatisfied ones are the disappointed ones? Would we find any exceptions? Probably not. Why should any one be dissatisfied or disappointed'? Can we not find two main reasons: first, failure to attain a desired end, and second, disillusion more or less pronounced over so-called successful achievements?
Failure to attain a desired end may be due to a variety of causes. The aspirant may have no special aptitude for the kind of work at which he has been striving. While many men are so constituted that they can turn readily from one line of work to another, yet the majority of mortals cannot so readily adapt themselves. If therefore they get started in one direction, they too often fear to attempt a change, though they may think that success would be theirs if they were only in the line to which they feel specially drawn. They therefore consider themselves failures where they are actually employed, and are consequently disappointed. Again, failure may be due to lack of preparation or of application. Perhaps, however, this sort of case is much more rare than the former one, because the man, woman, or child who is really interested will in all probability be impelled to make the application to secure whatever knowledge or skill is necessary to master the desired subject.
