402 IMPROVEMENT OF THE HUMAN RACE 



Choosing a Vocation. — The nearer problem for most of us is, 

 *' What am I going to do after I leave high school? Will it be 

 college and a profession? Or am I better fitted for a trade or 

 business? I cannot afford to be a ' square peg in a round hole.' '* 

 Some things are obvious. If you have inherited colorblindness, 

 you could not become a locomotive engineer. The musical pro- 

 fession would not be chosen by any one who had no musical sense. 

 If our heredity is composed of physical and mental traits or char- 

 acteristics, then there must be certain kinds of characteristics 

 that fit us for success along certain lines of work. 



Self-Analysis Necessary ; Habits of Life. — To choose one's 

 life work wisely, one must first analyze one's abilities and habits, 

 both of which are very important. Do we have good posture? 

 Are we neat in person and dress ? Do we dress quietly and in good 

 taste? Do we cultivate smiles instead of ^' grouches "? Are we 

 courteous ? Do we have good table manners ? Do we know how 

 to use our speaking voice? Impressions made on employers are 

 largely based on an estimate of such habits. Much of our life 

 we control, and the formation of habits of industry, alertness, 

 promptness, thoroughness, orderliness, tolerance, honesty, re- 

 liability, and open-mindedness will go far in making for success in 

 life. 



Abilities. — Certain natural abilities, tendencies, and instincts 

 dependent on physical and mental heredity, must be considered 

 also in choosing a vocation. Health is first of all. Certain kinds 

 of work — mining, farming, forestry, stock raising, and many 

 trades — demand a good constitution, if one is to ^' make good." 

 Persons who become leaders in commercial life must have execu- 

 tive power, system, energy, resourcefulness, and capacity to form 

 sound judgments. Professional life makes demands upon muscles 

 and brain in still another way. Let us examine a few cases to 

 see just what is meant. 



Abilities Needed for the Professions. — For the ministry high 

 ideals, faith, sympathy, power in thought and in word, capacity for 

 sacrifice, conabined with knowledge acquired from books and 

 people, are essentials. For the medical profession, certain skill of 

 hand and eye which aids in making a delicate dissection, nerve, 

 good eye-sight, ability to search for causes and to draw conclu- 



