his having a better one. You
will be more respected by yourself and every one else with an old coat
on your back that has been paid for than a new one that has not. It is
not the shabbiness that is unavoidable, but the slovenliness that is
avoidable, that the world frowns upon. No one, no matter how poor he
may be, will be excused for wearing a dirty coat, a crumpled collar, or
muddy shoes. If you are dressed according to your means, no matter how
poorly, you are appropriately dressed. The consciousness of making the
best appearance you possibly can, of always being scrupulously neat and
clean, and of maintaining your self-respect and integrity at all costs,
will sustain you under the most adverse circumstances, and give you a
dignity, strength, and magnetic forcefulness that will command the
respect and admiration of others.

Herbert H. Vreeland, who rose in a short time from a section hand on
the Long Island Railroad to the presidency of all the surface railways
in New York City, should be a practical authority on this subject. In
the course of an address on how to attain success, he said:--

"Clothes don't make the man, but good clothes have got many a man a
good job. If you have twenty-five dollars, and want a job, it is
better to spend twenty dollars for a suit of clothes, four dollars for
shoes, and the rest for a shave, a hair-cut, and a clean collar, and
walk to the place, than go with the money in the pockets of a dingy
suit."

[Illustration: John Wanamaker]

Most large business houses make it a rule not to employ anyone who
looks seedy, or slovenly, or who does not make a good appearance when
he applies for a position. The man who hires all the salespeople for
one of the largest retail stores in Chicago says:

"While the routine of application is in every case strictly adhered to,
the fact remains that the most important element in an applicant's
chance for a trial is his personality."

It does not matter how much merit or ability an applicant for a
position may possess, he can not afford to be careless of his personal
appearance. Diamonds in the rough of infinitely greater value than the
polished glass of some of those who get positions may, occasionally, be
rejected. Applicants whose good appearance helped them to secure a
place may often be very superficial in comparison with some who were
rejected in their favor and may not have half their merit; but having
secured it, they may keep it, th