ry chance of
passing through life in a little chapel at a small town, a slave to
his own, and to his congregation's, narrow prejudices.

Or, he might go abroad, to one of the Colonies. Earlier in the
century, between the years 1850 and 1880, many poor lads had gone to
Australia or New Zealand and had done well for themselves, a few had
become millionaires; but by the year 1890 these Colonies, considered
as likely places wherein it young man could advance himself, seemed
played out. Working-men they wanted, but not clever and penniless
young fellows.

He might, it has been suggested, go into the House. There were already
one or two workingmen in the House. But they were sent there
especially to represent certain interests by working-men, not because
their representative was an ambitious and clever young man. And the
working-man's member, so far, had advanced a very little way as a
political success. It was not in Politics that a young man would find
his opening.

This brings us to the one career open to him--he might become a
Journalist. It is an attractive profession: and even in its lower
walks it seems a branch of literature. There is independence of hours:
the pay depends upon the man's power of work: there are great openings
in it and--to the rising lad at least--what seems a noble possibility
in the shape of pay. Many distinguished men have been journalists,
from Charles Dickens downward. Nearly all the novelists have dabbled
with journalism; and, since all of us cannot be novelists, the young
man might reflect that there are editor, sub-editors, assistant
editors, news-editors, leader writers, descriptive writers, reviewers,
dramatic critics, art and music critics, wanted for every paper. He
could become a journalist and he could rise to the achievement of
these ambitions.

At first he rose a very little way, despite his ambition, because in
every branch of letters imperfect education is an insuperable
obstacle. Still he could become news-editor, descriptive reporter,
paragraph writer, and even, in the case of country papers, editor.
Sometimes he passed from the office of the journal to that of one of
the many societies, where he became secretary and succeeded in getting
his name associated with some cause, which gave him some position and
consideration. Whether he succeeded greatly or not, his whole object
was to pass from the class which has no possible future to the class
for which everything is open. His