[In our May issue we published an outline of an address prepared by Mr. M. L. Bracefield, Officer-in-Charge, N.Z.R. Training and Correspondence School. The following is the text of the second lecture delivered to cadets.—Ed. N.Z.R.M.]

Remember your job is your best friend. If you ask any successful Railway Officer the reason for his making good, he will tell you that first and foremost it is because he likes his work. He is entirely inseparable from his work, and that is what every man worth his salt ought to be.

Want of perseverance is the cause of more failures than incapacity, or want of opportunity, and what is wanted to ensure more success is not so much special skill, genius or even opportunity, as Energy. There is a certain happiness to be found in the most disagreeable duty when we stop to realise that we are getting it out of the way.

Many young Officers in our great service put solid barriers in front of themselves and then wonder why they do not succeed as they think they should; many to-day worry far too much about the amount of salary they receive and think far too little about what they truly earn.

Be energetic and enthusiastic.

A large number of men are dwarfed solely by their indolence, and some, possessed even of inferior powers are, by contrast, giants in Railway affairs, because they are men in earnest, whose lives are full of the most persistent endeavours to secure the ends which they have set before them and resolutely pursued.

If we get nothing else but disappointing experiences from life we may rest assured that the fault is in large measure, our own; we are not sending out the right kind of mental stuff.

Many say that to study or train is wasted effort; that they are not as clever as some; they say “I can't!” “I can't!”

Say “I Can and I Will”.

Read this from “Sparks Fortnightly”:—

I Will.

“I Will” has a spirit that nothing daunts
Once he gets his eye on the thing he wants.
He rolls up his sleeves, and pitches in
With a splendid zeal that is bound to win.
“I Will” never hesitates lest he fail—
In his heart he's sure that he will prevail.
No mountain can stop him, however high;
There's no task so hard but he'll have a try.
“I Will” sets his teeth when things start off wrong;
He just grins and mutters: “This can't last long
I'll take a fresh start; and Adversity
Will be going some if he catches me.”
“I Will” has a punch hid in each hand;
He has training, strength, and a heap of sand;
He swings his hard fists in the world's grim face,
And he bangs away till the world gives place.
“I Will' understands in his own strength lies
The one chance he'll get at the things men prize.
Discouragement, failure—nothing can chill
The stout heart of him who declares “I Will.”

If we doubt our own judgment and discretion in business you may be sure others will do the same and then our ability will be questioned. We must believe absolutely in our own ability.

Successful Railwaymen, with a few exceptions of conspicuously superior intellect, have won their success by efficiency in comparatively small matters; therefore, to succeed we must apply the principles of efficiency to the details of our work. We must aim for the topmost rung, keeping that objective ever before our minds, doing each day our job faithfully and well, and sooner or later, we will find ourselves Beginning to Climb.

You will possibly say to yourselves “That's all very well. It is easy to say make up your minds to succeed, but it does not seem to help us very much”.

That is the very point! You do not make up your minds. You try for a day or two and then ease off. This is weakness. You must learn to keep on trying,

Persistently, Insistently, Consistently.

Our every conscious act is preceded by a thought, therefore we must learn to control our thoughts. The desire to be, or to do this or that, will avail nothing unless we have the will to persevere.

No man, no matter how limited his natural ability, should despair of doing good work, or of achieving marked success, so long as he has the fixed determination to succeed.

Those of you who are not making much of a success of your jobs can make a fresh start and say “I Can and I Will do my best to make myself an Efficient Railway Officer! I Have Made Up My Mind To Succeed.”