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BUSINESS BOOKS 
 
 By ROGER W. BABSON 
 
 President Babson's Statistical Organization 
 
 THIRD EDITION 
 
 Making Good in Business 
 
 PAUL P. HARRIS, Pres. Emer. International 
 Association of Rotary Clubs, says: 
 "Every paragraph and every sentence has 
 its meaning and its purpose. It is direct, 
 practical, concrete. It revives our faith in 
 the good old-fashioned precepts, and stimu- 
 lates our courage to go forth and fight the 
 battle of every-day life with new hope and 
 clearer viaon." -------- $1.25. 
 
 NINTH EDITION 
 
 Fundamentals of Prosperity 
 
 Western Christian Advocate says: 
 
 " Have you heard of Roger Babson, the great 
 statistician and business expert? Then listen; 
 he has written a book. You can read it in an 
 hour. It is just the thing you want to reach 
 the apathetic man who passes up the church 
 and spends his powers and energies on patri- 
 otism and good citizenship. Get this book at 
 once. Read it." - - - - - $1.00. 
 
Making Good in 
 Business 
 
 By 
 ROGER W. BABSON 
 
 President of the Babson Statistical Organisation 
 
 Author of ' ' Fundamentals of Prosperity ^ ' • ' The 
 
 Future of the Churr.hisi' jI. 
 
 Introduction by 
 
 PAUL P. HARRIS 
 
 President Enuritus International Association 
 
 of Rotary Clubs 
 
 New York Chicago 
 
 Fleming H. Revell Company 
 
 London anp Epinburgh 
 
Copyright, 1921, by 
 FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY 
 
 New York: i$8 Fifth Avenus 
 Chicago: 17 North Wabash Ave. 
 London : 2 \ Paternoster Square 
 Edinburgh : 75 Princes Street 
 
To 
 
 THE ROTARIANS 
 
 Of the "World 
 
/■ «' 
 
Introduction 
 
 IN this day of heart-breaking compe- 
 tition, making good in business is or- 
 dinarily considered as being a job big 
 enough to engage the best energies of any 
 man whomsoever he may be, whatsoever 
 his calling. The percentage of men who 
 really make good is pitifully small. 
 
 To leai-n of a man who possessed the 
 will power to rise from his bed at a time 
 when he was considered as good as dead, 
 select a vocation, make good in that voca- 
 tion, using only the most upright and 
 ethical methods in so doing; to learn of 
 a man who did all that, and still has time, 
 and strength, and heart to turn around 
 and tell others how they also can climb the 
 rugged heights, is immensely interesting. 
 What was it — ^genius? Mr. BabsOn 
 says not, but just plain upright determi- 
 nation and work. He has a passion for 
 work. But whatever it may have been, 
 6 
 
6 INTEODUCTION 
 
 one thing is certain, that one who has 
 risen over such obstacles to a great na- 
 tion-wide success has qualified himself to 
 write authoritatively on the subject 
 " Making Good in Business." 
 
 The service which Mr. Babson's won- 
 derful business organization renders is in 
 the preparation and supply of statistical 
 reports. Statistics are proverbially dry, 
 and yet so thoroughly and so conscien- 
 tiously is the service rendered, that to 
 many thousands of American business 
 men, the information supplied by the 
 Babson Statistical Organization consti- 
 tutes the inspiration of the day, a living 
 demonstration of what intensity of pur- 
 pose can accomplish in the direction of 
 exalting the commonplace. 
 
 Babson does not believe in switching 
 from one business to another in the hope 
 that, eventually, some smooth path to suc- 
 cess may be found. He is not much in- 
 terested in smooth pathways. His is the 
 pioneer spirit. He prefers to blaze his 
 own trails. His plan is not to see how 
 much he can get out of a business, but 
 
IITTEODUCTION 7 
 
 rather how much he can put in to it; and 
 he views his business as one of his best op- 
 portunities to serve society. 
 
 He has not led the manner of life which 
 one would expect to be productive of a 
 prophetic vision. On the face of it, it has 
 been too closely connected with cold, 
 hard facts. Yet that this man of facts 
 and figures has been inspired by prophetic 
 vision no one who reads this book can 
 doubt. When Mr. Babson looks at an 
 object he observes more than its colour. 
 Colour is only skin deep, and Babson's 
 keen vision pierces the object through 
 and through. 
 
 He does not waste his fire on little 
 things; life is too brief a sojourn. He 
 considers the possession of his talents a 
 sacred trust, and proposes to render good 
 account of his stewardship. Seeking the 
 spiritual he has achieved abundant suc- 
 cess in things material, thereby demon- 
 strating the truth of the adage " He 
 profits most who serves best." What a 
 wonderful instrument is a well-regulated, 
 clean-thinking human brain and how 
 
8 INTBODUCTION 
 
 wonderful its power to lift civilization to 
 higher levels! 
 
 Thus far, the genius of America has 
 been made manifest chiefly ia its business 
 accomplishments. Material demands have 
 been so insistent, that it is not remarkable 
 that spiritual progress has been compara- 
 tively slow; but he who has concluded 
 that America must trail behind in spiritual 
 achievement may well make new reckon- 
 ings. Mr. Babson's book, "Making 
 Good in Business," tells another story. 
 It should convince skeptics that wonder- 
 ful things for the world are in the mak- 
 ing, and that the new day will be some- 
 thing of an American day because it will 
 have so much of good, clean business in 
 it. 
 
 American spiritual progress will not be 
 apart from business; business will be one 
 of the expressions of it. Mr. Babson has 
 never resigned himself to the idea that a 
 man should energize himself spiritually 
 on the Sabbath day, and then run through 
 the week, as far as possible, on stored 
 energy. He believes in the observance of 
 
INTEODUOTION 9 
 
 tiie Sabbath day and in the influence of 
 the Church, but he also believes that there 
 should be enough of honesty and purpose, 
 enough of love of service in business to 
 keep business spiritually energized all of 
 the time. 
 
 To load so much upon the back of busi- 
 ness may appear to some like the imposi- 
 tion of a very severe handicap, — a handi- 
 cap such as must necessarily result in the 
 loss of the race. But, again, Mr. Babson 
 comes forward. He tells us that honesty, 
 sincerity and service have never lost a 
 race since the beginning of time; that 
 these elements are wings to business, not 
 weight. He considers American busi- 
 ness, at present, to be grievously, but not 
 dangerously, ailing. He deplores busi- 
 ness depressions as unnecessary and 
 points out metibods by which they may be 
 stamped out as a scourge, and prosperity 
 thus be made permanent. 
 
 How shall we appraise a book? Very 
 much as we appraise other things, per- 
 haps — by its usefulness. There may be a 
 great deal ef gold in a mountain, but it 
 
10 INTRODUCTION 
 
 will not be of much interest to the pros- 
 pector unless the gold can be found there 
 in paying quantities. " Making Good in 
 Business " will occupy a permanent place 
 in American business literature because 
 of values to be found between its covers in 
 paying quantities. 
 
 Mr. Babson indulges in no idle phrases. 
 Every paragraph and every sentence has 
 its meaning and its purpose. There is 
 nothing vague or abstract about his 
 philosophy. It is direct, practical, con- 
 crete. It revives our faith in the good 
 old-fashioned precepts which, in our heart 
 of hearts, we know must be kept alive, 
 and it stimulates our courage to go forth 
 and fight the battle of every-day life with 
 new hope and with clearer vision. May 
 the readers of this book be many, and may 
 its writer be long spared. There is still 
 much work to do, and efficient workers 
 are none too many. 
 
 Paul P. Haeeis. 
 
 Office of the President Bmeritus, 
 International Association of Rotcay Clubs, 
 Chicago, III. 
 
Contents 
 
 I. 
 
 Who Succeeds ? . . . . 
 
 IS 
 
 11. 
 
 Obstacles on the Road of Making 
 Good 
 
 27 
 
 III. 
 
 The Six " I's " of Making Good . 
 
 48 
 
 IV. 
 
 The Woman's Part in the Six 
 "I's" 
 
 68 
 
 V. 
 
 Constructive Aids to Developing 
 the Six " I's "... 
 
 91 
 
 VI. 
 
 The Six " I's " and General Busi- 
 ness Conditions 
 
 "S 
 
 VII. 
 
 The Nffd of Vision 
 
 136 
 
 VIII. 
 
 SoMK Personal Testimony . 
 
 156 
 
 13 
 
Preface 
 
 THIS book is the result of the au- 
 thor's personal experience in 
 business, extending over a period 
 of twenty years. His work has put him 
 in contact with most of America's living 
 captains of industry. The Six I's of Suc- 
 cess herein described are the result of his 
 study of these men. 
 
 He acknowledges indebtedness to his 
 associate, Mr. Ralph B. Wilson, for ma- 
 terial for the second chapter and certain 
 other suggestions. Mr. Wilson has ac- 
 companied the author on numerous trips 
 where the question of " Making Good in 
 Business " has been discussed, and offers 
 these additional suggestions to make the 
 story more complete. 
 
 R. W. B. 
 WeUesley Hills, Mass. 
 
WHO SUCCEEDS? 
 
 A FEW years ago I was employed 
 by a great magazine publisher to 
 make a study of America's lead- 
 ing industries. The purpose of this study 
 was to find those industries in which op- 
 portunities for success were greatest. 
 For this publisher I tried to find some 
 product which had possibilities of devel- 
 opment, but in the producing or market- 
 ing of which no one was then " making 
 good." This publisher enjoyed taking 
 hold of some particular brand of product, 
 of which very few had ever heard, and 
 making all of us go to the market and de- 
 mand it. To my great surprise, in mak- 
 ing the investigation, it was impossible to 
 find a single industry from eggs to en- 
 gines, ties to tires, pins to pianos, butter 
 to buildings in which some one, some- 
 where, was not making millions of dollars. 
 16 
 
16 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 Opportunities in Every Ldne 
 The result of this hivestigation showed 
 that the reason why some people make a 
 success and others fail is purely a matter 
 of difference in ability. Opj)ortunities 
 exist in every line of business. Opportu- 
 nities are almost equal over a period of 
 years in all lines. It is true that in the 
 fall there is a greater demand for fur 
 coats than for straw hats. It is only a 
 few months, however, before the straw hat 
 man will be reaping his harvest, while the 
 fur coat man's business will then be dull. 
 At times there is a great demand for 
 men in certain lines of industry. In these 
 lines men then get large wages. This 
 fact, of itself, attracts a great many men 
 to the industry and thus ultimately over- 
 crowds it. The industry which, to-day, 
 pays the highest wages may be in a few 
 years paying the lowest, and the industry 
 which, to-day, is paying the lowest wages 
 may be in a few years paying the highest. 
 The wheel of opportvmity is slowly but 
 continually turning. The old adage of 
 " three generations from shirt sleeves to 
 
WHO SUCCEEDS? 17 
 
 shirt sleeves" has not yet disappeared 
 from our economic order of things. 
 
 There are good opportunities in evei-y 
 line of business; there are opportunities 
 in almost every locality; there are oppor- 
 tunities with every employer and every 
 profession. Whether or not one makes 
 the most of these opportunities, depends 
 ahnost wholly upon oneself. Our best 
 opportimity, to-day, is more than likely in 
 the industry in which we are working, 
 with the employer with whom we are 
 working, in the city where we are work- 
 ing, or in the profession in which we are 
 engaged. Success in an industry, with 
 the employer, in a city, or with a profes- 
 sion, depends upon the individual more 
 than any one of these other factors. 
 
 Vocational Guidance 
 A few years ago there was a lot of talk 
 about vocational guidance, but we do not 
 hear so much about it to-day. Like many 
 other things it was overworked. It is 
 true that there are four entirely different 
 classes of occupation, such as ( 1 ) the pro- 
 
18 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 fessions, including medicine, law, minis- 
 try, and journalism; (2) mechanical 
 lines, including engineering, machinery, 
 manufacturing, and building; (3) sales- 
 manship, including merchandising, tend- 
 ing stores, selling on the road, and adver- 
 tising; (4) agriculture, including farm- 
 ing, forestry, stock raising, horticulture, 
 and various other outdoor pursuits. But 
 this classification is wholly adequate for 
 an extensive vocational study, and is suf- 
 ficient for every one's purpose. 
 
 It is true that there is a woeful lack of 
 intelligent vocational guidance. It is also 
 true, however, that the very touchstone 
 of any test is to be honest with oneself 
 when considering one's adaptability or in- 
 adaptability for any particular position 
 considered. A young man who dreads 
 meeting people should not become a sales- 
 man. A man who dreads details should 
 not become a bookkeeper. A man who is 
 chicken-hearted should not become a doc- 
 tor. A man who dislikes appearing in 
 public should not become a public 
 speaker. 
 
WHO SUCCEEDS? 19 
 
 If, however, the man who does like to 
 meet people and who is etex-nally optimis- 
 tic wants to be a salesman, it makes very 
 little diffei'ence what he sells so long as 
 it makes the great mass of people 
 healthier, happier, and more prosperous. 
 The thing which is easiest to sell, to-day, 
 will be the hardest to sell a few years 
 hence, and the thing that is the hardest to 
 sell, to-day, will be the easiest to sell a few 
 years hence. If a man likes details, if he 
 likes figuring, if he likes to pore over ac- 
 counts, if he thoroughly enjoys doing 
 these things, then he should become a 
 bookkeeper or accountant. If a man en- 
 joys ministering to people's ailments he 
 should become a doctor. If a man en- 
 joys speaking in public and continues to 
 practice it, he will become a public 
 speaker. 
 
 In fact, the solution of not only our 
 individual success, but many of our in- 
 dustrial ills lies in finding what each of us 
 likes to do; in finding the opportunity to 
 do it, and then doing it with all our 
 might. The fact is, that if any one has 
 
20 MAKING GOOD DT BUSINESS 
 
 given considerable time to any employer^ 
 that one will probably be better off to 
 stay with that employer. If any one has 
 devoted considerable time to a given in- 
 dustry that one, no doubt, will be consid- 
 erably better off to stay with that particu- 
 lar industry. If any one has established 
 a reputation in a given city, his chances 
 of success should be greater in that city 
 where a good reputation has been estab- 
 lished than in unknown fields. If any 
 one has devoted considerable tjme to a 
 given profession, his opportunities are 
 greater in that profession about which he 
 has some loiowledge than in some other 
 profession of which he is uninformed. 
 Our individual success lies in the thing 
 that we are now doing. It is based upon 
 how faithfully we prosecute the work at 
 hand. 
 
 Whose Opportunities are the Greatest? 
 Sometimes we hear the remark that the 
 opportunities for the young man are not 
 as great, to-day, as they were years ago. 
 Statistics show that this statement is not 
 only absolutely wrong, but that the op- 
 
WHO SUCCEEDS? 21 
 
 portunities are even greater, to-day, than 
 they were years ago. I will go a step 
 farther and say that the opportunities for 
 the poor man's son are even greater than 
 those of the rich. Let me illustrate: 
 
 In connection with the study of Amer- 
 ica's greatest industries already referred 
 to, I became interested in the history of 
 the men who were at the head of these 
 industries. There were seventy espe- 
 cially prominent. This study showed 
 that America's greatest railroad builder, 
 Edward H. Harriman, was the son of a 
 minister; that America's greatest maga- 
 zine editor, George Horace Lorimer, was 
 the son of a minister; that America's 
 greatest administrator, Herbert Hoover, 
 was the son of a minister. The study 
 also showed that E. H. Gary, H. C. 
 Frick, John D. Rockefeller, Sr., and 
 F. W. Woolworth were all sons of poor 
 farmers. 
 
 Were the fathers of our great cap- 
 tains of industry college graduates? No. 
 Were the fathers of these great captains 
 of industry bankers? No. Were they 
 rich manufacturers and merchants? No. 
 
22 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 These great captains of industry, these 
 men who have built America's greatest 
 railroads, factories and stores, are the 
 sons of poor parents, — the sons of farmers 
 and ministers and wage-workers. The 
 statistics of this particular study even 
 show that the great majority of these in- 
 dustrial builders were the sons of parents 
 whose income averaged less than $1,200 a 
 year. If the captains of industry of the 
 past quarter of a century came from the 
 ranks of the masses, the captains of in- 
 dustry of the next quarter century are 
 going to come from the same source. 
 The bankers, manufacturers, and mer- 
 chants of the next generation will not be 
 the sons of the bankers, manufacturers, 
 and merchants of to-day. The bankers, 
 manufacturers, and merchants of the next 
 generation will be the sons of the farmers, 
 professional men, and wage-workers of 
 to-day. 
 
 Uphold the Present Order 
 This will not be due to any revolution 
 or social upheaval. Socialism, Bolshe- 
 
WHO SUCCEEDS? 23 
 
 vism, or any other kind of " ism " is not 
 going to help you or me in our individual 
 struggle. These theories are designed 
 to help only the politicians who advocate 
 them. The present form of our govern- 
 ment which has made America so success- 
 ful will also make for your and my in- 
 dividual success. The advocates of any 
 other economic order must not only prove 
 that ovu' present economic system is un- 
 workable, but that they have a better and 
 more practical system. 
 
 Why is it that the boys and girls of the 
 so-called employee classes become the in- 
 dustrial leaders of America? It is be- 
 cause individual success depends upon 
 certain qualities. It is because those 
 certain qualities are most easily developed 
 in the home of a working family. When 
 any great captain of industry wants a 
 young man to represent him he seldom 
 goes to the home of the rich, but rather to 
 the home of the wage-worker. 
 
 One of the saddest features of the 
 present teachings of trade unionism is the 
 false doctrine that labour no longer has 
 
24 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 any hopes of developing into the em- 
 ployer class. Surely organized labour is 
 making its saddest mistake in accepting 
 this position as final. Evidence of this 
 may be foimd m John Mitchell's book on 
 " Organized Labour." In that book Mr. 
 Mitchell begins with this statement: 
 " The average wage-earner has made up 
 his mind that he must remain a wage- 
 earner. He has given up the hope of a 
 kingdom to come, where he himself will 
 be a capitalist, and he asks that the re- 
 ward for his work be given to him as a 
 workingman." Statistics show that this 
 need not be the case. The opportunities 
 for the wage-workers are as great to-day 
 as ever, if they will only seize these op- 
 poi'tunities and develop themselves so as 
 to assume greater responsibilities. The 
 most disastrous thought that one could 
 ever hope to entertain would be, to think 
 that he is always going to remain just as 
 he is with no hope of further develop- 
 ment. 
 
 When a young man goes to college he 
 receives a great deal of hazing in his 
 
WHO SUCCEEDS? 25 
 
 freshman year. Why does he take this 
 hazmg in a good, manly spirit? Simply 
 because next year he will be a sophomore 
 and will administer the same dose to the 
 then blossoming freshmen; but, if, when 
 a young man once became a freshman he 
 alwaj^s remained a freshman his attitude 
 toward the hazing or other inconveniences 
 of the freshman year would be very dif- 
 ferent indeed. It seems to me the same 
 analogy is applicable in the case of labour. 
 If wage-workers believe they are doomed 
 ever after to remam in their present posi- 
 tion without hope of advancement they 
 will try to get everything for their class 
 possible to obtain. The teaching that 
 should be disseminated to the great mass 
 of people is not that there is a barrier in 
 their way or a roof over their heads, but 
 that the opportunities are great for those 
 who will seize them and those who will 
 pay the cost price of success. 
 
 What is Success? 
 The concept of individual success 
 varies, directly, with the number of people 
 
26 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 considering it. The term hardly means 
 the same 'to any two people. Individual 
 success does not necessarily mean mone- 
 tary accunmlation, but on the other hand 
 it does not exclude it. Ask the dyed-in- 
 the-wool American business man what suc- 
 cess is and he will say that it is the ability 
 to accumulate wealth. Ask the biologist 
 what success is, and he will say that it is 
 the responses to the various stimuli. The 
 minister will say that he is successful who 
 lays up his treasure whei'e thieves cannot 
 steal or moths corrupt. No attempt will 
 here be made to define what is meant by 
 individual success. If you have some 
 well-thought-out, unselfish standard or 
 goal and maintain that standard so that 
 you reach the goal, then you have 
 achieved your individual success. 
 
II 
 
 OBSTACLES ON THE EOAD OF MAKING 
 GOOD 
 
 SINCE there are so many gradations 
 in the business world, every one 
 engaged in industrial pursuits, 
 from office boy to president, may be con- 
 sidered to be in business. All are, in fact, 
 business men. An efficient and intelli- 
 gent office-boy plays a very important 
 part in business affairs. The presidents 
 of many corporations are paid employees. 
 Therefore, discussions of making good in 
 business apply just as much to individual 
 success as to successful business enter- 
 prise. The early part of this book will 
 treat more particularly of making good, 
 the obstacles in the path of individual suc- 
 cess, and the constructive aids along the 
 way. The latter part will apply these 
 27 
 
28 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 constructive aids more generally to the 
 larger phases of business activities. 
 
 Each and every one of us has been put 
 in this world for some purj)ose. There is 
 some attainable goal toward which all are 
 travelling. Whether we arrive at that 
 goal or not depends wholly upon our- 
 selves. Men are bom with a certain in- 
 tellect or talent the development of which 
 is unlimited and almost wholly within 
 their own power. The psychologists tell 
 us that we are born with a certain amount 
 of intellect. We perhaps cannot add one 
 iota to this intellect, but that intellect 
 with which we are bom is capable of being 
 developed. 
 
 Obstacles 
 The Bible gives us a parable of a 
 man who before travelling into a far 
 country called his servants together. 
 Unto one he gave five talents, to another 
 two, and to another one, each according 
 to his several ability. The one who re- 
 ceived five talents developed his talents 
 one hundred per cent, but the man who re- 
 
OBSTACLES ON THE EOAD 29 
 
 ceived one talent felt that he had accom- 
 plished quite a little to j)reserve that one 
 talent and present it to his lord intact. 
 At the same time he took that opportu- 
 nity to proclaim that he knew his lord was 
 a hard taskmaster. For this wicked 
 slothfulness his lord rebuked him and tak- 
 ing the talent from him gave it to the 
 servant who had ten. The development of 
 the talents given us or the intellect with 
 which we are born is one of the first steps 
 toward our goal of making good. The 
 road to this goal of making good is beset 
 with manj!- obstacles. These obstacles are 
 mostly imaginary. They are mostly 
 fears. They are almost all subjective 
 ideas. Strange as it may seem an imagi- 
 nary obstacle has just as much of a deter- 
 rent effect upon the individual as if it 
 were a real obstacle. Were it not for this, 
 obstacles would not be here mentioned at 
 all. 
 
 The most frequent obstacles, unagi- 
 nary or real, met with are ( 1 ) the errone- 
 ous belief that every man who has accom- 
 plished great things is a genius; (2) lack 
 
30 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 of self-confidence; (3) a fear of failure; 
 (4) blaming the economic order for our 
 inability to make good; (5) trusting to 
 luck; (6) waiting for an opportunity; 
 (7) the doctrine that is being taught to 
 the great mass of wage-workers that they 
 no longer have any hope of advancement ; 
 and (8) inherited wealth. There may be 
 numerous other hindrances in your way 
 of making good, depending upon the ac- 
 tivity of your imagination, but for the 
 purpose of discussion these may well suf- 
 fice. 
 
 Misconcept of Genius 
 One of the greatest drawbacks, hin- 
 drances, or impediments to the advance- 
 ment of a young man to-day is the er- 
 roneous conception or belief that every 
 successful man is a genius or something 
 akin to a superhuman being possessed 
 with qualities, attributes, and intellect 
 that an average person can never hope to 
 attain. Any one should hesitate very 
 much to minimize the accomplishments of 
 our great men. Edison, Bell, the Ste- 
 
OBSTACLES Olf THE EOAD 31 
 
 phensons, Watt, Ericsson, Croaipton, 
 Hargreaves, Fulton, and numerous other 
 inventors have produced more wealth with 
 their particular contributions to the wel- 
 fare of society, than thousands of manual 
 workers accomplish in thousands of years, 
 — but that is beside the point. Were 
 these men geniuses? Yes, if by that term 
 we mean a man who can do three men's 
 work. Elbert Hubbard touched the 
 point when he said, " Genius is a matter 
 of energy properly focussed, concen- 
 trated, and utilized," If you should look 
 into the lives of any of our great inventors 
 or captains of industry you would find 
 the outstanding feature of their career 
 to be hard work. If there is a superhu- 
 man power with this class of individuals, 
 it is the ability or capacity for unceasing, 
 untiring, concentrated effort. 
 
 One of the best sources of inspiration 
 available for the young man, to-day, is the 
 lives of our captains of industry and our 
 inventors. Study along this line shows 
 that these great men have risen from the 
 lowly walks of life. They come from the 
 
32 MA^NG GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 so-called common people, and no matter 
 in what walk of life, whether in music, 
 art, literature, invention, or industry, any 
 man who has made a marked success in 
 any of these fields" has done so through 
 hard work. Their accomplishments 
 should not deter us, but should stimulate 
 us to achieve! Read the lives of some of 
 these great men and verify this for your- 
 self, and if you find that they achieve 
 through hard work, go thou and do like- 
 wise. 
 
 William James makes the point in this 
 statement: " The plain fact remains that 
 men the world over possess amounts of 
 resource which only very exceptional in- 
 dividuals push to their extremes of use," 
 You have the resource, you have been 
 given talent, you have a certain amount 
 of intellect. Will you increase the talent, 
 develop the intellect, or push your re- 
 source to its extreme use? 
 
 Lack of Confidence 
 Closely allied with this erroneous con- 
 ception of the term genius is our lack of 
 
OBSTACLES ON THE EOAD 33 
 
 confidence in ourselves. This lack of con- 
 fidence is ofttimes evidenced through our 
 unwillingness to use our own minds. 
 There have been a number of experiments 
 along this line, some of them among the 
 students receiving executive training in 
 the Babson Institute. For instance, in 
 raising a question for debate students in- 
 variably ask where they can find some- 
 thing written on the question? Let us as- 
 sume that the question is, " Resolved: 
 that the Federal Government should own 
 and operate the railways." The usual 
 method of procedure in preparing for 
 such a debate is to read extensively. Few 
 prefer a thinking process, although able 
 to think clearly and well. Give a student 
 a blank piece of paper and pencil, then 
 put him in a room alone with his thinking 
 power. Tests show that the average 
 advanced student, twenty-one years of 
 age or over, can think out originally from 
 fifty to seventy-five per cent, of the pros 
 and cons on the question, without reading 
 a single line. 
 
 What benefit does the student derive 
 
34 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 from the standpoint of governmental 
 ownership to know that there are so many 
 thousands of miles of railroad in the 
 United States; to know that there are so 
 many millions of employees ; or that there 
 are so many millions of dollars invested? 
 The exact number of miles, employees, or 
 amounts of dollars matters very little. 
 Any one knows that there are a great 
 number of miles of railways in the United 
 States. Almost any one knows that the 
 number of employees must be consider- 
 able, and almost any one knows that the 
 amount invested must be large indeed. 
 Then the question resolves itself into the 
 control of this vast number of miles ; into 
 the management of the great number 
 of employees; and into the financial ar- 
 rangements for a large investment of 
 money. 
 
 With those rather indefinite terms the 
 student can think out the problems in- 
 volved under individual o\ATiership or 
 federal ownership. Then, after having 
 thought out the pros and cons, it is ample 
 time to read. Then, also, how much more 
 
OBSTACLES ON THE EOAD 35 
 
 proud the student is of himself when he 
 finds that Dr, Johnson makes the same 
 point that he has made, — or that Dr. Rip- 
 ley agrees with him on a certain question 
 of finance. It is then that the student 
 begins to realize that he has a mind of his 
 own capable of utilization. That man 
 who fears to use his own mind is stum- 
 bling over an imaginary obstacle on the 
 road to making good. The man that suc- 
 ceeds is the man that thinks he can. 
 " Success comes in cans, failures in 
 can'ts," and some one has well said: 
 
 << 
 
 If you think you're beaten, you are; 
 
 If you think you dare not, you don 't ; 
 If you'd like to win, but you think you can't. 
 
 It's almost a cinch you won't. 
 
 'If you think you'll lose, you're lost; 
 
 For out in the world we find 
 Success begins with a fellow's will; 
 It's all the state of mind. 
 
 'If you think you're out-classed, you are; 
 
 You've got to think big to rise; 
 You've got to be sure of yourself before 
 
 You can ever win a prize. 
 
36 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 "Life's battles don't always go 
 To the stronger or faster man ; 
 But soon or late the man who wins 
 Is the one who thinks he can. ' ' 
 
 From " Boston University News." 
 
 Fear of Failure 
 
 Fear of failure is another obstacle on 
 the road to making good upon which 
 many a toe has been stubbed. Did you 
 ever stop to realize that the only thing 
 which cannot fall is a worm, — or that a 
 man who never makes any mistakes never 
 makes anything else — except trouble? 
 Life would surely be of the most hum- 
 drum sort if there was absent from all of 
 our adventures the least thrill of a pos- 
 sible failure. Failure is a purifying proc- 
 ess. It forces a trial balance of our ef- 
 forts. Failure properly utilized is a much 
 more wholesome stimulant than anything 
 existent even prior to the eighteenth 
 amendment. 
 
 The general manager of one of the 
 leading railway systems of the United 
 States was once discharged from a posi- 
 
OBSTACLES ON THE EOAD 37 
 
 lion as yardmaster paying him ninety 
 dollars per month because of his lack of 
 ability to perform the work. Henry 
 Ward Beecher stood sixty-fourth in an 
 examination in grammar. The boy who 
 ranked first in the same class grew up to 
 be a barber in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. 
 Beecher failed in many of his efforts, but 
 he eventually achieved his marvellous suc- 
 cess as a preacher of the gospel. Out in 
 Florence, Arizona, is a life-termer in the 
 state penitentiary who writes articles on 
 Business Letter- Writing that are read by 
 hundreds of our leading business men. 
 This man has been reared inside the walls 
 of the penal institutions of the country. 
 He was in a reform school early in life, 
 served five years in Ohio State Peniten- 
 tiary and later, received a life sentence in 
 the West. He has been redeemed 
 through work and even though behind 
 prison-walls, he seals himself up in the 
 envelope, as he expresses it, and reaches 
 the heart of the business world. You may 
 fail a half dozen times and eventually suc- 
 ceed if you are willing to work and think. 
 
SS MAkliTG Gbob i2J BtrSlNE^ 
 
 Hard work, consecutive thinking, and the 
 exercise of judgment are the things that 
 Me^ -k tnaii make gOod. 
 
 Blinrtiiig Economic System 
 If you visit Boston Common on some 
 nice sunny spring Sunday afternoon you 
 may hear a polyglot of orations blaming 
 our social economic or political order for 
 the failures of the great mass of people. 
 It is rather paradoxical that Joseph Fels, 
 manufacturer of Fels-Naptha soap, once 
 blamed the same social, economic and 
 political order for his marvellous success ! 
 The same energy, time, and effort spent 
 in blaming our economic order devoted to 
 makmg good would achieve the desired 
 result. 
 
 Men are successful because they have 
 certain six characteristics referred to in a 
 later chapter. These soap box orators 
 seem to think that men are successful be- 
 cause they have money or because an 
 economic system favours them. The cau- 
 sation is just the other way. Men are not 
 successful because they have wealth. 
 
OBSTACLES ON THE EOAD 39 
 
 They have wealth because they are suc- 
 cessful. Men are not successful because 
 the economic order favours them, but they 
 are successful because they take advan- 
 tage of the opportunities existing under 
 the economic order. Sometimes the er- 
 roneous concept of the causes of success 
 finds its way into the laws of our land. 
 This is evidenced by the various hin- 
 drances that are placed as distinct barriers 
 in the path of business. But even laws 
 camiot prevent men from being success- 
 ful unless those laws can obliterate the 
 intellect from the mind of man. So far 
 laws have been unable to annul intellect or 
 its results; — and, the result of intellect is 
 success. 
 
 Trusting to Liuck 
 Even in this day of developed intellect 
 and enlightened civilization there are 
 thos^ who are trusting " luck " to make 
 good. This, that, or the other man who 
 has made good is " lucky." In every game 
 of chance the odds are against th^ player. 
 With the odds against the player, if he 
 
40 MAKING GOOD EST BUSINESS 
 
 play the game long enough he will fail. 
 Likewise if one trusts to luck he is doomed 
 to fail. A little scrap of a poem reads: 
 
 "If we conld see the toil and turmoil 
 
 That awaits us down the road ; 
 If our lips could taste the wormwood, 
 
 If our backs could feel the load; 
 "Would we spend the day in wishing 
 
 For a time that ne'er could be; 
 Would we watch with such impatience 
 
 For our ships to come from sea?" 
 
 Yes, the surest way to insure toil and 
 turmoil is to watch with impatience for our 
 ships to come from sea. Luck is not one 
 of the foundations of making good. It is 
 true that there are those who at times 
 seem lucky. It is true that luck some- 
 times places men in good positions ; but it 
 is also true that something other than luck 
 is required to hold the position. In other 
 words, luck may place a man in a good 
 position, but it cannot keep him there. 
 
 Lack of Opportunity 
 If, instead of luck, we say opportunity 
 
OBSTACLES ON THE EOAD 41 
 
 that is more logical. Of course, success- 
 ful men often make their opportunity. 
 However, when one considers the great 
 undeveloped resources of men and the la- 
 tent power of labour, these resources and 
 power that are dormant because they have 
 not been given the opportunity to de- 
 yelop, he is inclined to pin his faith to the 
 belief that " many a flower is born to 
 blush unseen." 
 
 A certain man is sitting at the same 
 desk to-day at which he sat in 1872, — a 
 man who is mentally, morally and physic- 
 ally fit in every way. He is doing the 
 same detailed work that he did fifty years 
 ago at approximately the same " real 
 wage." Another man that went through 
 the same office has in a period of five years 
 gone from a hundred dollar clerk's 
 position to a $20,000 managerial position 
 with a transportation company. Luck 
 may have had something to do with the 
 selection of the latter man, but it had ab- 
 solutely nothing to do with his making 
 good in the position. The former man 
 surely did have the opportunities of the 
 
42 MAKING GOOD m BUSINESS 
 
 latter. While we should not slacken our 
 pace to the least degree, I beseech the em- 
 ployers of this land periodically to look 
 over their plants with a view to finding 
 men in the ranks of their labourers for the 
 specific purpose of giving them an oppor- 
 tunity to develop themselves. 
 
 A Lesson in Algebra 
 
 The captains of industry to-day came 
 from the ranks of the wage-workers of 
 yesterday. The captains of industry to- 
 morrow must come from the ranks of the 
 wage-workers of to-day. Opportunity to 
 develop is the sine qua non of making 
 good. Make your own opportunity if 
 you can. A great many progressive em- 
 ployers are awake to the need of giving 
 you the opportunity. Cooperation in 
 this between employer and wage-worker 
 is an important factor in our develop- 
 ment. A much more important factor is 
 your ability to recognize an opportunity 
 when it arrives. Opportunity taps once 
 at every man's door. 
 
t)^f ACLE'S Ot TKE feOAD 4B 
 
 'Opporttmity tapped at a door 
 
 With a fefeanoe for the brother within,* 
 Me tapped till lus fingers were sore 
 
 And muttered : ' Come on, let me in^ 
 Here is something I know you can do, 
 Here's a hill that I know you can climb.' 
 But the brother inside 
 Very quickly replied: 
 'Old fellow, I haven't got time.' 
 
 "Opportunity wandered along 
 
 In search of a man who would rise, 
 He said to the indolent throng: 
 
 'Here's a chance for the fellow who tries.' 
 But each of them said with a smile, 
 'I wish I could do it, but I'm 
 Very busy to-day 
 And I'm sorry to say 
 That really I haven't got time.' 
 
 "At last Opportunity came 
 
 To a man who was burdened with cares, 
 And said: *I now offer the same 
 
 Opportunity that has been theirs. 
 Here's a duty that ought to be done, 
 It's a chance if you've got time to take it.* 
 Said the man, with a grin, 
 'Come along, pass it m! 
 Ill either find time or I'll make it.' 
 
44 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 "Of all the excuses there are 
 
 By which this old world is accursed, 
 This 'haven't got time' is by far 
 
 The poorest, the feeblest, the worst. 
 A delusion it is, and a snare; 
 
 If the habit is yours, you should shake it, 
 For if you want to do 
 What is offered to you, 
 You'll find time to do it, or make it." 
 — From "Commerce and Finance." 
 
 Don't wait for the opportunity. The 
 only kind of situations and positions that 
 come to one who waits are unpleasant 
 situations and embarrassing positions — if 
 one waits long enough. Once for my own 
 amusement I reduced making good to an 
 algebraic equation. The result is as fol- 
 lows: 
 
 Ability — Opportunity = Disappoint- 
 ment. 
 
 Opportunity — Abilitj'^ = Failure. 
 
 No Ability + No Opportunity=Stag- 
 nation. 
 
 Ability + Opportunity = Success. 
 
 The above algebraic equation clearly 
 shows that ability is the basis of all sue- 
 
OBSTACLES ON THE EOAD 45 
 
 cess. It also shows that along with ability 
 must go opportunity before success can 
 be consummated. If one has ability but 
 never gets the right opportunity to ex- 
 ploit that ability it is not failure but dis- 
 appointment. There are thousands of 
 people with ability along certain lines who 
 never get an opportunity to use their abil- 
 ity. There are thousands of people with 
 marked ability who on account of the ob- 
 stacles on the road to success never de- 
 velop the ability to its maximum. Fail- 
 ure comes to those who get the opportu- 
 nity but have not the ability to fill the po- 
 sition; while those who possess no ability 
 and never get an opportunity live in ig- 
 norant contentment. 
 
 Labour Disqualifying 
 Already mention has been made of the 
 position of organized labour. Of course 
 all labour leaders do not make workers 
 believe that it is impossible for them to 
 develop as individuals. But, whenever 
 they do the idea is entirely wrong. In- 
 stead, every worker should know that it 
 
46 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 is possible for him to become an employer, 
 that it is possible for him to become even 
 a capitalist, and that all these things are 
 possible imder our present social, eco- 
 nomic, and political order. Not only pos- 
 sible, yea, they are all stimulated by our 
 present system. Hence, labour leaders 
 should not teach labour that it must al- 
 ways remain labour. The possibilities of 
 the individual of development should be 
 inculcated in the minds of the great mass 
 of workers. Each man should loiow that 
 there is an attainable goal; that he has la- 
 tent power; that he has talents; that he 
 has intellect; that all of these things are 
 capable of development; and that the pos- 
 sibilities of developing them lie almost 
 wholly within himself. 
 
 Inherited Wealth 
 Inherited wealth should also be tabu- 
 lated more as a hindrance than as an aid. 
 A man once said: " My father left me a 
 great inheritance." The tnithfulness of 
 his statement was apparent when he con- 
 tmued by stating that his father left him 
 
OBSTACLES ON THE EOAD 47 
 
 good health and poverty. Making good 
 comes from religion and work. Those 
 factors are developed in humble homes. 
 All hindrances, both imaginary and real, 
 properly considered by each individual 
 may be utilized as aids rather than ob- 
 stacles. Success comes not from the ad- 
 vantages that we have but from the ob- 
 stacles which we overcome. If you are 
 really in earnest about making good, an- 
 swer these questions: Have you confi- 
 dence in your ability to succeed? Upon 
 what do you base that confidence? Are 
 you conscious of any faults that may 
 interfere with your progress? Can they 
 be overcome? What are you doing to 
 overcome them? 
 
 Some one has said that in order to 
 achieve success you must keep your eyes 
 on the stars, your ear to the ground, and 
 your nose on the grindstone. I have 
 never been quite able to figure out the 
 physical contortion necessary to perform 
 this feat. Nevertheless, if taken in sepa- 
 rate doses the statement has a meaning. 
 
Ill 
 
 THE SIX '7'$" OP MAKING GOOD 
 
 HERE are numerous statemeiits 
 relating to "The Waj tc 
 Wealth"; if there is a new idea 
 in them, help yourself: 
 
 The Way to Wealth 
 
 " God helps them who help others. 
 
 "Industry pays debts, while despair in- 
 creaseth them. 
 
 " If you would have your business done, 
 go ; if not, send. 
 
 " Experience keeps a dear school, but 
 fools will learn in no other. 
 
 " Dost thou love life, then do not squander 
 time, for that is the stuff life is made of. 
 
 " Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than 
 labour wears, while the used key is always 
 bright. 
 
 "Lost time is never found again; and 
 48 
 
THE SIX "I'S" 49 
 
 what we call time enough, always proves 
 little enough. 
 
 "He that hath a trade, hath an estate; 
 and he that hath a calling, hath an office of 
 profit and honour. 
 
 "If ever leave till to-morrow that which 
 you can do to-day. One to-day is worth 
 two to-morrows. 
 
 " The eye of a master will do more work 
 than both his hands. Keep thy shop and 
 thy shop will keep thee. 
 
 " Silks and satins, scarlet and velvets, put 
 out the kitchen fire. Fools make feasts, and 
 wise men eat them. 
 
 "Pride breakfasted with plenty, dined 
 with poverty, and supped with infamy. 
 Lying rides upon debt's back. 
 
 " Constant dropping wears away stones ; 
 and by diligence and patience the mouse ate 
 in two the cable ; and little strokes fell great 
 oaks. 
 
 "A man may, if he knows not how to save 
 as he gets, keep his nose all his life to the 
 grindstone, and die not worth a groat at 
 last. A fat, well-provisioned kitchen makes 
 a lean will. 
 
 "What maintains one vice would bring 
 up two children. 
 
50 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 " Want of care does us more damage than 
 want of knowledge. 
 
 "If you would have a faithful servant, 
 and one that you like, serve yourself. 
 
 " Many without labour would live by 
 their wits only but they break for the want 
 of stock. 
 
 " The sleeping fox catches no poultry, and 
 there will be sleeping enough in the grave. 
 
 " Not to oversee worlonen is to leave them 
 your purse open. A little neglect may breed 
 great mischief. 
 
 " Industry need not wish, and he that 
 lives upon hope will die fasting. There are 
 no gains without pains. 
 
 " If you would be wealthy, think of saving 
 as well as of getting. Who dainties lovei, 
 shall beggars prove. 
 
 " Diligence is the mother of good luck, 
 and God gives all things to industry. Then 
 plow deep, while sluggards sleep, and you 
 shall have corn to sell and keep. 
 
 " Employ thy time well, if thou meanest 
 to gain leisure ; and since thou art not sure 
 of a minute, throw not away an hour. 
 
 "Creditors have better memories than 
 debtors, creditors are a superstitious sect, 
 great observers of set days and times. 
 
THE SIX «'rS" 61 
 
 Rather go to bed supperless than rise in 
 debt. 
 
 " Sloth, makes all things difficult, but in- 
 dustry all easy. He that riseth late, must 
 trot all day, and shall scarce overtake his 
 business at night; while laziness travels so 
 slowly, that poverty soon overtakes him. 
 Drive thy business, let not that drive thee ; 
 and early to bed and early to rise, makes a 
 man healthy, wealthy and wise." 
 
 Success Qualities 
 Books on success give a multitude of 
 requisites. Some of these qualities are 
 address, appearance, neatness, energy, vi- 
 tality, speed, concentration, observation, 
 reason, application, diligence,- accuracy, 
 pimctuality, economy, order, system, 
 know^ledge, intuition, culture, prudence, 
 grit, tenacity, tact, diplomacy, thorough- 
 ness, initiative, adaptability, optimism, 
 cheerfulness, reserve, enthusiasm, sincer- 
 ity, sympathy, self-control, ability as a 
 detailist, ability as a generalizer, obedi- 
 ence to authority, ability to know men, 
 ability to get along with men, self-con- 
 fidence, etc., ad infinitum. 
 
52 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 Careful study, however, shows that all 
 of these may be classified under one of 
 six fundamental principles. Strangely 
 enough the entire six begin with the let- 
 ter " I." These six " I's " include all the 
 terms enumerated above. Thus the en- 
 tire process of making good may be re- 
 duced to these six fundamentals. Let us 
 consider them in order. 
 
 1. Industry 
 The greatest universities in America 
 are not Harvard, Yale, Columbia, 
 Princeton, Michigan, Chicago, or Cali- 
 fornia. These universities stand high in 
 the development of certain faculties. But 
 the graduates from these institutions have 
 been successful because they also gradu- 
 ated from one of three still more famous 
 institutions; namely, the wood box, the 
 dish pan, or the corn field. The greatest 
 universities in America are the wood box, 
 the dish pan, and the corn field. These 
 institutions have graduated the men and 
 the women who are making America to- 
 day. Why? Because the wood box, the 
 
THE SIX "rS'> S3 
 
 dish pan and the com field have taught 
 yovuig men and women to be industri- 
 ous. 
 
 A chap in the South wrote a merchant 
 of his city complaining about his high 
 prices. The reply this chap received to 
 his inquiry was sent to me for statistical 
 verification. It was as follows: 
 
 " There are three hundred and sixty-five 
 days in the year. Of these three hundred 
 and sixty-five days the great majority of us 
 ■work only eight hours per day. This is one- 
 third of the time or approximately one hun- 
 dred and twenty-one days. There are fifty- 
 two Sundays in the year and fifty-two Sun- 
 days subtracted from one hundred and 
 twenty-one working days leave sixty-nine 
 working days. Then the great mass of us 
 get Saturday afternoons off. This is the 
 equivalent to twenty-six days throughout 
 the year. Twenty-six days subtracted from 
 sixty-nine working days leave forty-three 
 working days. Then there are two weelis' 
 vacation in the year. This is fourteen days 
 and the fourteen vacation days subtracted 
 from the forty-three working days leave 
 
U MAM^Gt GOOD IN BUSIJSrESS 
 
 twenty-nine working days. There are also 
 during a year twelve holidays, and the 
 twelve holidays subtracted from the twenty- 
 nine worldng days leave seventeen working 
 days. We all receive one hour for lunch 
 each day. This is equivalent throughout 
 the year to thirteen days. That is, thirteen 
 lunch hour days subtracted from the seven- 
 teen working days leave four working days. 
 Now, one knows that there are four Jewish 
 holidays during the year. Four holidays 
 subtracted from the four working days leave 
 no days! Then, why the devil do you ask 
 why prices are high and business is rot- 
 ten? " 
 
 Eliminating duplications, the fact re- 
 mains that the great mass of us work only 
 twenty-four per cent, of the time. 
 
 2. Integrity 
 
 Industry of itself, however, never gets 
 anybody anywhere. Most animals work 
 a good deal harder than you and I work. 
 The inhabitants of the world during the 
 last million years have always worked. 
 
THE SIX "I'S" 56 
 
 They have been compelled to work to 
 keep from starving and freezing. Why 
 is it that after these millions of years of 
 work it is only within the last few cen- 
 turies that people have got anywhere and 
 become healthier, happier, and more pros- 
 perous? The reason is that only recently 
 have men learned that Avith Industry 
 there must go Integrity. The animals are 
 industrious but they are not honest. 
 They steal, they deceive, they refuse to 
 respect the rights and property of others. 
 They are animals and always will remain 
 animals. Civilization really dates from 
 the time that people began to respect the 
 rights and property of others. Hence, 
 the second " I " of success is Integrity. 
 And let me say right here that the real 
 cause of business depressions is the tem- 
 porary neglect of Industry and Integrity. 
 While our nation's resoui'ces are greater 
 than ever and the world's need for goods 
 is more than ever, factories close down be- 
 cause men forget those common virtues of 
 Industry and Integrity which are the 
 basis of prosperity. 
 
66 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 S. Intelligence 
 
 But Industry and Integrity alone can- 
 not accomplish much without Intelli- 
 gence. To make good in business,' young 
 people must make good in school and col- 
 lege. Next to fathers and mothers, our 
 best friends are our school teachers and 
 college instructors. The statistical rela- 
 tion of education to success as will be ex- 
 plained later warrants making the third 
 " I " of success. Intelligence. 
 
 Intelligence does not mean mere book 
 learning. A cyclopedia is not intelligent. 
 A phonograph is not intelligent. A great 
 library is not intelligent. Intelligence is 
 judgment, which is the ability to think 
 clearly, justly, and courageously. Intel- 
 ligence is more a product of honesty and 
 courage than of information and diplo- 
 mas. 
 
 When Solomon wrote on this subject 
 of making good in business, he continu- 
 ally referred to wisdom, — the need of 
 wisdom and of more wisdom. Said he: 
 
 " Wisdom is as good as an inheritance. 
 
THE SIX "I'S" 67 
 
 B . . Wisdom is a defence. . , * 
 Wisdom preserveth the life of him that 
 hath it." 
 
 " Wisdom is the principal thing, there- 
 fore get wisdom ; and with all thy getting 
 get understanding. Exalt her and she 
 will promote thee; she will bring thee to 
 honour." 
 
 " To know wisdom and instruction; to 
 discern the words of understanding; to 
 receive instruction in wise dealing, in 
 righteousness and justice and equity." 
 
 Remember that this was before the 
 days of colleges or even schools. Solo- 
 mon referred to intelligence, the art of 
 coi'rectly judging men and events. He 
 had in mind that power of forecasting the 
 future by the past, of profiting from ex- 
 perience, and of using the forces of na- 
 ture as helps instead of obstacles. This 
 intelligence is greatly needed to-day by 
 all who hope to make good in business. 
 
 4' Initiative 
 When I gi'aduated from Massachusetts 
 Institute of Technology it was difficult to 
 
68 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 get a job. I answered many advertise- 
 ments but got no replies. Most of the ad- 
 vei-tisements were signed only by /jpost- 
 office box numbers so the adv^fertiser 
 would not be bothered by the applicants. 
 (At this point let me give you a httle in- 
 side information. Whenever advertise- 
 ments for help are signed by the post- 
 office box numbers that is an indicator 
 that business is dull and there are many 
 applicants for each position. When this 
 is true you will not be able to bargain on 
 the wage problem. When advertisements 
 for help are signed by the name of the 
 firm, you can rest assured that business is 
 good and the applicants are few» When 
 advertisements are signed this way you 
 get an interview with the would-be em- 
 ployer and you can bargain on the wage 
 problem to an advantage.) 
 
 The advertisement of the position I 
 was seeking was signed by post-office 
 box number. Finally I got tired of writ- 
 ing letters to which no replies were re- 
 ceived, and so went to the post-office to 
 find out who owned Box 1070, which waiS 
 
THESIX'TS" 59 
 
 the signature of an advertisement of a 
 bond house wanting a statistician. The 
 post-office officials refused to tell me. I 
 then went to the box and waited until 
 some one came. I followed that some one 
 to his office, went in, and applied for the 
 job. The head of the firm looked me over 
 and said: " Young man, here are over a 
 hundred applicants for this job; but I am 
 not going to take any of them. I am go- 
 ing to try you because I know you have 
 initiative." 
 
 One may be happy if he has only In- 
 dustry and Integrity and Intelligence; 
 but he will never get very far in business 
 unless he also has Initiative. Initiative is 
 to business success what gasoline is to an 
 engine or coal to a locomotive. Men suc- 
 ceed in business because they originate 
 and do things before being told to do 
 them. Initiative is the driving power of 
 life, and the fourth " I " of success. 
 
 5. Intensity 
 Down in Washington they have a lens 
 about three feet in diameter which concen- 
 
60 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 trates the sun's rays on a point as big as 
 a i)encil. The last I heard they had great 
 difficulty to measure the heat at this point 
 because the rays, when concentrated, are 
 so hot that they melt every thermometer 
 used to measure it. Just think, this is 
 only three feet of sunshine such as we 
 have upon our bodies every day and do 
 not feel ; but this three feet becomes an all 
 powerful heat when intensified by concen- 
 trating it to a small point. 
 
 My start in life began with a lecture 
 which Booker T. Washington used to 
 give on the subject of Intensity. His 
 point was that he could make the poorest 
 black man prosperous by teaching him to 
 do one thing more intensely than anybody 
 else in the community. Booker Wash- 
 ington went on to show how^for instance 
 — if a man would study only " apples " 
 but know more about apples than any one 
 else in the county, his success was as- 
 sured. This suggests that the great 
 trouble with people is that they are being 
 taught too many things and are not 
 specializing enough. Study convinced 
 
THE SIX "I'S" 61 
 
 me that that is absolutely true and from 
 that day on I devoted myself to statis- 
 tics. 
 
 If you press your thumb on your cheek, 
 it doesn't hurt you; if you press the point 
 of a lead pencil on your cheek, you feel it 
 keenly; while if you press a needle point 
 on your cheek, it pierces the skin and 
 pains you. In each instance the pressure 
 is the same. In the case of the needle the 
 pressure is concentrated on a small point, 
 while in the case of the pencil or the 
 thumb the pressure is spread over a large 
 area. 
 
 It is the same with succeeding in busi- 
 ness. To be successful, young people 
 must specialize in something. It may be 
 apples or bricks or clocks or pencils or 
 clothing or shoes. By the way, if you 
 specialize in shoes be content to take only a 
 part of the shoe, such as the sole, the heel, 
 the counter, the shoestring, or the eyelet. 
 It would be very difficult for any person 
 to know all about shoes, but one could 
 very easily become a specialist in counters, 
 heels, soles, eyelets, or shoestrings. The 
 
62 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 fifth " I " of success is Intensity, concen- 
 tration or specialization. 
 
 6. Inspiration 
 A half century ago a young newspaper 
 reporter came from the Golden West to 
 establish a ncAvs distributing office in New 
 York City. He learned that news get- 
 ting and news distributing were already 
 pretty much provided for. After a few 
 weeks of struggle this young man gave up 
 in despair. He closed up his office prepa- 
 ratory for the return to California. Be- 
 fore he left New York he visited the East 
 Side. There he saw the evidences of city 
 poverty. The crowded tenements, and 
 inconveniences of that mode of living 
 made a lasting impression upon the 
 young man. The next day he strolled up 
 Fifth Avenue. There he saw evidences 
 of great wealth, luxury, and comfort. 
 An idea came to him: " Why with this in- 
 crease in wealth, comfort and luxury for 
 some, is there the increase in poverty and 
 suffering for others? " Why should 
 progress be coupled with povei-ty in such 
 
THE SIX "I'S" 63 
 
 a manner? That young man decided 
 there and then that he would discover the 
 cause. He returned to his home state, 
 where he devoted six years to the most in- 
 tensive study of economics. He even sold 
 the carpet out of his living-room to com- 
 plete the work. After the result of this 
 six years of study and investigation was 
 completed no publisher would print it. 
 Eventually he had to put up the neces- 
 sary amount to guarantee the cost of the 
 plates. But the work was printed and 
 Henry George's book on " Progress and 
 Poverty " has been translated into almost 
 every language. 
 
 The point that I want to make is this. 
 Henry George had the various qualities 
 above enumerated that make for success. 
 As he walked up Fifth Avenue revolving 
 the problem of progress and poverty he 
 got an Inspiration. That Inspiration 
 stimulated his Industry, Integrity, In- 
 telligence and carried him through the six 
 years of most intensive work. A great 
 many of us may have the five attributes 
 of success above enumerated. If with 
 
64 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 those attributes we get Inspiration then 
 our quota is complete. Inspiration stimu- 
 lates our other faculties, spurs us on to 
 great achievements. It is because of this 
 dynamic influence that I make the sixth 
 and last " I " of success. Inspiration. 
 
 Development of the Sice " I's" 
 How shall we develop these six " I's "? 
 How shall we educate our children to de- 
 velop them? This is the most difficult 
 part of our problem. Every parent 
 knows the difficulties in training children. 
 Talking and scolding do little good. The 
 greatest factor is the power of example, 
 and yet we cannot make a plant grow 
 simply by setting it a good example. It 
 needs a good soil in which to grow and 
 much sunshine. In the same way these 
 six "I's " of success need a good soil in 
 which to grow and much sunshine. 
 
 What is the needed soil? It seems to 
 me that the needed soil is good health and 
 good habits. There are instances where 
 a person with unclean habits or unkind 
 habits has been successful, but such in- 
 
THE SIX " I'S » 65 
 
 stances are few. Get the young people 
 to form good habits and the chances are 
 very much more in their favour. Hence, 
 the importance of regular meals, sleeping 
 with the windows open, taking good care 
 of the teeth, and of saying only kind 
 things to and of others. 
 
 What is a Habit? 
 Yes, — ^what is a habit? In my hand I 
 may hold a piece of paper. When fold- 
 ing the piece of paper the first time it may 
 fold at any point. After I have folded 
 it once it will always fold in the same way 
 no matter how often it may be flattened 
 out. It is the same with life. We are 
 continually making creases or habits. 
 Every time we make a good crease or 
 good habit it is easier for us to do the 
 right thing next time. Every time we 
 make a wrong crease, it is harder for us to 
 do the right thing next time. Life is 
 largely a matter of habit. In order for 
 young people to be successful, in busi- 
 ness, they must form good habits. In or- 
 der for them to have good habits, we older 
 
66 MAKING GOOD IN BUSIISIESS 
 
 ones must set them a good example. 
 Those who are unsuccessful usually have 
 poor habits; while those who are success- 
 ful, can, in many instances, thank their 
 good habits for the success. 
 
 Importance of Beligion 
 A plant might be in the best soil and 
 would never amovmt to anything if it had 
 no simshine. It is the same with our 
 young people. The cannibals have good 
 health but they all lack " something." 
 What is it that the cannibals lack? It is 
 religion. Religion bears the same rela- 
 tion to success that sunshine bears to a 
 plant. If statistics have taught me any 
 one thing, it is the truth of that statement 
 of Towson's; namely: "The biggest 
 thing in business is not machinery, materi- 
 als, or markets; but rather men. The big- 
 gest thing in men is not body, mind, or 
 muscle; but soul. Wages, prices, and 
 conditions can be adjusted; but attitudes, 
 motives and relationships can only be con- 
 verted." Health, education, and money 
 may get yovmg people diplomas, but only 
 
THESIX"rS" 67 
 
 religion causes them truly to benefit from 
 that Industry, Integrity, Intelligence, 
 Initiative, Intensity, and Inspiration, 
 which bring true success. 
 
 If you are endowed with the six " I's " 
 of success and all of these are bathed in 
 the sunshine of religion there is very little 
 else that I can say to you. Success is 
 yours for the asking! 
 
IV 
 
 THE WOMAN'S PAET IN THE SIX "I'S" 
 
 WHETHER in business directly 
 as an industrial worker, or 
 indirectly as the wife of a busi- 
 ness man, or his employee, the six " I's " 
 of success are just as essential for the 
 woman as for the man, and the qualities 
 thereby developed in her wUl make of her 
 either a successful business woman or a 
 successful wife. 
 
 During the World War experience of 
 all countries has shown that women were 
 ready and able to take the place of men. 
 To-day it is recognized that there is 
 hardly a position that women cannot fill. 
 I called on a large safety razor plant one 
 day to interview the advertising manager. 
 It appeared that for a number of years 
 the advertising manager of the plant had 
 68 
 
THE WOMAN'S PAET 69 
 
 been a woman. For years she has told 
 the men of this country how to shave with 
 a safety razor. It is also said of one of 
 the largest tire factories of the country 
 that one of its most catchy designs for a 
 tire advertisement had been designed by 
 a woman. 
 
 On the other hand, the economic and 
 social order that has made it necessary for 
 her to earn her living must be depre- 
 cated. Statistics will show that the 
 woman's place is in the home, that she 
 was intended to be the wife, the mother, 
 and the home builder. However, in 
 many instances economic expediency has 
 ofttimes placed her in industry before she 
 starts the home building. 
 
 Woman's Influence in Business 
 While engaged in industrial pursuits 
 her success depends wholly upon the qual- 
 ities discussed in this book. The woman's 
 part in business has a twofold aspect: 
 first, the part that she plays as an indus- 
 trial worker and, second, the part that she 
 plays as the wife of an industrial worker. 
 
70 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINIBS 
 
 This statement does not mean that all 
 wives were formerly industrial workers, 
 but rather that the great majority of 
 women occupy one or the other relation- 
 ship. Her influence, however, on busi- 
 ness in general and upon some man's suc- 
 cess in particular is a factor which is more 
 important than is often appreciated. It is 
 the influence as the helpmate of man that 
 it is well to discuss briefly. 
 
 Home Life 
 
 The home life of a man is reflected in 
 the work he is able to do at the ofiice. A 
 smooth running home with every detail 
 taken care of offers no distraction to busi- 
 ness at the ofiice. A home life which is 
 constantly upset by distractions of one 
 kind or another is always reflected in lack 
 of concentration at least and eventually 
 lack of interest at the office. 
 
 It is evident in a great many business 
 houses that an important employee or 
 minor executive is given more favourable 
 consideration in applying for a position if 
 his wife is the type of woman who will 
 
THE WOMAN'S PAET 71 
 
 help him and not hinder him in business 
 relations. Other things being equal, a 
 man with a sick wife, a social butterfly, a 
 poor manager, one with dependent rela- 
 tives cannot be expected to devote his un- 
 divided attention to business as can the 
 man who has a wife who is thoroughly 
 well, has no unreasonable social aspira- 
 tions, or is not handicapped by dependent 
 relatives. More and more it is coming to 
 be realized that in hiring a man his wife 
 should be taken into consideration. The 
 man with his ability is the factor you want 
 in your business, but a normal, healthful 
 home life is conducive to greatest effi- 
 ciency. As a wife she should bring the 
 benefit of her experience to aid her hus- 
 band in his industrial pursuits. 
 
 Woman's Business -Experience 
 While theoretically one dislikes the 
 economic order that makes it necessary 
 for a woman to work in industry, one can- 
 not close his eyes to some of the practical 
 benefits derived from it. A year or so of 
 business experience is ideal preparation 
 
72 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 for a woman's more important work of a 
 home manager. Having earned a dollar 
 she knows what it costs and does not run 
 to the reckless extravagance which wi'ecks 
 many homes. The woman who has never 
 worked is handicapped in judging values. 
 Incidentally, the wife who has known the 
 business world will not bother her hus- 
 band with the petty annoyances of the 
 household when he comes home at night. 
 She will understand him and his problems 
 and can do much to encourage and help 
 him. A wife may make or break her hus- 
 band as far as his business success is con- 
 cerned. It is safe to say that few of 
 our industrial leaders to-day would be 
 where they are without the help and en- 
 couragement of some good woman who 
 understands their problems and trials and 
 who has done her share. 
 
 There may be another justification for 
 the woman in industry — economic expe- 
 diency. Every girl should master some 
 form of useful work for the simple reason 
 that it will give her the independence 
 which she can get in no other way. If in 
 
THE WOMAN'S PAET 73 
 
 years after married life she faces an 
 emergency which throws her back upon 
 her own resources, she is not an object of 
 charity, but a capable woman who can 
 earn a living for herself and children. 
 
 "/ Will Make Him a Helpmeet for 
 Him."— Gen. 2: 18. 
 
 Despite these factors statistics can show 
 that the proper sphere for woman is in the 
 home and CA'^en though there are 
 11,000,000 in industry a very few of them 
 are permanently industrialized. A great 
 number of these will become wives and 
 the managers of homes. The careers of 
 the men are to a considerable extent in the 
 hands of their wives. A good wife and 
 well-kept house and some healthy children 
 are of the utmost importance in enabling 
 one to develop the six " I's " of success 
 and to live the normal, wholesome, up- 
 right life. 
 
 Not all men are in business for them- 
 selves. A great many men work for 
 others. The woman's part is just as im- 
 portant whether the man work for him- 
 
74 MAKING GOOD Df BUSINESS 
 
 self or for an employer. The wife may 
 help a man make good with his employer. 
 This she can do by keeping informed of 
 what her husband is doing. She should 
 not do this from an angle of criticism or 
 prying into her husband's business. She 
 should keep informed of his business so as 
 to offer constructive suggestions and to 
 give encouragement. It may not be the 
 sociable thing to talk shop at home, but it 
 surely is good judgment to the young 
 man trying to make good with his em- 
 ployer. If his wife encourages him to 
 bring his business problems home they can 
 sit down and discuss them. Ofttimes con- 
 clusions are reached from unbiased dis- 
 cussions which enable the young man to 
 form better opinions of his relationships 
 in business, thereby enabling him to suc- 
 ceed. 
 
 Woman's Educational Influence 
 It often happens that a man marries 
 before he has secured an adequate educa- 
 tion. His wife may have had better edu- 
 cational opportunities; in this case the 
 
THE WOMAN'S PAET 75 
 
 wife has an excellent opportunity to aid 
 her husband to round out his education. 
 
 A case exists in Boston in which a 
 young man in business is seriously handi- 
 capped because of his educational defects. 
 His wife, however, will not permit him to 
 go to night school, claiming that it is his 
 duty to stay at home with her and the 
 children. From one viewpoint she is ab- 
 solutely right, but that viewpoint is rather 
 selfish on her part. From a broader view- 
 point if she is to be of the most help to 
 him in his struggle for business success, 
 she should not only permit him to attend 
 night school, but do everything she can to 
 assist him with his work so that he could 
 have more time to prosecute his studies. 
 This case may be the exception rather 
 than the rule, since there are other cases in 
 which a greater portion of the man's edu- 
 cation has been secured after marriage. 
 
 There are numerous ways in which the 
 wife can help her husband make good. 
 These ways are usually in the common 
 every-day details of life. She can encour- 
 age and stimulate him to higher achieve- 
 
76 MAEING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 ments. She can enable him to get along 
 with his employer by speaking well of the 
 employer and enabling her husband to get 
 the employer's viewpoint and vision. She 
 can assist her husband by keeping up with 
 current events and maintaining social 
 lines which the husband's duties often 
 prohibit. If she develops other lines of in- 
 terest than those of her husband she may 
 be able thereby to provide certain lines of 
 diversion for him. The usual details of 
 the home, such as conducting the finances, 
 budget and savings, ofttimes fall to the 
 part of the woman. There are some 
 women, of course, who think they must 
 spend practically everything the man 
 makes. They often justify this on the 
 ground that it makes the man work 
 harder and therefore stimulates him to 
 succeed. This idea was even incprpo- 
 rated in one of last year's plays. Of 
 course, there is legitimate spending and 
 there are economies which if carried too 
 far cease to be economy. There may be 
 rare cases in which on extravagance the 
 woman drives the man to success, but usu- 
 
THE WOMAN'S PAET 77 
 
 ally extravagance will drive the man to 
 ruin more quickly than to success. 
 
 Woman and Religion 
 The most wholesome influence that the 
 wife has on the husband is religious. 
 Woman by her very nature is religious. 
 It is she who sees that the children are 
 brought up in the proper religious en- 
 vironment. It is she who is always mind- 
 ful of her husband's religious welfare. It 
 is she who holds the father up to the chil- 
 dren as a living example of what the chil- 
 dren should be. This brings a twofold 
 result. The children are taught to rever- 
 ence the parent and at the same time the 
 father feels it necessary to maintain the 
 standard established for him by the wife. 
 Many men achieve success in business by 
 attempting to live up to the standard 
 which their wives set for them and many 
 men will be drawn to heaven by the good 
 qualities of the wife. 
 
 Realizing the good qualities of a wife 
 and her influences upon a man toward 
 making good in this world and for the 
 
78 MAKING GOOD m BUSINESS 
 
 next, I feel that every young woman 
 should marry when she reaches a rea- 
 sonable age. There is nothing that 
 will enable a man to make good with his 
 employer more than the influences of a 
 good wife. If he makes good with his 
 employer he ofttimes becomes an em- 
 ployer himself. 
 
 The Business Man's Wife 
 When a man is in business for himself 
 the influences of his wife are just as neces- 
 sary as when he is working for an em- 
 ployer. 
 
 During the past few months I have 
 been visiting the larger cities of the coun- 
 try for the purpose of meeting my clients. 
 This trip was especially an inspiration, 
 for it took me into the humming factories, 
 the big department stores, and the great 
 office buildings. Having three experts 
 along with me gave me time to study 
 plants and stores in a way not possible on 
 previous trips. 
 
 Among other things, I was especially 
 impressed by the interest which the wives 
 
THE WOMAN'S PAET 79 
 
 and daughters of some of my clients are 
 taking in their husbands' and fathers' 
 business. But it was also painful to see 
 the lack of interest on the part of a large 
 number. Many men could have saved 
 their business in times of panic and many 
 women could have saved their homes, if 
 both had taken a joint interest in the fac- 
 tory, store, or office. The husband gets 
 absorbed in the business, the wife gets ab- 
 sorbed in society, shopping, or more 
 worth-while things. This results in a 
 " board fence " developing between the 
 man and wife. 
 
 We like people who enjoy the same 
 things that we do. Husband and wife 
 fell in love with each other because there 
 was some common bond between them. 
 There were things which both enjoyed to- 
 gether. Later the children came along 
 and they served as a common bond. The 
 building of the home, the struggles of 
 early days, the job of " making both ends 
 meet " gave both husband and wife a 
 common interest and they both were 
 happy struggling together. Now do 
 
80 MAKUirG GOOD IH BUSINESS 
 
 these bonds still exist? The bonds which 
 bear coupons have perhaps killed the ones 
 that bear joy. To women who are 
 threatened with this danger, I say: 
 
 To-day your husband's business asso- 
 ciates are perhaps closer to him than you 
 are. To-day you have social and other 
 friends who may be closer to you than 
 your husband. You and he still love each 
 other and are still faithful to each other. 
 But the children have grown up ; you both 
 have aU the things which money can buy; 
 and no other common bond has come 
 along to bind you together. He is ab- 
 sorbed in the business about which you 
 know little; while you are busy with your 
 teas, charities, and clubs. As a restdt, 
 you both are slowly but surely drifting 
 apart. 
 
 Wives of Men Who Already Have 
 Made Good 
 
 During this trip, however, I met some 
 women who are actually interested in 
 their husbands' business. They are not 
 interfering with the management nor the 
 
THE WOMAN'S PAET 81 
 
 finances. They are helping on the em- 
 ployment end. They are acting as sort of 
 unofficial assistants to the employment 
 managers or to the heads of the personnel 
 departments. Instead of fussing with 
 outside charities, these women are getting 
 acquainted with the families dependent 
 upon their husbands. They are relieving 
 the distress within their own ranks. 
 
 One of these women expressed it to me 
 this way: " I was a member of a local hos- 
 pital board. One day I was greatly 
 shocked by a report by our matron of 
 three very sad cases. Upon inquiring 
 where the people worked, we were told 
 that two of them worked at the store 
 owned by my husband and from which 
 we have secured all our wealth. Later a 
 similar experience occurred to me in con- 
 nection with a charitable organization of 
 which I was one of the trustees. As a re- 
 sult, I resigned from both boards and de- 
 voted all my spare time to getting ac- 
 quainted with the people in the store. 
 To-day I visit the home of every new em- 
 ployee and call upon the wife or mother. 
 
82 MAKING GOOD'nr BUSINESS 
 
 Each day a list of the sick ones is sent to 
 my house by the head nurse of the store. 
 Against certain names will be a star 
 meaning that a call from me would be 
 much appreciated. 
 
 " Our greenhouse — which was getting 
 to be more or less of a care — has again 
 become a source of great pleasure. Every 
 day I take flowers to the homes of one or 
 more of my husband's employees. When 
 no one is ill, I take flowers to the office 
 and place them about in the dark and dis- 
 agreeable places where the poorer paid 
 employees work. You have no idea the 
 pleasure this work has been to me. 
 Moreover, it has brought my husband and 
 me closer together. As in the olden days, 
 we now again have a common bond." 
 
 Women Have Greater Intuition 
 Than Men 
 I met other women who had caught this 
 new vision. Not only were they happier, 
 but their husbands were very happy about 
 it, as the labour problem is the greatest 
 care to-day of the average business man. 
 
THE WOMAN'S PAET 83 
 
 The labour problem is essentially a 
 woman's problem. It is a problem of 
 feelings and instincts rather than of 
 agreements and statistics. A woman can 
 diagnose and solve a labour difficulty far 
 better than a man can. A woman appre- 
 ciates the part which the instincts, and 
 emotions play in life. A wife can explain 
 to the family of an employee the real de- 
 sires and aspiration of her husband, — ^the 
 employer. She can interest them in the 
 factory or store far better than he can. 
 She can also explain him and make 
 friends for him far better than he can do 
 it for himself. 
 
 A Business Home Maker 
 Business people spend most of their 
 waking hours in the factory, store, or 
 office, I have always felt, therefore, the 
 importance of making the working en- 
 vironment as attractive as the business 
 can afford. The place where the main 
 part of a person's life is spent should have 
 plenty of air and light. Things should be 
 clean and neat. There should be a place 
 
84 MAKING GOOD IS BUSINESS 
 
 to play during off -hours. The grounds 
 should be a pleasant setting for the build- 
 ings. All these factors readily pay for 
 themselves in the increased quality and 
 quantity of resulting output. But even 
 if comfort and happiness were a pure ex- 
 pense, an employer should still regard the 
 expense as necessary — for workers are 
 entitled to a decent life as well as a decent 
 living. 
 
 A very large proportion of modern en- 
 terprises are conducted on this policy of 
 maintaining a plant in which the workers 
 can take real pride. Here is a wonderful 
 opportunity for a wife to help her hus- 
 band. It is housekeeping and home- 
 making on a broader scale. One cannot 
 imagine a woman who would not be inter- 
 ested in a proposition to make several 
 hundred people more comfortable and 
 happy. 
 
 Taste, Not Money, Needed 
 This is not a question of lavish ex- 
 penditure but of alert wits, sound taste, 
 and sure sympathies. We are not after 
 
THE WOMAN'S PART 85 
 
 gold-plated fountains in the front yard, 
 and a Japanese print in the boiler room. 
 But we do like to have the boiler room 
 kept picked up, — for the sake of the un- 
 derwriters if nothing more. We want the 
 front yard laid out in such a way that it is 
 a community asset instead of a public nui- 
 sance. I have yet to see the business or- 
 ganization which cannot profit in such 
 ways by the touch of a woman's hand. I 
 say profit instead of benefit because there 
 are direct financial gains in making a 
 plant attractive to employees, to custom- 
 ers, and to the general public. 
 
 In their own homes some women can 
 spend a fortune on the house and grounds, 
 and the results are both uncomfortable 
 and inartistic. Other women, at a frac- 
 tion of the cost, will work wonders. The 
 improvement of a business home is a real 
 problem calling for all the native intelli- 
 gence and acquired education at a 
 woman's command. Furthermore, there 
 are the added difficulties of dealing with a 
 large group of people. What the work- 
 ers want is usually very different from 
 
86 MAKING GOOD IN BUSUSnESS 
 
 what you think they ought to want. The 
 wife who would help instead of hinder 
 and harm must have infinite understand- 
 ing. 
 
 Women as Consumers 
 Practically every large enterprise at 
 some point or other touches the consum- 
 ing public, a proportion of which is 
 women. It generally is of help if some- 
 where in the process of manufacturing or 
 distribution a woman's counsel is sought. 
 Of course, this would naturally be more 
 important in the lines of products used 
 largely by women, but it is also true that 
 a great many products whose purchasers 
 are almost solely men must be put up in 
 such shape that they will appeal to the 
 wives and families of the purchaser. The 
 average man cares more for the motor 
 and mechanical detail of an automobile 
 than for the lines or the finish, yet there 
 are many automobiles on the American 
 market making a distinct appeal through 
 their finish or graceful lines. It is hard 
 to believe that this selling angle has been 
 
THE WOMAN'S PAET 87 
 
 developed unless at some stage a woman's 
 counsel has been sought. Who should be 
 more logical to speak in this connection 
 than the wife of some of the designing 
 force or possibly the wife of the head of 
 the business himself? 
 
 In business relations it is generally of 
 value to get some other person's impres- 
 sion of the individual with whom you are 
 dealing, especially if the meeting is the 
 first. One's business associates appear in 
 conference. Oftentimes a social meeting 
 at which the wife or wives are present will 
 reveal new angles which a group of men 
 alone would not discover. 
 
 Counselors on Style 
 
 The suggestions already made have ap- 
 plied generally to all women whose hus- 
 bands are in positions of independent re- 
 sponsibility. It is not necessary for me 
 to make specific recommendations as to 
 special things that the wives of particular 
 classes of business men should do. I leave 
 that to their own ingenuity, satisfied if 
 
88 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 they once start to think seriously on the 
 subject. 
 
 But one more specific suggestion may 
 be offered. 
 
 There are many lines of manufacturing 
 and merchandising where success depends 
 upon the elusive element of style. Style 
 is not confined to apparel. It applies 
 likewise to furniture and furnishings, 
 tableware, jewelry, architecture, auto- 
 mobiles, — in fact to almost every kind of 
 business. Think, for example, of the ef- 
 fect upon trade when knitting became 
 fashionable. 
 
 Women are bom experts on style. 
 Moreover, this is a field peculiarly 
 adapted to a man's wife rather than the 
 regular members of his organization. 
 The place to study styles is not at the mill 
 where the goods are made or even at the 
 store where they are sold — but in the so- 
 cial circles where they are to be worn or 
 used. 
 
 To show that this is a most practical 
 problem and one especially suited to 
 women's keen intuitions and judgment, 
 
THE WOMAN'S PAET 89 
 
 the following paragraph from a m6st hi- 
 teresting article appearing in The Dry 
 Goods Economist may be quoted: 
 
 " The heads of departments in stores 
 that serve the fashionable trade have the 
 opportunity of ascertaining something 
 definite as to the trend of style. Natu- 
 rally, it is the modish woman who first gets 
 the new ideas. Information along the 
 same lines can also be obtained from high- 
 class dressmakers and from manufactur- 
 ers of the more expensive lines of women's 
 wear. The retailers we have interviewed 
 say they obtain their ideas chiefly from 
 the fashionable women among their own 
 customers." 
 
 Protecting Themselves 
 In addition to being of great service to 
 the employees and to their husbands, these 
 women are getting acquainted with the 
 business. If their husbands should sud- 
 denly die, these women would not be de- 
 pendent upon the advice of some cold- 
 blooded lawyer or some self-interested 
 partner. These women would be in a 
 position to protect themselves. So you 
 
90 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 see that from every point of view it's the 
 thing for many more women to do. If 
 your wife is not doing it, look into it. 
 Have her get acquainted with the em- 
 ployment manager, and especially with 
 the factoiy or store nurses. This offers a 
 wonderful opportunity to help the busi- 
 ness and to enjoy oneself at the same 
 time. 
 
 These latter suggestions are, of course, 
 made to the wife of the man who is in 
 business for himself. But even a greater 
 opportunity for sei-vice exists for the 
 young wife whose husband is working for 
 another. 
 
CONSTRUCTIVE AIDS TO DEVELOPING 
 
 THE SIX "I'S" 
 
 A YOUNG man once occupied a 
 very important position, but 
 through a careless neglect of 
 duty had cost the company employing 
 him a considerable loss of property. Ac- 
 cording to the rules of the particular or- 
 ganization he was suspended while his 
 case was being considered. During his 
 period of suspension, he said to a friend: 
 " Mr. Wilson, if I get back on that job, 
 just watch me make good." That par- 
 ticular young man realized that he had the 
 ability to make good, but through his 
 carelessness he had temporarily failed. 
 He did get back on the job; he did make 
 good, and he is now one of the partners 
 of the concern. 
 
 The race of making good is not unlike 
 an athletic event. There are races at all 
 91 
 
92 MAKING GOOD IS BUSmESS 
 
 stages beginning with the lowest amateur 
 and ending with the Marathon. The 
 Marathon may be considered as that race 
 in which honours are the highest. The 
 Marathon of making good is achieving 
 success in its fullest measure. In a pro- 
 fessional race of any kind there are usu- 
 ally preliminaries. Just the same in the 
 race of making good. If one expects to 
 possess the Six I's, he must prepare and 
 qualify in the preliminaries. There are 
 many persons who have some of the I's, 
 but in order to have them all certain fun- 
 damental qualifications ai'e necessary. 
 
 Spiritual Development 
 As already indicated, the most impor- 
 tant of these preliminary qualifications is 
 spiritual development. The basis of per- 
 manent success is a well-grounded spiri- 
 tual development. Such a development 
 is far more important than the physical, 
 mental, industrial, or recreational. More- 
 over, I say this purely as a business man 
 and statistician. This aid is far more es- 
 sential for individual success or making 
 
CONSTRUCTIVE AIDS 93 
 
 good in business than any other above 
 enumerated. You will remember that 
 reference has already been made to an in- 
 vestigation of the leading industries of 
 the United States. That investigation 
 showed that thirty per cent, of our prom- 
 inent business men of America are the 
 sons of ministers and farmers. It showed 
 that success comes to those who have been 
 reared in a family where religion and 
 hard work made up the program. 
 
 Spiritual development is especially 
 necessary as a foundation to the two I's, 
 Integrity and Inspiration. Integrity is 
 the Ten Commandments boiled down into 
 one word; while Inspiration is that faith 
 which comes only to those who are imbued 
 with a desire to serve. Integrity is the 
 key-note of the Old Testament, while In- 
 spiration is the key-note of the New Tes- 
 tament and is that feature which differen- 
 tiates Christianity from the other re- 
 ligions. 
 
 A Lesson from History 
 Years and years ago there were no 
 
94 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 business activities in which a man might 
 make good. Why? Simply because men 
 produced only for their own consump- 
 tion. They had never heard of the Gos- 
 pel of Service. There were plimder, ra- 
 pine, hunger, and a lack of regard for the 
 rights of others. Men were physically 
 strong and mentally developed in accord- 
 ance with the standards of their time; but 
 they lacked integrity. I have said that 
 there was a time when no business enter- 
 prise existed. There was a time also 
 when civilization did not exist. Business 
 enterprise and civilization are the prod- 
 ucts of religion. Not until there de- 
 veloped in the minds of the people a re- 
 gard for the rights of others could busi- 
 ness or civilization develop. 
 
 Years ago tribes of Indians roamed 
 through the fields and forests of this fer- 
 tile country. The Indians were physic- 
 ally strong and they had a standard of 
 mental development, but they lacked in- 
 tegrity. On account of that lack of in- 
 tegrity no civilization developed on this 
 continent until the coming of the white 
 
0ON8TEU0TIVB AIDS 95 
 
 man with his religious standards. Only 
 as the missionaries, the harbingers of in- 
 dustrial enterprise, inculcated integrity in 
 the mind of man, appeared the dawn of a 
 new era. 
 
 The Indian did not care to construct a 
 log canoe because he knew it would be 
 stolen from him. He did not catch more 
 game than he and his family could con- 
 sume in a day because it would be carried 
 away by others. But as soon as integrity 
 was taught by the missionaries, the In- 
 dians began to construct their canoes 
 which might perhaps be suggested as the 
 beginning of our merchant marine. The 
 Indians then began to preserve their 
 game and that was the forerunner of the 
 packing-house industry. Business en- 
 terprise is possible only when moral in- 
 tegrity obtains. Business enterprise and 
 civilization itself are the products of spir- 
 itual teachings. 
 
 The best way to develop moral and 
 spiritual integrity is through the religious 
 process. This process does not mean the- 
 ology. I have not in mind your creed or 
 
96 MAKING GOOD IE BUSINESS 
 
 my creed, or your denomination or my 
 denomination; but rather that form of re- 
 ligion which develops in man a desire to 
 deal justly, to love mercy, and keep him- 
 self unspotted from the world. Without 
 the development of the qualities incul- 
 cated by religious teachings, it is impos- 
 sible to make good even though you have 
 physical strength, industry, and intellect. 
 There are many men in business who 
 lack moral and spiritual development. 
 Temporarily some of them make good; 
 but over a long period no man Avill ulti- 
 mately succeed who lacks religion. No 
 doubt there are religious people who are 
 not in the churches. No doubt there 
 are people in the churches who are 
 not religious, but to my mind the 
 best way to develop your spiritual well- 
 being is to affiliate yourself with a church 
 and take a direct part in its work. But 
 this will be treated more fully in the last 
 chapter. 
 
 "Physical Strength 
 Next in importance as a groundwork 
 
CONSTEUCTIVE AIDS 97 
 
 for securing the Six I's, is physical 
 strength. The value of physical strength 
 is usually underestimated. The rela- 
 tion between the physical and mental 
 being is a close one. This body of ours is 
 a dwelling place for the soul and the 
 mind. Normally a good strong body fur- 
 nishes the best abiding place for a strong 
 soul and mind. Physical strength is es- 
 pecially necessary in the development of 
 Industry and Initiative. 
 
 American city life perhaps is not con- 
 ducive to the best physical development. 
 There are too much hurry and rush, early 
 and late hours in the whole business. 
 There is too little opportunity for proper 
 rest and recreation even to the wealthy. 
 I presume the normal life of the average 
 city clerk is to rise at seven, have coffee 
 and doughnuts at quarter of eight, spend 
 a half -hour on the trolley car and be in 
 the office by eight-thirty. Then he has 
 one-half hour to one hour for lunch, out 
 of the office at five, dinner at six, picture 
 show from eight-thirty to ten-thirty, in 
 bed at eleven-thirty p. m. The same 
 
98 MAEING GOOD IS BUSINESS 
 
 round starts over again the next morning. 
 When passing through the great cities of 
 our land, one cannot help feeling de- 
 pressed by the inimical influences of the 
 city life on those in the struggle of mak- 
 ing good. The great city is one of the 
 prices that nations pay for their industrial 
 development. 
 
 Some day American ingenuity will de- 
 vise means for proper rest, exercise, and 
 recreation for the great mass of the city's 
 inhabitants. Various institutions are al- 
 ready supplying this need in a limited 
 way. Statistics show that a great num- 
 ber of suicides are directly attributable to 
 the fast life that we are living. We some- 
 times laugh at the Englishman for his 
 conservative way of living and for his an- 
 tipathy to our American customs, — ^but if 
 we would slacken our pace somewhat it 
 surely would redound to the benefit of our 
 physical well-being. 
 
 Statistics show that executives are 
 physically stronger and larger of stature 
 than their subordinates. For example, 
 the college presidents, as a class, are taller 
 
CONSTEUOTTVE AIDS 99 
 
 and heavier than the college professors. 
 Bank presidents are physically stronger 
 than the clerks. Railway presidents are 
 larger and physically stronger than the 
 employees. The strain of modern busi- 
 ness demands as one of the preliminary 
 requirements a strong physical being. 
 There is no particular secret about secur- 
 ing physical strength. It does not neces- 
 sarily require wealth, but it does require 
 a certain amount of rest and self-control. 
 The best way to develop a strong physical 
 being is: Eat wholesome food. Sleep in 
 well ventilated rooms. Perform a 
 proper amount of work each day. Secure 
 a proper amount of rest and exercise. 
 Give some time to recreation, and above 
 all live a normal, clean, upright life. 
 Physical welfare is the second qualifica- 
 tion for winning the race of making good. 
 
 A Lesson from Statistics 
 The great mass of us are idle seventy- 
 six per cent, of the time. In this seventy- 
 six per cent, of unemployed time a proper 
 amoim.t of recreation is quite essential. 
 
100 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 Technically one should be recreated in the 
 interim between the close of one day's 
 work and the beginning of the next. 
 That is, the muscle fiber and the energy 
 used up should be reconstructed and re- 
 placed before the next day's toil begins. 
 In business there must be compensation 
 for the mental fatigue. Business men 
 with weighty problems to solve should 
 have some enjoyable form of recreation. 
 It does not matter particularly what that 
 form may be so long as it is healthy, hon- 
 est, and pure. It may be golf, walking, 
 music, art, birds, or flowers. Such forms 
 of recreation are the safety valves, and 
 governors for the business man, — abso- 
 lutely essential to maintain his proper 
 equilibrium. My OAvn particular hobby 
 is my farm. I take my exercise and 
 mental relaxation in God's way. The 
 vast majority of recreational activities are 
 non-productive. I prefer to make my 
 own recreational activity productive and 
 enjoyable at the same time. But every 
 one to his tastes. 
 
 I tried to play golf once myself. I 
 
OOKSTRUOTIVE AIDS 101 
 
 wanted to play for relaxation. I wanted 
 to play to get my mind off of my busi- 
 ness, — ^but every time I sat down for a 
 moment's rest, one of the players would 
 ask me if Union Pacific was a good buy, 
 or what was thought of Chili Copper, or 
 when the next period of prosperity would 
 begin! Hence the golf links, while 
 giving me physical exercise, did not give 
 me mental rdaxation from business af- 
 fairs. Yet golf and all other proper rec- 
 reations should be recognized for their 
 value and importance in preserving 
 physical strength. 
 
 Education 
 
 The third qualification as a preliminary 
 to the Six I's is Education. This espe- 
 cially applies to Intelligence and In- 
 tensity. It is throiugh this mental de- 
 velopment that one learns to think for 
 himself. Learning to think for oneself, 
 or the proper development of the mental 
 faculties, is best accomplished through 
 some educational process. 
 
 Many reforms should be made in 
 
102 MAKING GOOD IH BUSINESS 
 
 America's educational system. Too many 
 fi'ills and fads have found places in our 
 schools and colleges. Too much time is 
 required to accomplish results. Too 
 many impractical theories are being 
 taught. There are too many teachers 
 with book knowledge and too few with 
 practical knowledge. Despite all these 
 things the educational process, even in its 
 present state, is one of the most con- 
 structive aids to making good. The edu- 
 cational period of a man's life is the most 
 important period of his life. It is the 
 formative period. It is the period in 
 which habits, character, associates, friend- 
 ships, moral and religious attributes are 
 made, formed, and acquired. The edu- 
 cational period is a foundation builder 
 of our future existence. 
 
 Money Value of Religious Education 
 Not only does our individual success 
 depend upon religion and education, but 
 even the national prosperity of our coun- 
 try depends thereupon. In Spain, 
 Russia, Turkey, and Mexico where there 
 
CONSTETJCTIVE AIDS 103 
 
 is a lack of Christian education, there is 
 the same story of poverty, revolution, and 
 misery regardless of race, climate, or 
 abundance of natural resources. On the 
 other hand, wherever there is adequate 
 provision for such education there follow 
 industrial efficiency and national wealth. 
 Witness such countries as Denmark, 
 Scotland, Switzerland, England, and the 
 United States. 
 
 Statistics have been tabulated showing 
 that productivity per man varies directly 
 with the schooling. The poor farmers of 
 Asia, Russia, and India receive from 
 three to fourteen cents per day and 
 only five per cent, of them are literates. 
 In Russia about forty per cent, of the 
 people read and write. In the United 
 States 92.3 per cent, of the people read 
 and write. From the shoulders down, 
 neither men nor nations are worth more 
 than the product of their labours. 
 
 There is a class of individuals who still 
 insist that manual labour is the only kind 
 of productive labour. Statistics show 
 that the contributions of intellect are far 
 
104 IIAKING GOOD IN BUSmESS 
 
 more productive than manual labour. I 
 say this with the highest regard for man- 
 ual labour, — a most l^onourable kind of 
 work. At the same time we must not 
 close our eyes to the contributions of in- 
 tellect. Had it not been for the mechan- 
 ical inventions, industry would not be de- 
 veloped as it is to-day. We could not 
 clothe our people or feed them under 
 primitive methods of production. If 
 prices have been high during the past few 
 years, think what they would be if pro- 
 duction were still in the household stage. 
 
 What the Record Shows 
 Some years ago a study was made of 
 the names listed in " Who's Who." This 
 book contains 30,000 names of those who 
 have made good in certain walks of life. 
 Of the 5,000,000 uneducated people in 
 the United States, only thirty-one were 
 listed i^i the book. This represents only 
 one individual out of 150,000. Of 
 the 33,000,000 grammar students, 808 are 
 listed in the book, or four out of every 
 
CONSTEUOTIVE AIDS 106 
 
 150,000. Of the 2,000,000 high school 
 graduates, 1,245 are listed in the book, or 
 ninety-three out of 150,000; and of the 
 1,000,000 college graduates, 5,768 are 
 tabulated, or 800 out of 150,000. In 
 other words, the child with no schooling 
 has one chance out of 150,000 of making 
 good in a big way. The child with an 
 elementary education has four times the 
 chance. The child with a high school edu- 
 cation has ninety-three times the chance, 
 while the child with a college education 
 has 800 times the chance. 
 
 From a statistical standpoint it may be 
 interesting to know that while less than 
 one per cent, of American men are col- 
 lege graduates, this one per cent, of col- 
 lege graduates has furnished fifty-five 
 per cent, of our Presidents, thirty-six per 
 cent, of our Members of Congress, forty- 
 seven per cent, of the Speakers of the 
 House, fifty-four per cent, of the Vice- 
 Presidents, sixty-two per cent, of the Sec- 
 retaries of State, fifty per cent, of the 
 Secretaries of the Treasury, sixty-seven 
 per cent, of Attorney-Generals and 
 
106 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 sixty-nine per cent, of Justices of the Su- 
 preme Court. These ai-e cold statistical 
 facts that we must accept as a handicap 
 or an advantage in the race of making 
 good. 
 
 Mistakes of Students 
 In my college days I was considerably 
 surprised at the attitude of the general 
 student toward physical and mental 
 training. Probably the same attitude 
 prevails to a greater or less extent to- 
 day. Put the average student on the 
 athletic field and he will obey the physical 
 coach to the letter because he knows it is 
 absolutely necessary to observe the rules 
 in order to make the team. The athletic 
 coach often regulates the hours of sleep 
 and designates the diet. His dictum is ac- 
 cepted without a murmur on the part of 
 the student. Put the same student in the 
 class-room and his attitude toward the 
 mental instructor is very different. If 
 the instructor assigns a chapter from 
 the history of Rome, the student at once 
 questions the advisability of the lesson. 
 
CONSTBUOTIVB AIDS lOr 
 
 " I do not care what the Romans did. 
 What I want to know is what people are 
 doing to-day," is a very common state- 
 ment heard in college halls. Whereas, 
 those of experience and training in educa- 
 tional lines know that what is happening 
 to-day is the result of past years of ex- 
 perience. 
 
 By a systematic training course we can 
 develop our spiritual, physical, or mental 
 being so that we can perform feats of 
 strength. This fact is universally known. 
 Systematic concentration and properly 
 guided exercises in mental development 
 make for wonderful results. The atti- 
 tude of the majority of people toward 
 systematic training is not satisfactory. 
 If we can get the great mass of people to 
 understand that they have abilities and 
 potentialities, we can make rapid strides 
 in our race of making good. Religion 
 consists not of creeds nor churches. 
 Physical health is not made up of muscle 
 or weight. Education is not designed to 
 cram us full of data and tabulated infor- 
 mation. 
 
108 MAKING GOOD m BUSINESS 
 
 Experience 
 
 The fourth prehmmary to securing the 
 Six I's is Experience, — and this applies 
 especially to all six! Spiritual, physical, 
 or mental development does not end with 
 the educational institution. When a 
 young man leaves the grades, high school, 
 or college, he has just begun to develop. 
 It is for that reason that we term gradua- 
 tions " Commencements." The develop- 
 mental process is just as essential after a 
 man enters business as it is in the college. 
 Here's where so many of our young peo- 
 ple fall down. A young man on a street 
 car was heard to say to his friend, " I have 
 got the best job I ever had. I don't have 
 to do two hours' work a day." Measuring 
 the value of a job by the minimum 
 amount of work required is not conducive 
 to success. For the proper development 
 of the young man it is not the least 
 amount of work that he can get along 
 with and still hold his job that develops 
 him, but the maximum amount of work 
 that he can do. 
 
CONSTEUCTIVE AIDS 109 
 
 Generally speaking, a job is good in 
 proportion to the amount of experience 
 required to master it. A boy can learn 
 to run an elevator in two hours. From 
 apprentice to professional in two hours; 
 but he gets an elevator boy's pay. A 
 young man can learn to be a motorman 
 on a street car in one or two weeks and he 
 will receive motorman's pay. A college 
 graduate can enter a medical institution 
 and in four years qualify as a doctor of 
 medicine and he will receive the average 
 doctor's income. The same doctor can 
 spend additional years in specialization 
 and he will receive a specialist's income. 
 The gradation of income in all of these 
 cases varies directly with the time re- 
 quired to learn to do the work. 
 
 This is generally true throughout all 
 business. The job is worth approxi- 
 mately the time required to learn it. 
 Some one has said: " The gods seU any- 
 thing to everybody at a fair price. The 
 job that the gods sell for two hours' 
 training is worth just what it cost. The 
 job that the gods sell for two years' train- 
 
110 MAKING GOOD IS BUSINESS 
 
 ing is worth what it cost, and the job that 
 sells for ten years' training is worth just 
 what it cost. TJie only job that is worth 
 lohile has tied to it the price tag of con- 
 stant, unceasing study and work." Ex- 
 perience is that which makes your life 
 more than a dash between two dates. 
 
 What Determines Wages? 
 The elevator boy is open to the compe- 
 tition of almost any young man on the 
 street because any young man can learn 
 his profession within a few hours. The 
 motorman is open to the competition of al- 
 most any man on the street because the 
 normal man can learn to be a motorman 
 within a couple of weeks. This competi- 
 tion has a tendency to keep down the 
 wages of elevator boys and motormen. 
 It also has a tendency to stimulate trade 
 unionism as a method of eliminating com- 
 petition to keep wages up. Wages are 
 influenced by the conditions of demand 
 and supply as many other economic fac- 
 tors are. Wages are also influenced by 
 the efiiciency of the worker. High wages 
 
CONSTEUOTIVE AIDS 111 
 
 do not make men more efficient, but effi- 
 ciency makes high wages. Wages come 
 out of what is produced just the same as 
 do all the factors in the distribution of 
 wealth ; so the more there is produced the 
 more there is to be distributed. 
 
 These, however, are bi-products of the 
 point. The point is that with spiritual, 
 physical and mental development, the 
 real education begins when a young man 
 enters business. No employer is going to 
 ask a young man what grade he made in 
 trigonometry or Greek, but he is going to 
 ask, " What can you do? " That is the 
 test of the young man in business. We 
 are all gauged by what we are able to 
 accomplish. 
 
 What Can You Do? 
 Hence a constructive aid to making 
 good in business is a proper industrial de- 
 velopment or ability to work. The 
 young man who always has the interest of 
 his employer at heart seldom fails. The 
 yoimg man who is willing to come to 
 work early and to stay late has very little 
 
112 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 trouble with his employer. The man who 
 takes an interest in his work eventually 
 has an interest in his company. The man 
 who continually dreads to do his task is 
 doing an injury not only to his employer, 
 but to himself as well. The clock watcher, 
 who sees how much longer he must work 
 before he can go home sometimes gets to 
 stay at home. The clock watcher who 
 sees how much longer he can work before 
 he must go home has no difficulty in mak- 
 ing good in business. 
 
 Coordination 
 
 If you do not do more than you get 
 paid for you will never get paid for more 
 than you do. In making good in busi- 
 ness, work is an important factor. Find 
 the thing that you can do and the thing 
 that you love to do, then do it with all 
 your might. Be loyal to your employer 
 if you are an employee and you will suc- 
 ceed. If you are in business for your- 
 self, be loyal to your customers. 
 
 The constructive aids above for secur- 
 ing the Six I's and making good in busi- 
 
COHBTBUCTIVE AIDS 113 
 
 ness are the proper spiritual, physdcal, 
 and mental experiences with a fair 
 amount of recreation. There should be a 
 governor for these activities. Many peo- 
 ple develop one of these activities at the 
 expense of another. It is quite easy to de- 
 tect the individual who has developed one 
 of the faculties and neglected the others. 
 You meet individuals who think of noth- 
 ing else but physical development and to 
 them physical culture is all important and 
 nothing else is worth while. We have 
 with us the intellectual gymnasts, book- 
 worms, impractical and unsociable, who 
 devote their entire time to working out 
 theories. They are a class of people who 
 spend their time in measuring how thick 
 the ice should be before it is cut and by 
 the time they get their measurements cor- 
 rect, the ice is melted. 
 
 Be Well Balanced 
 These are all examples of improper co- 
 ordination. In order to qualify in the 
 race of making good we must not only de- 
 velop our spiritual, physical, mental, and 
 
114 MAKING GOOD Df BUSIZSTESS 
 
 industrial selves, but we must coordinate 
 these factors so that each one will function 
 properly with the others. When these 
 faculties are properly developed and 
 properly coordinated, then we are ready 
 to enter the Marathon, the race of making 
 good in business in a big way. Only when 
 these faculties are properly developed 
 and properly coordinated are we able 
 to live a well-balanced normal and 
 useful life. In the last generation, men 
 have recognized these factors and 
 have created departments to promote 
 them. 
 
 The recreational departments for the 
 development of the physical being, the 
 church activities for the development of 
 the spiritual and moral integrity, the edu- 
 cational divisions in industry for the de- 
 velopment of one's mental well-being sub- 
 stantiate my points. These divisions of 
 industry are proof that the factors above 
 enumerated are essential for any young 
 man who hopes to make good in business. 
 Else they would not become a permanent 
 part of industry. 
 
yi 
 
 THE SIX «rs» AND GENERAL BUSI- 
 NESS CONDITIONS 
 
 IN a previous chapter was made this 
 statement: " The real cause of busi- 
 ness depressions is our temporary 
 neglect of Industry and Integrity. While 
 our nation's resources are greater than 
 ever and the world's need for goods is 
 more than ever, factories close down be- 
 cause men forget those common virtues of 
 Industry and Integrity which are the 
 basis of prosperity." This means that not 
 only do these qualities herein enumerated 
 bring definite results to the yotmg man 
 or young woman in business, but that it is 
 these same qualities or the lack of them 
 that make for the success or failure of 
 a nation. It is these same qualities that 
 cause industrial prosperity and it is the 
 lack of these qualities that makes for in- 
 dustrial depression. 
 
 116 
 
116 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 Explanation of the Chart 
 
 The chart on page 120 is a balance 
 sheet of business conditions in the United 
 States for the past thirty-two years. It is 
 called the Compositplot because it is com- 
 posed of numerous business activities in- 
 stead of any particular business. The 
 medial X-Y line represents tiie funda- 
 mental growth of the United States in 
 population, wealth, and business activity. 
 The black areas below or above this 
 medial X-Y line represent the temporary 
 business conditions. The areas below the 
 medial line represent periods of depres- 
 sion and unemployment. The areas above 
 the line designate periods of prosperity 
 and employment. You will notice that 
 the fundamental growth line, that is the 
 medial X-Y line, has gone steadily up- 
 ward in the last twenty-five years with one 
 exception and that was back in 1908 
 where the serious panic of 1907, followed 
 by the depression, turned the fundamental 
 growth line downward for one year. The 
 fundamental growth of the United States 
 
GENEEAL CONDITIONS 117 
 
 has been upwai'd for several years and we 
 may expect a steady increase in popula- 
 tion, wealth, and business activity when 
 considering the long run swing. There 
 are numerous reasons for this belief. 
 
 Banking System 
 For the first time in the history of the 
 United States we have a flexible banking 
 system properly functioning in a period 
 of depression. Every one knows that our 
 old National Bank Act was a product of 
 the Civil War. It was passed wholly as 
 a war measure back in 1864-65. It 
 failed to accomplish many of the things 
 anticipated of it. However, it did give 
 us a basis for banking for half a century. 
 Defects of the National Bank Act were 
 pointed out repeatedly. The chief defect 
 of the Act was the rigidity of the cur- 
 rency. When money was needed it was 
 scarce and when there was no demand for 
 money it was abundant. It was pointed 
 out repeatedly that the defects in the 
 Bank Act would eventually lead us into a 
 financial panic. These defects were the 
 
118 MAKIK-G GOOD IK" BUSHJTESS 
 
 topics taught in our economic and finan- 
 cial text-books. It was not until the 
 panic of 1907, however, that anything of 
 a constructive nature was done. 
 
 Shortly after tiie panic of 1907, a 
 Monetary Commission was appointed 
 which made an exhaustive study of the 
 financial conditions not only of the 
 United States, but of the leading Euro- 
 pean countries. The result of this in- 
 vestigation led, after a series of changes, 
 to the Federal Reserve Act giving us the 
 Federal Reserve Banks. While these 
 Federal Reserve Banks with the Federal 
 Reserve Board have been fimctioning 
 only a few years, they have been of dis- 
 tinct service. They have given us a 
 flexible currency and have appreciably 
 minimized the evil effects of abnormal 
 periods. Had it not been for the opera- 
 tion of the Federal Reserve Banks, we 
 should have before this experienced a 
 more drastic panic than has yet occurred. 
 The banking situation in the United 
 States long since has passed the crisis 
 period and now is fundamentally sound. 
 
GENERAL COITOITIONS 119 
 
 Bond Issues 
 Not long ago an investigation was 
 made which indicated that of the Liberty 
 Bond issues approximately eighty per 
 cent, purchased by the middle class is still 
 in their hands. Large corporations have 
 in many instances been forced to sell their 
 Liberty Bonds, but the gi'eat mass of peo- 
 ple still have the greater portion of their 
 original purchases. So long as this con- 
 tinues, the middle class people will possess 
 a great reserve buying power. Sooner or 
 later, as demands press themselves, this 
 buying power will exert itself. Savings 
 are also very evident in other channels. 
 A period of depression cannot last long, 
 when there is a large latent buying power. 
 
 National Advertising 
 In the past few years a new profession 
 has come into existence. This profession 
 is national advertising. The advertising 
 man who fully appreciates his position 
 realizes that he is a professional man just 
 the same as the doctor or the lawyer. 
 
oe 
 
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 ■110 
 
122 MAKING &00D IE BUSnTBSS 
 
 Those advertising men who instruct their 
 clients in proper adrertising, rather than 
 take instructions from their clients, can 
 exert and are exerting a great fa<rtor in 
 the proper production and distribution of 
 goods. It was only ten or fifteen years 
 ago that men adyertised when they had 
 money, not when they needed business. 
 To-day advertising is being used to create 
 demand when demand is needed. When 
 used in this fashion, national advertising 
 has great possibilities in the steadying of 
 business conditions and in the elimination 
 of these dangerous hills and valleys indi- 
 cated on the above-mentioned chart. 
 
 Prohibition 
 Another optimistic factor in our pres- 
 ent business situation is national prohi- 
 bition. Before the Prohibition Act was 
 passed, $3,000,000,000 were spent an- 
 nually for drink. Now this $3,000,000,- 
 000, that was formerly spent for drink, 
 goes to the buying of merchandise, the 
 building of homes, the furnishing of 
 homes, and the starting of savings ac- 
 
GENEEAL CONDITIONS 123 
 
 counts. No matter what interpretation 
 may be put on the law or what new legis- 
 lation may be enacted, of this we are quite 
 certain, — ^that same $3,000,000,000 which 
 formerly went to drink will hereafter be 
 used for stimulating the regular channels 
 of business. It will be used to buy mer- 
 chandise, start savings accounts and do 
 those things which tend to make people 
 happy and prosperous. 
 
 Standardization 
 The war taught some very valuable 
 lessons. Among these are standardiza- 
 tion and the elimination of seasonal 
 fluctuations in business. Standardization 
 increased greatly during the war. The 
 number of designs were decreased and 
 the product was increased. Standardiza- 
 tion is the limiting of the field of activity 
 not only of enterprises but also of men. 
 It is the confining of himian activity to a 
 specialized field. Its underlying prin- 
 ciple is the division of labour. By stand- 
 ardization is meant the reduction of any 
 one line to fixed types and sizes. A 
 
124 MAKING GOOD IS BUSINESS 
 
 standard is simply a carefully thought-out 
 method of performing a fimction. The 
 standard method of doing anything is 
 simply the best method that can be devised 
 at the time the standard is drawn. The 
 object of standardization is to get one way 
 of making the product. By standardiza- 
 tion during the war, plants were able to 
 effect economy in patterns, to shorten the 
 time of production, minimize preliminary 
 work and decrease the cost of produc- 
 tion. 
 
 Along with this increase in standardiza- 
 tion has come the elimination of many 
 seasonal business fluctuations. The ice 
 man has gone into the coal business and 
 the coal man has gone into the ice busi- 
 ness. American manufacturers who 
 formerly sent out their salesmen only 
 twice a year are now sending them out 
 quarterly. Those who sent them out quar- 
 terly are now sending them out monthly. 
 They are also sending their men into the 
 district where the demand exists rather 
 than where the parlour car routes run and 
 the best hotels exist. Standardization and 
 
GENEEAL CONDITIONS 125 
 
 elimination of seasonal fluctuations have 
 done much to decrease the costs of pro- 
 duction and to stabilize business. The 
 time will come when those who conduct 
 business enterprises can be held responsi- 
 ble for the yearly wage of employees en- 
 gaged there. It will be economically un- 
 justifiable for one to start an enterprise 
 and lay oflP a great number of employees 
 periodically. Steady work the year roimd 
 is a necessary requirement to eliminate 
 distressing panics and reckless booms. 
 
 Crops 
 Not only is our manufacturing capac- 
 ity greatly increased through the above 
 processes, but crop failures are becoming 
 a thing of the past. A few years ago 
 when the Washington crop reports were 
 released, the telephone and telegraph 
 wires in our Wellesley Hills office were 
 kept busy by those seeking the first word 
 on the crop outlook. Now no one seems 
 to give the crops any particular concern. 
 We have had our concepts of value and 
 business conditions so distorted in the last 
 
126 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 few years of business that we are los- 
 ing sight of a great many of our ftmda- 
 mental barometers. We are producing 
 more than ever before and this is greatly 
 to the nation's benefit. Excepting for the 
 fraction of our crop which is exported, it 
 makes little difference to the country as to 
 the price of wheat — ^whether it is one dol- 
 lar per bushel or three dollars per bushel. 
 The number of bushels is the important 
 thing. As the bushels increase the na- 
 tion's wealth increases, and the X-Y line 
 of the Compositplot climbs upward. 
 
 Merchant Marine 
 Not only have we great factory capac- 
 ity and great farm production, but we 
 have the greatest merchant marine in our 
 history. Where before the war we were 
 hauling only seven per cent, of our for- 
 eign trade in American bottoms, we now, 
 with double the foreign trade, are carry- 
 ing about fifty per cent, in ships bearing 
 the Stars and Stripes. As a successful 
 merchant needs delivery wagons, so a suc- 
 cessful nation needs a good merchant ma- 
 
GENERAL CONDITIONB 127 
 
 rine. Thanks to the war, the United 
 States has suoh to-day. 
 
 Finally, we are to-(lay citizens of the 
 richest country in the world. Where for- 
 merly we were a country owing the other 
 nations of the world, we are to-day a 
 credit country, with the rest of the world 
 owing us. For this and other reasons, 
 this country, fundamentally, is all right. 
 Even at the present time, this medial line 
 which represents fundamental conditions, 
 is slowly but constantly going upward. 
 
 Temporary Conditions 
 And yet, what about temporary condi- 
 tions? While the coimtry has been con- 
 tinually growing richer, we have been 
 having these ups and downs in business. 
 The depression of 1893-1897; the pros- 
 perity of 1898-1902; the depression in 
 1903 and 1904; the panic of 1907; the 
 prosperity of 1910-12; the depression fol- 
 lowing in 1913-1916; the better times in 
 1917-20, reaching a zenith early in 1920, 
 when business was at the highest point, 
 considering all sections and all lines. 
 
128 MAKING GOOD IN BUSnTESS 
 
 The dotted line on the chart represents 
 the bond market, which reached a very 
 low point in the middle of 1920. The 
 broken black line represents prices of 
 commodities, showing more or less the 
 same level, until the war, when it shot up, 
 reaching a very high point in Jime, 1920, 
 after which it fell. The solid line rep- 
 resents the stock market, that is to say, 
 the average prices of the most active 
 stocks on the New York Stock Exchange, 
 and shows a constant relationship to the 
 black areas. The stock market reaches its 
 highest point in the very early part of 
 each prosperity area. Few people real- 
 ized that the stock market was at its high- 
 est point in 1916, notwithstanding the 
 great prosperity which occurred in 1917, 
 1918 and 1919. The lowest point is al- 
 ways reached very early in the depression 
 area and stocks begin to climb upward 
 long before a depression is over. 
 
 Price Fluctuations 
 Now catch the important point to be 
 remembered; naniely, while fimdamen- 
 
GENERAL CONDITIOlirS 129 
 
 tally, conditions are absolutely sound, yet 
 over any long period of years, we have 
 first a period of prosperity, then depres- 
 sion, then prosperity, then depression, and 
 so on. Stock prices, commodity prices, 
 wages, and everything go up and down. 
 Within a few years cotton ranged in 
 price from forty-three cents to ten cents a 
 poimd; wool, the average grades, has 
 ranged from one dollar per pound to 
 thirty cents per poimd; silk from sixteen 
 dollars per pound to six dollars per 
 pound; copper from forty cents to twelve 
 cents ; wheat from three dollars per bushel 
 to one dollar; while corn, within a few 
 months, fell from two dollars to sixty 
 cents. 
 
 Recently I went to Gloucester to visit 
 my father. When leaving home my fa- 
 ther drove me to the railroad station. As 
 we passed a certain little store, he men- 
 tioned the fact that there used to be a sign 
 on this store saying, " One pound of pork 
 and a quart of beans — ten cents." I said, 
 " Let's see what we can buy that for 
 now," so we stopped the nag and went 
 
130 MAKING GOOD IS BUSINESS 
 
 in. The proprietor said, "Well, tHe 
 price of that pound of pork and that 
 quart of beans slowly went up during the 
 past twenty years from ten cents to fifty- 
 five cents, reaching the highest point in 
 the spring of 1920. Since then there has 
 been a steady decline and the price is now 
 back to about thirty cents." 
 
 The Wet Towel Theory 
 But the question is, " How long should 
 a period of depression last? " In the an- 
 swer to this question every one is inter- 
 ested. One does not need to argue further 
 that, fundamentally, the country is per- 
 fectly sound. These black areas on the 
 chart above the medial line represent in- 
 flation and such inflation must ultimately 
 be taken out. But how the inflation is 
 taken out is most important from its psy- 
 chological effect on the business man. 
 
 To illustrate what I mean, let us as- 
 sume that before me is a bowl of water 
 and a dry, clean, healthy hand-towel. 
 The towel in that condition represents 
 normal business conditions, — ^when busi- 
 
GENERAL CONDITIONS 131 
 
 ness is on the medial X-Y line, as, for in- 
 stance, 1911-42. Then it was in the 
 state of this towel, neither inflated nor de- 
 flated, but clean and healthy, ready for 
 use. Dviring 1917-19, however, the 
 towel became saturated with water. This 
 is just what happened to business. The 
 drops of water that faU off the towel 
 when hfted out of the water may be in- 
 dicative of the orders for goods which fall 
 to us during such inflated times. The 
 saturated towel represents business when 
 we were at the highest point in January, 
 1920, thoroughly saturated with water. 
 Such saturation must be taken out. We 
 must always get the towel dry again. 
 
 There, however, are two ways of get- 
 ting a towel dry. If I took a towel and 
 hung it up to dry — ^when dripping — it 
 would take about four hours for such a 
 towel to dry. But there is another way, 
 which our mothers used. Instead of let- 
 ting the towel take four hours to dry, they 
 would put the towel through a wringer. 
 Now, after the towel has been put 
 through a wringer, it can be hung out 
 
182 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 in the same sunshine, the same air and 
 same temperature and it will dry in one 
 hour. 
 
 Business was put into the wringer in 
 1920 and 1921. Although you and I 
 don't like to go through a wringer, never- 
 theless it is very much better for all if 
 some of us go through the wringer once in 
 so often. If we cut a dog's tail off by 
 one clip, the dog suffers a lot for a short 
 time, but soon forgets it. If, however, 
 we cut off the dog's tail a quarter inch per 
 month for thirty-six months, at the end 
 of that time the dog wiU be pretty well 
 discouraged. 
 
 Develop Slowly But Surely 
 This means that much depends upon 
 the shape of an area of prosperity or an 
 area of depression. That these areas 
 must approximately balance is an estab- 
 lished fact, but their shape can be deter- 
 mined by watching them develop ixova. 
 week to week. A prosperity area which 
 reaches a high point at an early part of 
 the area and spends two or three years in 
 
GENBEAL CONDITIONS 133 
 
 tapering off is much less satisfactory to 
 business men than one of the same area 
 which gradually improves throughout the 
 period and reaches its high point at the 
 end of a period. Conversely, an area of 
 depression which reaches its low point in 
 the early part and then gradually im- 
 proves seems much less serious than one 
 which gradually grows less and reaches 
 its low point at the end of the period. 
 Two such areas are illustrated by the chart 
 on following page: The solid line Area A 
 is much to be preferred to the dotted line 
 Area B. 
 
 This principle applies in the same way 
 to individuals as to nations. A man who 
 truly makes good in business develops 
 slowly but surely. It is an old saying 
 that those who go up like a rocket come 
 down like a stick. One great difficulty 
 with young people to-day is that they are 
 in too much of a hurry to make good. 
 They are imwilling to spend the neces- 
 sary time in preparation. American in- 
 dustry, in order to develop permanently, 
 needs the old-time apprentice system. It 
 
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 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 
 
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GENERAL CONDITIONS 135 
 
 is true that we have shot aheaH very 
 rapidly thus far, but it has been largely 
 due to the fact that we have been living on 
 our capital and using up our natural re- 
 sources. This cannot continue indefi- 
 nitely either among nations or individu- 
 als. The trees which stand the storms 
 of winter are the slow growing ones like 
 the oak, not the rapid growing ones 
 such as the cottonwoods. " Make haste 
 slowly but surely" is a very important 
 proverb to keep in mind when seeking to 
 make good in business. 
 
VII 
 
 THE NEED OF VISION 
 
 WHY is it necessary, when the 
 country is fundamentally sound, 
 that we have these reckless 
 booms and depressing panics, as shown 
 by the hills and valleys on the Composit- 
 plot? This is the answer: 
 
 Causes of Prospenty and Depression 
 Reference has been made to various 
 lines on the Compositplot, the broken line 
 representing the bond market, the solid 
 line the stock market, but there are some 
 lines on this chart which are more impor- 
 tant than any that have been mentioned. 
 They are these little vertical white lines 
 which divide the areas approximately into 
 equal parts. These white lines show 
 when the character of the people changes. 
 136 
 
THE NEED OP VISION 137 
 
 They are determined mathematically and 
 located; mathematically. A large nmn- 
 ber of factors enable one to locate 
 those lines, showing when the character 
 of the people changes. Dm-ing a period 
 of prosperity, the white line shows when 
 the character of the people has changed 
 from better to worse; while during a de- 
 pression, the white line shows when the 
 character of the people has changed from 
 worse to better^ 
 
 A great mistake has been made in fo- 
 cusing our minds so much upon things. 
 We have been taught to look upon bank 
 clearings, railroad earnings, and com- 
 modity prices as the important factors of 
 business. They are not at all. Assume 
 there is a thermometer in your room. Is 
 the heat of your room determined by that 
 thermometer? No, not at all. Is the 
 heat determined by the size of the build- 
 ing? Is it determined by who owns the 
 building? By whether it is owned in 
 Boston, New York or Chicago? Is it 
 determined) by the decorations? No. 
 The heat of the room is determined by 
 
138 MAKING GOOD IS BUSINESS 
 
 one factor, namely, the character of the 
 management. In the same way it is 
 character that determines business. 
 These hills and valleys are not developed 
 without cause. There is a reason for 
 them. But these things that we have 
 been taught as the reason, — bank clear- 
 ings, railroad earnings, commodity prices 
 and what not, — are not the reason for 
 business, but simply reactions and indi- 
 cators of business. 
 
 Importance of Character 
 Business is good or bad according to 
 the character of the people; the character 
 of the workers; the character of the em- 
 ployers; the character of the merchants 
 and jobbers; the character of us all. For 
 instance, let us take one of these cycles. 
 Take the cycle beginning in the year 1909 
 and closing with 1915. Business started 
 as usual in 1909 ; then we had great pros- 
 perity in 1910; then in the middle of 1910 
 that prosperity went to our heads and 
 there developed indolence, extravagance, 
 inefficiency, indifference, unrighteousi- 
 
THE NEED OF VISION 139 
 
 ness, and those factors, developing in 
 1910, '11 and '12, laid the foundation and 
 caused the period of depression that fol- 
 lowed. 
 
 Then as we got into the period of de- 
 pression, people again came to their 
 senses and in the latter part of that pe- 
 riod, there developed again industry in 
 place of indolence; thrift in place of ex- 
 travagance; efficiency in place of ineffi- 
 ciency; integrity in place of dishonesty, 
 and righteousness in place of unright- 
 eousness. These factors of industry, in- 
 tegrity, and desire to be of service, which 
 developed in the latter half of the period 
 of depression, caused and laid the foun- 
 dation for the period of prosperity that 
 followed. This has been true in every 
 cycle and is true to-day. Wage-earners, 
 employers, and merchants during periods 
 of prosperity forget the star of service, 
 and blindly follow the star of selfishness. 
 This brings on depression. We remain 
 in this depression until we get back again 
 into the path of righteousness, and once 
 more remember what the word service 
 
140 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 means, thinking more of our duties or 
 responsibilities, and less of our rights or 
 opportimities. 
 
 The Blind Men of Indostun 
 
 Business men do not always appreciate 
 the real causes of prosperity and depres- 
 sion. In fact, they are too apt to judge 
 business conditions by what has happened 
 in their own particular line of industry. 
 I will illustrate what is meant by quoting 
 a poem entitled " The Six Blind Men of 
 Indostan," by John Godfrey Saxe: 
 
 "There were six men of Indostan, 
 To learning much inclined, 
 
 Who went to see the elephg,nt 
 (Though all of them were blind) 
 
 That each by observation 
 Might satisfy his mind. 
 
 "The first approached the elephant, 
 
 And, happening to fall 
 Against his broad and sturdy side. 
 
 At once began to bawl: 
 'Why bless me! but the elephant 
 
 Is very like a wall!' 
 
THE NEED OP VISION 141 
 
 "The second feeling of the tusk, 
 Cried: 'Ho! what have we here, 
 So very rotmd, and smooth, and sharp ? 
 
 To me 'tis very clear 
 This wonder of an elephant 
 Is very like a spear ! ' 
 
 "The third approached the animal 
 And, happening to take 
 The squirming trunk within his hands 
 
 Thus boldly up he spake : 
 'I see,' quoth he, 'the elephant 
 Is very like a snake!' 
 
 "The fourth reached out his eager hand 
 
 And felt about the knee : 
 'What most this wondrous beast is like. 
 
 Is very plain, ' quoth he ; 
 'Tis clear enough the elephant 
 Is very like a tree!' 
 
 "The fifth who chanced to touch the ear 
 Said: 'E'en the blindest man 
 
 Can teU what this resembles most: 
 Deny the fact who can. 
 
 This marvel of an elephant 
 Is very like a fan!' 
 
 "The sixth no sooner had begun 
 About the beast to grope, 
 Than, seizing on the swinging tail 
 
142 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 That fell within his scope, 
 'I see,' quoth he, 'the elephant 
 Is very like a rope!' 
 
 "And so these men of Indostan 
 Disputed loud and long, 
 
 Each in his own opinion 
 Exceeding stiff and strong; 
 
 Though each was partly in the right, 
 And all of them were wrong." 
 
 Business Men and Fundamental 
 Conditions 
 All these men were honest but all were 
 blind, and statistics show the average 
 business man, when it comes to funda- 
 mentals, to be as blind as a bat. Why? 
 Because the average business man, like 
 those blind men, judges the world, not 
 by the great controlling factors of life, 
 but rather by what he handles. The 
 banker handles money all day and he 
 judges the world by the money rate. The 
 foreign exporter handles bills of exchange 
 all day and he judges the world by the 
 rate of exdiange. The merchant handles 
 commodities all day and he judges the 
 
THE NEED OF VISION 143 
 
 world by commodity prices. They are 
 all blind. Those of us who do that lose 
 sight of the elephant. We all go home 
 without knowledge of the elephant. 
 
 We are apt to miss the fact that the 
 real controlling purpose of life, the real 
 thing that makes business good or bad, is 
 the character of the people. Whether 
 fifty-one per cent, have their eye on the 
 star of service or whether fifty-one per 
 cent, have their eye on the star of selfish- 
 ness determines business conditions. 
 
 Let me review very briefly the points 
 that you should remember. First, funda- 
 mentally, conditions are all right. Sec- 
 ondly, present business conditions are 
 often bad and seldom steady. The rea- 
 son for this is that during a period of 
 prosperity we forget our obligations to 
 God and man. Then business continues 
 dull imtil we again get back in the path 
 of righteousness. Thirdly, the harder we 
 are hit and the sooner we go through the 
 wringer, the sooner we learn our lesson, 
 and get back in the path of righteousness. 
 
 Yet it seems strange that intelligent 
 
144 MAKING GOOD IN BUSIISESS 
 
 men need that punishment in order to get 
 back again in the path of righteousness. 
 Therefore, my appeal to all is that we 
 forget the wringer and that we deter- 
 mine, each in our own way, to do some- 
 thing which will make the situation bet- 
 ter; that we each do something to keep 
 ourselves and others in the path of right- 
 eousness. As the business of the country 
 is simply the sum total of the nation's 
 pay-roll, so the activities of our business 
 men, and the prosperity of the nation as 
 a whole, are simply the sum total of the 
 industry, honesty, and purpose of each 
 one of us, as individuals. 
 
 Remedial Suggestions 
 
 Now, what can we do to make and keep 
 business good? First, those of us who 
 are wage-workers, can give an honest 
 day's work for an honest day's pay. La- 
 bour is the basis of all prosperity. La- 
 bour is the basis of all wealth, but that 
 very fact puts a responsibility of great 
 importance upon labour, to keep its eye 
 
THE NEED OP VISION 145 
 
 on the star of service, and not get dis- 
 tracted by selfish aims. 
 
 We employers have a duty to perform 
 also. It is up to us to be honest as well 
 as the wage-worker. Is it honest for us 
 to close our plants down, pretending to 
 take inventory and then start in at once to 
 hire at the back door the men we are fir- 
 ing from the front door? No. Labour is 
 intelligent; labour is reasonable when it 
 has confidence in its employers. If so, is 
 it not up to us employers to be honest 
 with our wage-workers, to tell them the 
 truth, then ask them to help us in bring- 
 ing about the readjustment? 
 
 But there are other men besides wage- 
 workers and employers who have a re- 
 sponsibility. There are the merchants 
 and jobbers. Let us remember how the 
 merchant and jobber got started. If you 
 will read commercial history, you will 
 find that it was only a few centuries ago 
 when there was no such thing as a " mer- 
 chant," and only a century ago there was 
 no such thing as a " jobber." When our 
 ancestors wanted a pair of shoes, they 
 
146 MAKTJJTG GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 went to the guild and bought the shoes 
 direct from the man making them. 
 
 Then developed a group of men travel- 
 ling with packs on their backs, who con- 
 vinced the consumer that if he would let 
 them, the peddlers, buy for him, acting as 
 the consumer's agents, he could get the 
 goods cheaper than if he went to the guild 
 and bought direct. So these men with 
 packs on their backs, gradually got a foot- 
 hold; first they had a little wagon, then a 
 stall in the public square, and finally they 
 built great buildings. Most of the great- 
 est merchants in America started out 
 purely as agents of the consumer, with 
 packs on their backs. Haven't those of 
 us who are merchants forgotten during 
 the past few years that we are simply the 
 agents of the consumer? Instead of sim- 
 ply serving the consumer, haven't we been 
 gouging the consumer? 
 
 The jobber has been gouging us too. 
 He has forgotten what function enabled 
 him to start and the real purpose of his 
 existence. Hence to make good in busi- 
 ness and to make business good, we must 
 
THE NEED OP VISION 147 
 
 be honest as wage-workers, as employers, 
 as merchants, as jobbers! We must be 
 honest as men in our dealings one with 
 another. We must start right out to-day 
 and be honest in our buying and selling. 
 Those who are bankers should consider 
 not only Dumi's ratings and Bradstreet's 
 ratings, but also God's ratings. 
 
 Righteousness is Contagious 
 Recently I was speaking in Philadel- 
 phia to a group of business men along 
 these lines. The next morning I received 
 a message from the head of a large whole- 
 sale house there, saying that he thought I 
 was right and, on the strength of the talk, 
 had withdrawn a large cancellation of 
 goods, which he had sent to a Rochester, 
 New York, concern. Shortly after, I 
 spoke one noon to the business men of 
 Rochester. In the evening following the 
 talk I was in the rotunda of the Seneca 
 Hotel in that city and a man came up to 
 me, shook my hand and said, " Mr. Bab- 
 son, you don't know me, but I know you 
 will be interested in a story." 
 
148 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 He told me how he had received this 
 withdrawal of a cancellation of goods 
 from the big Philadelphia store, and then 
 he added: "We were rather moved by 
 that, Mr. Babson, and on the strength of 
 it we got together our managers and with- 
 drew a great cancellation which we had 
 forwarded a few days before to the mills 
 of New England. And that is not all. 
 This afternoon I was talking with a rep- 
 resentative of those mills and he said that 
 on the strength of the withdrawal of our 
 cancellation, those mills had started up 
 again." 
 
 So those mills began again to pay 
 wages and that money went out through- 
 out New England. Soon that money en- 
 abled people to buy again and once more 
 the wheels of industry were running full 
 time. And as the people bought, they did 
 not limit their purchases to goods made 
 in New England. No, — the very first 
 line to pick up was the clothing trade and 
 the great wholesale store in Philadelphia 
 received its share of the new patronage 
 and again enjoyed good business. So 
 
THE NEED OF VISION 14S 
 
 turns the wheel of prosperity. As one 
 suifers, all suffer; as one prospers, all 
 prosper. To make good in business we 
 must help the other fellow make good 
 also. 
 
 The Government's Part 
 How shall we make prosperity perma- 
 nent? Smallpox has been conquered; so 
 have bad crop failures. Why not wipe 
 out also the plague of business depres- 
 sions? It can be done. Very easily we 
 can make prosperity permanent. Use 
 the same methods that have been so suc- 
 cessful in improving the health of our 
 communities and improving agriculture. 
 It was not so long ago that we had dev- 
 astating failures of crops. Whole com- 
 munities were once shattered and — in an 
 economic sense — ^were all but annihilated 
 by crop failures. The farmers still have 
 their troubles. Crop failures are still re- 
 ported. But a modern crop failure is 
 mild indeed compared with the terrible 
 ruin that befell farmers in previous dec- 
 
150 MAKING GOOD IS BUSINESS 
 
 Here is what has been done to control 
 conditions on the farm: 
 
 1. Farmers have been educated to di- 
 versify their crops. Instead of staking all 
 upon cotton, the more progressive farmers 
 of the South are developing food crops and 
 live stock. The same principle is being 
 worked out in other sections. The one-crop 
 system is everywhere being replaced by di- 
 versification. If one product is a failure, 
 the farmer has other products to fall back 
 upon. 
 
 2. Instead of working blindly in the 
 dark, the farmer now has information to 
 guide him both in production and distribu- 
 tion. If he sees a tendency toward excess- 
 ive production of some one product — ^as 
 clearly indicated by the crop reports from 
 year to year — ^he can gradually shift his pro- 
 duction to other crops. If a certain market 
 is reported as glutted, he can divert his prod- 
 ucts to a point where conditions are more 
 favourable. 
 
 3. The farmer has been educated to bet- 
 ter methods. A superior agricultural 
 technique has been developed and taught. 
 
THE NEED OP VISION 161 
 
 Farm efficiency has increased. Farm, equip- 
 ment lias improved. 
 
 4. At least a beginning has been made in 
 educating the public to regulate their pur- 
 chasiug by common sense rather than by fad 
 or habit. That great buyer, the housewife, 
 has been partially taught to buy rice when 
 rice is abundant and potatoes are scarce. 
 And she has been partially taught to direct 
 her other purchases in accordance with 
 market conditions. It is true that only a 
 little has been accomplished along this line, 
 but it is a step in the right direction. 
 
 Four Future Reforms 
 
 These same principles which have made 
 farm prosperity far more permanent than 
 in earlier days can be applied to make 
 business prosperity more permanent. In 
 detail, this works out as follows: 
 
 1. Business men will be educated to 
 diversify their interests. The "one-crop" 
 system must be abandoned in the factory 
 as well as upon the farm. The automo- 
 bile manufacturer will make both trucks 
 and trailers, so that a depression in truck 
 
162 MAKING GOOD IB" BUSINESS 
 
 sales will be offset by activity in trailer 
 sales. The merchant will be prepared to 
 eater either to classes or masses according 
 as the two groups see-saw up and down 
 on the teeter-board of fundamental con- 
 ditions. The same man will operate a 
 woollen mill and shoddy mill, one of 
 which will always be active when the other 
 is dull. There will also be diversification 
 of sales territories ; and there will be sea- 
 sonal diversification. 
 
 2. If sufficient pressure is exerted, 
 the Government will provide business in- 
 formation as well as crop information. 
 It is a national disgrace that no Govern- 
 ment report can be found to tell which 
 lines of industrial production are becom- 
 ing overcrowded and which markets 
 threaten a glut. The census of manufac- 
 tures is a beginning which must be per- 
 fected and supplemented by a census of 
 trade. ^ 
 
 3. There can be developed a technique 
 of business, comparable with the im- 
 proved methods of agriculture. Even 
 modern business is hardly more than hit- 
 
THE NEED OF VISION 153 
 
 or-miss — ^largely miss. The " systema- 
 tizing " movement and the " efficiency " 
 movement are but intimations of what 
 awaits to be done for better business. 
 Moreover, both of these movements were 
 concerned primarily with mechanical 
 matters — and business is not essentially 
 mechanical but human. Illimitable pos- 
 sibilities will be opened up when we de- 
 velop the himian side of business, with at- 
 tention to those mainsprings of action — 
 the emotions. 
 
 4. Purchasers must be taught their 
 power and how to use it. Send your 
 money to the bank and it builds houses, 
 factories, machinery, and other capital 
 wealth. Send your money to the jew- 
 elers and it opens diamond mines. Both 
 jewels and flour mills are well to have, — 
 but in proper proportion. Proportion is 
 the essence of the whole subject. There 
 is no such thing as over-production; the 
 trouble is always due to unbalanced or 
 ill-proportioned production! For every 
 pair of silk hose produced there must be 
 produced a proportionate volume of gar- 
 
154 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 den hose. Otherwise, panic and depres- 
 sion. The buyer is the supreme court 
 that can diversify and proportion the na- 
 tion's activities. When this duty is rec- 
 ognized and fulfilled a panic will be as 
 rare as a dinosaur. In this connection, 
 note 
 
 WHAT A DOLLAK WILL DO: 
 
 One doUar spent for a lunch, lasts five 
 hours. 
 
 One dollar spent for a necktie, lasts five 
 weeks. 
 
 One dollar spent for a cap, lasts five 
 months. 
 
 One dollar spent for an automobile, 
 lasts five years. 
 
 One dollar spent for a waterpower or 
 railroad grade, lasts for five generations. 
 
 One dollar spent in the service of God, 
 lasts for eternity. 
 
 The Almighty Dollar 
 
 This does not mean that we should put 
 our income in the contribution box and 
 starve to death, but that we should wake 
 up to the terrible responsibility that ac- 
 
THE NEED OP VISION 156 
 
 companies purchasing power. We speak 
 of the " almighty dollar." In one sense 
 this is true. Don't abuse that power. 
 Use it in making good. Get the vision. 
 
 I said that smallpox, save in isolated 
 cases, has been conquered. As a national 
 plague, it has been abolished. Not for a 
 long time can we hope to eliminate the 
 occasional business failure. But we can 
 eliminate panics and depressions as na- 
 tional epidemics. We can do this, as has 
 been explained in detail above, by follow- 
 ing identically the same principles which 
 have been so successful in agriculture and 
 in health work. Tuberculosis has been 
 shaken in its hold on the world by bet- 
 ter methods of living. Panics can be 
 stamped out by better methods of doing 
 business. Then making good in business 
 will be simpler for us all. 
 
VIII 
 
 SOME PERSONAL TESTIMONY 
 
 AS a closing chapter of this little 
 book, readers will pardon me for 
 giving some personal testimony 
 regarding the religious feature previously 
 referred to several times as of greatest 
 importance. I was bom and brought up 
 in the city of Gloucester, Massachusetts. 
 It is a fine city of nearly 24,000 peo- 
 ple, known throughout the world for its 
 fishing industry. It is located on the 
 rocky shores of Cape Ann, and its people 
 are hardy and independent. It is a splen- 
 did city in which to bring up a boy, who, 
 by himself, must make good in business. 
 
 My father and mother were both mem- 
 bers of the Congregational Church and I 
 was brought up in the Sunday-school of 
 that church. When sixteen years of age 
 I was converted at a revival campaign 
 which was being held by a man named 
 Munhall iu 1891 at the Methodist Church 
 166 
 
PBESONAL TESTIMONY 157 
 
 of that city. After the revival was over I 
 joined, upon confession of faith, the Ck)n- 
 gregational Church, and became very- 
 much interested in Christian Endeavour, 
 Sunday-school and Y. M. C. A. work. 
 I was greatly encouraged by Mr. A. W. 
 Bacheler, who was then principal of the 
 Gloucester High School where I spent 
 the first three years of the Christian life 
 which I had entered with enthusiasm and 
 energy. Mr. Charles E. Fisher, who is 
 now president of the Gloucester Safe De- 
 posit and Trust Company, was president 
 of the Christian Endeavour Society at 
 that time, and next to my father, mother 
 and Mr. Bacheler, I owe much to him. 
 
 At nineteen years of age — ^in 1894 — I 
 entered the Massachusetts Institute of 
 Technology in Boston. Although this 
 institution has probably changed much 
 since those days, it was then, like some 
 other large educational institutions, a 
 whirlpool of materialism. Although to 
 many of the professors I look back with 
 profound respect, yet the general at- 
 mosphere of the institution was distinctly 
 
158 MAKING GOOD IlJf BUSINESS 
 
 materialistic. Religion in all its forms 
 was entirely omitted from the curricu- 
 lum, and the influence of the place was 
 almost to undermine, rather than to 
 strengthen, the spiritual side of the stu- 
 dents. I was influenced not simply by 
 this institution but also by my friends at 
 Harvard and other places of learning 
 with which I came in contact. Even the 
 teaching of philosophy, ethics, and eco- 
 nomics seemed — in those days — to be 
 purely from the material point of view. 
 
 Whether or not it was the result of 
 these four years at college, the fact nev- 
 ertheless remains, that during these four 
 years my religious enthusiasm and inter- 
 est slowly but constantly waned. When 
 graduating in 1898, my interest in the 
 church was at a low ebb. I was critical 
 of preachers and creeds. Had it not 
 been for the earnest solicitations of my 
 wife, to whom I was then engaged to be 
 married, I would have withdrawn from 
 the church altogether and had my mem- 
 bership cancelled. She, however, with 
 her usual good sense, urged me to be pa- 
 
PEESONAL TESTIMOlinr 159 
 
 tient, — for which I have always been duly 
 thankful. 
 
 My First Work 
 I was graduated in 1898 as a civil engi- 
 neer and, during my summers at college, 
 had been doing engineering work in con- 
 nection with the building of highways. 
 But I greatly preferred work of a statis- 
 tical nature rather than general engineer- 
 ing. Hence, upon graduation, I secured 
 a position, through an experience already 
 described, in the statistical depai'tment of 
 a Boston bond house. Later I became in- 
 terested with another man in the forma- 
 tion of another bond house. While work- 
 ing with the latter, in 1901, 1 was taken ill. 
 This made it necessary first for me to go 
 West and later for me to live in Welles- 
 ley Hills, doing all of my work out-of- 
 doors. This illness forced me to start the 
 statistical work which has lately devel- 
 oped to such large proportions. These 
 circumstances compelled me to devote my 
 time exclusively in Wellesley Hills to the 
 study of statistics for a few banldng 
 
160 MAKING GOOD IIS BUSINESS 
 
 houses that permitted me to do a part of 
 their statistical work. 
 
 The physical rest, forced upon me by 
 the sickness, gave some time to think. 
 Furthermore, figures constantly before 
 me opened my eyes. Gradually my in- 
 terest in religion came back. I again be- 
 came active in church work, and my old 
 religious enthusiasm returned. But this 
 time I was converted by statistics rather 
 than by the appeals of an evangelist. 
 Thus my present condition really dates 
 from 1902 rather than from 1894, al- 
 though I doubtless owe much to Evangel- 
 ist Munhall who broke the ground. Yes, 
 I was reconverted by statistics, and no 
 man who earnestly studies the figures 
 which come to Wellesley Hills could fail 
 to be converted likewise. Let me give a 
 few illustrations. 
 
 Missionary m. Explorer 
 
 Like other young men I had been 
 
 taught the economics of materialism; 
 
 namely, that everything comes from 
 
 " land and labour." The study of statis- 
 
PEESONAL TESTIMONY 161 
 
 tics, however, indicated this to be untrue. 
 Statistics showed that there was just as 
 much land and natural resources in this 
 country a thousand years ago as there 
 is to-day, but it was undeveloped. It 
 waited for Christianity and the teachings 
 of integrity, faith, and service before men 
 were willing to do more than was neces- 
 sary to fill their daily needs. China has 
 greater natural resources than the United 
 States and, moreover, has far greater 
 available labour; and yet, where is China 
 to-day? China has the " land and la- 
 bour," but it lacks the religion which sup- 
 plies the inspiration to develop and make 
 the most of the land and labour. Statis- 
 tics show that the orthodox teaching of 
 economics is wrong and cannot stand the 
 test of history. Modern civilization has 
 been built upon three fundamentals; 
 namely, land, labour, and Christianity. 
 What the spark is to the air and gas in 
 the cylinder of an engine, that is Chris- 
 tianity to the land and labour about which 
 we hear so much. 
 
 Some lecturers on political economy 
 
162 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 refer to the missionary in sarcastic terms 
 as the one who blazes the trail for the sale 
 of rum and the spreading of unspeakable 
 diseases. Statistics, however, teach that, 
 notwithstanding the rum and unspeak- 
 able diseases, the civilization of every na- 
 tion dates from the coming to it of the 
 missionaries. Then and only then were 
 the natives willing to consider something 
 besides the satisfaction of their own ma- 
 terial wants. Then and only then were 
 they willing to respect the rights and 
 property of others. Then and only then 
 was it possible to develop the credit sys- 
 tem upon which civilization is based. 
 Hence all should be great admirers of the 
 missionary and very enthusiastic over the 
 Christianity that the missionary preaches. 
 Statistics of every nation and community 
 indicate that religion is the foundation of 
 " making good." 
 
 Inventions vs. Inspiration 
 Economists teach that we owe civiliza- 
 tion to the inventors, to the bankers who 
 finance the inventions, and to the captains 
 
PEESONAL TESTIMONY 163 
 
 of industry who manufacture them. Yet, 
 wherever illustrations of the world's 
 greatest inventions are given, movable 
 type is mentioned as one of the most im- 
 portant. But what do statistics show in 
 connection with the development of the 
 art of printing? They teach that mov- 
 able type was invented by the Chinese 
 three thousand years ago when they in- 
 vented the compass and many other 
 things which are in universal use to-day, 
 but of which no practical use was made 
 until within the last century. The Chi- 
 nese made no use of these things because 
 they were interested only in filling their 
 own bellies. They had no passion to 
 serve or to teach, no desire to develop or 
 gospelize. 
 
 The use of movable type lay dormant 
 until the time of the Reformation, when 
 men became eager to read the Bible. It 
 was the demand for the Bible which de- 
 veloped the printing mdustry, as the 
 Bible was the first book of any impor- 
 tance set with movable type. Statistics 
 show that the same thing is true of the 
 
164 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 arts and sciences. The great paintings 
 were not executed for commercial pur- 
 poses as is much of the art of to-day, but 
 rather to spread the gospel of the Scrip- 
 tures and the writings of its teachers. 
 The Renaissance was due to the fact that 
 the people of Europe were on fire with the 
 ideals of Christianity and a desire to be of 
 service. Agriculture, chemistry, mathe- 
 matics, and nearly all of the arts and 
 sciences were developed within the walls 
 of some monastery by monks fired with 
 the spirit of Jesus. 
 
 Not only are inventions dormant vmtil 
 put to use by men and women inspired by 
 Christianity, but inventions which are put 
 to use by others become only a source of 
 destruction. In the early days of the 
 aeroplane, we had long, eloquent articles 
 on its mighty possibilities ; but how was it 
 first used? It was not used to carry the 
 Bible, but fell into the hands of a mate- 
 rialistic nation. The aeroplane was first 
 used to bomb schoolhouses, murder inno- 
 cent people, and destroy whole communi- 
 ties. Without the gospel, inventions be- 
 
PEESONAL TESTIMONY 165 
 
 come a source of destruction instead of a 
 blessing. 
 
 Statistics show that the popular text- 
 books on Economics are fundamentally 
 lacking in their diagnosis of national and 
 industrial growth. Inventions, credit, 
 and all of these things of which we learn 
 in Economics are nothing in themselves. 
 Furthermore, they can become destruc- 
 tive as well as constructive. Statistics 
 teach that the important thing is the in- 
 spiration of Christianity which both 
 causes these economic forces to be utilised 
 and also determines the purposes for 
 which they are to be utilized. 
 
 Depression vs. Prosperity 
 In a previous chapter is shown a chart 
 of business conditions. This chart was 
 made up by combining and plotting fig- 
 ures on new building, crops, clearing, im- 
 migration, foreign trade, money rates, 
 failures, commodity prices, railroad 
 earnings, security quotations, etc. This 
 chart shows that there seems to be 
 a line of normal growth for our 
 
166 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 country, dependent upon its development 
 physically, intellectually, and spiritually. 
 The chart also shows that whenever the 
 country goes above its line of abnormal 
 growth, it must rest a corresponding pe- 
 riod — in area — below it. An area of 
 prosperity is always followed by an area 
 of depression; an area of depression in 
 turn is always followed by an area of 
 prosperity. The areas, however, need 
 not have the same shapes. 
 
 It was seen that each area is divided 
 into halves by a narrow white line. This 
 is to emphasize the fact that the first 
 halves of areas below the X-Y line are 
 really reactions from the extravagance, 
 inefficiency, and corruption which existed 
 during the latter half of the preceding 
 " prosperity " area. Contrariwise, the 
 first halves of areas above the X-Y line 
 are really reactions from the economy, in- 
 dustry, and righteousness developed dur- 
 ing the hard times just preceding. 
 
 What is " MaUng Good "? 
 But what causes these fluctuations in 
 
PEESONAL TESTIMONY 167 
 
 business and prices? As has been already 
 explained, panics are caused by spiritual 
 causes, rather than financial, and pros- 
 perity is the result of righteousness rather 
 than of material things. Hence, the im- 
 portance to industry and commerce of the 
 forces already mentioned. These spiri- 
 tual forces are the true fundamentals of 
 prosperity. This in turn leads us to con- 
 sider whence they come and upon what 
 we are to depend for their further de- 
 velopment. Yes, Christianity is the basis 
 of making good, whether one considers 
 the nation as a whole or the individual. 
 
 Statistics were not my only teacher 
 during these early years. Statistics alone 
 were not responsible for bringing me back 
 into the church and making me again 
 strive for the better things. Personal 
 relationships occurred during these same 
 years when I was studying the statistics 
 which made a deep impression upon me. 
 Just a few illustrations : 
 
 The man who gave me my first position, 
 when he was at the head of one of the 
 largest bond houses in America, soon 
 
168 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 failed through misfortune, and while 
 eonsti'ucting most useful enterprises. I 
 feel grateful to this man not only for 
 starting me out in business but also for 
 teaching me the lesson that making good 
 in business is something besides the ac- 
 quiring of a large fortune which may be 
 swept away at any time. Yet his experi- 
 ence was not uncommon. Although 
 some few men make an ultimate success 
 in finance, the majority finally lose their 
 money. This is not surprising. " Where 
 there is honey there are also stings." 
 Where the profits are greatest, there the 
 losses are also the most severe. 
 
 Other Danger Signals 
 Unfortunately the young people of to- 
 day see only the few who win the race for 
 money. The thousands who drop out of 
 the race are never heard of. Even the 
 tracks in the sand are covered up by the 
 gales that follow. Magazines and news- 
 papers write up the two per cent, who 
 survive but the ninety-eight per cent, who 
 fall by the wayside are not mentioned. 
 
PERSONAL TESTIMONY 169 
 
 But as a compiler seeking the tinith, 
 these failures were evident to me, and I 
 knew many such men. As some of these 
 were real friends of mine, their experi- 
 ences made a great impression on me, 
 teaching me that there is something to 
 making good in business, as well as to 
 making good in life, that is not taught in 
 colleges and universities. Such men for 
 a time succeed in the eyes of the public, 
 but they do not make good in the real 
 sense of the word. They themselves are 
 glad to have me emphasize the fact to the 
 yoimg men of to-day. 
 
 While thus seeing these men rise to 
 financial heights and then fall, I was 
 meeting other men who did not seek 
 financial power or great riches as busi- 
 ness men, but who were truly successful 
 and who were truly making good. They 
 not only were getting a comfortable liv- 
 ing, but they were enjoying that health, 
 happiness, peace, and joy which comes 
 from living as God intended we should 
 live. I have in mind Frank A. Bridg- 
 man. Assistant Clerk of the Massachu- 
 
170 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 setts House of Representatives, with 
 whom I boarded in those early years; 
 Robert A. Wood, the head of South End 
 House, a College settlement where I 
 spent a year during those critical times; 
 and Leroy D. Peavey, a classmate of 
 mine at Technology, who has been asso- 
 ciated with me ever since and who is now 
 Vice President of the Babson Statistical 
 Organization. These latter men never 
 sought material possessions; they never 
 enjoyed the wealth and power of those 
 financial geniuses with whom I was in 
 daily contact. But where these financial 
 geniuses rose to the heights only to be 
 mown down, these others have slowly but 
 steadily climbed, have been a credit to 
 their families and their communities, as 
 well as a source of inspiration to all who 
 know them. 
 
 Once I went into the stock market and 
 chased " quarter's and eighth's," but only 
 lost money in the process; then I became 
 interested in the " long swings " and 
 made large profits through buying during 
 panics and selling during booms, keeping 
 
PEESONAL TESTIMONY 171 
 
 out of the market during the rest of the 
 time. I soon found, however, that al- 
 though playing these long swings won for 
 me money, it won for me nothing else. 
 Like many other men I have now learned 
 that there is nothing of permanent value 
 in any of these material things. Land, 
 buildings, railroads, steamships, banks, 
 stores, merchandise, — ^all of these things 
 — are of value only as they help us make 
 good in the true sense of the word. By 
 making good in the true sense, I refer to 
 acquiring that health, happiness, joy, and 
 peace which comes only through attempt- 
 ing to follow Jesus of Nazareth. 
 
 A New England Story 
 A story is told in one of the old sea- 
 coast towns of New England that made a 
 great impression on my early boyhood 
 days. I first heard it at a Christian En- 
 deavour Convention in the early nineties. 
 Having been brought up on Cape Ann 
 near the ocean, going to sleep every night 
 and waking every morning to the sound 
 of the waves lapping on the beach, the 
 
172 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 story appealed to me. Moreover, as 
 every winter we would have four or five 
 shipwrecks off the shore of Gloucester, I 
 knew what the story meant. Every ship- 
 wreck has a great human interest 
 wrapped about it, and this one is espe- 
 cially appealing. 
 
 There were two boys named Brown; 
 they were brothers. The mother had 
 died with tuberculosis when the children 
 were young. The father was a sea cap- 
 tain, one of the best of the town, but he 
 was lost when these boys were fourteen 
 and sixteen years of age, respectively. 
 They, however, lived together in their 
 three rooms, did their own cooking and 
 housework, and went to school. The peo- 
 ple called them " hatchet and handle " 
 because they were always together. The 
 older boy, Jimmie, finally went into a 
 store, but the younger boy got that long- 
 ing for the sea which only those brought 
 up near the ocean can appreciate, and 
 when sixteen years old he went out " on 
 the Banks " for a fishing trip. 
 
 The boy had been away only two 
 
PEESONAL TESTIMONY 173 
 
 weeks, when to that New England town 
 came word that the vessel with all hands 
 had gone down. The disaster was, of 
 course, a great blow to the older brother, 
 Jimmie, — a, terrible blow. It occurred in 
 February or March. The spring came 
 on ; the birds returned. The summer fol- 
 lowed; and again the trees changed their 
 colour in the autumn. Still Jimmie was 
 very sad. In November a rumour came 
 through the town that a great four-master 
 schooner had gone on the rocks near the 
 Point. The boys of the town, as always, 
 went with the crowd to the Pomt to see 
 the wreck. When they reached the shore, 
 the life boat had already gone out. 
 
 The Spirit Which Makes Good 
 It was a wicked afternoon; that life 
 boat would rise to the top of the waves 
 and then go completely out of sight. 
 Every one held his breath until it would 
 come in sight again. Finally, the boat 
 reached the ship, took off the crew, and 
 came back to shore. As soon as it landed, 
 the Life Saving men and the shipwrecked 
 
174 MAKING GOOD IN BUSINESS 
 
 crew came stumbling out, falling ex- 
 hausted on the beach. They were taken 
 to a fire which had been buUt of drift- 
 wood, were given hot food and rubbed. 
 They were gradually recovering when a 
 rumour ran about the crowd that a chap, 
 sick and helpless, had been left aboard 
 the ship; that because of his weak condi- 
 tion they could not get him into the life 
 boat, since the waves were too severe, the 
 sea running too high. Well, that didn't 
 go with the people of that New England 
 town and they urged the life boat crew to 
 go back and save the other man. The 
 crew replied: " No, we cannot. It is too 
 much to attempt again in these waves this 
 afternoon." 
 
 Then to the surprise of every one, little 
 Jimmie Brown jumped up on a rock and 
 shouted: " I have nothing to live for. I 
 have lost my brother. Let me go and I 
 want some boys to go with me." So the 
 boys formed a volunteer crew, went out 
 to the ship, and brought the other chap 
 ashore. They also fell exhausted on the 
 beach on their return. But they were 
 
PEEBONAL TESTIMONY 175 
 
 rubbed and warmed; while the uncon- 
 scious lad was taken to another fire to be 
 nursed by the good women living near by. 
 Finally, the unconscious one smiled and 
 opened his eyes. Every one was happy. 
 Gradually, one by one, the volunteer boy 
 crew came up to the fire to look at this 
 chap they had saved. Finally Jimmie 
 Brown came and looked. Lo and behold, 
 it was his younger brother! The crew of 
 the fishing schooner had all been lost ex- 
 cepting this young Brown, He had been 
 picked up by the four-master on its way 
 to Manila, which, on its homeward voy- 
 age, was wrecked on the New England 
 coast. 
 
 Young men and women who read this 
 book: Remember Jimmie Brown. For- 
 get yourselves. Think of the other fel- 
 low. Become interested in doing what is 
 right; in standing for industry, integrity, 
 service. If you do, you (like Jimmie 
 Brown) will find what is dearest to your 
 hearts, namely, pkospeeity. The secret of 
 success is service; the secret of making 
 good, is being good and doing good. 
 
 Printed in the United States of America,