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Title: Analyzing Character
Author: Blackford, Katherine M. H., 1875-, Newcomb, Arthur, 1873-
Language: English
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*** Start of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "Analyzing Character" ***
ANALYZING CHARACTER
The New Science of Judging Men; Misfits in Business, the Home
and Social Life
BY
KATHERINE M. H. BLACKFORD, M.D.
AND
ARTHUR NEWCOMB
1922
CONTENTS
PAGE
INTRODUCTION 1
PART ONE--ANALYZING CHARACTER IN VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE
CHAP.
I--CAUSES OF MISFITS 17
II--ELEMENTS OF FITNESS 39
III--CLASSES OF MISFITS 73
IV--THE PHYSICALLY FRAIL 111
V--THE FAT MAN 137
VI--THE MAN OF BONE AND MUSCLE 157
VII--SLAVES OF MACHINERY 169
VIII--THE IMPRACTICAL MAN 191
IX--HUNGRY FOR FAME 223
X--WASTE OF TALENT IN THE PROFESSIONS 241
XI--WOMEN'S WORK 261
XII--SPECIAL FORMS OF UNFITNESS 267
PART TWO--ANALYZING CHARACTER IN SELECTION OF EMPLOYEES
I--THE COST OF UNSCIENTIFIC SELECTION 291
II--THE SELECTION OF EXECUTIVES 303
III--THE REMEDY 331
IV--RESULTS OF SCIENTIFIC EMPLOYMENT 345
V--IDEAL EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS 359
PART THREE--ANALYZING CHARACTER IN PERSUASION
I--THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSUASION 367
II--SECURING FAVORABLE ATTENTION 383
III--AROUSING INTEREST AND CREATING DESIRE 391
IV--INDUCING DECISION AND ACTION 401
V--EFFICIENT AND SATISFACTORY SERVICE 413
PART FOUR--PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF CHARACTER ANALYSIS
I--THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS OF CHARACTER ANALYSIS 429
II--HOW TO LEARN AND APPLY THE SCIENCE OF CHARACTER ANALYSIS 443
III--USES OF CHARACTER ANALYSIS 453
APPENDIX
REQUIREMENTS OF THE PRINCIPAL VOCATIONS 465
ILLUSTRATIONS
FIG. PAGE
1. Jacob A Riis 53
2. Dr. Booker T. Washington 54
3. James H. Collins 55
4. H.G. Wells 56
5. Henry Ford 57
6. Hugo de Vries 58
7. Dr. Henry Van Dyke 59
8. Dr. Beverly T. Galloway 60
9. Richard Mansfield 125
10. Hon. A.L. Cutting (front) 126
11. Hon. A.L. Cutting (profile) 127
12. Chief Justice Melville Fuller 128
13. Frank A. Vanderlip 129
14. Hon. Joseph P. Folk 130
15. Hon. Nelson W. Aldrich 131
16. Well-Developed Base of Brain 132
17. Beaumont, Aviator 149
18. Lincoln Beachey 150
19. Col. George W. Goethals 151
20. Field Marshal von Hindenberg 152
21. Rear Admiral Frank E. Beatty 153
22. William Lloyd Garrison 154
23. Samuel Rea 155
24. Lon Wescott Beck 156
25. "Sydney Williams" (front) 197
26. "Sydney Williams" (profile) 198
27. Prof. Adolph von Menzel 199
28. Edgar Allan Poe 200
29. Samuel Taylor Coleridge 201
30. Thomas De Quincy 202
31. O. Henry at 30 203
32. Edwin Reynolds 204
33. John Masefield 229
34. Edward De Reszke 230
35. Puccini, Composer 231
36. John S. Sargent, R.A. 232
37. Pietro Mascagni 233
38. Richard Burton 234
39. Mendelssohn, Composer 235
40. Massenet, Composer 236
41. Hon. Elihu Root (Front) 253
42. Rev. Henry Ward Beecher 254
43. Rufus Isaacs, Baron Reading 255
44. Hon. Elihu Root (Profile) 256
45. Harland B. Howe 257
46. Justice Horace H. Lurton 258
47. Prof. William H. Burr 259
48. Hon. John Wesley Gaines 260
49. Hon. Joseph Walker 277
50. Hon. Lon V. Stephens 278
51. Hon. Oscar Underwood 279
52. Hon. Victor Murdock 280
53. Robert C. Ogden 281
54. Prof. P.G. Holden 282
55. W. Nelson Edelsten 283
56. Dr. Beverly T. Galloway (Profile) 284
57. Conical Hands 317
58. Hands of Mrs. Flora E. Durand 317
59. Hands of Financier and Administrator 318
60. Hands of Engineer and Expert Mechanic 318
61. Long Fingers 318
62. Narrow Head 319
63. Sir Henry Fowler 320
64. Reginald D. Barry 321
65. Large Dome Above Temples 322
66. Dr. V. Stefansson 323
67. Square Head 324
68. Round Head 324
PREFACE
This work is a treatise upon the fascinating and valuable art of analyzing
human character. It makes no attempt to teach, as such, the technical
principles upon which this art is based. It is, rather, an attempt to
familiarize the reader with the most important of these by the inductive
method--by means of incidents and descriptions from our records and from
the biographies of well-known men. Some effort has been made, also, to
give the reader the benefit of the authors' experience and observation in
vocational counsel, employment, and salesmanship.
In the preparation of this work, we have drawn copiously from our records
of individuals and firms. It should be borne in mind by the reader that,
for obvious reasons--except in one or two cases--the details of these
narratives have been so altered as to disguise the personalities and
enterprises involved, the essentials being maintained true to the record.
New York City, January 3, 1916. THE AUTHORS.
INTRODUCTION
"There is one name," says Elbert Hubbard, "that stands out in history like
a beacon light after all these twenty-five hundred years have passed, just
because the man had the sublime genius of discovering ability. That man is
Pericles. Pericles made Athens and to-day the very dust of the street of
Athens is being sifted and searched for relics and remnants of the things
made by people who were captained by men of ability who were discovered by
Pericles."
The remark of Andrew Carnegie that he won his success because he had the
knack of picking the right men has become a classic in current speech.
Augustus Caesar built up and extended the power of the Roman Empire
because he knew men. The careers of Charlemagne, Napoleon, Disraeli,
Washington, Lincoln, and all the empire builders and empire saviours hold
their places in history because these men knew how to recognize, how to
select, and how to develop to the highest degree the abilities of their
co-workers. The great editors, Greeley, Dana, James Gordon Bennett,
McClure, Gilder and Curtis, attained their high station in the world of
letters largely because of their ability to unearth men of genius. Morgan,
Rockefeller, Theodore N. Vail, James J. Hill, and other builders of
industrial and commercial empires laid strong their foundations by almost
infallible wisdom in the selection of lieutenants. Even in the world of
sports the names of Connie Mack, McGraw, Chance, Moran, Carrigan and
Stallings shine chiefly because of their keen judgment of human nature.
If the glory that was Greece shone forth because Pericles kindled its
flame, then Pericles in any time and amongst any people would probably
have ushered in a Golden Age. Had Carnegie lived in any other day and
sought his industrial giants, he would no doubt have found them. If a
supreme judge of latent talent and inspirer of high achievement can thus
always find material ready to his hand, it follows that humanity is rich
in undiscovered genius--that, in the race, there are, unguessed and
undeveloped, possibilities for a millennium of Golden Ages. Psychologists
tell us that only a very small percentage of the real ability and energy
of the average man is ever developed or used.
"Poor man!" says a reviewer, speaking of a contemporary, "he never
discovered his discoverer." The man who waits for his Pericles usually
waits in vain. There has been only one Pericles in all history. Great
geniuses in the discovery, development, and management of men are rare.
Most men never meet them. And yet every man can discover his discoverer.
Self-knowledge is the first step to self-development. Through an
understanding of his own aptitudes and talents one may find fullest
expression for the highest possibilities of his intellect and spirit. A
man who thus knows himself needs no other discoverer. The key to
self-knowledge is intelligent, scientific self-study.
In the year 1792, Mahmoud Effendi, a Turkish archer, hit a mark with an
arrow at 482 yards. His bow, arrows, thumb-ring and groove are still on
exhibition in London as proof of the feat. His prowess lay in his native
gift, trained by years of practice, to guess the power of his bow, the
weight and balance of his arrow, and the range and direction of his
target; also, the sweep of the wind. This he gained by observations
repeated until the information gathered from them amounted to almost exact
knowledge. Thousands of gunners to-day hit a mark miles away, with a
16-inch gun, not because they are good guessers, but because, by means of
science, they determine accurately all of the factors entering into the
flight of their projectiles. Pericles judged men by a shrewd guess--the
kind of guess called intuition. But such intuition is only a native gift
of keen observation, backed by good judgment, and trained by shrewd study
of large numbers of men until it becomes instinctively accurate.
In modern times we are learning not to depend upon mere guesses--no matter
how shrewd. Mahmoud Effendi could not pass on to others the art he had
acquired. But the science of gunnery can be taught to any man of average
intelligence and natural aptitudes. Pericles left posterity not one hint
about how to judge men--how to recognize ability. Humanity needs a
scientific method of judging men, so that any man of intelligence can
discover genius--or just native ability--in himself and others.
As the result of our ignorance, great possibilities lie undeveloped in
nearly all men. Self-expression is smothered in uncongenial toil. Parents
and teachers, groping in the dark, have long been training natural-born
artists to become mechanics, natural-born business men to become
musicians, and boys and girls with great aptitudes for agriculture and
horticulture to become college professors, lawyers, and doctors. Splendid
human talent, amounting in some cases to positive genius, is worse than
wasted as a result.
In our experience, covering years of careful investigation and the
examination of many thousands of individuals, we have seen so much of the
tragedy of the misfit that it seems at times almost universal. The records
of one thousand persons taken at random from our files show that 763, or
76.3 per cent, felt that they were in the wrong vocations. Of these 414
were thirty-five years old or older. Most of these, when questioned as to
why they had entered upon vocations for which they had so little natural
aptitude, stated that they had either drifted along lines of least
resistance or had been badly advised by parents, teachers, or employers.
We knew a wealthy father, deaf to all pleas from his children, who spent
thousands of dollars upon what he thought was a musical education for his
daughter, including several years in Europe. The young lady could not
become a musician. The aptitude for music was not in her. But she was
unusually talented in mathematics and appreciation of financial values,
and could have made a marked success had she been permitted to gratify her
constantly reiterated desire for a commercial career. This same father,
with the same obstinacy, insisted that his son go into business. The young
man was so passionately determined to make a career of music that he was
a complete failure in business and finally embezzled several thousand
dollars from his employer in the hope of making his escape to Europe and
securing a musical education. Here were two human lives of marked talent
as completely ruined and wasted as a well-intentioned but ignorant and
obstinate parent could accomplish that end.
A few years ago a young man was brought to us by his friends for advice.
He had been educated for the law and then inherited from his father a
considerable sum of money. Having no taste for the law and a repugnance
for anything like office work, he had never even attempted to begin
practice. Having nothing to do, he was becoming more and more dissipated,
and when we saw him first had lost confidence in himself and was utterly
discouraged. "I am useless in the world," he told us. "There is nothing I
can do." At our suggestion, he was finally encouraged to purchase land and
begin the scientific study and practice of horticulture. The last time we
saw him he was erect, ruddy, hard-muscled, and capable looking. Best of
all, his old, petulant, dissatisfied expression was gone. In its place was
the light of worthy achievement, success, and happiness. He told us there
were no finer fruit trees anywhere than his. Such incidents as this are
not rare--indeed, they are commonplace. We could recount them from our
records in great number. But every observant reader can supply many from
his own experience.
Thousands of young men and women are encouraged, every year, to enroll in
schools where they will spend time and money preparing themselves for
professions already overcrowded and for which a large majority of them
have no natural aptitudes. A prominent physician tells us that of the
forty-eight who were graduated from medical school with him, he considers
only three safe to consult upon medical subjects. Indeed, so great is the
need and so increasingly serious is it becoming, as our industrial and
commercial life grows more complex and the demand for conservation and
efficiency more exacting, that progressive men and women in our
universities and schools and elsewhere have undertaken a study of the
vocational problem and are earnestly working toward a solution of it in
vocational bureaus, vocational schools, and other ways, all together
comprising the vocational movement.
Roger W. Babson, in his book, "The Future of the Working Classes: Economic
Facts for Employers and Wage Earners," says: "The crowning work of an
economic educational system will be vocational guidance. One of the
greatest handicaps to all classes to-day is that 90 per cent of the people
have entered their present employment blindly and by chance, irrespective
of their fitness or opportunities. Of course, the law of supply and demand
is continually correcting these errors, but this readjusting causes most
of the world's disappointments and losses. Some day the schools of the
nation will be organized into a great reporting bureau on employment
opportunities and trade conditions, directing the youths of the nation--so
far as their qualifications warrant--into lines of work which then offer
the greatest opportunity. Only by such a system will each worker receive
the greatest income possible for himself, and also the greatest benefits
possible from the labors of all, thus continually increasing production
and yet avoiding overproduction in any single line." That the main
features of the system suggested by Mr. Babson are being made the basis of
the vocational movement is one of the most hopeful signs of the times.
Dr. George W. Jacoby, the neurologist, says: "It is scarcely too much to
say that the entire future happiness of a child depends upon the
successful bringing out of its capabilities. For upon that rests the
choice of its life work. A mistake in this choice destroys all the real
joy of living--it almost means a lost life."
Consider the stone wall against which the misfit batters his head:
He uses only his second rate, his third rate, or even less effective
mental and physical equipment. He is thus handicapped at the start in the
race against those using their best. He is like an athlete with weak legs,
but powerful arms and shoulders, trying to win a foot race instead of a
hand-over-hand rope-climbing contest.
Worse than his ineptitude, however, is the waste and atrophy of his best
powers through disuse. Thus the early settlers of the Coachela Valley
fought hunger and thirst while rivers of water ran away a few feet below
the surface of the richly fertile soil.
No wonder, then, that the misfit hates his work. And yet, his hate for it
is the real tragedy of his life.
Industry, like health, is normal. All healthy children, even men, are
active. Activity means growth and development. Inactivity means decay and
death. The man who has no useful work to do sometimes expresses himself in
wrong-doing and crime, for he has to do something industriously to live.
Even our so-called "idle rich" and leisure classes are strenuously active
in their attempts to amuse themselves.
When, therefore, a man hates his work, when he is dissatisfied and
discontented in it, when his work arouses him to destructive thoughts and
feelings, rather than constructive, there is something wrong, something
abnormal, and the abnormality is his attempt to do work for which he is
unfitted by natural aptitudes or by training.
The man who is trying to do work for which he is unfitted feels repressed,
baffled and defeated. He may not even guess his unfitness, but he does
feel its manifold effect. He lacks interest in his work and, therefore,
that most vital factor in personal efficiency--incentive. He cannot throw
himself into his work with a whole heart.
When Thomas A. Edison is bent upon realizing one of his ideas, his
absorption in his work exemplifies Emerson's dictum: "Nothing great was
ever accomplished without enthusiasm. The way of life is wonderful--it is
by abandonment." He shuts himself away from all interruption in his
laboratory; he works for hours oblivious of everything but his idea. Even
the demands of his body for food and sleep do not rise above the threshold
of consciousness.
Edison himself says that great achievement is a result, not of genius,
but of this kind of concentration in work--and, until the mediocre man has
worked as has Edison, he cannot prove the contrary. Mr. Edison has results
to prove the value of his way of working. Even our most expert
statisticians and mathematicians would find it difficult to calculate,
accurately, the amount of material wealth this one worker has added to
humanity's store. Of the unseen but higher values in culture, in
knowledge, in the spread of civilization, and in greater joy of living for
millions of people, there are even greater riches. Other men of the past
and present, in every phase of activity, have demonstrated that such an
utter abandonment to one's tasks is the keynote of efficiency and
achievement. But such abandonment is impossible to the man who is doing
work into which he cannot throw his best and greatest powers--which claims
only his poorest and weakest.
This man's very failure to achieve increases his unrest and unhappiness.
Walter Dill Scott, the psychologist, in his excellent book, "Increasing
Human Efficiency in Business," gives loyalty and concentration as two of
the important factors in human efficiency. But loyalty pre-supposes the
giving of a man's best. Concentration demands interest and enthusiasm.
These are products of a love of the work to be done.
The man employed at work for which he is unfit, therefore, finds it not a
means of self-expression, but a slow form of self-destruction. All this
wretchedness of spirit reacts directly upon the efficiency of the worker.
"A successful day is likely to be a restful one," says Professor
Scott,--"an unsuccessful day an exhausting one. The man who is greatly
interested in his work and who finds delight in overcoming the
difficulties of his calling is not likely to become so tired as the man
for whom the work is a burden.
"Victory in intercollegiate athletic events depends on will power and
physical endurance. This is particularly apparent in football. Frequently
it is not the team with the greater muscular development or speed of foot
that wins the victory, but the one with the more grit and perseverance. At
the conclusion of a game players are often unable to walk from the field
and need to be carried. Occasionally the winning team has actually worked
the harder and received the more serious injuries. Regardless of this
fact, it is usually true that the victorious team leaves the field less
jaded than the conquered team. Furthermore, the winners will report next
day refreshed and ready for further training, while the losers may require
several days to overcome the shock and exhaustion of their defeat.
"Recently I had a very hard contest at tennis. Some hours after the game I
was still too tired to do effective work. I wondered why, until I
remembered that I had been thoroughly beaten, and that, too, by an
opponent whom I felt I outclassed. I had been in the habit of playing even
harder contests and ordinarily with no discomfort--especially when
successful in winning the match.
"What I have found so apparent in physical exertion is equally true in
intellectual labor. Writing or research work which progresses
satisfactorily leaves me relatively fresh; unsuccessful efforts bring
their aftermath of weariness.
"_Intellectual work which is pleasant is stimulating and does not fag one,
while intellectual work which is uninteresting or displeasing is
depressing and exhausting_....
"To restore muscular and nerve cells is a very delicate process. So
wonderful is the human organism, however, that the process is carried on
perfectly without our consciousness or volition except under abnormal
conditions.
"Food and air are the first essentials of this restoration. In-directly
the perfect working of all the bodily organs contributes to the
process--especially deepened breathing, heightened pulse, and increase of
bodily volume due to the expansion of the blood vessels running just
beneath the skin.
"Here pleasure enters. Its effect on the expenditure of energy is to make
muscle and brain cells more available for consumption, and particularly to
hasten the process of restoration or recuperation.
"The deepened breathing supplies more air for the oxidation of body
wastes. The heightened pulse carries nourishment more rapidly to the
depleted tissues and relieves the tissues more rapidly from the poisonous
wastes produced by work. The body, the machine, runs more smoothly, and
few stops for repairs are made necessary.
"In addition to these specific functions, _pleasure hastens all the bodily
processes which are of advantage to the organism_. The hastening may be so
great that recuperation keeps pace with the consumption consequent on
efficient labor, with the result that there is little or no exhaustion.
This is, in physiological terms, the reason why a person can do more when
he 'enjoys' his work or play, and can continue his efforts for a longer
period without fatigue. The man who enjoys his work requires less time for
recreation and exercise, for his enjoyment recharges the storage battery
of energy."
But the misfit can take none of this pleasure in his work. He is unhappy
because he cannot do his best; he is wretched because he feels that he is
being defeated in the contest of life; he is miserable because he hates
the things he has to do; he can take no satisfaction in his work because
he feels that it is poorly done; and, finally, all of his joylessness
reacts upon him, decreasing his efficiency and making him a more pitiable
failure.
So this is the vicious circle:
Misfit;
Inefficient;
Unhappy;
More inefficient.
Rather is it a descending spiral, leading down to poverty, disease, crime
and death.
Now, consider the man who has found _his_ work. To him the glorious
abandonment which is the way to achievement is possible. Such a man does
not merely exist--he lives, and lives grandly. His work gives him joy,
both in its doing and in its results. It calls out and develops his
highest and best talents. He therefore grows in power, in wisdom, in
health, in efficiency, and in success. All his life runs in an ascending
spiral. No task appalls him. No difficulty daunts him. He may work
hard--terribly hard. He may tunnel through mountains of drudgery. He will
shun the easy ways and leave the soft jobs to weaker men. But through it
all there will be a song in his heart.
Work to such a man is as natural an expression as hunger, or love, or
pleasure, or laughter. He returns to it with zest and eagerness. Such a
man's work flows out from his soul. It is an expression of the divine in
him.
The almost universal cry for leisure is due to the almost universal
unfitness of men and women for their tasks. The wise man knows that there
is no happiness in leisure. The only happiness is self-expression in
useful work. And so we come again to the problem of fitting the man to his
work. Every man is a bundle of possibilities. Every man has a right to
usefulness, prosperity and happiness. These are possible only through
knowledge of self, knowledge of others, knowledge of work, and the ability
to make the right combination of self and others and work.
Man has learned much about the material universe. Nearly everything has
been analyzed and classified. Man weighs, measures, tests, and in others
ways scrupulously determines the fitness of every bit of material that
goes into a machine before it is built. There are scientific ways of
selecting cattle, horses, and even hogs for particular purposes.
Purchasing departments of great commercial and industrial institutions
maintain laboratories for the determination, with mathematical exactitude,
of the qualifications and fitness to requirements of all kinds of
materials, tools and equipment. And yet, when it comes to the choice of
his own life work, the guidance of his children in their vocations, or the
selection of employees and co-workers, the average man decides the entire
matter by almost any other consideration than scientifically determined
fitness. He takes counsel with personal prejudices, with customs and
traditions, with pride, or with fear--or he leaves the decision to mere
guess-work, or even chance.
It is time, therefore, that man should learn about himself and others,
and especially about those things which are vital to even a moderate
enjoyment of the good things of life.
Two diametrically opposite states of mind have been responsible for this
lack of careful study of the aptitudes, characteristics, and
qualifications of man and the ways of determining them in advance of
actual performance. The first of these has been characterized by loose
thinking, unscientific methods, arbitrary and complicated systems--- such
as palmistry, astrology, physiognomy, phrenology, and others of the same
ilk. In these systems, some truth, patiently learned by sincere and able
workers, has been befogged and contaminated by hasty conclusions of the
incompetent and clever lies of charlatans. Thus the whole subject has
fallen into disrepute with intelligent people. Ever since the earliest
days of recorded history there have been attempts at character reading.
Many different avenues of approach to the subject have been opened; some
by sincere and earnest men of scientific minds and scholarly attainments;
some by sincere and earnest but unscientific laymen; and some by
mountebanks and charlatans. As the result of all this study, research and
empiricism, a great mass of alleged facts about physical characteristics
has been accumulated. When we began our research seventeen years ago, we
found a very considerable library covering every phase of character
interpretation, both scientific and unscientific. A great deal has been
added since that time. 'Much of this literature is pseudo-scientific, and
some of it is pure quackery.
The second state of mind is a reaction from the first. Some men of science
are timid about accepting or stating anything in regard to character
analysis. They demand more than conclusive proof; what they insist upon is
mathematical accuracy. Until a man can be analyzed in such a way as to
leave nothing to common sense or good judgment, they hesitate to
acknowledge that he can be analyzed at all. But in the very nature of the
case, the science of character analysis cannot be a science in the same
sense in which chemistry and mathematics are sciences. So far our studies
and experiences do not lead us to expect that it ever can become absolute
and exact. Human nature is complicated by too many variables and obscured
by too much that is elusive and intangible. We cannot put a man on the
scales and determine that he has so many milligrams of common sense, or
apply the micrometer to him and say that he has so many millimetres of
financial ability. Human traits and human values are relative and can be
determined and stated only relatively. We shall, therefore, waste both
time and human values if we wait until our knowledge is mathematically
exact before we make it useful to ourselves and to others.
The sciences of medicine, agriculture, chemistry and physics are not yet
exact. They are in a state of development. We have, however, the good
sense to apply them so far as we know them, and to accept new discoveries,
new methods, and new ways of applying them, as they come to us. And so, in
the study of ourselves, let us throw aside traditions; let us forget the
mountebanks and charlatans of the past; let us not wait for the final work
of the mathematician; but, with plain common sense, let us apply such
knowledge as we have at hand. This knowledge should be the result of
careful observation, of a careful and prolonged study of all that science
has discovered in regard to man, his origin, his development, his history,
his body, and his mind. Every conclusion reached should be verified, not
in hundreds, but in thousands of cases, before it is finally accepted.
The perfection of such a science requires the united efforts of many
investigators, experimenters, and practical workers, such as teachers,
employers, social workers, parents, and men and women everywhere, each in
his own way and in the solution of his own problems. Were a uniform method
adopted and made a part of the vocational work of our social settlements,
our public schools, our colleges and universities, and other institutions,
also by private individuals in selecting their own vocations; were uniform
records to be made and every subject analyzed followed up, and his career
studied, we should, in one generation, have data from which any
intelligent, analytical mind could formulate a science of human analysis
very nearly approaching exactitude.
As a result of the application of such a uniform method, the principles of
human analysis would rapidly become a matter of common knowledge and could
be taught in our schools just as we to-day teach the principles of
chemical, botanical, or zoological analysis. In the industries, the
scientific selection, assignment and management of men have yielded
increases in efficiency from one hundred to one thousand per cent. The
majority of people that were dealt with were mature, with more or less
fixity of character and habits. Many of them were handicapped by iron-clad
limitations and restrictions in their affairs and in their environments.
What results may be possible when these methods, improved and developed by
a wider use, are applied to young people, with their plastic minds and
wonderful latent possibilities, we cannot even venture to forecast.
While we are accustomed to thinking of unfitness for our tasks as the one
form of maladjustment due to our ignorance of human nature in general and
individual traits in particular, there are other forms which, in their own
way, cause much trouble and the remedying of which leads to desirable
results. These are many and varied, but may be grouped, perhaps, most
conveniently under two or three general headings.
First, there is the relationship between employers and employees. The
disturbances and inharmony which mark this relationship, and have marked
it throughout human history, are due as much, perhaps, to misunderstanding
of human nature as to any one other cause. When employers select men
unfitted for their tasks, assign them to work in environments where they
are handicapped from the start, and associate them together and with
executives in combinations which are inherently inharmonious, it is
inevitable that trouble should follow.
The larger aspects of the employment problem are treated in the second
part of this book. Inasmuch, however, as the subject has been more fully
discussed in another volume,[1] no attempt is made to go into details.
Adjustment to environment means very largely the ability successfully to
associate with, cooperate with, and secure one's way among one's fellow
men. In order to be successful in life, we must first live on terms of
mutual cooperation with our parents; second, secure the best instruction
possible from our teachers; third, make social progress; fourth, secure
gainful employment, either from one employer, as in the case of the
laborer and the executive, or from several, as in the cases of
professional men. Having secured employment, our progress depends upon our
ability to attain promotion, to increase our business or our practice, to
add to our patrons. Salesmen must sell more, and more advantageously.
Attorneys must convince judges and juries, as well as obtain desired
testimony from witnesses. Preachers and other public speakers of all
classes must entertain, interest, arouse, and convince their audiences.
Writers must each appeal successfully to his particular public as well as
to his publisher. Engineers must establish and sustain successful
relationship with clients, employers, and employees.
In the third part of this book, therefore, we deal more or less at length
with the psychological processes of persuasion and their application in
various forms and to the varied personalities of those whom we wish to
persuade.
Finally, in the fourth part, we devote three chapters to a consideration
of the Science of Character Analysis by the Observational Method, the
principles of which underlie all of the observations and suggestions
appearing in the first three parts.
In presenting the material in this volume, our aim has been not to
propound a theory, but merely to make practical, for the use of our
readers, so far as possible, the results of our own experiences in this
field.
[Footnote 1: The Job, The Man, The Boss, by Katherine M.H. Blackford,
M.D., and Arthur Newcomb.]
PART ONE
ANALYZING CHARACTER IN VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE
Analyzing Character
CHAPTER I
CAUSES OF MISFITS
"Blessed is the man who has found his work."--Carlyle.
Only the rarest kind of soul has a clear call to his vocation. Still rarer
is he who, knowing his work, can create circumstances which will permit
him to do it. Of the thousands of young people who have sought us for
counsel, only a very small percentage have had even a vague idea of what
they are fitted to do, or even what they wished to do. Strange to say,
this lack of definite knowledge as to vocation holds true of those who
have just graduated from college or university. Many a college graduate
has said to us: "Why, I shall teach for a few years until I have fully
made up my mind just what I wish to do. Then I shall take my post-graduate
course in preparation for my life work." Even so late a decision as this
often proves unsatisfactory.
IGNORANCE AND PURPOSELESSNESS
The causes for uncertainty as to work are many and varied. And yet all the
many causes can be traced to two fundamental deficiencies in human nature
which are but poorly supplied in our traditional systems of training and
education. The first of these is, of course, ignorance--ignorance of self,
ignorance of work, ignorance on the part of parents, teachers, and other
advisors; ignorance on the part of employers. As a race, we do not know
human nature; we do not know how to determine, in advance of actual,
painful and costly experience, the aptitudes of any individual. We blunder
a good deal even in trying to learn from experience. We do not know work;
we do not know its requirements, its conditions, its opportunities, its
emoluments. And so, in our ignorance, we go astray; we lead others astray.
We neglect important and vital factors in human success and happiness
because we do not know how important and how vital they are. Our ignorance
of their importance is due to our ignorance of human nature and of work.
A second cause for our uncertainty lies in the almost universal human
habit of purposelessness. Drifting, not steering, is the way of nearly all
lives. It is hard mental work to plan, to consider, to study, to analyze;
in short, to think. Someone has said that the average man would rather lie
down and die than to take the trouble really to think. It is easier to
await the knock of opportunity than to study her ways and then go out and
capture her. She treads paths which may be known. She has a schedule which
may be learned. She may thus be met as certainly as by appointment. Those
who await her knock at the door may be far from where she passes.
We in America, especially, place altogether too high a value on our
ingeniousness, our resourcefulness. We therefore put off the evil day. We
say to ourselves: "There is plenty of time. I'll manage somehow or other
when the time comes for action." We are rather proud of our ability to
meet emergencies. So we do not plan and take precautions, that emergencies
may not arise. It is too easy to drift through school and college, taking
the traditional, conventional studies that others take, following the
lines of least resistance, electing "snap courses," going with the crowd.
It is too easy to take the attitude: "First I will get my education and
develop myself, and then I will know better what I am fitted to do for a
life work." And so we drift, driven by the winds of circumstance, tossed
about by the waves of tradition and custom. Eventually, most men find they
must be satisfied with "any port in a storm." Sailors who select a port
because they are driven to it have scarcely one chance in a thousand of
dropping anchor in the right one.
In our ignorance, we do not know how fatal to success and happiness is
this lack of purpose. We fail to impress it upon our youth. And, when one
demands chart and compass, we cannot supply them. No wonder belief in
luck, fate, stars, or a meddling, unreasonable Providence is almost
universal!
Ignorance and lack of definite purpose, the two prime causes of misfits,
have many different ways of bungling people into the wrong job and keeping
them there.
IMMATURE JUDGMENT
The first of these is immaturity of judgment on the part of young people.
There is a popular fallacy that the thing which a young man or a young
woman wants most to do must be the thing for which he or she is
preeminently fitted. "Let him follow his bent," say some advisors, "and he
will find his niche." This does not happen often. The average young man is
immature. His tastes are not formed. He is undeveloped. His very best
talents may have never been discovered by himself or others. It is well
known to those who study children that a boy's earliest ambitions are to
do something he thinks spectacular and romantic. Boys long to be cab
drivers, locomotive engineers, policemen, cowboys, soldiers and aviators.
A little nephew of ours said he wanted to be a ditch-digger. Asked why, he
said: "So I can wear dirty clothes, smoke a pipe, and spit tobacco juice
in the street." The little fellow is really endowed with an inheritance of
great natural refinement and a splendid intellect. As he grows older, his
ideals will change and he will discover there is much to ditch-digging
besides wearing dirty clothes, smoking a pipe, and expectorating on the
public highways. He will also learn that there are things in life far more
desirable than these glorious privileges. Of course, these are mere boyish
exuberances, and most people do not take them seriously. On the other
hand, they illustrate the unwisdom of trusting to the unguided preferences
of a youthful mind. The average young man of twenty is only a little more
mature than a boy of ten. He still lacks experience and balance.
Those of us who have passed the two-score mark well know how tastes
change, judgments grow more mature, ideas develop, and experience softens,
ripens or hardens sentiment as the years go by. It is unquestionably true
that if children were given full opportunity to develop their tastes and
to express themselves in various ways and then given freedom of choice of
their vocations, they would choose more wisely than they do under
ignorant, prejudiced, or mistaken judgments of parent or teacher. Yet the
tragedy of thousands of lives shows how unscientific it is to leave the
choice of vocation to the unguided instincts of an immature mind.
INFLUENCE OF ASSOCIATION
Boys and girls often choose their careers because some popular friend or
associate exerts an undue influence upon them. George is going to be a
doctor. Therefore Joseph decides he, too, will be a doctor. Mary looks
forward to being a teacher. Mary is the very intimate chum of Josephine.
Then Josephine decides, also, that she is going to be a teacher. We knew
one earnest and popular young man in college who persuaded about three
dozen of his associates to join him in preparation for the foreign mission
field. In one class in college a fad caused several young men to lose good
opportunities because they decided to take up the practice of medicine. In
one high school class, several young men became railroad employees because
the most popular of their number yearned to drive a locomotive. And this
enterprising youth, with parental guidance and assistance, became a
lawyer.
POOR JUDGMENT OF PARENTS
Parental bad judgment is one of the most frequent causes of misfits. Even
when parents are sincere and try to be wise, choice of a child's life work
is very difficult for them. In the first place, they either underestimate
or overestimate their children. What parent, worthy of the high privilege,
can be absolutely impartial in judging the talents of his child? Arthur
Brisbane says that Nature makes every baby look like a genius in his
mother's eyes, so that she will gladly sacrifice her life, if necessary,
for her child. It may be a wise provision, but it does not tend to make
parents reliable guides to vocations for their offspring.
Then, many parents do not know work. They do not understand the demands of
the different professions. Their point of view is narrowed by their own
experiences, which have been, perhaps too harsh, perhaps too easy. Many
parents have a narrow, selfish, rather jealous feeling that their children
cannot be any more intelligent than they are. "The old farm was good
enough for me; it is good enough for my son"; "the old business was good
enough for me; it is good enough for my son." This is the attitude. This
is why many parents either refuse their children the advantages of an
education and insist upon their going to work at an early age, or compel
them to take a hated schooling.
On the other hand, there are parents who consider their children
prodigies, geniuses, intended to occupy some great and magnificent
position in the world. Most frequently they hold their judgment entirely
apart from any real talents on the part of the child. Few human woes are
more bitter than the disappointment and heartache of both parent and son
when a young man who might have been a successful and happy farmer or
merchant fails utterly as an artist or writer.
Parents often persuade their children to enter vocations upon the
flimsiest possible pretexts. Almost every child takes a pencil and tries
to draw, yet there are many parents who spend thousands of dollars in
trying to make great artists of children who have only the most mediocre
artistic ability. Mere purposeless drawing of faces and figures is an
entirely different thing from the drudgery necessary to become a great
artist. The mere writing of little essays and compositions is quite a
different thing from the long, hard training necessary to become a writer
of any acceptability. Merely because a child finds it easier to dawdle
away the hours with a pencil or a brush than to go into the harvest field
or into the kitchen is not a good reason for supposing that this
preference is an indication of either talent or genius.
A parent's judgment of the requirements of a profession is oftentimes
most amusingly erroneous. We remember a father who told us that he was
quite certain that his son was born to be a ruler of men. When we asked
why, he told us in all seriousness that from early childhood his boy's
blood boiled with indignation against people who had committed indignities
upon kings and princes. Of course, in one sense of the word, this parent
was insane, and yet his bad judgment was scarcely more ridiculous than
that of many other parents. We have met parents who seemed to think that
success in the practice of law depended wholly upon the ability to make
speeches. We have seen other parents who thought that success in banking
depended upon the ability to count money and hold on to it. Even
intelligent people have the false idea that an architect needs only to be
a good draughtsman. The number of people who imagine that success in
business is won by shrewdness and sharp practice is very large.
PARENTAL PREJUDICES
Parents are often influenced by the most irrelevant of prejudices in
counseling their children as to vocation. A man who has had an unfortunate
experience with a lawyer is very likely to oppose strenuously any move on
the part of his son to study and practice law. Many practical men have
intense prejudices against art, music, literature, and other such
professions for their sons. The number of parents who are prejudiced
against a college education is legion. On the other hand, there are a
goodly number of men who are prejudiced against any vocation for their
sons which does not involve a college education.
Many parents who have worked hard and toiled unremittingly at any
particular profession oftentimes feel that they want their children to do
something easier, something requiring less drudgery, and so bitterly
oppose their following in their fathers' footsteps. On the other hand,
many fathers are domineering in their determination that their sons shall
follow the same vocation in which they made their success.
Parents are often prejudiced in favor of vocations followed by dear
friends or by men whom they greatly admire. A successful lawyer, preacher,
engineer, or business man will influence the choice of vocations for the
children of many of his admiring friends and acquaintances.
Multitudes of parents have foolish prejudices against any kind of work
which soils the hands or clothing--even against the dinner-pail. On the
other hand, hard-fisted parents may have prejudices against any vocation
which keeps the hands soft and white, and the clothing clean and fine.
Thus, in many ways do the prejudices of parents, based upon ignorance,
work tragedy in the lives of children. Either through a sense of duty and
loyalty or because they have not sufficient solid masonry in their
backbones, children follow the wishes of their parents and many all but
ruin their lives as a result.
"THE LEARNED PROFESSIONS"
One of the most disastrous prejudices upon the part of parents is that in
favor of what are called "the learned professions." To make a lawyer, a
physician, or a minister of one's son is held to be the highest ambition
on the part of large numbers of otherwise intelligent fathers and mothers.
The result of this kind of prejudice on the part of so many parents is
that the so-called learned professions are over-crowded--and overcrowded
with men and women unfitted for their tasks, both by natural inheritance
and by education and training. There follows mediocre Work, poor service,
low pay, poverty, disease, and misery.
FAMILY TRADITIONS
There are traditions in some families which carry their curse along with
them down through the generations. There are families of preachers,
families of soldiers, families of lawyers, families of physicians,
families of teachers. Many a young man who would have otherwise been a
success in the world has toiled along at a poor, dying rate, trying to
live up to the family tradition and make a success of himself as a
teacher, or lawyer, when he ought to have been a mechanic, an actor, or a
banker.
Another form of parental prejudice is a father's desire to have his son
become a success in the vocation which he himself longed to enter, but
could not. "My father is a successful business man," said a young man to
us not long ago. "When he was a young man he wanted to enter law school
and practice law, but because of lack of funds and because he had to
support his widowed mother's family, he did not have the opportunity. All
his life he has regretted that he was unable to realize his ambition. From
my earliest years he has talked to me about becoming a great lawyer; he
spent thousands of dollars in sending me through high school, college and
law school; he has given me years of post-graduate work in law. I have now
been trying to practice law for two years and have made a complete failure
of it. Yet, so intense is his desire that I shall realize his ambition,
that he is willing to finance me, in the hope that, eventually, I may be
able to succeed in the practice of law. And yet I hate it. I hate it so
that it seems to me I cannot drive myself ever to enter a law office for
another day."
POOR JUDGMENT OF TEACHERS
When bad judgment and prejudice of parents do not interfere with a child's
development and his selection of a vocation, he is often turned into wrong
channels by the bad judgment of his teacher or teachers. It is natural for
many teachers to try to influence their favorite pupils to enter the
teaching profession in the same special branch to which the teachers
themselves are attached. We once knew a professor of Latin who was an
enthusiast on the subject. As the result of his influence, many of his
students became teachers of Latin. Teachers, like parents, also frequently
fail to see the indications of aptitude where it is very great.
Like parents, teachers also are oftentimes ignorant of the requirements of
work. They are frequently narrow in their training and experience, and
therefore do not understand much about practical life, practical work,
and practical requirements. Many teachers, even college professors, seem
to be obsessed with the idea that a student who learns a subject easily
will be successful in making a practical application of it. Not long ago a
student in engineering in one of our most prominent universities came to
us for consultation. He told us that his professors all agreed that he was
well fitted to succeed as an engineer. He, however, had no liking for the
profession and did not believe that he would either enjoy it or be
successful in it. Our observations confirmed his opinions. It turned out
that his instructors thought him qualified for engineering merely from the
fact that he learned easily the theoretical principles underlying the
practice.
ECONOMIC NECESSITY
Perhaps one of the most potent causes of misfits in vocation is economic
necessity. The time comes in the life of most boys when they must earn
their own living or, perhaps, help support the parental family. In such a
case, a search is made for a job. Local conditions, friendship,
associations, chance vacancies--almost any consideration but that of
personal fitness governs in the choice of the job. Once a boy is in a
vocation, he is more than likely to remain in it--or, because of
unfitness, to drift aimlessly into another, for which he is even less
adapted. An entertaining writer in the "Saturday Evening Post" has shown
how the boy who accidentally enters upon his career as a day laborer soon
finds it impossible to graduate into the ranks of skilled labor. He
remains not only a day laborer, but an occasional laborer, his periods of
work interspersed with longer and longer periods of unemployment.
Unemployment means bad food, unwholesome sanitary conditions and, worst of
all, bad mental and moral states. These are followed by disease,
incompetency, inefficiency, weakness, and, in time, the man becomes one of
the unemployed and unemployable wrecks of humanity. Crime then becomes
practically the only avenue of escape from starvation or pauperism.
Thousands of young men taking a job, no matter how they may dislike the
work, feel compelled to remain in it because it is their one hope of
income. The longer they remain in it the harder it is for them to make a
change. Sad, indeed, is the case of the boy or girl who is compelled, in
order to make a living or to help support father, mother, brothers and
sisters, to drop into the first vacancy which offers itself.
RESTLESSNESS
The restlessness of many a boy and girl results in his or her choice of an
utterly wrong vocation. Boys whose parents would be glad to see them
through college or technical school cannot wait to begin their careers.
Impatient and restless, they undertake the work which will yield quick
results rather than develop their real talents or seek opportunities for
advancement of which they are by nature capable. Over and over again those
who come to us for consultation say: "Father would have been willing to
have put me through school, but I couldn't wait; I simply had to get out
and have my own way. I have never ceased to regret it. Now I have to work
hard with my hands; with a proper education, and in my right job, I could
have used my head." The reader has doubtless heard many such stories from
friends and acquaintances. The world is full of misfits who failed of
their great opportunity because they were too restless, too impatient, to
make proper preparations for their life work. This restlessness,
unfortunately, is a characteristic of many of the most energetic, most
capable, and most intelligent young people, to whom an education would be
worth much, to whom proper training and preparation would bring unusual
self-development. It is, therefore, of the highest importance that the
young man or young woman and his or her parents or guardian should be
especially cautious when there is this feeling of intense eagerness to
begin work.
VERSATILITY
Perhaps one of the most difficult causes of misfits to overcome is
versatility. He who can do many things well seems always to have great
difficulty in fixing upon any one thing and doing that supremely well. The
versatile man is usually fond of variety, changeable, fickle; he loves to
have many irons in the fire; he likes to turn from one kind of work to
another. It is his great failing that he seldom sticks at any one thing
long enough to make a marked success of it. Because of his great
versatility, too, he is often a serious problem, even for those who can
study his case scientifically. It is difficult to give him counsel and it
is even more difficult for him to give heed to that counsel when it has
been given. The one hope of the exceedingly versatile individual is to
find for himself some vocation which has within it an opportunity for the
exercise of many different kinds of talents, and for turning quickly from
one kind of work to another. Routine, monotony, detail work, and work
which is confining in its character and presents a continual sameness of
environment, should be avoided by this type of individual.
MEDIOCRITY AND UNGUESSED TALENTS
The inability to do any one thing particularly well is, in its way, as
serious a handicap in the selection of a vocation as great versatility.
One who can do nothing well finds it just as hard to decide upon a
vocation as one who can do everything well. Perhaps the large majority of
those who come to us for consultation do so because they feel that they
have no particular talent. Oftentimes this is the case. But frequently
there are undeniable talents which have simply never been discovered and
never developed. Even in the case of those with no particular talent,
there is always some combination of aptitudes, characteristics,
disposition, and other circumstances which makes one particular vocation
far more desirable than any other. It is most important that the
individual with only a moderate inheritance of intelligence and ability
should learn to invest his little in the most profitable manner possible.
Those who escape wrong choice of vocation on account of their own bad
judgment and errors in selection; who are not turned aside into the wrong
path by the bad judgment, prejudices, and other errors of parents; who
escape from the clutches of sincere and well-meaning, but unwise,
teachers; who are not thrown into the nearest possible vacancies by
economic necessity; who do not fall short of their full opportunities
because of restlessness; who do not have their problems complicated by too
great versatility or too little ability, still have many a rock and shoal
to avoid.
BLUNDERS OF EMPLOYERS
One very frequent cause of misfits in vocation is the bad judgment of
employers. This bad judgment, like that of parents and teachers, arises
from ignorance--ignorance of human nature, of the particular individual,
and, strange to say, of the requirements of the work to be done. Whole
volumes could be written on the bad judgment of employers in selecting,
assigning, and handling their employees. This, however, is not the place
for them. Neither is this the place for the discussion of the remedies to
be applied.
Even after the young man has entered a vocation and found that he does not
fit in it, there is plenty of opportunity for him to make a change if he
is made of the right stuff and can secure the right kind of counsel and
guidance. But this "IF" is a tremendously big one.
Many causes--both inside and outside of himself--tend to prevent the
average man from changing from a vocation for which he is not fit to one
in which he is fit. Perhaps a brief consideration of some of these factors
in the problem may be of assistance to you.
SOCIAL AMBITION
One reason for continuing in the wrong vocation is social ambition.
Rightly or wrongly--probably wrongly--there are certain vocations which
entitle one to social recognition. There are others which seem, at least,
to make it difficult for one to secure social recognition. Social
ambition, therefore, causes many a man to cling desperately to the
outskirts of some profession for which he is unfitted, in the everlasting
hope of making a success of it and thus winning the social recognition
which is his supreme desire.
Poor, short-sighted, and even blind, victims of their own folly!
They do not see that any work which is human service is honorable. They
miss the big truth that the man who delivers better goods or renders
better service than other men is not only entitled to profit, but also
has, by divine right, unassailable social standing.
LAZINESS
One of the most potent causes of failure is laziness. And the worst form
of the malady is mental laziness. Once a man is in any line of work, he
simply remains there by following the lines of least resistance. It
requires, in the first place, hard mental effort to decide upon a new line
of work. It requires analysis of work, analysis of one's self, of
conditions, and of environment, in order to make an intelligent and worthy
change. Not only this, but an advantageous change in vocation usually
involves additional study, additional training, hard, grinding work in
preparation for the new task. And it is altogether too easy for the lazy
man to drift along, mediocre and obscure, in some vocation for which he is
poorly fitted than to go through the grueling, hard work of preparing
himself for one in which he will find an opportunity for the use and
development of his highest and best talents.
LACK OF OPPORTUNITY
Many men do not change their vocations, when they find that they are
misfits, because of lack of opportunity. There may be no real chance for
them in the locality where they live and conditions may make it almost
impossible for them to leave. Of course, the strong, courageous soul can
_make_ its own opportunities. Theoretically, perhaps, everyone can create
circumstances. But, in real life, there are comparatively few strong,
courageous souls--few who can mould conditions to their will. Probably,
however, the average man could do much more than he does to improve his
opportunities were it not for inertia, lack of self-confidence, and lack
of courage, all of which he could overcome if he would.
It is oftentimes the case that the man who desires to make a change feels
that the only work which would appeal to him is in a profession or trade
already overcrowded. This may be true in the locality where he lives, but
there is always room for every competent man in any truly useful kind of
work. For the man who is well qualified, by natural aptitudes and
training, no profession is overcrowded.
LACK OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Many men of intelligence, who, perhaps, know what their calling should be,
are compelled to continue in work which is uncongenial and for which they
are poorly fitted because of their lack of education and training.
Hundreds of men and women come to us, only to find that they have started
in the wrong work and have remained in it so long that a change to their
true vocation is practically impossible. They have assumed
responsibilities which they cannot shirk. The education and training
needed would take too long and would cost too much. Yet many have toiled
away at night and in odd moments on correspondence courses or in night
schools, and have thus, finally, won their way to their rightful places in
the work of the world. But at what a cost!
It is of the highest importance that every individual should learn as
early as possible in life what career he is best fitted to undertake.
Every year spent in mistaken preparation or uncongenial employment makes
proper training more expensive and more difficult. There are many arts
which, perhaps, cannot be learned properly after one has reached maturity.
It is said that no one has ever become a great violinist who did not begin
his study of the instrument before the age of twelve. However that may be,
psychologists and anatomists agree in informing us that the brain of a
human being is exceedingly plastic in childhood, and that it gradually
grows more and more impervious to impressions and changes as the
individual matures. Sad, indeed, is the case, therefore, of the individual
who waits to learn what his vocational fitness is until he is fully mature
and is, perhaps, loaded up with the cares and responsibilities of a
family, and cannot take either the time or the money to secure an
education which his natural aptitude and his opportunities demand.
DEFICIENT SELF-CONFIDENCE
Many men remain in uncongenial occupations because they lack confidence in
themselves. This is distressingly common. Everywhere we find men and women
occupying humble positions, doing some obscure work, perhaps actually
frittering away their time upon trifles and mere details, doing something
which does not require accuracy, care, responsibility, or talent, merely
for fear they may not be able to succeed in a career for which they are
eminently fitted.
On one occasion a young man of the most undoubted dramatic talent and
oratorical ability sought us for counsel. "I have always felt," he said,
"a strong inner urge, sometimes almost irresistible, to go upon the
platform or the stage. But, because I have lacked confidence in myself, I
have always, at the last moment, drawn back. The result is that to-day I
am dissatisfied and unhappy in the work I am doing. I do it poorly. I long
constantly for an opportunity to express myself in public. Years are going
by, I have not developed my talent as I should, and I am beginning to feel
that my case is hopeless." This lack of self-confidence is more common by
far than many people would imagine. Arthur Frederick Sheldon has said:
"Most men accomplish too little because they attempt too little." Our
observations incline us to believe that this is the truth. Taking humanity
as a whole, far more men fail because they try to do too little than
because they try to do too much. Humanity is a great mine of undiscovered
and undeveloped talents. It follows that we fall far short of our best
because we do not expect and demand enough of ourselves.
CONSERVATISM
A man came to us for consultation in regard to his vocation. Just why he
had come, it afterward turned out, it was hard to see. Perhaps he only
wanted to settle matters in his own mind without taking definite action
upon them. He was engaged in mercantile business, a business left to him
by his father. He hated it. After a careful analysis, we informed him that
he had undoubted scientific talents, and that, with training, he could
make a name for himself in research and discovery. He was overjoyed at
this information, but he manifested no disposition to change his vocation.
He said: "Much as I dislike the mercantile business, I hate to change. A
change will mean selling out, upsetting my whole mode of life and
activity, removing into a different community, beginning a new life in
many of its phases. I cannot look forward to such a complete revolution
with any degree of pleasure, so I guess I will have to keep along in the
old store, much as I would like to devote the rest of my life to
test-tubes, crucibles, and scales."
There are many such men. Change is more hateful to them than unloved work.
They fall into grooves and ruts. They would rather continue in their
well-worn ways than to go through the mental anguish of breaking old ties,
remaking methods of life and work, moving away from friends and relatives,
and otherwise changing environment, conditions, and employment.
LACK OF COURAGE
Many men have self-confidence and yet lack courage. That may seem to be a
paradoxical statement, but if the reader will study carefully some of the
men he knows, he will understand that this is the truth. Men may have
plenty of confidence in themselves, but they may lack the courage to face
difficulties, to overcome obstacles, to meet hard conditions, to pass
through disagreeable experiences. Such are the men who lack the
initiative, the push, the aggressiveness, to do as well as they know how,
to do as much as they can, to undertake the high achievement for which
they have the ability. The cases of such men would be hopeless were it not
for the fact that some powerful incentive, like an emergency or necessity,
some tremendous enthusiasm, some strong determination, some deep
conviction, urges them on to the expression of the fulness of their
powers. Lacking even any of these, it is possible for the man who lacks
courage to develop it.
Courage is developed by doing courageous acts. The man who feels that he
lacks courage, who knows that he needs to forget his fears and his
anxieties, has half won his battle. Knowing his deficiencies, he can by
the very power of his will compel himself to courageous words and acts,
thus increasing and developing his courage and, as a result, his
efficiency.
LACK OF AMBITION
Finally, people do not undertake work in their proper vocations because of
a lack of ambition. This is, indeed, a fundamental deficiency. Perhaps it
underlies many of those we have already described. Certain it is that we
usually obtain what we most earnestly and ardently desire. Someone has
said that when a man knows definitely and in detail just exactly what he
desires, he is halfway toward attainment. Now, a man does not know
definitely and in detail what he wants unless he wants it so intensely
that it is always in his mind; he thinks about it, dreams of it, and
paints mental pictures of himself enjoying it; perhaps spends hours in
working out the detail of it. When a man has an ambition which drives him
on to this kind of mental exercise, he usually has one which overcomes his
inertia, burns out his laziness, triumphs over his lack of confidence in
himself, urges him out of grooves and ruts, and enables him to overcome
deficiencies in education and training, is an incentive to him for the
creating of opportunities where none exist, gives him courage for
anything, and kindles ever afresh his enthusiasm and determination. There
is no obstacle so great that it will not dissolve and vanish away into
thin air in the heat of such an overwhelming desire and ambition as this.
We need to remind ourselves, however, that even the most ardent ambition
goes astray unless it is guided by accurate knowledge. Many a man has
attacked his problem with great courage and high ambition, only to meet
defeat because, through lack of knowledge, he has chosen a career for
which he was unfitted.
These, then, are some of the reasons people go into and remain in
vocations where they do not fit. They are the reasons, also, why so many
men are failures or near-failures. Any man is a failure in just the degree
in which he falls short of developing and using his best and highest
talents and powers.
William James, the psychologist, has said that most men use only a very
small percentage of their real abilities. Harrington Emerson, efficiency
engineer, says that the average man is only twenty-five per cent efficient
and that his inefficiency is due to unfitness for the work he is trying to
do. Students of economics say that only ten per cent of all men are truly
successful. In this chapter we have presented many of the reasons for the
misfit and failure. Some of them are chargeable to parents, teachers, and
employers. But the most serious belong rightfully at the door of the
individual himself. "The fault, dear Brutus," says Cassius, "is not in our
stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings."
It is highly desirable that parents, teachers, and other guides and
advisors of the young should fully inform themselves about human nature
and about work. They ought to rid their minds of prejudice and thus free
themselves from unwise tradition and useless conventionality. Above all,
they need to arouse themselves to the vital importance of ideals--of a
clear, definite purpose, based upon accurate knowledge and sound
judgment--in other words, upon common sense. This is the vocational
problem.
FACTORS OF THE VOCATIONAL PROBLEM
The vocational problem consists, first, of the need of accurate vocational
analysis; second, of the need of wise vocational counsel; third, of the
need of adequate vocational training; fourth, of the need of correct
vocational placement.
It is obvious that the vocational problem cannot be adequately solved by
dealing with pupils or clients in groups or classes. It is a definite,
specific, and individual problem. Group study is interesting and
instructive, but, alone, does not give sufficient knowledge of individual
peculiarities and aptitudes. It is obvious from the foregoing analysis of
the vocational problem that it is practically identical at all points with
the problem of scientific employment. Just as the highest efficiency of
the employment department depends upon accurate analysis of the job and of
the man, so the highest usefulness of the vocational bureau or vocational
counsellor depends upon complete and exact knowledge of the requirements
in different lines of endeavor, and the ability to analyze human nature
accurately. It is obvious that wise counsel cannot be given, adequate
training cannot be prescribed, and correct placement is impossible until
these analyses have been properly made.
The child or adult of unusual ability, with well-marked inclinations and
strong in the fundamentals of character, is never difficult to analyze,
counsel, train, or place. If given an opportunity to gain knowledge, and
freedom in the exercise of choice, he will almost surely gravitate into
his natural line of work. He is not the real problem of the vocational
expert. But the vast majority of children are average, or even mediocre.
They show little inclination toward any study or any work. They have
weaknesses of character that will inevitably handicap them, no matter what
vocation they enter. They are the real problem. There is another class,
almost equally distressing. They are the people who are brilliant, who
learn easily, and who are so adaptable that they can turn their hands to
almost anything. They are usually so unstable in temperament that it is
difficult for them to persist in any one kind of endeavor long enough to
score a success.
METHODS OF ANALYSIS IN USE
The need, in dealing with these problems, for some more reliable guide
than the young person's inclinations and preferences has deeply impressed
itself upon those engaged in vocational study and vocational work. They
are earnestly seeking to find some better way. To this end, we have the
questionaire, by which is brought out between the lines, as it were, the
particular aptitudes and disposition of the subject. And this method is
not without its advantages. We have also psychological tests. These are of
fascinating interest and have yielded some valuable results. Some
vocational workers use the psychological tests and some do not. Even those
who are most enthusiastic for them admit that they are complicated, that
they require expensive apparatus and specially trained examiners, and that
even the best results obtainable cover a very narrow field in the
character and aptitudes of the subject.
UNIFORM METHOD NEEDED
The present need is for some uniform, readily applicable, inexpensive, and
comprehensive method of analysis. The advantages of such a method are
immediately apparent. First, its uniformity would permit the making of
records for comparison, covering a very wide range of subjects,
environment, and vocations. Second, even the simplest classifications,
which are readily learned and easily applied by the inexpert, would yield
tangible and measurable results and would be far better than the present
unstandardized and wholly unscientific methods. Third, were such a uniform
method adopted and made a part of the vocational work of our institutions;
were uniform records to be made and wisely used, we should soon have a
body of useful knowledge on this subject. Fourth, as the result of the
application of such a uniform method, text books and charts could be
prepared which would form the basis of popular education in vocational
guidance.
But this book will find its way into the hands of many whose own
vocational problems cry out for solution. Such need first to know
themselves, to know their aptitudes and talents, whether developed or
undeveloped. They need to study vocations--to know everything about the
kinds of work they might do, from their requirements to their
possibilities twenty, thirty, or forty years in the future. Finally, they
need the courage, self-confidence, industry, progressiveness, and ambition
to throw off the shackles of circumstance and, in the light of scientific
truth, to press forward to the achievement, success, fulness of life, and
happiness possible through development and use of all their powers.
CHAPTER II
ELEMENTS OF FITNESS
In our study are two small pieces of clear white marble. Each of them is
decorated with a beautifully designed little flower in natural color. This
flower is depicted by the skillful inlaying of semi-precious stones. These
marbles came from Agra, India. They are samples of the handiwork which
makes the Taj Mahal one of the most beautiful structures in the world. In
the fitting of this inlay work the stones--some of them almost as hard as
diamonds--are cut and polished to nearly mathematical accuracy of size and
shape. But the more carefully and exactly these are made, the more badly
they fit and the worse failure is the whole design, unless the spaces
intended for them in the marble are likewise cut and prepared with nicety
and accuracy. In the selecting of a life work, similarly, the same care
must be taken in learning accurately the requirements of work--the exact
size and shape, as it were, of each vocation--as is spent upon learning
the exact qualifications of each individual. Both require common sense and
intelligent judgment.
We measure a man's height in centimeters or inches. Pounds and ounces or
grams and centigrams offer us exact standards of measuring his weight. But
there are no absolute standards for measuring the man himself, and
probably there never can be. Human values, therefore, can be standardized
only relatively. By the study of large groups we can, however, ascertain
approximately the average or normal. In this way, physical standards have
been set up as to pulse rate, temperature, respiration, etc. Chemical
analysis determines norms of blood composition, and microscopic
investigation determines the average number of blood corpuscles per cubic
centimeter. The Binet-Simon mental tests are based upon certain
approximate averages of intelligence and mental development established
in the same way. The Münsterberg associated-word test of intelligence and
other psychological experiments are among the efforts made to establish
such standards. These are valuable as far as they go and probably yield
all the information that their originators claim for them, which,
unfortunately, is not a great deal. By time and motion studies, we are
enabled to set up standards of efficiency that work out well in practice.
All these, however, still leave us in the dark as to the man himself--his
honesty, his loyalty, his highest and best values.
ELEMENTS OF THE VOCATIONAL PROBLEM
But, granted for the moment that we could devise and successfully apply
exact and accurate standards of measurement for human beings, our work
would be only partially done. Any mechanic knows that it is a sad waste of
time and pains to standardize tenons, with micrometer and emery paper, to
a thousandth of an inch, so long as the mortises are left unstandardized.
A valuable man makes an unusual record on the staff of some employer.
Other employers immediately begin to lay plans to entice him away.
Transferred to another organization, he may prove mediocre, or even
undesirable, in his services. Hiring "stars" away from other employers has
proved disastrous so many times that the practice is no longer common.
Many a flourishing and fruitful tree has been transplanted, only to wither
and die--a tragedy involving the tree itself and both orchards. Measured
by every known standard, a man thus enticed away may be close to 100 per
cent efficient, but the man is only one ingredient in the compound from
which results are expected. To know and to rate his aptitudes, abilities,
personality, and possibilities is of the highest importance, but these
cannot be rated except in relation to his work and to his environment.
These are the other two ingredients in the compound. It is quite obvious
that all standards for judging men--and for self-analysis--must vary with
relation to the work they are to do and the environment in which they are
placed.
The important factors of any vocation may be classified very broadly
under three heads, namely, nature, position, and requirements. Chart I
gives a classification of work, with a few suggestive subdivisions, under
each of these three general heads. The meanings of the subdivisions listed
under "Nature" and "Position" are clear.
CHART I
/Physical
|Mental
|Combination of Physical and Mental
|Professional
/Nature..........|Commercial
| |Industrial
| |Fine
| |Coarse
| |Light
| \Heavy, etc.
|
Work....| /Executive
|Position........|Subordinate
| \Staff
|
| /Physical
| |Moral
| |Intellectual
\Requirements....|Emotional
|Volitional
|Aptitudes
|Experience
\Training, etc.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
Work has its physical requirements as to size, build, strength, endurance,
freedom from tendencies to disease, agility, and inherent capacity for
manual and digital skill. It may also have certain requirements as to
eyesight, hearing, reaction time, muscular co-ordination, sense of touch,
and even, in some particular places, sense of smell and sense of taste.
Moral requirements may vary from those of a hired gunman to those of a
Y.M.C.A. secretary or a bank cashier.
INTELLECTUAL REQUIREMENTS
Intellectual requirements and requirements in aptitudes, experience, and
training vary, of course, with every kind of work, and almost with every
particular job. One most valuable division of people intellectually is as
to capacity of intellect. Some people have fine intellects, capable of
great accomplishments in the way of education and training. They are
particularly fitted for intellectual work; they have mental grasp; they
comprehend; they reason; they have good judgment; they learn easily; they
remember well. In every way their intellects are active, energetic,
capable. Other people have only moderate intellectual capacity. They
express themselves best in physical activity or in the direct, man-to-man
handling of others. Their few intellectual activities may be exceedingly
keen and accurate--or slow, dull, and vague. People with small
intellectual capacity sometimes have remarkable vigor and clearness of
mind in some one direction--such as finance, promotion, commerce; judgment
of people, horses, cattle, or other living beings; mechanics, invention,
music, art, poetry, or some other narrow specialty. Some intellects, in
other words, are simply incompetent--others, merely narrow.
People can also be divided, intellectually, into two other classes, the
theoretical and the practical. The man with a theoretical intellect is
thoughtful, meditative, reflective. His mind works slowly; it is
interested in philosophy, in theories, in abstractions, and is capable of
dealing with them. On the other hand, it is not particularly well
qualified for observing practical things, and for making a practical
application of the theories it learns so easily and in which it takes so
great an interest. This is the intellect of the philosopher, the dreamer,
the educator, the preacher, the writer, the reformer, the poet. This is
particularly the intellect of reason, of logic, of ideas and ideals.
Whether found amongst the world's leaders or in the lowliest walks of
life, its function is always that of dealing with theory, finding out
reasons, putting together logical arguments, teaching others and dealing
with abstractions. Oftentimes this type of intellect is so impractical
that its possessor never possesses anything else. Literature abounds in
the tragic tales of philosophers, poets, reformers, and dreamers who
starved beautifully and nobly. Every-day life sees thousands more
blundering along, either cursing their luck or wondering why Providence
withholds its material gifts from people so deserving as they.
Over against this is the practical, matter-of-fact, analytical
intellect--the intellect which demands facts and demands them quickly; the
intellect which is quick in its operations, impatient, keen, penetrating,
intolerant of mere theories and abstractions, not particularly strong in
reason and logic, but exceedingly keen and discriminating in regard to the
facts. This is the intellect which deals with things, with the material
universe, with laws and principles, based upon accurately determined
facts. This is the intellect of the preeminently practical man.
Some intellects are particularly fine in critical powers; some have
splendid financial ability; some are artistic and musical; some have
almost miraculous instinct in mechanical affairs; some are scientific;
others are mechanical; still others are inventive. There are many
intellects, of course, which combine two or more of these qualities, as,
for instance, an intellect blessed with both financial and organizing
ability. This is the intellect of the captain of industry, of the
multi-millionaire. Then there is the intellect which combines financial,
inventive, and organizing ability. This is the intellect of Edison, of
Westinghouse, of Curtis, of the Wright brothers, of Marconi, and of Cyrus
McCormick. Herbert Spencer was blessed with an intellect capable of both
philosophic and scientific thought, both theoretical and practical.
Spencer had also great organizing ability, but he devoted it to the
organizing of a system of philosophy based upon his scientific researches.
EMOTIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Emotional requirements are many and varied; even more numerous and of
greater variety than intellectual requirements, perhaps. Some vocations
require great courage, others not; some require a great deal of sympathy;
others demand a certain hardness and control of the sympathies. There are
vocations which require a keen sense of justice; others in which the
presence or absence of a sense of justice is not essential. And so, there
must be taken into consideration requirements for honor, for love, for
loyalty, for dependableness, for enthusiasm, for unselfishness, for
caution, for prudence, for religion, for faith, for hope, for optimism,
for cheerfulness, for contentment, for earnestness, and for reverence.
THE COMPLEXITY OF HONESTY
Honesty is laid down by all authorities on employment as absolutely
essential to success in any vocation, but there are many kinds of honesty
and many standards of honesty. As a matter of fact, each man has his own
standard of honesty. After all, it is, perhaps, not so much a question of
what a man's standards are as how well he lives up to them. We recall,
especially, the cases of two men associated together in business. One man
set his standards high. Intellectually, he knew the value of ethics in
conduct. He truly wished to make practical in his dealings the high
principles he admired. But his cupidity was strong and his will and
courage were weak, so he oftentimes argued himself, by specious casuistry,
into words and acts which were untruthful and dishonest. Oftentimes,
indeed, they came dangerously near to actual crimes against the laws of
the State. The other man had rather limited standards of honesty. His
motto was, "Let the buyer beware!" If those with whom he dealt were as
strong and intelligent as he, and he was clever enough to take advantage
of them, he regarded the spoils as rightfully his. It was all in the game.
"I don't squeal when they catch me napping," he said, "and why should I
look out for their interests?" But he never took advantage of the weak,
the ignorant, the inexperienced, or the too credulous. His word was as
good as gold. His principles were few and intensely practical, and he
would willingly lose thousands of dollars rather than violate one of
them.
Honesty is a complex virtue. It means, fundamentally, just and honorable
intentions. But it involves, also, knowledge of what is right, a keen and
discriminating sense of justice, a true sense of values, courage and
will-power to carry out honest intentions, and, finally, sufficient
earning power to meet all righteous obligations. Dishonest acts result far
more often from ignorance, warped sense of justice, inability to
appreciate values, cowardice, weak will, or incompetence, than from wrong
intent. Whether or not any individual is endowed with the necessary
honesty for success in any particular vocation is, therefore, a problem
which can be settled only by careful analysis of all its requirements. Law
and banking both require a high _degree_ of honesty, but the _kinds_ are
different.
THE HIGH QUALITY OF COURAGE
Next to honesty, perhaps, courage is most important. The individual who
lacks courage shows no initiative; he has no ability to fight his own
battles, to stand by his guns, to assert and maintain his convictions and
his rights. He is, therefore, always a misfit in any vocation where he is
required to take the initiative, to step out and assume responsibilities,
to guide and direct the work of others, to meet others in, competition, to
discipline others, to defend himself against the attack of others, to
defend the rights of those depending upon him as employees, or
stockholders, or partners. He may be excellently qualified as a research
worker, an experimenter, an administrator of affairs, a teacher, a writer,
a lecturer, an artist, or in almost any kind of work where initiative,
aggressiveness, and fighting ability are not prime essentials.
PRUDENCE
Almost as important in its bearing upon vocational fitness as honesty and
courage is prudence. This is the quality which causes men to bear
responsibility faithfully; it is that which makes effective in them a
sense of duty. It is the emotional quality which leads men to take
precautions, to provide against the future. It is that which prevents them
from recklessness in expenditure or speculation, from carelessness, from
irresponsibility. It is an absolutely essential quality wherever
dependability is required; where one is expected to assume and to carry
responsibility, to see that things are done accurately that necessities
are provided, that emergencies are prevented.
On the other hand, there are many vocations in which too great prudence,
too great caution, is a handicap instead of an advantage. The man who is
too cautious, who bears responsibility too heavily, is not fitted for
positions and vocations which involve a certain amount of personal danger.
He is also likely to be too conservative to enter upon vocations in which
a considerable element of speculation is involved. He is not disposed to
take chances; he is too apprehensive and too much given to anxiety to be
involved in any vocation where there is uncertainty as to outcome. Many
vocations also require a fine blending of prudence with a willingness to
take chances and a certain degree of recklessness.
THE ELEMENTS OF ENVIRONMENT
Such is any kind of work in which the results are not tangible and
immediately and constantly measurable. In our practice we meet many who
grow impatient, apprehensive, and even discouraged when knowledge of
success of their efforts is deferred--or is even problematical. These
people would far rather work in a subordinate position at a small salary,
_certain_ to be paid every pay day, than to make twice as much money on a
commission basis but not be certain just how much they would be paid on
pay day. Thus it is clear that a salesman on a commission basis must have
a dash of recklessness in him, and yet, if he is selling high priced goods
and wishes to build a permanent business, must be careful and prudent in
handling his trade.
The essential elements of environment and their subdivisions are shown in
Chart 2. A brief discussion of some of these may clarify the subject.
CHART 2
|Policy of House
| |Moral
| |Physical
|Standards.............< Commercial
| |Artistic
| |Etc.
|
| |In Place of Business
|Physical Surroundings.< In Locality
| |In Home
|
| |Personal Preference
|Management............<
| |Personality
|
| |Personal Preference
Environment...< Superior Executive....< Personality
| |Methods
|
| |In Business
|Associates............< In Locality
| |Socially
|
| |Hours of Labor
| |Periods of Rest
| |Temperature
| |Compensation
|Working Conditions....< Opportunities
| |Underground
| |Elevation
| |Danger
| |Etc.
POLICY AND STANDARDS
For a man faithfully and loyally to live up to and represent the policy of
the house is obviously necessary. But oftentimes it takes rather definite
characteristics to do this.
Every business institution has, or should have, its moral, commercial,
financial, artistic, and other standards with reference to personnel,
according to the character of the business and other important
considerations. And the man who contemplates work with any firm will
examine himself to see whether he can harmonize happily with these
standards. In like manner, every profession and art has its traditional
standards and ethics, which should be considered.
PHYSICAL SURROUNDINGS
In selecting his vocation, the wise man ascertains his fitness for its
physical surroundings. Some men cannot work permanently indoors,
underground, in a high altitude, in a hot or cold climate, in a damp or a
dry climate, in high or low artificial temperature, in the midst of noise
or dust or chemical fumes, or by artificial light, or in a locality where
certain social advantages do not exist or where satisfactory homes cannot
be rented or purchased. Some men are not fitted for city life; others are
not fitted for country life. All these and other facts should be taken
into consideration with reference to surroundings.
MANAGEMENT AND SUPERIORS
The management of every place has its personal preferences, not based on
efficiency. We once knew a manager who was so distressed by impediments of
speech that he could not endure persons with these peculiarities in his
organization, although their manner of speech had nothing to do with the
quality of their work. Every manager has some more or less marked
idiosyncrasies, and these must be known and studied by prospective
employees. The personality of the management and its effect upon the
worker under its direction and leadership are other important factors. The
manager who is a keen, positive driver will get good results with a
certain type of people in his organization, but only with a certain type.
The efficiency of every man in the organization is also conditioned very
largely upon the personal preferences, personality, and methods of his
immediate superior--his foreman, gang-boss, or chief. Certain types of men
harmonize and work well together. Other types are antagonistic and
discordant. By their very nature they cannot work in the harmony which is
essential to efficiency. In making choice of work, the man with good
judgment scrutinizes all these important elements.
ASSOCIATES AND SOCIAL ADVANTAGES
Every vocation has its social environment. There are fellow employees, or
professional associates, inevitable in the work itself; also the
particular class of society fixed by locality, income, or the standing of
the vocation.
This chart may seem, at first sight, to be complex. It must necessarily be
so, since it is arranged to cover all professions and trades and all
industrial and commercial positions, from the presidency of a corporation,
general managership of a railroad, sales management of a factory, or
cashiership of a bank, as well as less exalted jobs, down to those
requiring little, if anything, more than brute strength. Obviously, not
all of these facts need to be considered by every aspirant, but only those
which have a bearing upon his particular case. The tendency, however, is
to neglect important factors rather than to waste time over those which
are unimportant.
PERSONAL ELEMENTS OF THE PROBLEM
Having determined, in the manner indicated, the standards of work and of
the environment, the man is ready to examine himself to determine where he
fits. There are six headings under which he may classify the various items
of information needed in fitting himself to work and environment. These
are health, character, intelligence, disposition to industry, natural
aptitudes, and experience, as shown in Chart 3. This chart does not, of
course, present a complete and detailed list, but it is suggestive.[2] It
would not be true to say that any one of these is absolutely more
important than the other. They are all important. Their relative
importance may be determined by the vocation to be considered.
[Footnote 2: See more detailed lists in appendix.]
HEALTH
Consider the question of health. We include all a man's physical
attributes under health. The classification is somewhat arbitrary, but it
will be understood. A man must consider himself as to his size, as to his
strength, as to his endurance, as to his condition of body (which shows
habits), as to his predisposition to health, as to disease, as to his
moral health, as to his sobriety, as to his sanity, etc.
CHART 3
|Size
|Endurance
|Condition of Body In other words, what
Health........< Predispositions his physical value is for
|Morality a given work in a
|Sobriety given environment
|Sanity
|Etc.
|Honesty
|Truthfulness
|Loyalty
|Discretion and Prudence
Character.....< Enthusiasm
|Courage
|Steadfastness
|Dependability
|Etc., etc
|Ability to Learn
|Ability to Understand and Follow Instructions
|Judgment
|Memory
|Observation
Intelligence..< |Speaking
|Expression...<
| |Writing
|Imagination
|Reason
|Etc., etc.
|Energy
|Love of Work
Disposition to Industry < Willingness
|Perseverance
|Decision
|Etc., etc.
|Financial
|Commercial
|Mechanical
|Artistic
|Judicial
|Executive
|Selling
|Advertising
|Agriculture
Natural Aptitudes.......< Medical
|Educational
|Legal
|Engineering
|Floricultural
|Horticultural
|Stock Breeding
|Speed
|Accuracy
|Patience
|Attention to Detail
|Education
Experience..............< Training
|Previous Record
Without at least fair physical fitness for his work and for his
environment, no man can do efficient work in any position.
CHARACTER
The second element is character. A man may rate well in all the six
fundamentals with the exception of one, honesty, and he is not worth heat
and light and floor space, to say nothing of wages. Dishonest men do not
do honest work. The man who is deficient in honesty, in truthfulness, in
loyalty, is not really fit for any kind of work in a world where men are
interdependent--where the law of compensation is rigidly enforced. We
have chosen just a few qualities under the head of character: honesty,
truthfulness, loyalty, discretion, prudence, enthusiasm, courage,
steadfastness, and dependability. We might go on and on, adding
initiative, justice, kindness, good nature, courtesy, punctuality, etc.
INTELLIGENCE
The third criterion is intelligence. Intelligence, of course, relates to
mental ability--ability to learn and to understand and follow
instructions. Employers are slowly reaching the conclusion that
unintelligent labor is the most expensive kind of labor. The man who is
unintelligent cannot be taught. Employers cannot give him instructions and
feel absolutely sure that he understands them, or, even if he understands
them, that he will carry them out properly. Among the qualities which are
included under intelligence are judgment and memory, the powers of
observation, expression in speaking or in writing, imagination, reasoning
power, and all other qualities which are purely intellectual. Most
unintelligent people are merely mentally asleep. They need to awaken, to
be on the alert, really to take the trouble to think. Many people have
capacity for thought who do not use it.
INDUSTRY
The fourth element is disposition to industry. Some wag once said: "All
men are lazy, but some are lazier than others." It might sound better to
say that all men are industrious, but some men are more industrious than
others. There is such a quality of body and mind as the quality of
predisposition to action and industry. Industry is very largely dependent
upon energy. Energy depends upon oxygen. If one sits in a room that is
stuffy and not well ventilated, one soon becomes stupid, sleepy, and not
particularly acute mentally. In other words, he is partly starved for
oxygen. Now, let him go out into the open air and breathe plenty of oxygen
into his lungs. In a little while he raises his chest and brings up the
crown of his head and takes the positive physical attitude. He is more
energetic. He is eager for activity--for work. Some people are naturally
deficient in depth, activity, and quality of lung power. They do not
breathe in or use much oxygen, so they are lacking in energy. Such people
are not predisposed to industry. Love of work--love of the game that
causes a man to be interested in every phase of his work--is not, however,
wholly dependent upon energy. It is something in the very heart and fiber
of the man. Willingness to work, perseverance in work, and decision come
under disposition to industry.
[Illustration: _Photo by F. Gutekunst, Phila_.
FIG. 1. Jacob A. Riis, Journalist, Author and Philanthropist. A man of
unusual intellectual power, observation, reason, memory, logic, and
analysis, with high ideals, great love for humanity, especially the weak
and helpless; good powers of expression, sense of humor, courage, and
determination. Note large development of upper part of head; fairly well
developed brows; high dome over temples; height and width of forehead,
especially across center; full lips; well developed nose; strong chin; and
alert, poised, kindly expression.]
[Illustration: _Copyright by Underwood & Underwood. New York_.
FIG. 2. Dr. Booker T. Washington. Very ambitious, practical,
energetic, self-reliant, persistent, determined, capable of rule. Note
high head; high, sloping forehead, prominent at the brows; large nose,
high in the bridge; and long, straight upper lip.]
[Illustration: FIG. 3. James H. Collins, Author. A splendid example of
intellectual type with good bone and muscle. Has excellent balance of
mechanical and commercial understanding, keen judgment of men, practical
sense, and fine determination, with sentiment, sympathy, friendliness, and
faith. Note high, medium-wide head, especially high in center above
temples and wide and full through center of forehead; prominence of brows;
width between eyes; full, cleanly modeled lips; strong nose and chin; and
keen, pleasant, friendly, spirited expression.]
[Illustration: FIG. 4. H.G. Wells, Novelist and Economist. A man of
physically frail type, with natural mechanical leanings. Inventive,
creative, industrious, humanitarian. Because of his mechanical ability, he
uses his creativeness for constructing novels dealing with mechanical
invention. Because of his humanitarian instincts, he writes of social and
economic world problems. Note large upper portion of head, especially from
center of forehead to sides of head; also prominence of brows; large nose,
and long head.]
[Illustration: _Copyright American Press Association_.
FIG. 5. Mr. Henry Ford, Automobile Manufacturer and Philanthropist. Mr.
Ford is of the physically frail type, with a goodly admixture of the bony
and muscular element. His natural mechanical bent, therefore, took the
intellectual form of invention and organization. His sentiment,
responsiveness, sympathy, and idealism are shown by high, rather narrow
head, fine texture, height of head just above temples, and gentle, kindly,
genial expression.]
[Illustration: FIG. 6. Hugo de Vries, Botanist. An example of physically
frail type. Very careful, accurate, painstaking, and patient in mental
work. Also very thoughtful, mild in disposition, but determined and
persistent. Note large development of upper part of head; long, narrow
face; long nose; narrowness of head just above ears; slight squareness of
chin, and serious, thoughtful expression.]
[Illustration: _Copyright by B.F. McMann_
FIG. 7. Dr. Henry Van Dyke, United States Minister to Holland,
Author, Scholar, and Poet. A good example of physically frail type, with
slight tendency to bone and muscle. Refined, intellectual, sensitive,
responsive, optimistic, but well-balanced, poised, and keenly
discriminating. Dr. Van Dyke shows his tendency to physical activity in
his love for the out-of-doors. Note large development of upper portion of
head; slight squareness of jaw; height of head above temples, especially
in center; fine texture; excellent balance of features, and calm, poised,
thoughtful, but kindly expression.]
[Illustration: _Photo by American Press Association_.
FIG. 8. Dr. Beverly T. Galloway, Assistant Secretary of Agriculture.
Physically frail, but mentally very active. Said to be one of the greatest
living authorities on plant culture. Slight squareness of build indicates
tendency to interest in out-of-door matters, which, on account of large
development of mental qualities, he expresses in an intellectual way.]
NATURAL APTITUDE
The fifth criterion is natural aptitude. Everyone has observed that some
people are naturally commercial. We have seen a boy take a penny to
school, buy a slate pencil or a lead pencil with that penny, and trade
that for an old pocket knife, the knife for something else, and keep on
swapping until he had a gun, a set of chess, a bag of marbles, and several
other important boys' acquisitions, all from that one penny. Another boy
takes penny after penny to school and he never has anything to show for it
You know such boys--and grown people, too. Every individual has some such
aptitudes--either latent or developed, either mediocre or marked--and his
aptitudes fit him better for some one vocation than for any other.
EXPERIENCE
The sixth point to be considered is experience. One might be fitted for a
vocation with all of the five points that we have enumerated, and yet not
have either the education or the training for it. What shall he do?
Theoretically and ideally, every individual should be carefully and
thoroughly trained, from his earliest childhood, for the vocation for
which he is physically, mentally, and morally fitted. But this seldom
happens--and can happen but seldom so long as parents and teachers remain
ignorant of human nature and of work. A hard problem, then, confronts the
young man or young woman past school days and not trained for the right
calling. He or she must decide whether to compromise upon work as nearly
right as possible or to make the necessary sacrifices to obtain education,
training, and experience. There is much evidence in favor of choosing
either horn of the dilemma. A most successful manufacturer called upon us
recently. We told him that, with proper training, he would have been even
more successful and far better satisfied in the legal profession. "I know
you are right," he said. "I have always regretted that circumstances
prevented my taking a law course as a young man. However, I have an
extensive law library, do practically all the legal work for my firm, and
am often consulted on obscure legal points relative to the manufacturing
business by lawyers of some renown."
Abraham Lincoln, the farmhand and flatboatman, began the study of grammar
at twenty-two and of law still later. Elihu Burritt, "The Learned
Blacksmith," who lectured in both England and America, taught himself
languages and sciences while working eleven hours a day at the forge.
We enjoy the acquaintance of a woman physician of considerable prominence
who did not enter medical college until she was more than fifty years of
age. Henry George was a printer who studied economics after he was
twenty-seven years old. Frederick Douglass was a slave until he was
twenty-one, yet secured a liberal education, so that he became a noted
speaker and writer. The following from "Up from Slavery,"[3] by the late
Booker T. Washington, shows what can be done by even a poor black boy,
without money or influence, to win an education:
[Footnote 3: Doubleday, Page & Company, Garden City, New York.]
BOOKER T. WASHINGTON'S STORY
I determined when quite a small child that, if I accomplished nothing else
in life, I would in some way get enough education to enable me to read
common books and newspapers. Soon after we got settled in some manner in
our new cabin in West Virginia, I induced my mother to get hold of a book
for me. How or where she got it I do not know, but in some way she
procured an old copy of 'Webster's Blue-back Spelling-book,' which
contained the alphabet, followed by such meaningless words as 'ab,' 'ba,'
'ca,' and 'da.' I began at once to devour this book, and I think that it
was the first one I ever had in my hands. I had learned from somebody that
the way to begin to read was to learn the alphabet, so I tried in all the
ways I could think of to learn it--all, of course, without a teacher, for
I could find no one to teach me. At that time there was not a single
member of my race anywhere near us who could read, and I was too timid to
approach any of the white people. In some way, within a few weeks, I
mastered the greater portion of the alphabet. In all my efforts to learn
to read my mother shared fully my ambition and sympathized with me and
aided me in every way that she could. Though she was totally ignorant so
far as mere book knowledge was concerned, she had high ambitions for her
children, and a large fund of good hard common sense, which seemed to
enable her to meet and master every situation. If I have done anything in
life worth attention, I feel sure that I inherited the disposition from my
mother.
The opening of the school in the Kanawha Valley brought to me one of the
keenest disappointments that I ever experienced. I had been working in a
salt-furnace for several months, and my stepfather had discovered that I
had a financial value, and so, when the school opened, he decided that he
could not spare me from my work. This decision seemed to cloud my every
ambition. The disappointment was made all the more severe by reason of the
fact that my place of work was where I could see the happy children
passing to and from school morning and afternoon. Despite this
disappointment, however, I determined that I would learn something anyway.
I applied myself with greater earnestness than ever to the mastering of
what was in the blue-back speller.
My mother sympathized with me in my disappointment and sought to comfort
me in all the ways she could and to help me find a way to learn. After a
while I succeeded in making arrangements with the teacher to give me some
lessons at night, after the day's work was done. These night lessons were
so welcome that I think I learned more at night than the other children
did during the day. My own experiences in the night-school gave me faith
in the night-school idea, with which, in after years, I had to do both at
Hampton and Tuskegee. But my boyish heart was still set upon going to
day-school and I let no opportunity slip to push my case. Finally I won,
and was permitted to go to the school in the day for a few months, with
the understanding that I was to rise early in the morning and work in the
furnace till nine o'clock, and return immediately after school closed in
the afternoon for at least two hours more of work.
The schoolhouse was some distance from the furnace, and as I had to work
till nine o'clock, and the school opened at nine, I found myself in a
difficulty. School would always be begun before I reached it, and
sometimes my class had recited. To get around this difficulty I yielded to
a temptation for which most people, I suppose, will condemn me; but since
it is a fact, I might as well state it. I have great faith in the power
and influence of facts. It is seldom that anything is permanently gained
by holding back a fact. There was a large clock in a little office in the
furnace. This clock, of course, all the hundred or more workmen depended
upon to regulate their hours of beginning and ending the day's work. I got
the idea that the way for me to reach school on time was to move the hands
from half-past eight up to the nine o'clock mark. This I found myself
doing morning after morning, till the furnace 'boss' discovered that
something was wrong, and locked the clock in a case. I did not mean to
inconvenience anybody. I simply meant to reach that schoolhouse on time.
When, however, I found myself at the school for the first time, I also
found myself confronted with two other difficulties. In the first place, I
found that all of the other children wore hats or caps on their heads, and
I had neither hat nor cap. In fact, I do not remember that, up to the time
of going to school, I had ever worn any kind of covering upon my head, nor
do I recall that either I or anybody else had even thought anything about
the need of covering for my head. But, of course, when I saw how all the
other boys were dressed, I began to feel quite uncomfortable. As usual, I
put the case before my mother, and she explained to me that she had no
money with which to buy a 'store hat,' which was a rather new institution
at that time among the members of my race and was considered quite the
thing for young and old to own, but that she would find a way to help me
out of the difficulty. She accordingly got two pieces of 'homespun'
(jeans) and sewed them together, and I was soon the proud possessor of my
first cap.
My second difficulty was with regard to my name, or rather, a name. From
the time when I could remember anything I had been called simply 'Booker.'
Before going to school it had never occurred to me that it was needful or
appropriate to have an additional name. When I heard the school roll
called, I noticed that all of the children had at least two names, and
some of them indulged in what seemed to me the extravagance of having
three. I was in deep perplexity, because I knew the teacher would demand
of me at least two names, and I had only one. By the time the occasion
came for the enrolling of my name, an idea occurred to me which I thought
would make me equal to the situation; and so, when the teacher asked me
what my full name was, I calmly told him 'Booker Washington,' as if I had
been called by that name all my life; and by that name I have since been
known. Later in my life I found that my mother had given me the name of
'Booker Taliaferro' soon after I was born, but in some way that part of my
name seemed to disappear and for a long while was forgotten, but as soon
as I found out about it I revived it, and made my full name, 'Booker
Taliaferro Washington.' I think there are not many men in our country who
have had the privilege of naming themselves in the way that I have.
The time that I was permitted to attend school during the day was short,
and my attendance was irregular. It was not long before I had to stop
attending day-school altogether, and devote all of my time again to work.
I resorted to the night-school again. In fact, the greater part of the
education I secured in my boyhood was gathered through the night-school
after my day's work was done. I had difficulty often in securing a
satisfactory teacher. Sometimes, after I had secured someone to teach me
at night, I would find, much to my disappointment, that the teacher knew
but little more than I did. Often I would have to walk several miles at
night in order to recite my night-school lessons. There was never a time
in my youth, no matter how dark and discouraging the days might be, when
one resolve did not continually remain with me, and that was a
determination to secure an education at any cost....
After I had worked in the salt-furnace for some time, work was secured for
me in a coal mine, which was operated mainly for the purpose of securing
fuel for the salt-furnace.
In those days, and later, as a young man, I used to try to picture in my
imagination the feelings and ambitions of a white boy with absolutely no
limit placed upon his aspirations and activities. I used to envy the white
boy who had no obstacle placed in the way of his becoming a Congressman,
Governor, Bishop, or President by reason of the accident of his birth or
race. I used to picture the way that I would act under such circumstances;
how I would begin at the bottom and keep rising until I reached the
highest round of success.
One day, while at work in the coal mine, I happened to overhear two miners
talking about a great school for colored people somewhere in Virginia.
This was the first time that I had ever heard anything about any kind of
school or college that was more pretentious than the little colored school
in our town.
In the darkness of the mine I noiselessly crept as close as I could to the
two men talking. I heard one tell the other that not only was the school
established for the members of my race, but that opportunities were
provided by which poor but worthy students could work out all or a part of
the cost of board, and at the same time be taught some trade or industry.
As they went on describing the school, it seemed to me that it must be
the greatest place on earth, and not even Heaven presented more
attractions for me at that time than did the Hampton Normal and
Agricultural Institute of Virginia, about which these men were talking. I
resolved at once to go to that school, although I had no idea where it
was, or how many miles away, or how I was going to reach it; I remembered
only that I was on fire constantly with one ambition, and that was to go
to Hampton. This thought was with me day and night.
In the fall of 1872, I determined to make an effort to get there,
although, as I have stated, I had no definite idea of the direction in
which Hampton was, or of what it would cost to go there. I do not think
that anyone thoroughly sympathized with me in my ambition to go to
Hampton, unless it was my mother, and she was troubled with a grave fear
that I was starting out on a wild-goose chase. At any rate, I got only a
half-hearted consent from her that I might start. The small amount of
money that I had earned had been consumed by my step-father and the
remainder of the family, with the exception of a very few dollars, and so
I had very little with which to buy clothes and pay my traveling expenses.
Finally, the great day came and I started for Hampton. I had only a small,
cheap satchel that contained what few articles of clothing I could get. My
mother, at the time, was rather weak and broken in health. I hardly
expected to see her again, and thus our parting was all the more sad. She,
however, was very brave through it all. At that time there were no through
trains connecting that part of West Virginia with eastern Virginia. Trains
ran only a portion of the way, and the remainder of the distance was
traveled by stage-coaches.
The distance from Malden to Hampton is about five hundred miles. I had not
been away from home many hours before it began to grow painfully evident
that I did not have enough money to pay my fare to Hampton.
By walking, begging rides, both in wagons and in the cars, in some way,
after a number of days, I reached the city of Richmond, Virginia, about
eighty-two miles from Hampton. When I reached there, tired, hungry, and
dirty, it was late in the night. I had never been in a large city before,
and this rather added to my misery. When I reached Richmond I was
completely out of money. I had not a single acquaintance in the place,
and, being unused to city ways, I did not know where to go. I applied at
several places for lodging, but they all wanted money, and that was what I
did not have. Knowing nothing else better to do, I walked the streets. In
doing this I passed by many food-stands, where fried chicken and half-moon
apple pies were piled high and made to present a most tempting appearance.
At that time it seemed to me that I would have promised all that I
expected to possess in the future to have gotten hold of one of those
chicken legs or one of those pies. But I could not get either of these,
nor anything else to eat.
I must have walked the streets till after midnight. At last I became so
exhausted that I could walk no longer. I was tired; I was hungry; I was
everything but discouraged. Just about the time when I reached extreme
physical exhaustion, I came upon a portion of a street where the board
sidewalk was considerably elevated. I waited for a few minutes, till I was
sure that no passers-by could see me, and then crept under the sidewalk
and lay for the night upon the ground, with my satchel of clothing for a
pillow. Nearly all night I could hear the tramp of feet above my head. The
next morning I found myself somewhat refreshed, but I was extremely
hungry, because it had been a long time since I had had sufficient food.
As soon as it became light enough for me to see my surroundings I noticed
that I was near a large ship, and that this ship seemed to be unloading a
cargo of pig iron. I went at once to the vessel and asked the captain to
permit me to help unload the vessel in order to get money for food. The
captain, a white man, who seemed to be kind-hearted, consented. I worked
long enough to earn money for my breakfast, and it seems to me, as I
remember it now, to have been about the best breakfast that I have ever
eaten.
"My work pleased the captain so well that he told me if I desired, I
could continue working for a small amount per day. This I was very glad to
do. I continued working on this vessel for a number of days. After buying
food with the small wages I received there was not much left to add to the
amount I must get to pay my way to Hampton. In order to economize in every
way possible, so as to be sure to reach Hampton in a reasonable time, I
continued to sleep under the same sidewalk that gave me shelter the first
night I was in Richmond.
"When I had saved what I considered enough money with which to reach
Hampton, I thanked the captain of the vessel for his kindness and started
again. Without any unusual occurrence I reached Hampton, with a surplus of
exactly fifty cents with which to begin my education. To me it had been a
long, eventful journey, but the first sight of the large, three-story,
brick school building seemed to have rewarded me for all that I had
undergone in order to reach the place.
"It seemed to me to be the largest and most beautiful building I had ever
seen. The sight of it seemed to give me new life. I felt that a new kind
of existence had now begun--that life would now have a new meaning. I felt
that I had reached the promised land, and I resolved to let no obstacle
prevent me from putting forth the highest effort to fit myself to
accomplish the most good in the world.
"As soon as possible after reaching the grounds of the Hampton Institute,
I presented myself before the head teacher for assignment to a class.
Having been so long without proper food, a bath, and change of clothing, I
did not, of course, make a very favorable impression upon her, and I could
see at once that there were doubts in her mind about the wisdom of
admitting me as a student. I felt that I could hardly blame her if she got
the idea that I was a worthless loafer or tramp. For some time she did not
refuse to admit me; neither did she decide in my favor, and I continued to
linger about her, and to impress her in all the ways I could with my
worthiness. In the meantime, I saw her admitting other students, and that
added greatly to my discomfort, for I felt, deep down in my heart, that I
could do as well as they, if I could only get a chance to show her what
was in me.
"After some hours had passed, the head teacher said to me: 'The adjoining
recitation room needs sweeping. Take the broom and sweep it,'
"It occurred to me at once that here was my chance. Never did I receive an
order with more delight. I knew that I could sweep, for Mrs. Ruffner had
thoroughly taught me how to do that when I lived with her.
"_I_ swept the recitation room three times. Then I got a dusting cloth and
I dusted it four times. All the woodwork around the walls, every bench,
table, and desk, I went over four times with my dusting cloth. Besides,
every piece of furniture had been moved and every closet and corner of the
room had been thoroughly cleaned. I had the feeling that, in a large
measure, my future depended upon the impression I made upon the teacher in
the cleaning of that room. When I was through, I reported to the head
teacher. She was a Yankee woman, who knew just where to look for dirt. She
went into the room and inspected the floor and closets; then she took her
handkerchief and rubbed it on the woodwork, about the walls, and over the
table and benches. When she was unable to find one bit of dirt on the
floor, or a particle of dust on any of the furniture, she quietly
remarked: 'I guess you will do to enter this institution.'
"I was one of the happiest souls on earth. The sweeping of that room was
my college examination, and never did any youth pass an examination for
entrance into Harvard or Yale that gave him more genuine satisfaction. I
have passed several examinations since then, but I have always felt that
this was the best one I ever passed."
If Lincoln, Burritt, Booker T. Washington, and thousands of others, with
all their handicaps, could secure needed education for their life work,
why should any man remain in an uncongenial calling? There is danger that
we may give our boys and girls too much help; that life be made too easy
for them; that their moral backbones may grow flabby by reason of too
much support. Normal young people do not need aid and support. They need
guidance and direction--and the majority of them, either the sharp spur of
necessity or the relentless urge of an ambition which will not be denied.
Almost without exception we have found that the only difference between
genius or millionaire and dunce or tramp is a willingness to pay the
price.
THE PRICE OF SUCCESS
From an unknown author comes the all-important question to every seeker
for success:
"You want success. Are you willing to pay the price for it?
"How much discouragement can you stand?
"How much bruising can you take?
"How long can you hang on in the face of obstacles?
"Have you the grit to try to do what others have failed to do?
"Have you the nerve to attempt things that the average man would never
dream of tackling?
"Have you the persistence to keep on trying after repeated failures?
"Can you cut out luxuries? Can you do without things that others consider
necessities?
"Can you go up against skepticism, ridicule, friendly advice to quit,
without flinching?
"Can you keep your mind steadily on the single object you are pursuing,
resisting all temptations to divide your attention?
"Have you the patience to plan all the work you attempt; the energy to
wade through masses of detail; the accuracy to overlook no point, however
small, in planning or executing?
"Are you strong on the finish as well as quick at the start?
"Success is sold in the open market. You can buy it--I can buy it--any man
can buy it who is willing to pay the price for it."
CHAPTER III
CLASSES OF MISFITS
To the casual observer, humanity seems to be divided into countless
different kinds of people. In fact, it is often said that of all the
millions of people on the earth, no two are just alike. Some writers on
vocational guidance, indeed, express discouragement. They see humanity in
such infinite variety that it is impossible ever to classify types.
Therefore, they mourn, the vocational expert cannot judge of aptitudes
except by trial in various kinds of work until, finally, real native
talents appear in actual accomplishment. The anthropologist, however,
easily divides mankind by means of several broad classifications, A few
distinct variations, easily recognizable by the anthropological expert,
put every one of the billion and one-half people on the face of the earth
in his particular class.
In the same way, to the casual observer, it no doubt seems that the number
and kind of misfits is so great that any attempt to analyze them and
classify them must meet with failure. Those, however, who have studied the
problem and have met and talked with thousands of those struggling against
the handicap of unloved and difficult work, find a few classes which
include nearly all of them. Just as there are two fundamental reasons why
men and women select wrong vocations, and a few common variations upon
these two reasons, so there are just a few general ways in which people
select the wrong vocations. An examination of some of these will be
illuminating to the reader.
THE PHYSICALLY FRAIL
In the beginning of the life of the race all men hunted, fished, fought,
danced, sang, and loafed. These were the only manly vocations. There were
no clerks, no doctors, and, perhaps, no priests. In some races and under
some conditions to-day, all of the men are hunters and fishers, or
shepherds and stock-raisers, or all the men till the field. Some years
ago, in our country, practically all the male population worked at the
trade of agriculture, there being only a few preachers, doctors, lawyers,
merchants, and clerks.
In the nations of Europe to-day people are born to certain professions or
born to a certain narrow circle of vocations; some people are born to
manual labor, and, having once performed manual labor, are thereby firmly
fixed in the class of those who earn their living by their hands; others
are born in a class above that, and will suffer almost any privation
rather than earn their living by manual labor. In the United States this
same feeling is becoming more and more prevalent. Our physical work is
nearly all of it done by those who came to us from across the sea, and
native-born Americans seek vocations in some other sphere.
The common school is everywhere, and education is compulsory. The high
school is also to be found in all parts of the country. There are also
business colleges, technical schools, academies, universities, colleges,
professional schools, correspondence schools, and other educational
institutions of every possible kind. These are patronized by the
native-born population as well as by many of those who come to us from
foreign lands. The result is that, of the first great class which we shall
treat, there are comparatively few in relation to the whole population.
Even though this is true, there are all too many.
The first class of misfits is composed of those who are too frail for
physical labor and who are not well enough educated to take their places
amongst clerical or professional workers. These unfortunates do not like
hard, manual work; they cannot do it well; they are outclassed in it. They
do not hold any position long; they are frequently unemployed; and they
are often compelled to live by their wits. As a general rule, those in
this class are well equipped intellectually by nature, and would have
responded splendidly to educative efforts if they had been given an
opportunity. People of this class lack physical courage. They shrink from
hardship and will do almost anything to escape physical suffering. It is
this lack of courage, as well as their inability to make a decent living
out of their hands and muscles, that leads them, in so many cases, to
unlawful means.
As a general rule, people of this type have considerable natural
refinement, and refinement is always expensive. They are the kind of
people of whom it is often said that they have "champagne tastes and beer
incomes." It is difficult for them to finance themselves, with any degree
of frugality or economy, upon the small and precarious income they earn at
manual labor. This is the class of people who sometimes become
counterfeiters, sneak thieves, pickpockets, forgers, gamblers, stool
pigeons, second-story workers, and petty criminals along other lines which
do not require physical courage, strength, and force. Of course, the great
majority of these misfits do not enter upon a life of crime. They are,
however, poor, often in need, sometimes pauperized, and, as a general
rule, their lives are short and miserable. There are those, also, whose
cases are not so extreme. Unfitness for manual labor results merely in
bare living, a life of comparative poverty, and general lack of success.
THE FAT MAN
Another class of those who are physically unfit for hard, manual labor are
those who are too stout. The fat man is, by nature, fitted to sit in a
large, luxurious chair and direct the work of others. He is too heavy on
his feet for physical work, as a general rule, and is also too much
disinclined to physical effort. It is a well-known fact that, almost
without exception, fat men are physically lazy. The natural work,
therefore, of the stout man is executive work, banking, finance,
merchandising, handling of food products, and the arbitration of
differences between his fellow men. Fat men are natural bankers,
financiers, lawyers, judges, politicians, managers, bakers, butchers,
grocers, restaurant owners, preachers, and orators. If, however, the man
of this type does not secure sufficient education and training to enable
him to undertake one of these professions, but grows up with no other ways
to satisfy his wants than by the exercise of his muscles, he is greatly
handicapped in the race for success. It is not usual, however, to find a
man of this type amongst the ranks of the poor. Most of them are fairly
well supplied with means, and usually have plenty to eat, plenty to wear,
and a good place to sleep.
In order to obtain the things he desires, the man who has no aptitude for
physical labor on account of his great bulk sometimes turns his attention
to crime. This type of man may be a gambler, a grafting politician, a
confidence man, a promoter of wild-cat stocks or bonds, the man who sits
behind the scenes and directs a band of criminals or, perhaps, a whole
community of them, or in some other way preys upon the gullibility of the
public.
Naturally, there are fat men, also, who are honest and high-principled in
their intentions and who still have not fitted themselves for their true
vocation in life. Such men, like those who are physically frail and
honest, drag through a miserable existence, never fully realizing their
possibilities, or expressing themselves; never finding an outlet for their
real talents; never making the success of life which they might have made
with sufficient training and in their true vocations.
THE MAN OF BONE AND MUSCLE
Just as there were, doubtless, thousands of men too frail or too corpulent
for physical work who were compelled to do it in the days when practically
all men were either farmers or carpenters and builders, so to-day there
are thousands of men far too active for clerical work who are compelled to
do it because certain circles in society have a prejudice against manual
labor. There is a type of man whose bony and muscular system predominates
in his organization. This type of man loves the out-of-doors; freedom is
to him a physical and moral necessity. He hates, and even grows irritable
under, restraint. He demands physical activity; his muscles call for
exercise; his whole physical being is keen for life in the open, with
plenty of activity. Yet this type of man, by thousands, is sentenced to
spend his life behind the counter or chained to a desk. He is as unhappy
there, and almost as badly placed, as if he were, indeed, in prison. Look
around the parks, the roads, the athletic fields, the lakes and streams,
the woods, and all out-of-door places in this country and you will find
this man taking a brief rest from his prison cell, engaged in strenuous
forms of muscular activity--tennis, golf, baseball, football, lacrosse,
cross-country running, boating, swimming, yachting, motoring, horseback
riding, hunting, fishing, exploring, mountain climbing, ranching--in many
ways seeking to find an outlet for his stored-up physical energy.
WORK FOR THE ACTIVE MAN
There is plenty of room for the mental capacity, the executive ability,
and the splendid organizing genius of this type of man in outdoor work.
Our great forests and fields are not producing twenty-five per cent of the
amount of wealth that they should produce, under even such scientific
methods as are known at present. But these are only the beginning. There
is an opportunity for those with both mental and physical aptitudes to
undertake the solution of the problem. The resources of the universe are
infinite. There is no parsimony in Nature. There is plenty and to spare
for all.
Recently there has been a great deal said about the fact that all of the
land on the surface of the earth has now been occupied by mankind; that
hereafter, food products will become higher and higher in price; that each
of us will have to be satisfied with a little less wealth than formerly;
that rents will be higher; that the price of land will steadily
increase--that, already, there is not enough of the bare necessities of
life to go around. This is cited as the cause of pauperism and given as an
excuse for war. May not this attitude be mistaken? We have not yet
scratched the surface of the possibilities. These out-of-door men are
fitted by nature to take the scientific truths discovered by those better
fitted to sit indoors, and make practical application of them to the
problems of increasing the wealth of the race. If a boy in Alabama can
grow 232 bushels of corn on one acre of ground, then farmers all over the
country can grow at least 100 bushels of corn on an acre which now yields
an average of 25 to 30 bushels. By scientific methods, Eugene Grubb has
grown a thousand bushels of potatoes upon an acre of Wyoming land. A
considerable addition will be made to the wealth of the race when a
thousand other Eugene Grubbs arise and increase the productivity of
thousands of other acres of potatoes.
THE BORN LEADER OF MEN
In his excellent little book, "The Art of Handling Men,"[4] Mr. James H.
Collins says:
Broadly speaking, the personal equation is that Something in a man that
makes him effective in managing other men.
It is the difference between the fellow who lets a political club, a
military company or a factory force go all to pieces, and some other
fellow who can put the pieces together again, or rather, draw them
together instantly. For the man who reorganizes without this Something is
like the chap who cleans his own clock--he usually has a few pieces of the
organization left over because they wouldn't fit in anywhere. The personal
equation is magnetic. It comes along and acts, and every part falls into
place, and the organization is capable of performing a lot of new
functions.
Not one person in five hundred possesses the faculty. Those who don't,
like to comfort themselves with the assurance that it is a gift which
Providence forgot to hand out to them. Innumerable stories grow up around
the man who does possess it. One glance from his eagle eye, people say,
and he reads you through. One word, and he enforces instant obedience.
Thus the personal equation is glorified and mystified. But men who really
have this valuable Something seldom make much mystery about it. They
insist it is largely a matter of common sense, which everyone ought to
have at their disposal.
[Footnote 4: Henry Altemus Company, Philadelphia.]
The personal equation has an interesting way of raising moral issues.
One morning in August, 1863, a young clergyman was called out of bed in a
hotel at Lawrence, Kansas. The man who called him was one of Quantrell's
guerrillas, and he wanted him to hurry downstairs, and be shot. All over
the border town that morning people were being murdered. A band of raiders
had ridden in early to perpetrate the Lawrence massacre.
The guerrilla who called the clergyman was impatient. The latter, when
fully awake, was horrified by what he saw going on through his window. As
he came downstairs the guerrilla demanded his watch and money, and then
wanted to know if he was an abolitionist. The clergyman was trembling. But
he decided that if he was to die then and there, it would not be with a
lie on his lips. So he said, yes, he was, and followed up the admission
with a remark that immediately turned the whole affair into another
channel.
He and the guerrilla sat down on the porch, while people were being killed
through the town, and had a long talk. It lasted until the raiders were
ready to leave. When the clergyman's guerrilla mounted to join his
confederates he was strictly on the defensive. He handed back the New
Englander's valuables and apologized for disturbing him, and asked to be
thought well of.
That clergyman lived many years after the Lawrence massacre. What did he
say to the guerrilla? What was there in his personality that led the
latter to sit down and talk? What did they talk about?
'Are you a Yankee abolitionist?' the guerrilla had asked.
'Yes--I am,' was the reply, 'and you know very well that you ought to be
ashamed of what you're doing.'
This drew the matter directly to a moral issue. It brought the guerrilla
up roundly. The clergyman was only a stripling beside this seasoned border
ruffian. But he threw a burden of moral proof on to the raider, and in a
moment the latter was trying to demonstrate that he might be a better
fellow than circumstances would seem to indicate.
After waking this New Englander to kill him on account of his politics, he
spent twenty minutes on the witness stand trying to prove an alibi. He
went into his personal history at length. He explained matters from the
time when he had been a tough little kid who wouldn't say his prayers, and
became quite sentimental in recalling how one thing had led to another,
and that to something worse, and so on, until--well, here he was, and a
mighty bad business to be in, pardner. His last request, in riding away,
was: 'Now, pardner, don't think too hard of me, will you?'
The personal equation is eternally throwing the burden of proof on the
people it controls, and forever raising moral issues. The man who has it
may operate by no definite plan, just as this clergyman had none for
saving his own life. But he will be a confidence man of the most subtle
character. His capacity for expecting things of those under him will be
tremendous. Subordinates may never have demanded much of themselves. But
for him they will accomplish wonders, just because he expects them to.
Three men were placed at the foreman's desk of a growing factory. Each had
technical knowledge enough to run a plant three times the size. But all
failed. The first was an autocrat, who tried to boss from a pedestal, and
the men didn't like him. The next was a politician, whom the men liked
thoroughly--which was his shortcoming, for he tried to run the place as
they thought it should be run. As for the third, he tried to run it on
nerves, to do everything himself, to be everywhere at once. He didn't
fail, really--he snapped like a fiddle-string. By that time working
tension was relaxed and production wabbling on the down-peak. Nobody knew
who was in charge, or what would happen.
Then along came a fourth candidate, with an abnormally developed bump of
expectation. He knew how to approve and encourage. Sometimes he said
pleasantly: 'I knew you could do that, Bill,' Again, he put it
ironically: 'I didn't think you had it in you.' But his strong point was
expectation. With apparent recklessness he gave out work two sizes too
large for everybody. If a subordinate was a No. 7 man he handed him a No.
9 job as a matter of course, and usually the latter grew up to it. The
politician had tried this same scheme, but introduced it backward. Taking
a No. 7 man into a corner, he told him impressively that he was a No. 9
and promoted him on the spot, and warned him to say nothing about it to
anybody else. Then the man tried to swell to fit the office instead of
growing to fit the work. But this fourth candidate made everybody see that
doing No. 9 was more creditable than just being it. So everybody became
interested in the work, and nothing else.
There was another suggestive point. Taking charge after three foremen had
failed, the factory was naturally full of nasty cliques, each with its
unhealthy private interest. The new man broke up these cliques by
introducing a new interest so big that it swallowed all the little
interests, like Aaron's rod. That interest was to turn out work of such
quality and in such quantities that the factory could get contracts in
competition with an older rival, and provide steady employment.
That this faculty for putting people under obligation is more the man than
a method, however, is shown in one of Daudet's delightful little sketches,
the story of a head clerk in a French Government bureau who, on getting a
fine promotion, wrote home to his father describing his new chief's homely
appearance with light-hearted raillery. Next morning on his desk lay his
own letter, initialed by his chief. It had been intercepted by the secret
service. The chief allowed him to suffer in apprehension one day, and then
told him that his indiscretion should rest between themselves. 'Try to
make me forget it,' he said, and the incident hung like a dagger over the
clerk's head.
Some time after, the latter caught one of his own subordinates stealing
from the cash box, and repeated his superior's tactics, even to the
formula, 'Try to make me forget it.' With tears in his eyes the
subordinate thanked him for his clemency--and a few days later, rifled the
safe and fled! The moral of which seems to be that, if the clerk had been
enough of a judge of men to use his chief's method effectively, he would
never have fallen into the asininity of writing such a letter.
"Those who complain that it is impossible to win the confidence of
subordinates might observe the extremely simple fashion in which the man
with this Something does the trick--by giving people his own confidence
first.
"He has the knack, not only of interesting others, but of keeping up his
own interest; in fact, he is often so absorbed in his existence, his work,
and the people around him that he is not aware that there is such a malady
as lack of interest.
"He has a heartiness and vitality and geniality quite characteristic, or a
misanthropy that is hearty, vital, and optimistic--geniality inside out.
The milk of human kindness sometimes comes in a dry form."
THE MAN OF SUPREME ABILITY
In his valuable treatise on "The Twelve Principles of Efficiency,"[5] Mr.
Harrington Emerson says:
Industrial plants remind me of automobiles. The plants themselves may be
more or less good, but on what kind of roads are they running? The
philosophy of efficiency is for an industrial plant--for any enterprise,
activity, or undertaking--what a network of good roads is for automobiles.
Undoubtedly, even on poor roads, automobiles may make some progress, but
the worse the road, the more elementary must be the means of locomotion.
[Footnote 5: The Engineering Magazine Company, New York.]
Railroads, high-roads, by-roads, bridle-paths, footpaths, mountain climbs!
The unlettered mountaineer of all countries is the best man for the last,
and it takes the best kind of trained climbing expert to emulate him; but
as the road is improved shoes are exchanged for horses, horses for
bicycles, a change from one kind of muscular effort to another; bicycles
for automobiles, automobiles for railroad trains, both these latter using
incarnate energy instead of muscular or incarnate energy. The all-round
skill of the mountaineer becomes the subdivided, specialized skill of many
different men, who are supplemented with increasingly complex equipment.
The philosophy of efficiency is to be used to build roads along which any
organization can travel with the least friction and the greatest
advantage, and the more ramified and involved the business, the more is
the philosophy needed.
However, no highly complex automobile, even with the best network of
roads, can make any great progress unless in the hands of a skilled
directing intelligence; no highly complex human enterprise, though it uses
all the principles of efficiency, can make any great progress unless
guided by a skilled intelligence.
On personality, on the wisdom of the individual, whether locomotive
engineer or von Moltke, whether the manager of a plant employing ten men
or Judge Gary, chairman of the board of the gigantic Steel Corporation,
will depend the ultimate value of all that creative physical or
philosophical ability has brought together.
Recently there was submitted to me in the office of one of Chicago's
greatest businesses the draft of its organization. No man can pass on the
merits of the details of a complicated organization without long and
intimate acquaintance with its workings. Seeing the plan of the Chicago
plant, pressed for a suggestion, I said: 'Your chart is upside down; the
president belongs at the bottom, sustaining and carrying, through his
organization, all the operations of the plant. Because he is in supreme
authority he has the responsibility of making available for everyone, down
to the tool, all the wisdom in the universe in order that each may fulfil
perfectly its special duty and task.'
Whether on the grounds of Long Branch, on the desert trail, in a section,
department, division, or plant of a great manufacturing concern or
railroad; whether on the deck of a battleship or on a battlefield, what is
wanted is a leader who can swing and manage what has been entrusted to
him.
It has become the fashion in history to decry the strong-man theory, to
turn for understanding to evolution, to explain the strong man as the
inevitable accident of the moment. There is evolution; there comes, at
last, opportunity, but only rarely does the strong man arise; hence we
have England, not Norway or Sweden or Holland; hence we have Prussia, not
Saxony; Germany, not Russia; Italy, not Portugal; France, not Spain;
Japan, not Siam or Korea.
In 1536 was born in Japan an undersized, monkey-faced boy of good but poor
parentage, who, at the age of thirteen, resolved to make himself the chief
power in the distracted kingdom. For 200 years the militant barons had
warred against each other, each trying to grab, annex, and hold what he
could.
The boy, Hideyoshi, deliberately visited the different courts, picked out
the baron he thought most endowed with suitable character, succeeded with
great difficulty in entering his service in the humblest position, and
then steadily and inevitably rose, firstly because he could read human
character and always knew almost as soon as they did themselves what his
and his lord's enemies were plotting, and secondly, because he was always
prepared in advance for any undertaking and skilled in carrying out. Thus,
when scarcely more than a child, he reduced the cost of firewood used in
the palace to less than one-half; a little later he rebuilt the castle
walls in three days, a task estimated as requiring sixty days; again,
single-handed, he secured provinces that armies had failed to conquer.
By gifts of tact, of insight, of diligence, of readiness, that each one of
us thinks he possesses, that any one of Nippon's 30,000,000 inhabitants
might have possessed and exercised, Hideyoshi rose, step by step, until he
directed and guided the whole country, his general, Iyeyasu, becoming the
first of the Tokugawa dynasty, which lasted from 1603 to 1867, with
headquarters at Yeddo (Tokyo).
Temuchin, Jenghis Khan, born in a tent in 1162, son of a petty Mongolian
chieftain, succeeded his father when only thirteen years old. Many of the
tribes immediately rebelled, but Temuchin held his own in battle and in
counsel against open enemies and insidious traitors, until his empire
extended from the China Sea to the frontier of Poland--an empire larger
than modern Russia, the largest the world has ever seen.
The man of supreme ability is the one who has supernal ideals, who
recognizes and uses those underlying principles without which human effort
is futile, its results ephemeral. The man of supreme ability is the one
who can create and control an organization founded on and using principles
to attain and maintain ideals, who then is able to assemble for the use of
his organization the incidentals of land, of men and money (Labor and
Capital), of buildings and equipment, of methods and devices. All these
incidentals make for volume, for quantity, for man's work instead of
woman's work, but they do not make for the spirit, nor for the quality,
nor for the excellence of work.
THE ELEMENTS OF EXECUTIVE ABILITY
We have quoted thus at length from Mr. Collins and Mr. Emerson to show the
inbornness, so to speak, of real executive ability. The art of handling
men depends upon certain inherent aptitudes plus a certain amount of the
right kind of training. A very large class of executives lacks the
aptitude; a still larger class lacks the right kind of training. It is
possible, of course, to give training to those who have the aptitude. It
is impossible to give training which will make efficient executives of
those who are deficient in the natural aptitudes. The result of all this
is that we have a very large class of misfits; men who, for some reason or
other, have been promoted into executive positions and who do not have the
proper qualifications. These men suffer; those under them suffer; those
who employ them suffer.
Some men are too active themselves ever to be good directors of the
activities of other men. They cannot sit back quietly and direct others.
They demand expression in action. They are, therefore, always thrusting
aside their subordinates and doing the thing themselves, because they lack
the ability to teach others to do the work and to do it correctly. When
such men are compelled to wait for others to accomplish things, they grow
irritable, impatient, and lose control of themselves and, therefore, of
the situation. They are not ideal executives and do not, as a general
rule, rise to very high executive positions. They ought not to attempt to
do executive work.
There are others who are too easy-going to command men. They permit their
men to get too close to them, and they feel too sympathetic toward them.
They are likely, also, to be partial, not to demand or exact enough, and,
therefore, their departments are always behind, never quite coming up to
quota.
TWO TYPES OF EXECUTIVES
There are two distinct types of executives. There is the impatient,
driving, quick, keen, positive, irritable type. This man can get good
results from a certain type of worker, but he only irritates, frightens,
and drives to sullen resistance other types. The other is the mild,
kindly, persuasive, patient, enduring, persistent, determined type of
executive, who wins his success by attracting to himself the intense
loyalty and devotion of his men. Both types are successful, but they are
successful with different kinds of men. The employer who selects
executives, therefore, needs to bear this in mind, and to select the right
type of men to work under his various lieutenants. On the other hand, men
who take executive positions should see that they secure for themselves
the type of workers from whom they can secure results. This will not be
easy, because, as a general rule, an executive tends to surround himself
with men of his own type, which is usually a mistake. Men, in selecting
positions, should also bear this truth in mind. They should know the kind
of executive under whom they can do their best work, and, if at all
possible, work under this kind of superior officer.
SLAVES TO MACHINERY
In an earlier chapter of this book we referred to the type of boy or girl
who is too restless to study, to continue in school; who is eager to
begin his life work; who therefore leaves school at an early age and takes
up some work for which he is then fitted, but which, in after life, he
finds to be uncongenial and unprofitable. As a general rule, such
individuals are ambitious--oftentimes exceedingly ambitious. They find, as
they grow older, however, that they have not sufficient education and
training to enable them to realize their ambitions. Thousands upon
thousands of these condemn themselves to mere unskilled manual labor.
It is not to be wondered at that these boys and girls leave school,
because in school they are compelled to sit quietly and to try to learn
things in which they are not interested out of dry, unprofitable books.
Such pupils need to spend a great part of their time out-of-doors. They
can be thus taught far more easily, will take a greater interest in their
studies, and can gain both knowledge and skill which will be more valuable
to them in the world of work. They also need to be taught indoors manual
training, domestic science, printing, laundry work, scientific
horticulture, scientific agriculture, dairying, and many other such
branches. The recently projected vocational schools, continuation schools,
half-time schools, and other such contrivances for giving the boy or the
girl an opportunity to learn a useful trade while he is mastering the
three R's, are a very important and valuable step in the right direction;
With an opportunity thus to find expression for his mechanical ability and
his great activity, the boy will be encouraged to remain longer in school.
Those who have left school at an early age on account of restlessness
should take very seriously to heart the fates of tens of thousands of men
and women before them who have done the same thing and who have made a
failure of their lives, because they did not have sufficient education and
training with which to realize their aspirations.
THE IMPRACTICAL
It has been frequently remarked that this is a commercial age. Our great
captains of industry, our multi-millionaires, have, most of them, made
their fortunes in commerce. This is an age, perhaps--especially in the
United States--which rather makes a hero of the business man. For this
reason there are many who are ambitious for commercial success. Every year
thousands upon thousands of young men and women leave school in order to
enter business. By a very natural psychological paradox, there seems to be
a fascination about commerce and finance for many young people who have
little aptitude for these vocations. Many people, feeling their
deficiencies, yearn to convince themselves and others that they are not
deficient. It is only another phase of the fatality with which a Venus
longs to be a Diana and a Minerva a Psyche. Thousands enter business who
have no commercial or financial ability. They cannot know the
requirements; they cannot understand the fundamental principles of
business. Commercially they are babes in the woods. Therefore they go down
to bankruptcy and insolvency, to their great detriment and to the injury
of many thousands of others.
These young people are too impractical for business. They may have a
theoretical understanding of it, and an intellectual desire to succeed.
But, as a result of their impractical type of mind, they neglect details,
they overlook important precautions, they are, oftentimes, too credulous,
too easily influenced. They usually make poor financiers; they do not make
collections well; they are incautious in extending credit and in
maintaining their own credit; often they are inefficient and wasteful in
management; they do not take proper account of all the costs in fixing
prices; they enter into foolish contracts; make promises which they are
unable to keep, and oftentimes, as a result of too great optimism,
undertake far more than is commercially feasible.
HUNGRY FOR FAME
The same strange quirk in human nature which takes the impractical into
the marts, takes many ambitious but inherently unfit into art and
literature. The stage-struck girl who has not one scintilla of dramatic
ability is so common as to be a joke--to all but herself and her friends.
Every editor is wearied with his never-ending task of extinguishing lights
which glow brightly with ambition but have no gleam of the divine fire.
Teachers of art and music, both in this country and abroad, are threatened
with insanity because of the hordes of young men and women who come to
them with money in their hands, demanding to be made into famous artists
and musicians, not having been born with genius. Some of these
unfortunates spend years of time and thousands of dollars in money
attempting to fit themselves for careers, only to end in utter failure.
Some, even after they have made a comparative failure of their education,
eke out a tortured existence, hoping against hope for the golden crown of
fame and fortune.
In sober truth the fatal lack in most of these disappointed seekers is not
that they have no talent, but that they are too lazy mentally to make a
real success of the natural aptitudes they have. They lack "the infinite
capacity for taking pains." They are deluded by the idea that success
depends upon inspiration--that there is no perspiration. Yet every great
writer, every great musician, every great actor, every great author, knows
that there is no fame, there is no possibility of success, except through
the most prolonged and painstaking drudgery.
"LIFE IS BRIEF--ART IS LONG"
Perhaps no actor of modern times had greater dramatic talents inborn than
Richard Mansfield, yet here is the story of how Richard Mansfield[6]
worked, toiled, starved and suffered in achieving success in his art:
His friends crowded St. George's Hall for his first appearance. It was
observed, as he uttered the few lines of the Beadle, that he was
excessively nervous. When, later in the evening, he sat down at the piano
and struck a preliminary chord, he fainted dead away.
[Footnote 6: From "Richard Mansfield," by Paul Wilstach. Charles
Scribner's Sons, New York.]
Mr. Reed relieved him of his position at once. In discharging him, he
said: 'You are the most nervous man I have ever seen,' It was not all
nervousness, however. Mansfield had not eaten for three days. He had
fainted from hunger.
"Mansfield was now on evil days, indeed. He moved into obscure quarters
and fought the hard fight. It was years before he would speak of these
experiences. In fact, he rarely ruminated on the past in the confidences
of either conversation or correspondence. Memory troubled him little and
by the universal quotation it withheld its pleasures. He dwelt in the
present, with his eyes and hopes on the future. It was always the future
with him. No pleasure or attainment brought complete satisfaction. He
looked to the past only in relation to the future; for experience, for
example, for what to avoid.
"Once, when at the meridian of his fame, he was asked to lecture before
the faculty and students of the University of Chicago. For his subject he
chose, 'On Going on the Stage.' That he might exploit to those before him
the reality of the actor's struggle, he lifted for the first time a corner
of that veil of mystery which hung between his public and his past, and
told of these early London days:
"For years I went home to my little room, if, fortunately, I had one,' he
said, 'and perhaps a tallow dip was stuck in the neck of a bottle, and I
was fortunate if I had something to cook for myself over a fire, if I had
a fire. That was my life. When night came I wandered about the streets of
London, and if I had a penny I invested it in a baked potato from the
baked-potato man on the corner. I would put these hot potatoes in my
pockets, and after I had warmed my hands, I would swallow the potato. That
is the truth.'
"At length, his wardrobe became so reduced that attendance at any but the
most informal entertainments became out of the question, and finally he
had to give up these. Soon he was inking the seams of his coat, and
wandered about shunning friends, for fear they would learn to what a
condition he was reduced.
"'Often,' he admitted, 'I stayed in bed and slept because when I was
awake I was hungry. Footsore, I would gaze into the windows of
restaurants, bakeries, and fruit shops, thinking the food displayed in
them the most tempting and beautiful sight in the world. There were times
when I literally dined on sights and smells,'
"He did every species of dramatic and musical hack work in drawing rooms,
in clubs, and in special performances in theatres. Sometimes he got into
an obscure provincial company, but he said that his very cleverness was a
kind of curse, since the harder he worked and the better the audiences
liked him, the quicker he was discharged. The established favorites of
these little companies always struck when a newcomer made a hit.
"Richard Barker was the stage manager and Mansfield could never please
him. After trying again and again, he once cried: 'Please, Barker, do let
me alone. I shall be all right. I have acted the part.' 'Not you,'
declared Barker. 'Act? You act, man? You will never act as long as you
live!'
"The recollection of the rebuffs, poverty, starvation, inability to find
sympathy, because, possibly, of the pride which repelled it, the
ill-fortune which snatched the extended opportunity just as he was about
to grasp it, the jealousy of established favorites of the encroaching
popularity of newcomers, the hardships of provincial travel and life in a
part of the country and at a time when the play-actor was still regarded
as a kind of vagabond and was paid as such, the severity of the discipline
he encountered from the despots over him--all painted pictures on his
memory and fed a fire under the furnace of his nature which tempered the
steel in his composition to inflexibility. The stern rod of discipline was
held over him every moment and often fell with unforgetable severity. He
was trained by autocrats in a school of experience more autocratic than
anything known to the younger actors of this generation.
"When the part of Chevrial was given to him, Mansfield was fascinated with
his opportunity, but he kept his counsel. He applied every resource of his
ability to the composition of his performance of the decrepit old rake.
He sought specialists on the infirmities of roués; he studied specimens in
clubs, on the avenue, and in hospitals; and in the privacy of his own room
he practiced make-ups for the part every spare moment. The rehearsals
themselves were sufficiently uneventful. He gave evidence of a careful,
workmanlike performance, but promise of nothing more.
"While he was working out the part Mansfield scarcely ate or slept. He had
a habit of dining with a group of young Bohemians at a table d'hôte in
Sixth Avenue. The means of none of them made regularity at these
forty-cent banquets possible, so his absence was meaningless. One evening,
however, he dropped into his accustomed chair, but tasted nothing.
"'What's the matter, Mansfield?' asked one of the others.
"To-morrow night I shall be famous,' he said. 'Come and see the play,'
"His friends were accustomed to lofty talk from him. His prophecy was
answered with a light laugh and it had passed out of their memories as
they drifted into the night. This was one of those intuitions to which he
often confessed, and it told him that the years of apprenticeship were
behind him and the artist in him was on the eve of acknowledgment.
"On the night of January 11, 1883, the theatre was radiant with an
expectant audience--half convinced in advance by the record of the Union
Square's past, but by the same token exacting to a merciless degree--to
see their old friends in the first performance in America of 'A Parisian
Romance.'
"Mansfield made his entrance as the Baron Chevrial within a few moments
after the rise of the curtain. It was effected in an unconcerned silence
on the part of the audience.
"There were, on the other hand, the deserved receptions of old favorites
by old friends, as Miss Jewett, Miss Vernon, Miss Carey, Mr. DeBelleville,
Mr. Parselle and Mr. Whiting came upon the scene.
"When Chevrial, finding himself alone with Tirandel and Laubaniere,
exposed his amusingly cynical views of life and society, some attention
was paid to a remarkable portrait of a polished, but coarse, gay, though
aging, voluptuary. The scene was short and he was soon off, though not
without a little impudent touch, in passing the maid in the doorway, that
did not slip unnoticed. The dramatic disclosures which followed brought
the act to a close with applause that augured well. Henri, Marcelle, and
Mme. De Targy were called forward enthusiastically.
"The second act revealed the Baron's chambers. With the exception of two
minutes, he was on the stage until the curtain fell. The Baron's effort,
so precisely detailed, to reach and raise the dumb-bells from the floor;
the inveterate libertine's interview with shrewd Rosa, the danseuse, who
took the tips he expected would impoverish her and thus put her in his
power, for the purpose of playing them the other way: the biting
deliberation of his interview with his good Baroness and Henri, who comes
to ruin himself to save his family's honor--all held the audience with a
new sensation. As he pushed his palsied arms into his coat and pulled
himself fairly off his feeble feet in his effort to button it, turned up
to his door humming like a preying bumble-bee, faced slowly about again,
his piercing little pink eyes darting with anticipation, and off the
trembling old lips droned the telling speech: 'I wonder how his pretty
little wife will bear poverty. H'm! We shall see'--the curtain fell to
applause which was for the newcomer alone. He had interested the audience
and was talked about between the acts.
"Mr. Palmer rushed back to his dressing-room and found him studiously
adding new touches to his make-up for the next act. 'Young man,' exclaimed
the manager, 'do you know you're making a hit?' 'That's what I'm paid
for,' replied Mansfield, without lowering the rabbit's foot.
"The third act was largely Marcelle's. The Baron was on for an episodic
interval, but succeeded, in that he did not destroy the impression already
created.
"The fourth act revealed a magnificent banquet hall with a huge table
laden with crystal, silver, snowy linens, flowers, and lights. At the top
of a short stairway at the back was a gallery and an arched window through
which one looked up the green aisle of the Champs-Elysee to the Arc de
Triomphe, dimly visible in the moonlight. The Baron entered for one last
glance over the preparations for his _petit souper_ for Rosa and her
sister of the ballet at the Opera.
"The effectiveness of his entrance was helped by his appearance behind a
colonnade, and there he stood, only half revealed, swaying unsteadily
while his palsied hand adjusted his monocle to survey the scene. There was
a flutter of applause from the audience but, appreciatively, it quickly
hushed itself. He dragged himself forward. The cosmetic could not hide the
growing pallor of the parchment drawn over the old reprobate's skull. He
crept around the table and, with a marvellous piece of 'business' by which
he held his wobbly legs while he slowly swung a chair under him,
collapsed. The picture was terrible, but fascinating. People who would,
could not turn their heads. His valet was quick with water and held the
glass in place on the salver while he directed it to the groping arm. The
crystal clinked on Chevrial's teeth as he sucked the water.
"Presently he found his legs again and tottered up to the staircase. The
picture of the black, shrivelled little man dragging his lifeless legs up
to the gallery step by step was never forgotten by anyone who saw it. At
the top he turned and said in ominous tones: 'I do not wish to be
disturbed in the morning. I shall need a long sleep'; and dragged himself
out of sight. He had been on the stage five minutes and had said scarcely
fifty words. The picture and the effect were unmistakable. The audience
capitulated. There was a roar of applause which lasted several minutes.
"The whispered discussion of this scene was such that scarcely any
attention was paid to the stage until the Baron returned. Almost
immediately afterward the ballet girls pirouetted into the hall in a
flutter of gauze, and the places at the tables were filled. No one
listened to the lines; all eyes in the house were focussed on the
withered, shrunken, flaccid little old Baron, who sat at Rosa's right,
ignored by everyone about him as they gorged on his food and drank his
wines.
"Soon he drew himself up on his feet and, raising his glass, said: 'Here's
to the god from whom our pleasures come. Here's to Plutus and a million!"
"The gay throng about the table echoed the toast: To Plutus and a
million!' and Chevrial continued:
"'While I am up I will give a second toast: 'Here's to Rosa! The most
splendid incarnation that I know!'
"Placing the glass to her lips for a first sip, the lecherous old pagan's
own lips sought the spot, sipped, and he sank back into his chair.
"What else went on till he rose again no one knew or minded. No eye in the
house could wander from the haggard, evil, smiling, but sinister, old
face. Presently he was up once more and, with his raised goblet brimming
with champagne, he offered a third toast:
"'Here's to material Nature, the prolific mother of all we know, see, or
hear. Here's to the matter that sparkles in our glasses, and runs through
our veins as a river of youth; here's to the matter that our eyes caress
as they dwell on the bloom of those young cheeks. Here's to the matter
that--here's to--here's--the matter--the matter that--here's--'
"The attack had seized him. Terrible and unforgetable was the picture of
the dissolution. The lips twitched, the eyes rolled white, the raised hand
trembled, the wine sputtered like the broken syllables which the shattered
memory would not send and the swollen tongue suddenly could not utter. For
one moment of writhing agony he held the trembling glass aloft; then his
arm dropped with a swiftness that shattered the crystal. Instinctively he
groped up to the stairs for light and air. He reeled as if every step
would be his last. Rosa helped him up to the window, but recoiled from him
with a shriek. Again his hand flew up, but there was neither glass, wine,
nor words. He rolled helplessly and fell to the floor, dead. The curtain
fell.
"It was probably the most realistically detailed figure of refined moral
and physical depravity, searched to its inevitable end, the stage has ever
seen. For a moment after the curtain fell there was a hush of awe and
surprise. Then the audience found itself and called Mansfield to the
footlights a dozen times. But neither then nor thereafter would he appear
until he had removed the wig and make-up of the dead Baron. There was no
occasion to change his clothes; he wore the conventional evening suit. The
effect of shrivelled undersizedness was purely a muscular effect of the
actor. The contrast between the figure that fell at the head of the stairs
and the athletic young gentleman who acknowledged the applause was no
anti-climax.
"Mansfield had come into his own. The superb art of his performance had
dwarfed all about it; the play was killed, but he was from that moment a
figure to be reckoned with in the history of the theatre."
It is said that when Paderewsky played before Queen Victoria, she said to
him: "Mr. Paderewsky, you are a genius." "Ah, your Majesty," he replied,
"perhaps. But before I was a genius, I was a drudge." And this is true. It
is said that Paderewsky spent hours every day, even after achieving his
fame, practising the scale, improving his technique, and keeping himself
in prime condition.
Study the life and achievement of any great man of genius. His genius has
consisted principally in his wonderful capacity to labor for perfection in
the most minute detail. And yet most ambitious misfits are unwilling to
work hard. Their products always show lack of finish due to slipshod
methods, unwillingness to spend time, to take pains to bring what they do
up to a standard of beautiful perfection, so far as perfection is humanly
possible. Those who are mentally lazy do not belong in an artistic
vocation. There are probably many things that they can do and do well in
some less spectacular lines, some calling that does not require such
mental effort.
MISFITS IN THE PROFESSIONS
In the traditional educational system the common school is not
particularly adapted to prepare its pupils for life, but rather to prepare
them for either a high school or a preparatory school. Passing on to the
high school, the same condition prevails. The whole question in every high
school and every preparatory school is whether the training will accredit
one to certain colleges and universities. So the traditional high school
graduate is not prepared for life; he is prepared for college or the
university. He goes on to the university. There he finds that he is being
prepared chiefly for four or five learned professions--the law, the
ministry, medicine, engineering, and teaching. In the beginning, the
university was supposed to train a man, not for work, but for leisure. The
very word scholar means a man of leisure. People were trained, therefore,
not for usefulness, but for show; not to earn their living in the world,
but rather, their living having been provided for them by a thoughtful
government or a kind-hearted parent, to present evidences of the fact. One
of the chief of such evidences was the ability to go to a college or
university and to take the time to learn a great deal of useless knowledge
about dead languages, philosophies, and dry-as-dust sciences. While this
is not true to so great an extent to-day, there is still much of the old
tradition clinging about colleges and universities, and we are training
men and women, not for commercial or industrial or agricultural lines, but
rather, for the learned professions.
THE "WHITE COLLAR MAN"
In England and other European countries no man is held to be a gentleman
who has ever earned his living by the work of his hands. No one is
accredited with standing as an amateur athlete who has ever "lost caste"
in this way. While this caste feeling is not so strong in America as it is
abroad, it still has a considerable influence upon parents and their
children in the selection of a vocation. While one does not lose caste by
doing manual labor, temporarily or as a makeshift, he suffers socially, in
certain circles, who chooses deliberately a vocation which requires him to
wear soiled clothing, to carry a plebeian dinner-pail, and to work hard
with his hands. Because of this, many bricklayers, carpenters,
blacksmiths, shoemakers, plasterers, plumbers, and other workers,
ambitious socially for their sons, instead of teaching them trades in
which they might excel and in which there might be an unrestricted future
for them, train them for clerical and office work. Having felt the social
handicap themselves, these men and their wives determine that their
children shall belong to the class which wears good clothes, has soft,
white hands, and eats luncheon at a cafeteria--or from a paper parcel
which can be respectably hidden in an inside coat pocket. And so there are
armies of "white collar men" who would be healthier, wealthier, more
useful, and happier if they wore overalls and jumpers.
The "typical" bank clerk is a good illustration. Pallid from long hours
indoors, stooped from his concentration upon interminable columns of
figures, dissatisfied, discontented, moving along painfully in a narrow
groove, out of which there seems to be no way, underpaid, he is one of the
tragedies of our commercial and financial age. While the section-hand may
become a section boss, a roadmaster, a division superintendent, a general
superintendent, a general manager, and, finally, the president of a
railroad; while the stock boy becomes, eventually, a salesman, then a
sales manager, and, finally, the head of the corporation; while
apprentices to carpenters, bricklayers, and plumbers may become
journeymen, and then contractors, and, finally, owners of big buildings;
while the farmhand may become a farm owner, then a landlord, and, finally,
perhaps, the president of a bank; while a workman in a factory handling a
wheelbarrow may afterward become the president of the greatest corporation
in the world, the clerk, toiling over his papers and his books, is almost
inevitably sentenced to a lifetime of similar toil, with small
opportunities for advancement before him.
There are men fitted by inheritance and training for clerical work and
what lies beyond and above it. They are so constituted that they have the
ability to take advantage of opportunities, to forge to the front from
such a beginning, and to rise to commanding positions. But this is not
true of the men who have aptitudes which would make them successful in
active work with their hands, and afterward with hand and brain. These men
of inherent activity and skill of hand, men whose bones and muscles were
made for work, whose whole nature calls for the out-of-doors, are doomed
to stagnate, grow discontented, and finally lose hope, if compelled by
pride or bad judgment to undertake the "white collar man's" job.
SOCIAL VALUE OF THE "WHITE COLLAR MAN"
Regarding the social deficiency of this class of worker Martha Brensley
Bruere and Robert W. Bruere, in their excellent book, "Increasing Home
Efficiency," have the following to say:
"The output of their domestic factory so far is two sons able to earn
living salaries, who are useful to the community undoubtedly, but as easy
to replace if damaged as any other standard products that come a dozen to
the box. They themselves didn't like the upper reaches of the artisan
class where they had spent their lives, so they boosted their sons till
they could make a living by the sweat of their brains instead of the sweat
of their brows. Society can use the Shaw boys, but is it profitable to
produce them at the price? The money that made these boys into a clerk and
a stenographer cost twenty years of their parents' brain and muscle. Mrs.
Shaw has bred the habit of saving into her own bones till now, when she
might shift the flatiron, the cook stove and the sewing machine from her
shoulders, she can't let go the $10 a month her 'help' eats and wastes
long enough to straighten up her spine. These two boys and a daughter
still in the making have cost their father and mother twenty years, which
Mr. Shaw sums up by saying:
"'So, you see, the final result of making up your mind to do a thing,
including the great trouble of bringing up a family, is just getting down
to the ground and grinding.'
"Isn't it just possible that society has lost as much in the parents as it
has gained in the children? Couldn't we have got the same product some
cheaper way? Or a better product by more efficient home management?"
WOMEN'S WORK
Perhaps the saddest of all the misfits are to be found amongst women, or
it may be that their cases seem to us to be saddest because there are so
many of them. Under the old-time regime there was but one vocation open to
women--that of wife and mother. Regardless of aptitudes, physical strength
or weakness, personal likes or dislikes, all women were expected to marry
and bear children, and to qualify successfully for a vocation which
combined the duties of nursemaid, waitress, laundress, seamstress, baker,
cook, governess, purchasing agent, dietitian, accountant, and
confectioner. In the early days of this country, in addition to these
duties, women were also called upon to be butchers, sausage-makers,
tailors, spinners, weavers, shoemakers, candle-makers, cheese-makers,
soap-makers, dyers, gardeners, florists, shepherds, bee-keepers,
poultry-keepers, brewers, picklers, bottlers, butter-makers, mil-liners,
dressmakers, hatters, and first-aid physicians, surgeons and nurses. In
more modern times, women have entered nearly all vocations. But even yet
there is much prejudice against the woman who "descends" out of her
traditional "sphere." The woman who is not a wife, mother, and
house-keeper--or a domestic parasite, housekeeping by proxy--loses caste
among the patricians. Many men and, on their behalf, their mothers and
sisters, shudder at the sordid thought of marrying a girl who has been so
base as to "work for her living." And so stenographers, clerks,
accountants, saleswomen, factory workers, telephone operators, and all
other women in the business world are about 99 per cent temporary workers.
Even in executive positions and in the professions, most women look upon
wages and salaries as favoring breezes, necessary until they drop anchor
in the haven of matrimony. And even those who most sincerely proclaim
themselves wedded to their careers, in many instances, exercise their
ancient privilege, change their minds, and give up all else for husband
and home.
Every normal woman was intended by nature to marry. It is right that she
should marry. She does not truly and fully live unless she does marry. She
misses deep and true joy who is not happily married--and usually feels
cheated. But the same may be said of every normal man. The difference is
that, according to tradition, marriage is woman's career, while man may
choose a life work according to his aptitudes. Because of prejudice,
however, it is rarely that the happily married woman makes a business or
professional career. Husbands, except those who do so through necessity or
those who are unafraid of convention, do not permit their wives to work
outside of the home. Because of false pride, many men say: "I am the
bread-winner. If I cannot support my wife as she should be supported, then
I do not wish to marry." And so thousands of women sigh away their lives
at work they hate while a hungry, sad world suffers for what they would
love to do.
The waste of these misfits is threefold: First, the women lose the
opportunity for service, profit, and enjoyment which should be theirs.
Second, the world loses the excellent services which they might render.
Third, oftentimes these women are very poor housekeepers. They simply have
not the aptitudes. Their husbands and their families suffer.
WOMEN WITHOUT HOMES
Another very large class of misfits, and, perhaps, even more to be pitied
than any other, is composed of the women who are compelled to earn a
living in the business world, in the professional world, or elsewhere,
whose true place is in the home. Many of these are unmarried, either
because the right man has not presented himself, or because there are not
enough really desirable men in the community to go around. Others are
widows. Still others are women who have been deserted by their mates. Some
of them are compelled to support their parents, brothers, and sisters, or
even their husbands.
If traditional methods and courses of education miss the needs of many of
our young men, what shall we say of conventional education for girls?
Well, to tell the truth, we do not know what to say. Educational experts,
reformers, philosophers, investigators, and editors have spoken and
written volumes on the subject. Women upon whom the different kinds of
educational formulae have been tried have also written about it. Some of
them have told tragic stories. There has been, and is, much controversy.
Some say one thing--some another--but what shall common sense say? After
all, education is rather a simple problem--in its essentials. It means
development--development of inborn talents. And education ought especially
to develop the natural aptitude of most of our girls for efficiency in
home-making and child-rearing. Most young women enter upon the vocation of
wifehood and motherhood practically without any training for these duties.
It is as unscientific to expect all women to be successful wives and
mothers as it would be to expect all men to be successful farmers. It is
as tragic to expect an untrained girl to be a successful wife and mother
as it would be to expect an untrained boy to be a successful physician and
surgeon.
EXECUTIVES AND DETAIL WORKERS
A very broad division of misfits is into those who are fitted to do detail
work, trying to do executive work, and those who are natural-born
executives compelled to do detail work. This is a very common cause of
unfitness.
Some men love detail and can do it well. They naturally see the little
things. Their minds are readily occupied with accuracy in what seem to
others to be trifles, but which, taken together, make perfection. They are
careful; they are dependable; they can be relied upon. Such people,
however, do not have a ready grasp for large affairs. They cannot see
things in their broader aspect. They are not qualified by nature to
outline plans in general for other people to work out in detail. They are
the men upon whom the world must depend for the careful working out of the
little things so essential if the larger plans are to go through
successfully.
On the other hand, there are some people who have no patience with
details. They do not like them. They cannot attend to them. If depended
upon for exactitude and accuracy, they are broken reeds. They forget
detail.
There are many executives holding important positions and making a sad
failure of them because they are, by natural aptitudes, excellent detail
men but poor planners and executives. The following story illustrates,
perhaps, as well as anything we could present, the qualities of these
overworked, busy, busy executives who have no right to be executives, but
ought to be carrying out the plans of someone else:
HOW SOCRATIC HELPED BRAINERD BUILD BUSINESS
People sometimes bring their business troubles to a friend whom we shall
call Socratic. And Socratic helps them out for a consideration. His time
is valuable and he bought his wisdom at a high price.
Some months ago a pompous fellow dropped in. We recognized him as
Brainerd, one of the leading business men of a small city. His story was
this: He had built up a big enterprise during the pioneer boom days of
easy money and negligible competition. Now, when margins were closer, the
pace hotter, and a half dozen keen fellows were scrambling for their
shares of a trade he had formerly controlled jointly with one other
conservative house, he found sales falling off and his profits dwindling
to a minus quantity.
Socratic heard him through; then said: "I'll look your business over, tell
you the troubles, and show you how to remedy them for one hundred
dollars."
"Oh, I couldn't afford to pay that much, the way business is now,"
Brainerd objected.
"How much, then, do you figure it would be worth to you to have your sales
and profits climb back to high-water mark?"
"Oh, that would be worth thousands of dollars, of course. But can you
guarantee me any such results?"
KEEPING THE APPOINTMENT
"Well, if you carefully study over what I tell you, and faithfully follow
my advice, and the results are not satisfactory, you need pay me nothing.
Is that agreeable?"
"Sure! If you can show me how to bring my profits back to normal, I'll
gladly pay you two hundred."
"It's a go!" said Socratic. "Have the contract drawn up ready to sign when
I call to begin my examination. When shall that be?"
"Well, let's see. I'm so all-fired busy it's hard to find time for
anything. Say early next week sometime."
"All right. What day?"
"Oh, Tuesday or Wednesday."
"Tuesday will be satisfactory. What hour?"
"Well, some time in the forenoon, I guess."
"Ten o'clock be all right?"
"Yes, ten o'clock will do."
"Very well, I'll be there at ten sharp."
Tuesday morning, at ten sharp, Socratic stood by Brainerd's desk. Brainerd
was working away like a busy little high-pressure hoisting-engine. He
looked up with a bright smile.
"Oh, it's you, is it? Sorry, but I can't do anything for you to-day. I'm
awfully up against it for time. Can't you drop in a little later in the
week?"
"What day?" Socratic asked.
"Oh, Thursday or Friday," a little impatiently.
"Thursday is all right. What hour? Ten o'clock do?"
"Yes, yes, that will do," sighed the busy, busy business man, his nose
deep in his work.
Socratic turned on his heel and walked out.
THE HEAD CLERK'S SALARY
Thursday morning he was again beside Brainerd's desk. It was easy to see
that this little buzz-fly was a mile up in the air. Hi$ coat was off, his
cuffs turned back, his collar unbuttoned, his hair mussed, and he had a
streak of soot across his nose. He hardly looked up. Just kept chugging
away like a motor-cycle going up-grade at fifty miles an hour.
Oh, but he was the busy man!
"Sorry to disappoint you again, Socratic," he jerked out, "but I haven't
got time to breathe. You'll have to come in again."
"Making stacks of money with all this strenuous activity, I suppose?"
asked Socratic.
"Oh, no! It keeps me on the jump like a toad under a harrow to pay
expenses."
"Call that a profitable way to spend time and nervous energy so
prodigally?"
"It may not be--I suppose it isn't, but I can't help it."
"Your head clerk draws pretty good pay, doesn't he?" asked Socratic.
"Why, yes," answered Brainerd, staring.
"Probably has a bigger income to handle, personally, than you have?"
"Oh, I guess so" You'll have to excuse me, Socratic. I'm too busy to talk
to-day."
"Queer, but your head clerk and cashier seem to have plenty of time for
conversation. They have been scrapping for fifteen minutes about chances
of the Pirates and the Cubs. You feel happy to pay people big salaries for
talking baseball?"
"No; of course not; but how can I help it? A man can't hire reliable help
for love or money in this town, and I haven't got time to watch all of
'em."
"How would it do to have the bookkeeper check up those sales-slips you are
tearing your hair over, instead of manicuring her pretty paddies and
tucking in her scolding locks?"
"Well, she was doing something else when I began. Excuse me a minute."
SOME FOOL EXCUSES
And Brainerd dashed away to the front of the store to wait on a nicely
dressed lady who had just come in. When he returned he said: "I'll tell
you, Mr. Socratic, I've been thinking over the matter of our contract, and
I don't believe I'm prepared to go into that thing at present. Times are
so hard and I am so rushed for time, and you would probably recommend a
lot of things I couldn't afford, and likely couldn't work in with my
present system. I guess I'll have to let it go for the present. It would
be a good thing, no doubt, but I guess I'll have to do the best I can
without it. Some time later, perhaps, I'll take it up with you. Why, I
don't even get time to read the papers, and I certainly wouldn't have time
to go into that examination with you."
"I've completed my examination," remarked Socratic.
"Why, how's that?" gasped Brainerd. "When did you do it?"
"The day you were in my office. What I have seen and heard on my two
visits here only confirms the diagnosis of your case I made then. But the
real purpose of the two calls was to endeavor to make you see your
troubles as I see them."
"I don't know what you mean, sir," said Brainerd, piqued by the
unmistakable trend of Socratic's remarks.
"I rather think you do, but I'll take no chances. Your business is
desperately ill, isn't it?"
"Yes, I guess it is," reluctantly.
"Then it needs a heroic remedy, doesn't it?"
"Possibly."
"And that remedy must be applied to the source of the trouble. Not so?"
"Yes."
And that source is none other than Mr. James H. Brainerd. No, don't blow
up with a loud report. Listen to me. You are really too good a business
man to go to the wall for the want of a little teachableness. You have
foresight, initiative, energy, and perseverance. These are
success-qualities of a high order. But you have fallen into some very
costly bad habits.
Let me give you the names of six old-fashioned virtues that you are going
to start right in to cultivate. When you have developed them, your profits
will take care of themselves.
THE REMEDY
The first is Order. You waste seventy-five per cent of your time and
nervous energy because you let your work push you instead of planning your
work and then pushing your plan.
The second is Punctuality. You lose time, money, friends, temper, and
will-power because you are vague and careless about making appointments
and slipshod about keeping them.
The third is Courtesy. This has its source in consideration for others
and is closely allied to tact. When you ask me to come and help you, and
then tell me you are sorry you can do nothing for me, or sorry to
disappoint me, that's patronizing. When you ignore a caller and go to
reading papers on your desk, that's rudeness. And you can't afford them in
your business.
The fourth is Economy. Your time is worth more to this business than that
of all the help put together. And when you spend it doing what a
ten-dollar-a-week girl could do just as well, it is sinful extravagance.
It wastes not only your time, but hers. Worst of all, it undermines your
self-respect and her respect for you.
The fifth is Honesty. When you rush away to wait on some customer
yourself because that customer has connived with you for some special cut
rates, you may not intend it, but you are dishonest. Business must be done
at a profit and all those who share in the privileges of buying from this
store should share proportionately in paying you your profit. If anyone
doesn't pay his share, the others have to make up for it Give everybody a
square, equal deal. That will build confidence and increase trade. And
then you can leave your salespeople to wait on all customers, giving you
more time for real management--generalship.
The sixth is Courage. It's easy enough to see obstacles, to make excuses,
to procrastinate. When a hard task has to be done, you will find it no
help to begin to catalog the difficulties. Just fear not, and do it.
Now, you are going to cultivate these virtues, Brainerd, because you see
that I am right and because, after all, you are a man of good judgment and
reason.
"Never mind the contract. When you think my advice has proved its value,
send me what you think it is worth."
And he walked out, leaving Brainerd purple in the face with a number of
varied emotions, chief among which were outraged dignity and warm
gratitude.
While you and we know many Brainerds, there are men capable of handling
large affairs who, through lack of training, lack of opportunity, or a
choice of a wrong vocation, are sentenced to sit, year after year, working
away in an inefficient, fumbling manner, with a mass of details which they
hate and which they are not fitted to take care of properly. Such people
are often conscientious; they have a great desire to do their work
thoroughly and well, and the fact that they so frequently neglect little
details, forget things that they ought to do, overlook necessary
precautions, and otherwise fail to perform their duties, is a matter not
only of supreme regret and humiliation to them, but of great distress to
those who depend upon them.
CAREFULNESS AND RECKLESSNESS
Carefulness and prudence are natural aptitudes. The careless man is not
wilfully careless. He is careless because he has not the aptitudes which
make a man careful. The imprudent man is not wilfully imprudent, but
because he does not have the inherent qualifications for prudence, the
taking of precautions, the wise and careful scrutinizing of all the
elements entering into success. For some work men are required who have
the natural aptitudes of carefulness and prudence. The great tragedy is
that this kind of work is often entrusted to men who are so constituted
that it is very easy for them to take chances. The person who is naturally
optimistic and hopeful and always looks on the bright side cheerfully
expects whatever he does to "come out all right," as he expresses it. He
therefore neglects to take sufficient precautions; he does not exercise
care as he should; he takes unnecessary and unwise risks. The result is
that oftentimes his optimism turns out to be very poorly justified. When
things do go wrong on account of their carelessness, such people may feel
distressed about it for a time, but they soon recover. They hope for
"better luck next time." They expect, by their ingenuity and
resourcefulness, to more than make up for the troubles which have come as
the result of their carelessness. On the other hand, those who are
naturally careful and dependable do not have much hope of things coming
out right without eternal vigilance and foresight. They are inherently
somewhat apprehensive. They take precautions, are on their guard, and
leave no stone unturned whose turning may insure success.
But there are certain classes of work which require a willingness to take
chances. Such enterprises are speculative. In order to be happy in them,
one must have a certain amount of optimism and hopefulness. He must accept
temporary failure without discouragement. The heart to look on the bright
side of every cloud must be born in one. He must believe always that the
future will bring more desirable results. The careless person delights in
this kind of work. The element of chance in it appeals to his sporting
blood. The danger gives him needed excitement and thrill. The anxious,
apprehensive person has no place in such enterprises. Their uncertainties
are a drain upon his nervous system. He worries. He makes himself ill with
his anxieties and apprehensions. He is unhappy. When disaster does happen,
he takes it seriously, feels discouraged, thinks his efforts have been of
no avail, can see nothing in the future but black ruin, and otherwise
destroys not only his joy in his work, but his efficiency and usefulness
in it.
In actual practice we find both prudent and reckless misfits. Such people
are unhappy, inefficient, and usually unsuccessful. It is strange that men
do not understand, before undertaking a vocation, so elemental and
fundamental a thing as the question of carelessness and carefulness. Yet,
somehow or other, they do not. We find thousands of men worrying, anxious,
distrait, because of the uncertainties of their businesses and the chances
they have to take. We find other thousands of men blundering, careless,
optimistic, always hopeful for better things in the future, and yet
attempting to succeed in a business which requires care, infinite pains
and precautions. Thoughtless, impulsive, frivolous people are always
trying to do work requiring careful, plodding, painstaking, methodical
ways; while thoughtful, philosophic, and deliberate people oftentimes find
themselves distressed, bewildered, and inefficient in the hurly-burly of
some swift-moving vocation.
SOME OTHER MISFITS
Mild, easy-going, timid, self-conscious men we frequently find in
vocations which require aggressiveness, courage, fighting ability,
self-confidence, and a considerable amount of hard-headed brutality. On
the other hand, we sometimes find the fighting man in a profession which
is considered to be quiet and peaceable.
Similarly, we have often seen lawyers, whose profession requires of them a
good deal of combativeness, shrewdness, a certain degree of skepticism,
and a large amount of hard-headed determination to win, no matter what the
cost, handicapped by extreme sensitiveness, sympathy, generosity,
non-resistance, credulity, humility, and self-consciousness. Physically,
they were wonderfully capable of success as lawyers. Intellectually, they,
perhaps, were even better fitted for the profession than many of their
brothers in the legal fraternity. But, emotionally, they were absolutely
unfit for the competition, the contest, the necessity for combat and
severity in the practice of law.
Contrawise, we have often seen hard-headed, shrewd, skeptical, grasping,
unprincipled, aggressive, fighting men in professions where they did not
belong; in professions requiring sympathy, credulity, kindness, tact,
generosity, unselfishness, and other such qualities. We have not, in this
chapter, outlined all of the different classes of misfits. That would be
impossible. We have, however, referred to the most common of them.
Probably nine-tenths of all the misfits which have come under our
observation could be classified under one or more of the heads we have
outlined in the foregoing chapter.
CHAPTER IV
THE PHYSICALLY FRAIL
Some years ago there came into our offices in Boston a young man
twenty-six years of age. He was about medium height, with keen,
intelligent face, fine skin, fine hair, delicately modeled features,
refined looking hands, and small, well-shaped feet.
He was inexpensively, but neatly, dressed, and, while somewhat diffident,
was courteous, affable, and respectful in demeanor. After a little
conversation with him, we asked him if he would be willing to appear
before one of our classes and permit the students to try to analyze him,
decide what his aptitudes were, and for what profession he was best
fitted. An evening or two later he appeared and we placed him before the
class. After some little examination of his appearance, this is the
judgment passed upon him by those present:
"Fairly observant; capable of learning well through his powers of
observation; good intellect, of the thoughtful, meditative type; a fair
degree of constructive ability; in disposition, optimistic, cheerful;
inclined to take chances; sympathetic, generous, sensitive, kindly, well
disposed, and agreeable; rather lacking in self-confidence and, therefore,
somewhat diffident, but courteous and friendly in contact with others;
responsive and, therefore, easily influenced by his associates, and
affected by his environment. Lacking in sense of justice and property
sense. A man of natural refinement and refined tastes; fond of beauty,
elegance and luxury. Energetic and alert mentally, but rather disinclined
to physical effort. Somewhat deficient in aggressiveness, but endowed with
an excellent constructive imagination, and so great mental energy that he
would be able to take the initiative in an intellectual way, especially in
the formation of plans and in the devising of means and ways. Fond of
change, variety; loves excitement; likes social life, and somewhat
deficient in constancy, conservatism, prudence, and responsibility. Keen,
alert, somewhat impatient and restless. Well fitted by nature for
intellectual work of any kind; with training would have done well as
teacher, writer, private secretary or high-class clerical worker, but
expression indicates that, through lack of training, he has failed in
physical work and has fallen into evil ways."
After this analysis had been carefully made, we excused the young man and
explained that thirteen of his twenty-six years had been spent in jail. He
had been left an orphan early in life and secured so little education that
he was almost entirely illiterate.
THE EASY DESCENT TO CRIME
As soon as he was old enough, he was set to work at the only thing he
could do, namely, manual labor. He was small and slight for his age, and
the services he was able to render were not worth much. He, therefore,
received very small pay. Because of his physical disabilities, he was
behind the other boys in his gang and suffered frequently from the
tongue-lashings of an unsympathetic foreman. His pay was not commensurate
with his tastes. He constantly felt the desire for finer, better, cleaner
things than he was able to earn. The work was hard for him; he suffered
much from the punishment inflicted upon his tender hands, from muscular
soreness and from weariness. As the days rolled on, he grew weaker, rather
than stronger, and became weary earlier in the day. Finally, the time came
when he felt that he could endure the taunts of his foreman no longer, and
he was about to give up when the foreman, exasperated with his
inefficiency, his clumsiness, and his weakness, discharged him.
Having been discharged, it was difficult for him to find another place to
work. At this critical stage, being out of money, and having fallen in
with idlers--and worse--he was influenced to use his keen intellect and
ability in plans and schemes, to commit a small crime, which yielded him
$10 or $15. Being a novice in crime, not naturally a criminal, he did not
protect himself from discovery and punishment, and, as a result, was sent
to a reformatory. After a short term in the reformatory, his behavior was
so good that he was released. After his release, a kind-hearted person,
who had observed him and liked his appearance, secured another position
for him. This also was at manual labor. At first he entered upon his new
work with a determination to succeed, to live down the stain upon his
character caused by his previous speculation, and, therefore, to live an
honorable and successful life.
STRUGGLING AGAINST ODDS
He worked hard and did his best, but the best he could do was not good
enough. He possessed no manual skill, he had no strength, and little by
little he again became physically tired out, mentally discouraged and
sore, and, having once committed a crime, found it easy to seek his former
associates and drop again into the old ways. An opportunity presented
itself to rob a companion's pocket of a few dollars, and he did so. Again
he was sent to the reformatory, this time for a longer term. Then, until
he came to our office, his career was a repetition of what has already
been related. A few months or a year or two in a reformatory, a jail, or a
penitentiary, a month or two trying to rehabilitate himself in some form
of manual labor, and, then, inefficiency, incompetency, lack of skill,
lack of strength, and discharge, to be followed by another attempt to add
to his resources by some petty crime.
For several years following this first interview with Mr. L. we followed
him, and did our best to assist him to enter upon some vocation for which
he was better fitted. Again and again we and other friends of his helped
him to secure work, but always it was the old story. His mind was so
active, so intelligent, so eager for expression, that the drudgery, the
monotony, the routine, the small pay, and the consequent lack of the many
elegances and luxuries he so strongly desired were too much for him. His
crimes were never serious, and never those requiring great courage. He
never stole any very large sums. For this reason much of his time was
spent in the work house or in jail, rather than in the penitentiary. In
addition to petty thieving, he had acquired some little ability as a
confidence man, and was capable of ensnaring small sums from credulous or
sympathetic people on various pretexts. The last time we heard of him he
had called upon a friend of ours, professed his complete and permanent
reform, wept over his former failures, and promised faithfully--and with
the greatest possible fervency and apparent sincerity--to do better in the
future. He said that he had an opportunity to make a trip on a whaling
vessel and he thought this opportunity would be the best thing in the world
for him, as it would take him away from his old, evil associates and give
him an opportunity to save money and make good in a new life. He wished
our friend to give him $4 to buy a ticket to New Bedford. Our friend gave
him the money and also a postal card, on which he had written his own
address. "Now, L.," he said, "I believe you, and I want you to show me
that you are playing square with me. When you get your new position and
are about to sail, I want you to write me about it on this postal card,
and mail it to me so that I will know that you are carrying out your
promises."
THE OLD, OLD STORY
L. promised faithfully, and said, "I want to write a letter to my mother,
and tell her where I am going. I wish you would let me have an envelope
and a stamp." Our friend obliged him with the necessaries, and L. left the
office beaming with gratitude and profuse in his promises to return the
loan as soon as he came back from his trip on the whaling vessel. A few
days later my friend received a postal card, dated at New Bedford,
Massachusetts. In one corner of the postal card was the notation,
"Received at the post office at New Bedford in an envelope, with a letter,
requesting that it be mailed here. (Signed) Postmaster."
Here was a man so well-intentioned by nature, of such a kindly,
sympathetic, generous disposition, so intelligent, so naturally capable
mentally that, with proper training and properly placed in a vocation in
which he could have used his talents, he would doubtless have become an
excellent asset to society.
This case is typical of many others. They have natural aptitudes which fit
them to become useful, but their talents have never been trained, their
aptitudes have never been given an opportunity to develop. They have no
inherent tendencies toward crime. In fact, there is no "criminal" type.
Most--but not all--criminals fall into their evil ways simply because they
have never been taught how to direct their mental and physical energies in
a way which will give them pleasure, as well as profit.
DESCRIPTION OF THIS TYPE
The physically frail individual of this type is frail because the brain
and nervous system are so highly developed that they require a great deal
of his vitality and endurance to nourish them and to sustain their
activities. The result is that mental powers grow and thrive at the
expense of physical.
Such people have large heads in proportion to their bodies. Their heads
also are inclined to be very much larger above the ears and in the
neighborhood of the forehead and temples than at the jaw and at the nape
of the neck. This gives their heads a rather top-heavy effect--like a pear
with the small end down--and their faces a triangular shape. Their jaws
are usually fine and slender, and their chins not particularly broad and
strong.
Such people have very fine hair and fine skin. Their nerves are sensitive
and close to the surface. Their entire build of body is delicate and
slender. Their hands and feet also are usually delicately and slenderly
fashioned; their shoulders are narrow and oftentimes sloping. It is folly
to talk of building up rugged, muscular and bony systems by means of
strenuous exercise in people thus endowed. Much, of course, can be done
to strengthen and harden the muscles, but they are frail physically, by
nature, and can never be anything else.
VOCATIONS FOR THE PHYSICALLY FRAIL
People with this type of organization are not inclined to be skillful with
their fingers. They do not care for physical work of any kind; they do not
take an interest in it and, therefore, cannot do it well. Properly
trained, men and women of this type take their place in the professions.
They are teachers, preachers, lawyers, educators, reformers, inventors,
authors, and artists. Among those of mediocre abilities we find clerks,
secretaries, accountants, salesmen, window trimmers, decorators,
advertisers, and others working along similar mental lines. When such
people are not trained and educated, they are misfits always, because they
do not have opportunities to use to their fullest extent the natural
intellectual talents with which they have been endowed.
THE MENTALLY MECHANICAL
There is a type of boy who is oftentimes thrown into the wrong vocation in
life, owing to a lack of appreciation of his true abilities on the part of
parents or teachers. This boy has a large head and small body, and is
intensely interested in machinery. He probably learns to handle tools,
after a fashion, at a very early age; spends his spare time in machine
shops; is intensely interested in locomotives and steamships, and
otherwise manifests a passion for machinery and mechanics. Oftentimes, on
account of this, he is very early apprenticed to a mechanic or is given a
job in some place where he will have an opportunity to build, operate or
repair machinery.
Some years ago we visited in a family in which there was a boy of this
type. At that time his chief interest was in locomotives. He had a toy
locomotive and took the greatest delight in operating it. Whenever he went
near a railroad station he improved every opportunity to examine carefully
the parts of a locomotive and, if possible, to induce the engineer to
take him up into the cab and show him the levers, valves and other parts
to be seen there. As soon as he was old enough, he begged his father to be
permitted to go to work in a railroad shop. Fortunately, however, his
father was too intelligent and too sensible to be misled by mere surface
indications. The boy was encouraged to finish his education. Being a
bright, capable youngster, he learned readily and rapidly. By means of
proper educational methods, giving him plenty of opportunity for the
exercise of his mechanical activities, he was induced to remain in school
until he secured an excellent college education. As he grew older his
interest in machinery did not wane. He found, however, that it was
becoming almost wholly intellectual. He lost all desire to handle, build,
operate or repair machinery. When, in later life, he became the owner of
an automobile, he was more than willing to leave all of the details of its
care to his chauffeur and mechanician.
As he cultivated his mental powers, he became more and more interested in
the use of his constructive aptitudes in the formation of ideas. He liked
to put ideas together; to work out the mechanics of expression in writing.
Instead of building machinery, he loved to build plots. Instead of
operating machinery, his abilities turned in the direction of working out
the technique of literary expression. Instead of repairing machinery he
loved rather to revise and rewrite his stories and plays. In other words,
the constructive talent, which he had shown as a child in material
mechanics, turned in the direction of mental and intellectual construction
as he grew older.
COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTIVENESS
There are many boys who exhibit in their early years a great love of
machinery, and it is usually considered a kindness to them to prepare them
for either mechanics or engineering. In mechanical lines, they are
misfits, because they are frail and insufficient physically. In
engineering lines they are more at home, because the engineer works
principally with his brains. But very often they would still be more at
home in the realms of literature or oratory.
In a similar way boys often manifest great interest in machinery in their
youth, and afterward, if given the right opportunities, show their
constructive ability in the organization of business enterprises and the
successful devising of plans and schemes for pushing these enterprises to
success.
Sometimes those of this type of organization devote themselves rather to
invention and improvement than to the direct physical handling of
machinery. The following brief story of the struggles of Elias Howe[7]
should be an inspiration to every individual who fights physical frailty;
also, a lesson to him as to the way in which he should express his
mechanical ability:
[Footnote 7: From "Great Fortunes," by James D. McCabe. Published by
George Maclean.]
INTELLECTUAL TRIUMPH OF A FRAIL MAN
"Elias Howe was born in the town of Spencer, Massachusetts, in 1819. He
was one of eight children, and it was no small undertaking on the part of
his father to provide a maintenance for such a household. Mr. Howe, Sr.,
was a farmer and miller, and, as was the custom at that time in the
country towns of New England, carried on in his family some of those minor
branches of industry suited to the capacity of children, with which New
England abounds. When Elias was six years old, he was set, with his
brothers and sisters, to sticking wire teeth through the leather straps
used for making cotton cards. When he became old enough, he assisted his
father in his saw-mill and grist-mill, and during the winter months picked
up a meager education at the district school. He has said that it was the
rude and imperfect mills of his father that first turned his attention to
machinery. He was not fitted for hard work, however, as he was frail in
constitution and incapable of bearing much fatigue. Moreover, he inherited
a species of lameness which proved a great obstacle to any undertaking on
his part, and gave him no little trouble all through life. At the age of
eleven he went to live out on the farm of a neighbor, but the labor
proving too severe for him he returned home and resumed his place in his
father's mills, where he remained until he was sixteen years old.
"At the age of twenty-one he married. This was a rash step for him, as his
health was very delicate, and his earnings were but nine dollars per week.
Three children were born to him in quick succession, and he found it no
easy task to provide food, shelter and clothing for his little family. The
light heartedness for which he had formerly been noted entirely deserted
him, and he became sad and melancholy. His health did not improve, and it
was with difficulty that he could perform his daily task. His strength was
so slight that he would frequently return from his day's work too
exhausted to eat. He could only go to bed, and in his agony he wished 'to
lie in bed forever and ever,' Still he worked faithfully and
conscientiously, for his wife and children were very dear to him; but he
did so with a hopelessness which only those who have tasted the depths of
poverty can understand.
"About this time he heard it said that the great necessity of the age was
a machine for doing sewing. The immense amount of fatigue incurred and the
delay in hand sewing were obvious, and it was conceded by all who thought
of the matter at all that the man who could invent a machine which would
remove these difficulties would make a fortune. Howe's poverty inclined
him to listen to these remarks with great interest. No man needed money
more than he, and he was confident that his mechanical skill was of an
order which made him as competent as any one else to achieve the task
proposed. He set to work to accomplish it, and, as he knew well the
dangers which surround an inventor, kept his own counsel. At his daily
labor, in all his waking hours, and even in his dreams, he brooded over
this invention. He spent many a wakeful night in these meditations, and
his health was far from being benefitted by this severe mental
application. Success is not easily won in any great undertaking, and Elias
Howe found that he had entered upon a task which required the greatest
patience, perseverance, energy and hopefulness. He watched his wife as
she sewed, and his first effort was to devise a machine which should do
what she was doing. He made a needle pointed at both ends, with the eye in
the middle, that should work up and down through the cloth, and carry the
thread through at each thrust, but his elaboration of this conception
would not work satisfactorily. It was not until 1844, fully a year after
he began the attempt to invent the machine, that he came to the conclusion
that the movement of a machine need not of necessity be an imitation of
the performance by hand. It was plain to him that there must be another
stitch by the aid of a shuttle and a curved needle with the eye near the
point. This was the triumph of his skill. He had now invented a perfect
sewing machine, and had discovered the essential principles of every
subsequent modification of his conception. Satisfied that he had at length
solved the problem, he constructed a rough model of his machine of wood
and wire, in October, 1844, and operated it to his perfect satisfaction.
"It has been stated by Professor Renwick and other scientists that Elias
Howe 'carried the invention of the sewing machine further on toward its
complete and final utility than any other inventor has ever brought a
first-rate invention at the first trial.' ...
"Having patented his machine, Howe endeavored to bring it into use. He was
full of hope, and had no doubt that it would be adopted at once by those
who were so much interested in the saving of labor. He first offered it to
the tailors of Boston; but they, while admitting its usefulness, told him
it would never be adopted by their trade, as it would ruin them.
Considering the number of machines now used by the tailoring interests
throughout the world, this assertion seems ridiculous. Other efforts were
equally unsuccessful. Every one admitted and praised the ingenuity of the
machine, but no one would invest a dollar in it. Fisher (Howe's partner)
became disgusted and withdrew from his partnership, and Howe and his
family moved back to his father's house. Thoroughly disheartened, he
abandoned his machine. He then obtained a place as engineer on a
railroad, and drove a locomotive until his health entirely broke down....
"In 1850 Howe removed to New York, and began in a small way to manufacture
machines to order. He was in partnership with a Mr. Bliss, but for several
years the business was so unimportant that upon the death of his partner,
in 1855, he was enabled to buy out that gentleman's interest, and thus
became the sole proprietor of his patent. Soon after this his business
began to increase, and continued until his own proper profits, and the
royalty which the courts compelled other manufacturers to pay him for the
use of his invention, grew from $300 to $200,000 per annum. In 1867, when
the extension of his patent expired, it is stated that he had earned a
total of two millions of dollars by it."
STARVED BY HIS HANDS, ENRICHED BY HIS HEAD
Robert Burns was a failure as plowman and farmer. Rousseau was a failure
at every kind of physical work. Henry George nearly starved himself and
his family to death trying to make a living as a journeyman printer. The
following extract from the autobiography of Jacob Riis[8]--another
excellent example of this type of organization--shows how useless it was
for him to attempt to make his living at physical labor:
[Footnote 8: From "The Making of an American," by Jacob A. Riis. Macmillan
& Company, New York.]
A missionary in Castle Garden was getting up a gang of men for the Brady's
Bend Iron Works on the Allegheny River, and I went along. We started a
full score, with tickets paid, but only two of us reached the Bend. The
rest calmly deserted in Pittsburgh and went their own way....
The iron works company mined its own coal. Such as it was, it cropped out
of the hills right and left in narrow veins, sometimes too shallow to
work, seldom affording more space to the digger than barely enough to
permit him to stand upright. You did not go down through a shaft, but
straight in through the side of a hill to the bowels of the mountain,
following a track on which a little donkey drew the coal to the mouth of
the mine and sent it down the incline to run up and down a hill a mile or
more by its own gravity before it reached the place of unloading. Through
one of these we marched in, Adler and I, one summer morning with new
pickaxes on our shoulders and nasty little oil lamps fixed in our hats to
light us through the darkness where every second we stumbled over chunks
of slate rock, or into pools of water that oozed through from above. An
old miner, whose way lay past the fork in the tunnel where our lead began,
showed us how to use our picks and the timbers to brace the slate that
roofed over the vein, and left us to ourselves in a chamber perhaps ten
feet wide and the height of a man.
We were to be paid by the ton, I forget how much, but it was very little,
and we lost no time in getting to work. We had to dig away the coal at the
floor with our picks, lying on our knees to do it, and afterward drive
wedges under the roof to loosen the mass. It was hard work, and, entirely
inexperienced as we were, we made but little headway.
When toward evening we quit work, after narrowly escaping being killed by
a large stone that fell from the roof in consequence of our neglect to
brace it up properly, our united efforts had resulted in barely filling
two of the little carts, and we had earned, if I recollect aright,
something like sixty cents each. The fall of the roof robbed us of all
desire to try mining again....
Up the railroad track I went, and at night hired out to a truck farmer,
with the freedom of his hay-mow for my sleeping quarters. But when I had
hoed cucumbers three days in a scorching sun, till my back ached as if it
were going to break, and the farmer guessed he would call it square for
three shillings, I went farther. A man is not necessarily a
philanthropist, it seems, because he tills the soil. I did not hire out
again. I did odd jobs to earn my meals, and slept in the fields at
night....
The city was full of idle men. My last hope, a promise of employment in a
human-hair factory, failed, and, homeless and penniless, I joined the
great army of tramps, wandering about the streets in the daytime with the
one aim of somehow stilling the hunger that gnawed at my vitals, and
fighting at night with vagrant curs or outcasts as miserable as myself for
the protection of some sheltering ash-bin or doorway. I was too proud in
all my misery to beg. I do not believe I ever did.
There was until last winter a doorway in Chatham Square, that of the old
Barnum clothing store, which I could never pass without recalling those
nights of hopeless misery with the policeman's periodic 'Get up there!
move on!' reinforced by a prod of his club or the toe of his boot. I slept
there, or tried to when crowded out of the tenements in the Bend by their
utter nastiness. Cold and wet weather had set in, and a linen duster was
all that covered my back. There was a woolen blanket in my trunk which I
had from home--the one, my mother had told me, in which I was wrapped when
I was born; but the trunk was in the 'hotel' as security for money I owed
for board, and I asked for it in vain. I was now too shabby to get work,
even if there had been any to get. I had letters still to friends of my
family in New York who might have helped me, but hunger and want had not
conquered my pride. I would come to them, if at all, as their equal, and,
lest I fall into temptation, I destroyed the letters. So, having burned my
bridges behind me, I was finally and utterly alone in the city, with the
winter approaching and every shivering night in the streets reminding me
that a time was rapidly coming when such a life as I led could no longer
be endured.
Not in a thousand years would I be likely to forget the night when it
came. It had rained all day, a cold October storm, and night found me,
with the chill downpour unabated, down by the North River, soaked through
and through, with no chance for a supper, forlorn and discouraged. I sat
on the bulwark, listening to the falling rain and the swish of the dark
tide, and thinking of home. How far it seemed, and how impassable the
gulf now between the 'castle,' with its refined ways, between her, in her
dainty girlhood, and me sitting there, numbed with the cold that was
slowly stealing away my senses with my courage. There was warmth and cheer
where she was. Here an overpowering sense of desolation came upon me. I
hitched a little nearer to the edge. What if----? Would they miss me much
or long at home if no word came from me? Perhaps they might never hear.
What was the use of keeping it up any longer, with, God help us,
everything against, and nothing to back, a lonely lad?...
It was not only breakfast we lacked. The day before we had had only a
crust together. Two days without food is not good preparation for a day's
canvassing. We did the best we could. Bob stood by and wagged his tail
persuasively while I did the talking; but luck was dead against us, and
'Hard Times' stuck to us for all we tried. Evening came and found us down
by the Cooper Institute, with never a cent. Faint with hunger, I sat down
on the steps under the illuminated clock, while Bob stretched himself at
my feet. He had beguiled the cook in one of the last houses we called at,
and his stomach was filled. From the corner I had looked on enviously. For
me there was no supper, as there had been no dinner and no breakfast.
To-morrow there was another day of starvation. How long was this to last?
Was it any use to keep up a struggle so hopeless? From this very spot I
had gone, hungry and wrathful, three years before when the dining
Frenchmen for whom I wanted to fight thrust me forth from their company.
Three wasted years! Then I had one cent in my pocket, I remembered. To-day
I had not even so much. I was bankrupt in hope and purpose. Nothing had
gone right; and worse, I did not care. I drummed moodily upon my book.
Wasted! Yes, that was right. My life was wasted, utterly wasted.
A voice hailed me by name, and Bob sat up, looking attentively at me for
his cue as to the treatment of the owner of it. I recognized in him the
principal of the telegraph school where I had gone until my money gave
out. He seemed suddenly struck by something.
[Illustration: Photo by Marceau, N.Y.
FIG. 9. Richard Mansfield, Actor-Manager. A fine, balanced combination of
artistic talent, creative power, and capacity for great emotion, with good
judgment, financial sense, great energy, great determination,
uncompromising devotion to ideals, fine powers of expression, and
executive ability of the driving, compelling, rigid type. Note high head,
domed above temples and wide across center of forehead; large nose; long,
straight upper lip; firm mouth; prominent chin; long line from point of
chin to crown of head; intense expression.]
[Illustration: FIG. 10. Hon. A.I. Cutting (same as FIG. 11).
Intellectual, idealistic, yet practical; mild, but very shrewd and
persistent; good-natured, friendly, social, sympathetic, kindly, yet with
good commercial and financial judgment. Observe height of head, with dome
above temples; moderate width of head; pleasant, but firm-set, mouth; fine
texture and fine chiseling of features; strong, prominent chin, and
genial, kindly, friendly expression.]
[Illustration: FIG. 11. Hon. A.L. Cutting. Ambitious, aspiring, hopeful,
cheerful, friendly, social. A good public speaker. Excellent planner,
prudent, far-sighted, and deliberate in speech and action. Note high head,
both at crown and above temples, long behind ears; high forehead;
well-formed eyes and nose, and prominent chin.]
[Illustration: FIG. 12. The late Melville Fuller, Chief Justice of
the Supreme Court of the United States. Unusually keen analytical powers,
unaffected by sentiment or irrelevant considerations. Great ability to get
down to essentials. Note fullness of brows and of upper corners of
forehead; keen, penetrating eyes, and long nose with depressed tip.]
[Illustration: FIG. 13. Frank A. Vanderlip, President of National
City Bank, of New York. A man of both financial and political acumen--also
humanitarian. Note high, domed head; width across center and lower part of
forehead; inclination to stoutness; large, well-formed features; long
lines of face.]
[Illustration: _Copyright American Press Association_.
FIG. 14. Hon. Joseph W. Folk, of Missouri. A keen politician, shrewd
lawyer, and hard fighter. Note height and width of head; large, prominent
nose; square, firm jaw; long upper lip; dogged set of mouth; unflinching
eyes, and inclination to stoutness.]
[Illustration: FIG. 15. The late Senator Nelson W. Aldrich, of Rhode
Island. Keen, practical observation, financial judgment, diplomacy,
shrewdness, energy, intellect, industry, courage, determination, and
command. Note well-developed brows; height and width of forehead,
especially across center; long, well-developed nose; straight, firm mouth;
broad, square, prominent chin; long ears; long line from point of chin to
crown of head, and keen, shrewd, alert, penetrating expression of eye.]
[Illustration: FIG. 16. Showing large, well-developed base of brain,
usually an indication of a tendency to stoutness. Note fullness of back of
head at nape of neck.]
"'Why, what are you doing here?' he asked. I told him Bob and I were just
resting after a day of canvassing.
"'Books!' he snorted. 'I guess that won't make you rich. Now, how would
like to be a reporter, if you have got nothing better to do? The manager
of a news agency downtown asked me to-day to find him a bright young
fellow whom he could break in. It isn't much--$10 a week to start with.
But it is better than peddling books, I know,'
"He poked over the book in my hand and read the title. 'Hard Times,' he
said, with a little laugh. 'I guess so. What do you say? I think you will
do. Better come along and let me give you a note to him now.'
"As in a dream. I walked across the street with him to his office and got
the letter which was to make me, half starved and homeless, rich as
Croesus, it seemed to me.
"When the sun rose I washed my face and hands in a dog's drinking trough,
pulled my clothes into such shape as I could, and went with Bob to his new
home. The parting over, I walked down to 23 Park Row and delivered my
letter to the desk editor in the New York News Association up on the top
floor.
"He looked me over a little doubtfully, but evidently impressed with the
early hours I kept told me that I might try. He waved me to a desk,
bidding me wait until he had made out his morning book of assignments; and
with such scant ceremony was I finally introduced to Newspaper Row, that
had been to me like an enchanted land. After twenty-seven years of hard
work in it, during which I have been behind the scenes of most of the
plays that go to make up the sum of the life of the metropolis, it
exercises the old spell over me yet. If my sympathies need quickening, my
point of view adjusting, I have only to go down to Park Row at eventide,
when the crowds are hurrying homeward and the City Hall clock is lighted,
particularly when the snow lies on the grass in the park, and stand
watching them awhile, to find all things coming right. It is Bob who
stands by and watches with me then, as on that night."
TALENT IN THE BUD AND BLOSSOM
The big important lesson underlying all of these concrete examples is that
the individual of this type never ought to attempt to do any kind of work
in which success depends upon physical effort. Whatever talents he may
have will express themselves always best in an intellectual way. It may be
art, it may be music, it may be machinery, it may be business, it may be
mining or agriculture, it may be any one of many other active pursuits
which have also a purely intellectual side. In his early youth his mind
naturally turns to the more material manifestation of his talent. But,
with proper training and given the proper opportunities, he will always
gravitate surely to the mental and intellectual phases of his bent. The
boy who is interested in machinery may become an inventor or he may become
a playwright or an author. The boy who is interested in plants and flowers
may become a botanist or a naturalist, or, perhaps, even a poet. The boy
who is deeply interested in battles and fighting may be far better adapted
to the profession of historian than to the trade of soldier. The boy who
likes to build houses and factories in his play, and seems to be deeply
interested in the construction of edifices, may not be fitted to become a
contractor or a draughtsman. If he is of this intellectual type, he is far
more likely to become an architect, or, perhaps, to idealize his talents
even further and devote himself to literature on the subject of
architecture, home planning, and home decoration. The boy of this type,
who in his youth seems to take a particular interest in horses, cattle,
dogs, and other animals, may not necessarily be best qualified for a stock
breeder or a dairyman. Possibly he should become a veterinarian or even a
physician and surgeon. Or his bent may be in the direction of science, so
that he makes a name as a naturalist.
The first and most important thing for people of this type, and for
parents having children of this type, is to get it firmly fixed in their
minds, once for all, that they are not fitted for hard physical work. The
next important thing, of course, is to secure a broad and complete
education along general lines. If there is any striking and particular
talent along any one line, such an education is more than likely to bring
it out and to cause it to seek further development. In case there is no
such distinct predilection manifested, further and more minute study of
the individual will have to be made in order to determine just what kind
of intellectual work will give him the best opportunities for success and
happiness. Even in the want of such a careful analysis, it is,
nevertheless, true that an individual of this type, who has no marked
inclination toward any one form of mental activity, is always far better
placed, far happier, and far more successful if trained to do any kind of
intellectual work than if left untrained and compelled to try to earn his
own living by the use of his bones and muscles.
CHAPTER V
THE FAT MAN
When we were children and went to the circus, our favorite performer in
the sawdust ring was always the clown, and our favorite clown was the fat
one. In fact, we do not remember ever having seen a clown who was not a
fat man.
Alas! how many were the tribulations of our rotund friend! How he was
buffeted, and paddled, and slapped! How often he tumbled and fell! How
maliciously inanimate objects flew up and hit him in the face! How
constantly his best efforts went for naught, how invariably he was
misunderstood! How great was the glee with which everybody persecuted him
and knocked him about the ring! And yet, notwithstanding all his troubles,
did he win from us a sympathetic sigh or even the fraction of a tear,
except tears of laughter? All his troubles seemed funny to us.
Millions are still laughing at the comic tribulations of dear old John
Bunny, although he has gone beyond the power of things to trouble him. We
have laughed and are still laughing at Thomas Wise. From the days of
Falstaff down to those of the "movies," we have enjoyed laughing at the
plights of a fat man on the stage.
FAT MEN RULE THE WORLD
In real life it is much the same. Every fat man knows that only by unusual
patience, good nature, and friendly tolerance can he live with his
fellows. He is the butt of all jokes; he must smile at a constant patter
of pleasantries about his unusual size. He hears the same old stupid japes
over and over and over again. If he weren't the prince of good fellows and
the best-natured man in the world, it would fare ill for those who torment
him.
As a matter of fact, it may be better for the rest of us than for the fat
man that he is good natured, easy going, genial, fond of a good laugh;
because fat men rule the world. Perhaps that is why it is so funny to us
to see them in trouble. It is one of the foibles of humanity always to
find pleasure in the mishaps of its rulers and superiors. The pranks of
the schoolboy are intended to cause perplexity and distress to his
teacher. This is true of the college youth in his playfulness. The same
human trait manifests itself in a thousand other ways.
The fat man was born to rule. He enjoys the good things of life. He is
fond of luxuries. He has a keenly developed sense of taste, and a nice
discrimination of flavor. He likes to wear good clothing. He likes soft,
upholstered chairs, comfortable beds, a goodly shelter. Like old King Cole
(always pictured in our nursery books with a Garguntian girth), he enjoys
"his pipe and his bowl and his fiddlers three." He is fond of a good joke,
and laughs more heartily than any one else at it. In fact, enjoyment and
pleasure may be said to be the keynote of the typical fat man's
personality. But he is too heavy for physical activity. His feet are too
small for the weight of his body. He does not care for strenuous physical
exercise. It is not his idea of a good time to follow a golf ball all over
a twenty-acre field. He does it only because he thus hopes to reduce his
flesh and enable himself to become once more the romantic figure he was in
his youth. For, while the fat man may be a master of comedy, and while he
may be a ruler of the people, he is not romantic. The big fellows do not
well sustain romantic rôles, except in grand opera, where nearly
everything but the music is illusion and elusive. Our novelists all tell
us that as soon as a man's girth begins to increase, he looks ridiculous
in a fine frenzy. J.M. Barrie makes a very keen point of this in his story
of Tommy and Grizel. It was the increasing size of his waist band that
drove poor Tommy to such extreme measures as to cause his final downfall
and death. His one great aim in life was to be romantic, and when the lady
of his desires giggled about his increasing size it was too much.
Scientific research, philosophy, and the more strenuous and concentrated
forms of mental activity seem to require a certain degree of asceticism in
order to be wholly efficient. We are told that the person who feeds too
well causes his mind to grow rather ponderous in its movements. He is
inclined to fall asleep if he remains quiet and practices severe mental
concentration for too long a time.
HE PLANS WORK FOR OTHERS
If, therefore, the fat man cannot work at physical labor, if he is not
fitted for romance, if he is incapacitated by his love of the good things
of life for severe mental labor, what can he do to fill his purse, supply
his table, clothe his portly person, and surround himself with the
elegancies and luxuries which are so dear to his heart?
Evidently the fat man found out long ago that the eager, active, restless,
energetic, muscular, raw-boned soldier and workman was far more interested
in the exercise of his muscles and in outdoor activity than he was in
securing niceties and luxuries. He also learned that the thinker, the
philosopher, the scientific experimenter, and all who took delight in
mental effort were more deeply interested in their studies, in their
research, in their philosophies, and in their religions than they were in
money, food, clothing, and shelter. So he set about it, with his jovial
personality, his persuasiveness, and keen sense of values, to organize the
thinkers and philosophers under his direction, so that he could take and
use for himself the product of their mental labors. He was perfectly
willing to agree to feed and take care of them, to clothe and shelter
them, in return for what they could give him. They didn't eat much. They
didn't care much for fine clothing. They were perfectly satisfied in very
plain and rather ascetic surroundings. They were, therefore, a rather
inexpensive lot of people for him to keep.
Taking the plans, schemes, inventions, and discoveries from those who
thought them out, the fat man carried them to the muscular fellows, who
were just spoiling for a fight or for some opportunity to exercise their
physical powers. These he organized into armies--to fight, to till the
soil, and to build and manufacture. These armies carried out the ideas the
fat man got for them from the lean and hungry thinkers. They gloried in
hardship. They rather enjoyed roughing it, and took delight in privation.
Therefore, they also were a comparatively easy burden on the hands of the
fat man; who was thus enabled to sit upon a golden throne, in a
comfortable palace, surrounded by all the beauties and luxuries gathered
from the four winds, and enjoy himself while directing the work of both
the intellectual giant and the physical giant.
THE SLENDER SCHOLAR AND THE RUGGED SOLDIER
Kant, Schopenhauer, Hegel, Spencer, Emerson, and Bergson were
philosophers, and were all lean and slender men. Lord Kelvin, Lister,
Darwin, Curie, Francis Bacon, Michelson, Loeb, Burbank, and most of our
other scientists are also of the thin, lean type. Shakespeare, Longfellow,
Holmes, Ruskin, Tindall, Huxley, and a long list of other intellectual and
spiritual writers were men who never put on much flesh. James Watt, Robert
Fulton, Elias Howe, Eli Whitney, S.F.B. Morse, Marconi, Alexander Graham
Bell, the Wright Brothers, and nearly all of our other great inventors
have also been men whose habit was slender. Alexander, Napoleon,
Washington, Grant, Kitchener, and most of our other great soldiers, while
robust, are of the raw-boned, muscular type. They do not belong in the
list of the fat men. The same is true of our great railroad builders, of
Stanley, Peary, Livingston, and other explorers, of De Palma, Oldfield,
Anderson, Cooper, Resta, and our other automobile racing kings. You look
in vain among the aviators for a huge, rotund figure. Spend a week in New
York City looking over subway workers, structural iron workers, guards,
brakemen, motormen, carpenters, bricklayers, truckmen, stevedores, and
boatmen. Go out into the country, look over the farm hands, the gardeners,
the woodsmen, and all who work with their hands in the midst of nature,
and in all the list you will find very few, if any, fat men. Fat men are,
therefore, doing neither the actual intellectual nor the actual physical
work of the world.
THE FAT MAN'S MODERN THRONE
Study butchers, bakers, chefs, provision merchants, and others who deal in
food products. Among them you will find a good many corpulent figures.
They are interested in good things to eat. They know how to handle them.
They know how to purchase them, and they know how to sell them. They are
able to tickle the palate of the lean and hungry scholar, of the robust
and active soldier or worker, and, especially, of men as epicurean as
themselves. They are, therefore, successful in the handling of food
products. Go a little further--study foremen, superintendents, managers,
and presidents of corporations. In many a large upholstered chair, which
represents, in our modern life, the golden throne of the olden days, you
will find a fat man. Here, as of old, they are taking the ideas of the
thinkers and the muscular powers of the workers, and combining the two to
make profit for themselves. At the same time, they are finding for the
thinker a market for his ideas that he himself could never find. Unless
the fat man fed him, the lean man would become so lean that he would
finally die of starvation. The big fellow is also finding a market for the
muscular power, energy, and skill of the worker; a market which the
worker, by himself, could never find.
THE FAT MAN'S VALUABLE SERVICE
Recently we made a study of a large corporation. Amongst other things, we
found it required ten thousand dollars capital to provide the building,
machinery, help, tools, advertising, selling, and other necessities of
that business for every employee on the payroll. It also required unusual
organizing ability and unusual selling ability to gather together the
means for manufacturing the product and getting it into the hands of the
consumer. It also required considerable genius to collect the money for
the product and apply it to the needs of the workers in the form of
payroll. These services of the fat man are often forgotten by those who
work under his direction.
In order that huge industries may be built up and employment secured for
hundreds of thousands of men, large bodies of capital must be gathered
together. This is a work for financiers. Go down into Wall Street, in New
York; La Salle Street, in Chicago; State Street, in Boston, and look over
the financiers there. A considerable number of them are fat men. Because
thinkers and workers cannot appreciate financial value, many of them
complain loudly because the fat man sits in an easy chair and reaps the
profits from their efforts. They restlessly agitate for an economic system
which will yield them all the profits from their ideas and labor. They
want to eliminate the capitalist--to condemn the fat man to a choice
between scholarship or working as they work and starvation. They know
human aptitudes so vaguely that they want to turn the corpulent into farm
hands or philosophers and the great mass of lean and bony into financial
rulers.
There is a prevalent notion among the unthinking that capital takes about
four-fifths of the products of labor's hands and keeps it. A committee of
the American Civic Federation, after three years of careful investigation
in industries employing an aggregate of ten million workers, found that
this idea is based upon the assumption that capital gets and keeps all the
gross income from production except what is paid to labor. It leaves out
of account the cost of raw materials, the upkeep of buildings and
machinery, and miscellaneous expenses. When these are subtracted from
gross income, the committee found, labor receives two-thirds of the
remainder in wages and salaries, capital one-third for interest, upkeep of
capital, and profit.
FINANCIER AND JUDGE
With some exceptions, neither the deep thinker nor the hard physical
worker is capable of handling finances. They are lacking in financial
acumen, due, no doubt, to the fact that the thinker is interested chiefly
in the object of his thought, the worker chiefly in the exercise of his
powerful muscles. Neither of them is sufficiently eager for the good
things of life to have a true and unerring sense of financial values. The
lean man is nervous. He is inclined to be irritable; he probably lacks
patience. Therefore, he is not well qualified to judge impartially. The
active, energetic, restless man is not contented to sit quietly for hours
at a time and listen to the troubles of other people. He must get away, be
out of doors, have something to do to exercise those splendid muscles of
his. Therefore, it is left to the fat man to sit upon the bench, to listen
to tiresome details of the woe of those who have had trouble with one
another. Because he is neither nervous nor irritable; because his mind is
at rest; because he is well fed and well clothed and has no need to be
anxious, he can take time to be impartial and to judge righteous judgment
between his fellowmen. And so you will find fat men on the bench, in
politics, in the halls of legislature, on the police force, and in other
places where they have an opportunity to use their judicial ability.
HOW MISFITS HAPPEN
So unerring is the fat man's judgment of values, as a general rule, that
it is not at all likely that he would ever find himself a misfit were it
not for the fact that many men are lean and slender or muscular and robust
up to the age of 30 or 40, and after that put on flesh rapidly. These men,
therefore, are often deceived in regard to themselves. In the slenderness
of youth, they feel active and are active. In short, they have the
qualities, in these early periods of their life, which we should expect in
men of similar build. They are, therefore, too likely to enter upon
vocations for which they will find themselves unfitted as the years go by
and they put on more flesh. It often happens that men of this class
graduate from the ranks of thinkers or workers into the ranks of managers,
financiers, bankers, and judges, as they put on flesh and become better
and better adapted for that particular kind of work. The only trouble is
that sometimes they are not well enough trained--they do not have
sufficient education for the higher positions. In these cases they remain
misfits. Oftentimes they succeed in getting into positions of
comparatively mediocre executive nature, when they could assume and make a
success of very much higher positions if they had a true knowledge of
their vocations.
A FAT MAN'S SUCCESS
The story of Hon. Alfred L. Cutting, of Weston, Massachusetts, perhaps
illustrates as well as any other in our records the aptitudes and
vocational possibilities of this type. Mr. Cutting comes of good old New
England stock, his ancestors on both sides having settled in Massachusetts
comparatively early in the seventeenth century. His father and his
grandfather before him were merchants, and young Alfred began working in
the parental general store as soon as he had finished school.
As a youth, Mr. Cutting was quite distinctly of the bony and muscular
type, being very active, fond of rowing and fishing, a great lover of
nature and of long tramps through the beautiful hills of eastern
Massachusetts. As he entered manhood, however, he began to put on more
flesh and to take less interest in strenuous outdoor sports. At the same
time, he began to take a hand, in a quiet, modest way, in the town
politics of Weston. While still a comparatively young man, he was elected
a member of the board of selectmen of this town and has held this position
with singular acceptability to his fellow-citizens almost continuously
ever since.
For a number of years, Mr. Cutting was associated with his father and
brother in the general store, but, as time went on, he became ambitious to
enlarge his activities. He, therefore, assisted in the organization of the
New England branch of the Sheldon School, of Chicago, and was its manager
for a number of years. When he first undertook this work, Mr. Cutting had
never made a public speech in his life, and, while he was interested in
politics and ambitious for success along this line, he felt greatly
handicapped by what he considered to be his inability to face an audience
acceptably. It was at about this time that we first formed the
acquaintance of Mr. Cutting and, upon consultation, informed him of his
natural aptitudes and talents. He immediately began a careful study of
public speaking, supplementing this study with actual practice both in
politics and in his capacity as manager of the Sheldon School. In 1908 and
1909 he was a member of the House of Representatives for the State of
Massachusetts, gaining credit for himself as a member of important
committees and rendering to his own constituency unusually faithful and
efficient service.
SUCCESS IN EXECUTIVE CAPACITY
As manager for the Sheldon School, Mr. Cutting selected and trained a
number of salesmen and assistants in the leadership of whom he did
excellent work, he himself delivering lectures before boards of trade,
chambers of commerce, trade conventions, and other such bodies in all
parts of New England. He has since, however, given up this particular line
of work to devote himself to politics, to his civic duties, and to the
management of his growing mercantile business. He is, at present, chairman
of the board of selectmen for the town of Weston, an office which he has
held with distinction for five years. He is also a member of the executive
committee of the Republican Club of Massachusetts. In 1913 he was the
Republican candidate for representative in Congress for the thirteenth
district, at the special election held during that year to fill the
vacancy caused by the promotion of the Hon. John W. Weeks to the United
States Senate. This was the year when the Progressive vote was very large
and the Republican candidate for governor in Massachusetts was thousands
of votes behind the Progressive. Notwithstanding this unusual political
situation, Mr. Cutting, though not elected, led his Progressive opponent
by more than 3,000 votes, and, by his splendid leadership, helped lay the
foundation for the Republican victory in the same district the following
year. At this writing, Mr. Cutting has just won a notable victory at the
polls, having been elected a member of the board of county commissioners
for Middlesex County by a very large plurality. He carried every district
in the county except two, and in nearly every district he ran far ahead of
his ticket.
POLITICAL PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES
Mr. Cutting's ability, however, is by no means fully indicated by the
offices which he has held. He has never been an office seeker, but has
preferred rather to work as a political leader. His great interest in
politics arises, first, from his ardent desire for excellence and
efficiency in the public service. Under his leadership, the town of Weston
has built and maintains more miles of excellent roads, at less cost to the
tax payer, than any other town of its area in the State. Its schools and
other public institutions are similarly efficient and conducted with a
similar degree of economy. Second, Mr. Cutting enjoys politics because he
loves the game. Like all true sportsmen, he plays to win, but is neither
chagrined or cast down if he loses. He is always able to rejoice with the
victor if beaten in a fair fight.
FINANCIAL ACUMEN
Mr. Cutting is one of the organizers of the Metropolitan Bank of Boston,
and a prominent member of its board of directors, thus indicating his
growing interest in financial matters.
The portraits of Mr. Cutting, shown on pages 126 and 127, are well worthy
of study. In them are evident his cheerfulness, his geniality, his
shrewdness, his friendliness, and his honesty of purpose. These are shown
largely in the expression, but also in the full, found development of his
head just above the temples, in his long back head, and in the general
squareness of the head. This squareness, especially in the back, indicates
also his prudence, his tendency to take precautions and, through
foresight, to forestall disaster. The narrowness of the head, just above
the ears, indicates mildness of disposition and an ability to secure his
ends by tact, diplomacy, and intellectual mastery rather than by open
combat and belligerency. The fulness of the eyes indicates Mr. Cutting's
command of language, and the broad, square chin his determination and
deliberation; the long line from the point of the chin to the crown of the
head, his love of authority and his ability to lead and to rule.
INDICATIONS OF APPROACHING STOUTNESS
The man of slender build who has indications clearly marked and easily
recognizable of approaching stoutness should prepare himself for
executive, financial, judicial, or merchandising work. He should study
law, economics, finance, banking, politics, political economy, public
speaking and other such branches. If he has the ability to write, he
should prepare himself to write on financial or political subjects. Many
of our most noted political writers are fat men. Such writers as Alfred G.
Lewis, Samuel G. Blythe, and others are good examples of this type.
Indications of approaching stoutness are not difficult to detect. Heredity
has a powerful influence. The young man who resembles his father in facial
appearance and coloring, will probably grow stout if his father is a fat
man. When the face inclines to be round, the cheeks rather full, and the
lips full, there is a fair probability that the individual will take on
flesh. A concave form of face is also another good indication. The concave
face is shown in Figure 31. It will be seen that it is prominent at the
point of the chin, and not so prominent at the mouth, and prominent at the
top of the forehead, near the hair line, and not so prominent at the
brows. The nose, also, is inclined to be sway backed. Another indication
which should have a bearing in the choice of a vocation is the thickness
of the neck, especially, at the back, and a fulness of the back head, at
the base of the brain. Such fulness is shown in Figure 16.
Wideness of the head, in comparison with length and height, is also
another indication that the individual may put on flesh as he grows
older. The man or woman who has a majority of these indications will do
well to prepare himself or herself for a position of command.
The world is a richer, pleasanter, better fed, better clothed, and happier
place because of its fat men. It is true, they enjoy the good things of
life themselves, but, as a general rule, they also like to see others
enjoy them, and well deserve the rich rewards they reap. We are glad that
so few of them are ever poor and hungry.
[Illustration: FIG. 17. Beaumont, Aviator. His square jaw, strong
chin, large nose, large ear, convex profile, and alert, keen expression
all indicate activity, energy, love of motion, desire for speed, and
physical courage.]
[Illustration: Photo by Paul Thompson. N.
FIG. 18. The late Lincoln Beachy, Aviator. A man of consummate physical
courage and coolness. Note long lines of face and unusually long,
prominent chin.]
[Illustration: _Copyright by Harris & Ewing_.
FIG. 19. Col. George W. Goethals, Builder of the Panama Canal and Governor
of Canal Zone. Of the intellectual but bony and muscular type. Short,
stocky, enduring, and resistant. Finer and kindlier than FIG. 20 or FIG.
21, as shown by texture and expression, but firm, dogged, and just. A
natural-born executive for construction or mechanical work. Note firm
mouth and chin, with slight droop at corners, showing determination and
self-control.]
[Illustration: _Copyright American Press Association_.
FIG. 20. Field Marshal von Hindenberg, of the German Army. A splendid
example of the bony, muscular type. Unusually determined, persistent,
enduring, and resistant. Prudent, far-sighted, dogged, unsentimental,
capable of enduring great hardship. Note short, stocky build; big, square
chin and jaw; long, square head; relentless expression of mouth and eyes;
coarse texture, and big, heavy-tipped nose. A great executive, especially
as a relentless driver and rigid disciplinarian.]
[Illustration: _Copyright American Press Association_.
FIG. 21. Rear Admiral Frank E. Beatty, of the American Navy. A fine
example of the bony and muscular type. Rugged and enduring, keen, alert,
and resourceful. Finer and kindlier than von Hindenberg, but not quite so
fine, intellectual and kindly as Goethals. Just and determined as an
executive, of which he is an excellent type. Note finer texture and more
genial expression.]
[Illustration: FIG. 22. William Lloyd Garrison, the Great Abolitionist. A
man of the bony and muscular type, with the passion of his type for
freedom. A man of high ideals, great courage, determination, and
perseverance. Note large, well-formed features; forehead prominent at
brows; long upper lip, and high, spirited expression. Such a man cannot be
overlooked.]
[Illustration: _Photo by Pach, N.Y._
FIG. 23. Samuel Rea, Railroad Builder and Executive. Very alert, keen,
practical, matter-of-fact, hard-headed; a good observer, a quick thinker.
Very decisive, determined, and persistent. Understands construction,
mechanics, and operation. Note well-developed brows; moderately low,
square forehead; height of crown; width of head; large, well-formed nose,
mouth, chin, jaw, and ears, and keen, but calm, self-possessed
expression.]
[Illustration: FIG. 24. Lon Wescott Beck, the Sign Poster of Death
Valley. An out-of-doors man. Loves grandeur of scenery, wide spaces. Note
long, square, prominent chin; long lines of face; width between eyes, and
width at top of head.]
CHAPTER VI
THE MAN OF BONE AND MUSCLE
Consider the record of the man of action.
He built the pyramids and temples of Egypt, raised up the monuments and
artistic triumphs of Greece, fared forth across the plains of Arabia and
the deserts of Africa on horses and camels before the dawn of history. He
wore the coat of mail of the Roman legion; he penetrated through the
northernmost forest of Europe; he pioneered in barbarous England.
Thousands of years ago he built ships and sailed them, and, finally, drove
them across the sea. Thus he found two new continents. In America, he cut
down forests, built roads, established industry, fought battles for
freedom, invented and built steamships, telephones, telegraphs, cotton
gins, aeroplanes, railroads, submarines thousands of electric light and
power stations, and millions of shops and factories. He explored darkest
Africa; found both the North and the South Poles. This man drives his
steamships at thirty knots an hour, his locomotives at 70 miles an hour,
his automobiles at 100, and his aeroplanes at 120. He is setting higher
and yet higher records for running, leaping, swimming, rowing, throwing
weights, and driving horses. He has organized great athletic contests,
baseball leagues, tennis associations, golf clubs, and other organizations
for the promotion of physical activity. The man of bone and muscle has
climbed to the peaks of all the mountains of the world; has dug down into
the depths of the earth after her treasures of gold and silver and the
baser metals, precious stones, and other products of the mines. This man
tills the fields, manufactures all fabricated products, and carries goods
to the ends of the earth. This active type mans navies, fills the ranks of
armies, erects great buildings, and cut through the backbone of a
continent.
ACTIVITY AND SPEED
This man loves motion. He is not satisfied with slow, languid motion, but
demands speed, greater and ever greater speed. And so his horses, his
locomotives, the machines in his factory, his automobiles, his aeroplanes,
his motor-cycles, his farm implements, his ocean liners, his motor boats,
are being constantly studied, constantly improved, and constantly raised
to higher and higher performances in speed of production, speed of
transportation, speed of accomplishment.
This man not only demands speed, but he demands space. The man who can
travel at a hundred miles an hour needs many hundred miles in which to
travel. This is why nearly all of his activities are in the big
out-of-doors; this is why he is constantly exploring and pioneering in
order to extend his boundaries. He has a craving for more space in which
to breathe, more scope of action.
This ardent and irrepressible desire for physical freedom, for physical
liberty of action, also leads to the desire for political and economical
freedom. All of our great liberators, from Moses down to Lincoln, have
been men of this active, muscular, bony, type. Because they desire freedom
for themselves, they want freedom for everyone else. They often go to
extremes and strive to secure freedom for those who have no use for it,
who do not care for it after it is won for them, and who only abuse it
when they should enjoy its blessings.
THE MAN OF MUSCLE GROWS A BRAIN
In the early days of the race, the man of this type had little
intelligence. He was supposed to be, principally, bone and muscle with no
brain. He did the physical work which was assigned to him and other men
did the thinking, the planning, and the directing. But, as the race has
increased in intelligence, the man of bone and muscle has developed a
brain. Manual skill, educators tell us, is one of the best of all means
for gaining knowledge and increasing intelligence. So now the muscular man
can think, now he can plan, now, especially, does he manifest his
thinking, planning and constructive ability along lines for increasing
speed, getting more out of machinery, buildings, inventions, manufacture,
agriculture, horticulture, transportation. In all these lines the man of
action is also a man of thought. This is well; this is an improvement, and
our active, hustling, pioneer type of man is happier, more efficient, more
prosperous in his intelligent state than he was in his purely physical
state. But here, also, he gets into trouble. So long as his mental
activity is accompanied by considerable physical activity, his health is
good, he is satisfied, he enjoys his work and he is successful in it. But
the time comes when the work to be done by brain becomes so important that
many men of this type give up physical activity entirely and devote all of
their time to mental work.
THE ACTIVE MAN'S DILEMMA
Strange that we have not learned that any faculty possessed must be
exercised or the possessor surely falls into evil ways. Strange that we
have not seen that the man who explores the unknown world in mighty
pioneering work, who frees it from oppression, who carries on its
tremendous physical and industrial development, could never be satisfied
if imprisoned within the four walls of an office. Thus hampered and
confined, unless he finds expression for his speed mania, he grows
irritable, ill, nervous, depressed. He troops, by the thousand, into the
consulting rooms of the physician and surgeon. And always and always is
the same prescription given: "You must get away from your work; you must
get out into the open; you must get plenty of outdoor exercise."
Exercise, exercise, exercise, has become the slogan. Magazines are devoted
to it. Whole libraries of books are published showing the relationship
between exercise and health. Sanitariums multiply whose principal means of
cure are located in the gymnasium, in the garden, in the woods, at the
wood pile, and on the farm. Fortunes have been made in the manufacture of
the equipment for exercise: Indian clubs, dumb bells, and whole shiploads
of so-called sporting goods, the object of all of which is to enable the
active man to get some relief from the ache of his muscles or nerves due
to lack of exercise.
EXERCISE FOR EXERCISE'S SAKE DULL
But the man of muscle is, as we have said, frequently a man of brains. He
has common sense; he has a desire for accomplishment and achievement. To
such a man, the mere pulling of cords, or the swinging about of his arms
and legs, the bending of his back, just for the sake of exercise, seems a
trifle stupid.
Very few men of this type ever keep up exercise for exercise's sake for
any very long period of time. They read in some magazine about the
benefits of exercise. Perhaps, on account of some trouble, they go to
their physicians, and exercise is prescribed. So, with a great show of
resolution and not a little feeling of martyrdom, they buy a pair of
Indian clubs, or wall exercisers, or a weight machine, or, perhaps, merely
buy a book of "exercises without apparatus," and make up their minds to
take their exercises regularly every morning. At first they attack the
task with great enthusiasm--but it is still a task. Perhaps marked
improvement is shown. They feel much better. They push out their chests
and tell their friends how they get up, take a cold bath every morning,
and then take ten or fifteen or twenty minutes of rapid calisthenics. In a
righteous glow, they relate how it shakes them up and makes their blood
course through their veins; how they breathe deeply; how the process
clears out their heads; and how much better they feel They wind up: "You
ought to do it, too, old man; it would make you young again."
By and by, however, to stand gazing blankly at the wall of a bathroom, or
out of the window of a bed-chamber, and put your arms up five times and
then straight forward five times, then repeat five times, etc., etc.,
grows dull. You lose interest You hate the task--you revolt. Even if, by
power of will, you keep it up, you do so under protest. It is a physical
truth that that which is disagreeable is also physically harmful. In order
to be wholesomely nourishing, food must taste good. The same is true in
regard to exercise. There is no very great benefit in exercise which is
drudgery.
WHEN GAMES PALL
To take the "task" element out of exercise, many kinds of games have been
invented--some indoor, some outdoor, some for men of little activity, some
of great strenuousness and even danger. But it requires a particular type
of man or woman to take interest in a game, to play it well and
profitably, as a form of exercise. To enter into a game whole-heartedly,
one must have a keen zest for combat. The man who plays purely for the
sport, and not to win, doesn't win. And the man who doesn't win, loses
interest. Not all men, not even all active men, have this desire to win.
To them a game soon becomes dull--nearly as dull as any other form of
exercise. They do not see that they are any further ahead in anything
worth while simply because they have knocked a golf ball about more
skilfully--or luckily--than some other fellow, or pulled a little stronger
oar than their opponents. There are plenty of men to whom it is
humiliating to be beaten, who are not good losers, and because they are
not good losers they are not very often winners. Such men do not really
enjoy games at all, and, as a general rule, do not play them with
enthusiasm and persistence.
For those, then, who do not enjoy calisthenics of any kind, who take very
little interest in games and contests, there remain, for exercise,
gardening, farming, carpentry, forestry, hunting, fishing, mountain
climbing, and other such forms of physical activity. All of these,
however, require considerable leisure, and some financial investment. They
are out of the reach of many of those in lower clerkships and other such
employment. These men, by the thousands, work in offices which are,
perhaps, not as well ventilated as they should be, under artificial light.
They travel to and from their work in crowded street cars and subways, and
live in little dark, narrow flats and apartments, with one window opening
out on sunlight and fresh air, and all other windows opening on courts
and so-called light and air-shafts. Golf, tennis, baseball, rowing, etc.,
are good forms of exercise for these men--but few of them care for games.
Gardening, forestry, carpenter work, mountain climbing, hunting, or
fishing are out of the question in a city flat. So the majority jump up in
the morning, hurry on their clothes, snatch a bite of breakfast, run for a
car, get to work, burrow in the warrens of industry until lunch time, rush
out, snatch a sandwich and a cup of coffee at some lunch counter, and back
to work again until dinner time. Another dive into the bowels of the earth
in the subway, home to the little flat, dinner at seven o'clock or even
later, and then the short evening. This little time from eight o'clock
until ten at night is practically the only time the worker has for
himself, except for holidays and his annual two weeks' vacation. How shall
he get sufficient physical exercise during that time to satisfy all his
needs? If he is so constituted that he enjoys such things, he may go to a
gymnasium or to a bowling alley, but he is just as likely to go to a pool
room or to a dance hall. Of course, it is far better for him to play pool
or to dance than to sit quietly at home, as many do.
SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM
This whole question is a serious one. Even those who have the time, the
means, the opportunity, and the inclination find themselves confronted
with problems. Even with all of their opportunities, most of them do not
get enough outdoor physical activity. And so they fret, they fume, they
beat their wings against the bars, they are unhappy, dissatisfied, and
therefore, oftentimes inefficient and unsuccessful. Even when they are
successful, they have fallen far below what they might have accomplished
had they been engaged in some vocation which would have given them not
only physical activity out of doors, but _some intense vital interest_ in
the _result_ of that activity. In other words, their vocation should
supply them with the necessary physical exercise as part of the day's
work. They should see themselves advancing, making money, achieving
something worth while, creating something beautiful or useful, making a
career for themselves, instead of merely playing or exercising for the
sake of exercise. Then they would be happier. Then they would be better
satisfied with their lot. They would be more efficient and far more
successful.
Current literature abounds in true stories of those who have gone forward
to the land and have found help, happiness, and success in the cultivation
of the soil. This one has redeemed an abandoned farm in New England. That
one has taken a small ten-acre farm in southern California. Another has
carved out health, happiness, and a fair degree of fortune for himself on
the plains of Washington or Idaho, or among the hills of Oregon. Old
southern plantations have been rehabilitated at the same time with their
new owners or tenants.
ONE MAN'S "WAY OUT"
Near Gardiner, Maine, is a little forty-five acre poultry and fruit farm
which pays its happy owner $3,800 a year clear of all expense. Seven years
ago this farm was abandoned by its former owners, who could not make it
pay. Five years ago it was purchased by its present owner for a song--and
only a half-line of the song was sung at the time. He was a clerk who had
lived the little-flat-dark-office-and-subway life until tuberculosis had
removed him from his job and threatened his life. Farm work--on his own
farm--proved to be a game at which he could play with zest and success.
The stakes were a life and a living--and he has won. We--and you, too, no
doubt--could multiply narratives from observation and experience, to say
nothing of reading.
A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITY
All these experiences and the reports of them are both a part of and a
stimulus to the "back to the land movement." This movement has its
mainspring in two plain economic facts, namely: first, clerical and other
indoor vocations have become overcrowded; second, while crops grow bigger
year by year, the number of mouths to feed multiplies even faster, and
unless more land is tilled and all land cultivated more intensively, we
shall eat less and less, as a race, and pay more and more for what we eat.
Here is opportunity for the men of bone and muscle--opportunity for
health, prosperity, usefulness to humanity, enjoyment and happiness. Other
opportunities lie in the conservation of our forests and the planting and
development of new timber lands; in the building up of new industries for
manufacturing our raw materials; in restoring the American flag to the
seas of the world; in extending our foreign trade; in opening and
operating inland waterways; in irrigating or draining our millions of
square miles of land now lying idle; in the development of Alaska, and the
harnessing of our great mines of "white coal"--water-power.
Our foreign trade requires men of this type to travel in all parts of the
world as commercial ambassadors, diligently collecting, compiling, and
sending back to the United States information necessary in manufacturing
goods for foreign consumption; also information regarding credits, prices,
shipping, packing--in short, complete and detailed knowledge about
commerce with foreign lands, how to secure it and how to hold it.
The world's greatest opportunities to-day, perhaps, lie within the grasp
of the men of this active type. Instead of pioneering in exploration, as
in former years, they are needed to pioneer in production. From the
earliest history of the race, these restless men have been faring westward
and ever westward, adding to the wealth and resources of humanity by
opening up new lands. But the crest of the westward moving tide has now
circumnavigated the globe, and the Far West meets the Far East on the
Pacific Ocean. Here and there are comparatively small, neglected tracts of
land still to be developed, but there are no longer great new empires, as
in former days. The great welling sources of human life have not ceased to
flow, even though the final boundaries of its spread have been reached.
Population will continue to grow and its demands upon the resources of the
earth to increase. The man who discovers a way to make a hundred bushels
of wheat grow on an acre of land where only twenty-five bushels grew
before is as great a benefactor of the race as the discoverer of a
continent. The invention of the electric light, the telephone, the
automobile, the trolley car, and the aeroplane have added as much to the
products and power of the race as the pioneering of thousands of square
miles of fertile hills and plains. The man who can find a cheap and easy
way to capture and hold nitrogen from the air will add more to the wealth
of the race than all the discoverers of all the gold mines.
America needs to find efficient and profitable methods for manufacturing
her own raw materials. Up to the present time, our exports have been coal,
petroleum, steel rails, wheat, corn, oats, lumber, and other products
which carry out of the country the riches of our soil. We have been
exporting raw materials to foreign lands, where they have been refined and
fabricated by brain and hand and returned to us at some five hundred to a
thousand times the price we received for them. With the increase of
population, we need to capitalize more and more the intelligence and skill
of our people, and less and less the virgin resources of our lands. Ore
beds, coal measures, copper, lead, gold and silver mines, forests, oil
wells, and the fertility of our soils can all become exhausted. But the
skill of our hands and the power of our intellects grow and increase and
yield larger and larger returns the more they are called upon to produce.
The man of bone and muscle--the restless, active, pioneering, constructing
man--would do well to consider these things before determining upon his
vocation, and especially before entering upon any kind of non-productive
work. The world has need of his particular talents and he should find his
greatest happiness and greatest success in the exercise of them in
response to that need.
We have seen so many men of this active type so badly placed that
individual examples seem almost too commonplace for citation. Yet, a few
may be instructive and encouraging.
William Carleton's remarkable story, entitled "Rediscovering America,"
is, in fact, the story of a man who was a middle-aged failure in a
clerical position, and who afterward made a remarkable success of his life
by taking up contracting and building. James Cook, a misfit as a grocer,
afterward became famous as a naval officer and explorer. Henry M. Stanley,
office boy to a cotton broker and merchant, afterward won immortal fame as
a newspaper correspondent and explorer. What would have become of Theodore
Roosevelt had he followed the usual line of occupation of a man in his
position and entered a law office instead of becoming a rancher? We might
add other experiences of similar importance from the biographies of other
great men.
DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVE TYPE
The active type of man is, of course, easily recognized. He has broad,
square shoulders, and is well muscled. He is either of the wiry, elastic,
exceedingly energetic type, with muscles like steel springs and sinews
like steel wire--very agile, very skillful, very quick, and somewhat jerky
in his movements--or he is tall, raw-boned, strong, enduring, graceful,
easy in his movements rather than quick, and yet with considerable manual
skill. Or he may be of the short, stocky type, with broad shoulders, short
neck, short arms, short legs, with big, round muscles and an immense
capacity for endurance. The railroads of the early days, in this country,
were built by Irishmen. They were either the large, raw-boned type or the
quick, agile, wiry type. The railroads, subways, and other construction
work of to-day are built mostly by Italians, Hungarians, Greeks, and
others from the south of Europe. These men are of short, stocky, sturdy,
and enduring build. As a general rule, they are far better fitted for this
class of work than the tall or medium-sized, large-boned or wiry type. As
an evidence of this, take notice of the fact that the Irishmen who built
the railroads in the sixties own and manage them to-day.
These active men usually have square faces. That is to say, there is a
good development of the outer corners of the lower jaw, which gives to the
face a square appearance. Oftentimes their cheek bones are both high and
wide. As a general rule, they have large aquiline or Roman noses. When
they are of the enduring type and capable of long-sustained muscular
activity, they have prominent chins. Their hands are square. Their feet
are large. If they have mechanical and constructive ability, as most of
them have, their foreheads are comparatively high and wide just above the
temple. Professional baseball players, professional dancers, middle-weight
and light-weight prize-fighters, most aviators, automobile racers, and
athletes belong to the wiry, springy, medium-sized type of this particular
class of men. U.S. Grant, Robert E. Peary, Henry M. Stanley, Ty Cobb and
Ralph DePalma belong to this type. Abraham Lincoln, W.E. Gladstone, Joseph
G. Cannon, William G. McAdoo, Woodrow Wilson, and other men of this build
belong to the raw-boned type. Napoleon Bonaparte, with his tremendous
activities on only four hours' sleep a day, is a good example of the
short, stocky type. While men of these types may make brilliant successes
in purely mental vocations, as the result of the development of their
intellects, and may keep themselves in a fair degree of health and
strength by games, exercise, mountain climbing, farming, or some such
avocation, they are, nevertheless, never quite so well satisfied as when
they have something to do which not only gives them opportunity for the
use of their intellects, but also involves a certain degree of physical
activity as a part of their regular work.
CHAPTER VII
SLAVES OF MACHINERY
To multitudes of men and women the lure of levers, cranks, wheels and
pinions is as seductive, as insidious, as heavenly in its promises, and as
hellish in its performances, as the opium habit. The craving for opium,
however, is an acquired taste, while the passion for machinery is born in
thousands. We have seen children, while yet in their baby-cabs, fascinated
by automobiles, sewing machines, and even little mechanical toys. We knew
a boy on a farm who built a fairly workable miniature threshing machine
with his own hands before he was old enough to speak the name of it in
anything but baby-talk. We have seen boys work in the broiling sun day
after day hoeing potatoes, pulling weeds, gathering crops, and doing other
hard jobs for small pay, carefully saving every penny to buy a toy steam
engine.
Parents usually look upon these evidences of mechanical ability with
pleasure. They regard them as sure indications of the vocation of the
child and oftentimes do everything in their power to encourage him in
these lines. They little realize, however, the supreme danger which
attaches to this very manifestation. Nor have they looked far enough ahead
to see what is, in so many cases, the lamentable result.
THE RESTLESS "MACHINE CRAZY" BOY
The boy of this type hates to sit quietly on a hard bench in a school and
study books. Some of the boys who went to school with us had imitation
levers and valve-handles fastened about their desks in an ingenious way,
and instead of studying, pretended that they were locomotive engineers.
With a careful eye upon the teacher, who was his semaphore, such a boy
would work the reverse lever, open and close the throttle, apply and
disengage the brakes, test the lubrication, and otherwise go through the
motions of running a locomotive with great seriousness and huge enjoyment.
These boys usually have considerable trouble with their teachers. They do
not like grammar, frequently do not care for geography and history. They
flounder dolefully in these studies and are in a state of more or less
continual rebellion and disgrace. Because of their intense activity and
restlessness, they irritate the teacher. She wants quiet in the
school-room. Their surreptitious playing, rapping and tapping on desks,
and other evidences of dammed-up energy and desire for more freedom and
more scope of action, interferes with the desired sanctity of silence.
Outside of school hours and during the long vacation, the fatal
fascination of machinery draws these young people to factories, railroad
yards, machine shops, and other places where they may indulge their fancy
and craving for mechanical motion. The boy who hangs around a machine shop
or railroad yard is always pressed into voluntary and delighted service by
those who work there. In a small town in Wisconsin we once knew a boy who
worked willingly and at the hardest kind of labor in a railroad yard for
years, voluntarily and without a cent of pay. In time he was entrusted
with a small responsibility and given a small salary. Even if the boy does
not begin in this way, the result is substantially the same. He may take
the bit in his teeth, leave school and go to work at some trade which will
give at least temporary satisfaction for his mechanical craving, or he
may, through economic necessity, be forced out of school and naturally
gravitate into a machine shop or factory. Oftentimes a few dollars a week
is a very welcome addition to the family income. To the boy himself,
three, four, five or six dollars a week seems like a fortune. Neither the
parents nor the boy look ahead. Neither of them sees that when the little
salary has increased to fifteen, sixteen, eighteen or twenty-five dollars
a week, the boy will have reached the zenith of his possibilities. There
will then be no further advancement, unless, during his apprenticeship and
journeymanship, or previously to them, he has secured mental training
which will enable him to go higher, hold more responsible positions and
earn larger pay.
"MAN OR MACHINE--WHICH?"
In former days, the boy who left school and took up employment in a
factory learned a trade. He became a shoe-maker, or a harness-maker, or a
wheelwright, or a gun-maker. To-day, however, the work on all of these
articles has been so subdivided that the boy perhaps becomes stranded in
front of a machine which does nothing but punch out the covers for tin
cans, or cut pieces of leather for the heels of shoes, or some other finer
operation in manufacture. Once he has mastered the comparatively simple
method of operating his particular machine, the boy is likely to remain
there for all time. His employer--perhaps short-sighted--has no desire to
advance him, because this would mean breaking in another boy to handle his
machine. Also, it would mean paying more money.
Al Priddy, in his illuminating book, "Man or Machine--Which?"[9] thus
describes the case of the slave to the machine:
[Footnote 9: The Pilgrim Press, Boston.]
"The workingman has been taught that his chief asset is skill. It has been
his stocks, his bonds, the pride of his life. Poor as to purse and
impoverished in his household; his cupboard bare, his last penny spent on
a bread crust, he is not humbled; no, he merely stretches out his ten
fingers and two callous palms, exactly as a proud king extends his
diamond-tipped sceptre, to show you that which upholds him in his
birthright. 'My skill is my portion given to the world,' he says. 'I shall
not want. See, I am without a penny. I touch this bar of steel, and it
becomes a scissors blade. My skill did it. I take this stick of oak and it
becomes a chair rung. My skill is the grandest magic on earth, the common
magic of every day. By it I live and because of it I hold my head royal
high.'
"But the machine now attacks and displaces this skill. The cunning of
trained fingers is transferred to cranks, cogs and belts. The trade
secrets are objectified in mechanical form; able to mix the product,
compound the chemicals, or make the notch at the right place.
"Besides this loss of skill, the workman loses, in the grind of the
machine, his sense of the value of his work. Next to his pride of skill
the workman has always been proud to be the connoisseur: stand back near
the light with his product on his upraised hand, showing to all passers-by
what he has done. Perhaps it was a red morocco slipper for a dancer, or a
pearl button to go on the cloak of a little child, or maybe it was a
horseshoe to go on the mayor's carriage horse. On a day a party of
visitors would come to the little shop and the owner would pick up a
hand-forged hammer and say, 'See what John made!' But, in our modern
industry, no one man ever completes a task. Each task is subdivided into
twenty, forty, a hundred or more portions, and a workingman is given just
one to work on, day by day, year after year, for a working generation.
"After the time has come when the workman can find no distinct esthetic
pleasure in his work, his loyalty to his employers suffers a shock.
"Then, when this indifference or disloyalty is full grown, the employer
has full on him acute and formidable labor diseases. The man who should
stand at his shoulder faces him, instead, with a hostile poise. The mill
full of people over whom he holds power, upon whom he depends for his
success, and who, in turn, depend upon his initiative and capital for
their bread and butter, is turned into an armed camp of plotting enemies,
who, while they work, grumble, and who, while they receive their wages,
scheme for the overthrow of the entire concern! His mills, instead of
being shelters for his brothers and sisters, are nests of scratching
eagles--ready to rend and claw!
"It is further given out that the machine robs man of his industrial
initiative; that the complicated and specialized machine decreases his
mental alertness. In addition to his skill and his appreciation of his
product, the workman has ever prized the appeal his labor has made to his
individual intelligence. His work has brought thinking power with it. His
day's task has included the excitement of invention and adventure. In the
heat and burden of the week has come that thrilling moment when his mind
has discovered the fact that a variation in method means a simplification
of his task. Or, in the monotonous on-going of his labor, he has suddenly
realized that by sheer brain power he has accomplished a third more work
than his neighbor. He has counted such results compliments to his
initiative, to his thinking power. They have brought a reward three times
more satisfying than a mere increase in wage, for, in his eyes, they have
been substantial testimonies to the freedom of his mind, something which
every reasonable person puts higher than any king's ransom. But the coming
of the machine deadens the workman's inclination toward inventive
adventure.
"So the multitude of men and women stand before the cunning machinery of
industry, in the pose of helplessness before a mechanical finality. They
cannot help feeling that in so far as their special task is involved, the
machine has said the last word. The challenge dies out of their work. The
brain that has ever been on the quiver of adventurous expectancy relaxes
its tension, and the workman moodily or indifferently lets his machine do
its perfect work, while his undisciplined, unchallenged thoughts wander
freely over external, social, or domestic concerns. It may give an
indolent, unambitious, selfish type of employee a certain amount of
satisfaction to know that the machine frees his mind of initiative, but to
the considerate workman it is a day of tragedy when his brain power
receives no challenge from his work, and that day has dawned in the minds
of millions of men who throng our industries.
"So, then, when this machine-robber, without heart or conscience, makes of
little repute the workman's most shining glory--skill; steals rudely from
him the esthetic pleasure in his product, and leaves him mentally crippled
before his work, how little force has that honored appeal, 'The dignity of
labor'! Talk as we will, in this machine-ridden time, the 'dignity of
labor' is but a skeleton of its former robust self. Take away the king's
throne, the courtier's carpet, the royal prerogative, and then speak about
'The Divine Right'! All that 'dignity of labor' can mean in these days is
simply that it is more dignified for a man to earn a wage than it is to be
a doorway loafer. The workingman's throne--skill--has gone. His
prerogative--skill--has been taken away. The items that have formerly
given dignity to labor have been largely displaced, so far as we have
adventured, by the machine, and the future holds out no other hope than
this, that machines shall more and more increase. There is little
'dignity' in a task that a man does which may be equally well done by his
fourteen-year-old boy or girl. There is little 'dignity' in a task which
less and less depends upon independent knowledge."
But must these workers remain always slaves of machine? Is there no escape
for them? Is there no "underground railroad" by which they may win their
way to freedom?
Here is what Al Priddy has to say about it:
"The most convincing way in which man may master the machine is when he
invents a new and better one, or improves an old one. This is the real
triumph of mind over matter, of skill over machinery.
"With all its arrogance among us, machinery is always final in itself;
incapable of change; incapable of progression or retrogression. Till the
clouds fade from the sky, or the earth cracks, a machine will remain the
same from the day of its creation until the day of its last whirl--unless
man says the word to change it. Once started on its mission, there is
nothing in the world can change the motion and purpose of a machine save
man's mind. So, then, whatever relation man might have toward a machine,
this stands sure: he will ever be able to stand before it and say: 'I am
thy master. I can change thee, make thee better or worse. I made thee. I
can unmake thee. If thou dost accomplish such mighty works, more honor to
the mind which conceived thee!"
"But it is suddenly discovered by an industrial diagnosis that the
machine has never been properly operated, even by the most skilled
operators. It has been proved that 'there is more science in the most
"unskilled" task than the man who performs it is capable of
understanding.' This dictum of Mr. Taylor, a practical experimenter, has
been dramatically proved in many directions. In the task of the sand
shoveler, or the iron lifter, for instance, it was proved that by
scientifically undertaking such work, fifty selected men, properly
drilled, scientifically rested, intelligently manoeuvred, could accomplish
a third more than one hundred ill selected and improperly managed men, in
less time and under a larger salary. It is suddenly found that, contrary
to theory, a machine, to be economically operated, leaves open man's
chance for skill and does not rob him of it."
Perhaps a few cases taken from our records will indicate how men of this
kind are able to come up from slavery and take successful places in their
true vocations.
FROM BOILER-ROOM TO CHIEF ENGINEER'S OFFICE
G---- manifested very early indications of the lure of machinery for him.
While yet in his cradle, he would play contentedly for hours with a little
pulley or other mechanical trifle. Before he was able to walk, he could
drive nails with a hammer sturdily and with more precision than many
adults. This also was one of his favorite amusements, and it was necessary
to keep him provided with lumber, lest he fill the furniture with nails.
As he grew older he became more and more interested in machinery and
mechanical things. He took to pieces the family clock and put it together
again. He nearly always had the sewing machine partly dismantled, but
could always put it together again, and it usually ran better after he had
finished his work. He built water-wheels, wind-mills, and other mechanical
toys. When he was about fourteen years old he built a steam engine. He
used a bicycle pump for the cylinder and pieces of an old sewing machine,
a discarded wringer, some brass wires, and other odds and ends for the
rest of the parts. So perfect mechanically was this product that when
steam was turned on it ran smoothly, and with very little noise, at the
rate of three thousand revolutions a minute. In this engine he employed a
form of valve motion which he had never seen, and which had never been
used before. While not particularly efficient, and therefore not a
valuable invention, it at least showed his ability to adapt means to ends
mechanically.
After G---- began earning money for himself by mechanical and electrical
work, he would go without luxuries, food and clothing, tramping to the
shop almost barefoot one entire winter, for the sake of buying tools and
equipment to carry on his mechanical experiments. It is not surprising,
therefore, that he left school at an early age to engage in actual work in
railroad shops. He afterward secured a position as a locomotive fireman.
Circumstances arose which made it necessary for him to give up
railroading. He secured a position as fireman on a stationary engine.
A HARD FIGHT FOR AN EDUCATION
It was while he was engaged in this kind of work that the suggestion was
made to him that he ought not to try to go through life with only the
rudiments of an education. It was pointed out that, while he had undoubted
mechanical and inventive ability, he would have small opportunity to use
it unless he also had the necessary technical and scientific knowledge to
go with it. At first his interest in mechanics was so intense and his
interest in school in general so comparatively slight, that he did not
look with very much favor upon the suggestion. However, as time went on
and he saw more and more of the results of such action as he was
contemplating, he became more and more interested in completing his
education. He therefore entered a good preparatory school and, with some
little assistance from relatives, worked his way through by doing
electrical and mechanical work about the little college town. In this kind
of work he soon became well known and was in constant requisition.
Occasionally his ingenuity and resourcefulness enabled him to do
successfully work which had puzzled and baffled even those who were
called experts. Having finished his preparatory course, he began a course
in mechanical and electrical engineering in one of the best known of our
universities. About this time practically all assistance from relatives
had been withdrawn, owing to changed circumstances, and he was left almost
entirely dependent upon his own efforts. The story of his struggles would
fill a volume. Oftentimes he was almost entirely without food. There was
one month during which he was unable to collect money due him for work
done. Because he was a poor university student he had no credit. So he
lived the entire month on $1.25. He thus explains how it was done:
LIVING A MONTH ON $1.25
"After visiting all of my clients trying to collect money, I came to the
conclusion that it would be useless to expect anything to come in to me
for at least thirty days. At this time I had $1.25 in my pocket. My room I
had paid for in advance by doing a piece of work for my landlord. I also
had about a cord of good oak wood which I had sawed and split and piled in
the hallway under the stairs. I had a little sheet-iron stove which I used
for both heating and cooking. I sat down and carefully figured out how I
could make my $1.25 feed me until I could collect the money due.
Twenty-five cents purchased three quarts of strained honey from a
bee-keeper friend of mine. The dollar I invested in hominy. Every morning,
when I first got up and built the fire, I put on a double boiler with as
much hominy as would cook in it. While it was cooking I sat down and
studied hard on my calculus. By the time I had got a pretty good hold of
the pot-hooks and the bird-tracks in the calculus lesson, the hominy would
be ready to eat. Hominy and honey is not a bad breakfast. While perhaps
you would like some variety, it is also fairly edible for lunch. If you
are very, very hungry, as a growing boy ought to be, and have been hard at
work putting up bell wires and arranging batteries, doubtless you would
rather eat hominy and honey for dinner than go without. The next morning
the combination doesn't taste quite so good, and by lunch time you are
beginning to wonder whether hominy and honey will satisfy all your
cravings. In the evening, however, you are quite sure that, in the absence
of anything else, you will have to have some hominy and honey in order to
keep yourself alive. By the end of the first week you feel that you can
never even hear the word hominy again without nausea and that you wish
never to look a bee in the face. By the end of the second week you have
become indifferent to the whole matter and simply take your hominy and
honey as a matter of course, trying to think nothing about it and
interesting yourself as much as possible in calculus, generator design,
strength of materials, and other things that an engineering student has to
study.
"The month finally passed. I felt as if I had eaten my way out of a
mountain of hominy and waded through a sea of honey. Collections began
coming in a little and I went and bought a beefsteak. You may have eaten
some palatable viands. I have myself partaken of meals that cost as much
as I made in a whole week's work in my school days. But let me assure you
that no one ever had a meal that tasted better than the beefsteak and
fried potatoes which finally broke the hominy and honey regime."
After this our young friend hired a little larger room, laid in a few
cheap dishes and cooking utensils and took two or three of his fellow
students to board. He did the marketing and the cooking and made them help
him wash the dishes. Two were engineering students and the third was a
student in the college of agriculture, all working their way through
college. A few cents saved was a memorable event in their lives. Our young
engineer furnished table board at $1.25 a week, and out of the $3.75 a
week paid him by his boarders was able to buy all of his own food as well
as theirs, and pay his room rent.
THE HARD FIGHT JUSTIFIED
After many troubles of this kind, G---- finished his engineering course
and secured a position in one of the largest corporations in the United
States at a salary of fifty dollars a month. At the time when he went to
work for the big corporation there were probably three or four hundred
other graduate engineers added to the staff. So keen was his mind along
mechanical and engineering lines, and so great were his natural aptitudes,
that within a few months his wages had been increased to $60 a month and
he had been given far more responsible work. Almost as soon as he took up
work with the corporation, he began making improvements in methods,
inventing machinery and other devices, and thinking out ways and means for
saving labor and making short cuts. Within a few weeks after his joining
the force he had invented a bit of apparatus which could be carried in the
coat pocket, and which took the place of a clumsy contrivance which
required a horse and wagon to carry it. In this way he saved the company
the price of horses, wagons, drivers, etc., on a great many operations.
From the very first the young man rose very much more rapidly than any of
the others who had entered the employ of the company at the time he did.
Soon he was occupying an executive position and directing the activities
of scores of men. To-day, only nine years after his leaving school, he
occupies one of the most important positions in the engineering department
of this great corporation, and while he does not have the title, performs
nearly all the duties of chief engineer.
The point of all this story is that this young man, while he had plenty of
mechanical ability and enjoyed machinery, was not fit to be a locomotive
fireman or stationary engine fireman. He had, in addition to his
mechanical sense and great skill in the use of his hands, a very keen,
wide-awake, energetic, ambitious, accurate intellectual equipment, which
did not find any adequate use in his work as a mechanic or fireman. Nor
could he ever have found expression for it unless he had taken the
initiative as a result of wise counsel and secured for himself the
necessary education and training. With all his ingenuity, he would always
have been more or less a slave to the machine to be operated unless he
had trained his mind to make him the master of thousands of machines and
of men.
FROM TURRET LATHE TO TREASURY
About eight years ago, while we were in St. Paul, Minnesota, a young
mechanic, J.F., came to us for consultation. He was about twenty years
old, and expressed himself as being dissatisfied with his work.
"I don't know just what is the matter with me," he said. "I have loved to
play with mechanical things. I was always building machinery and, when I
had an opportunity, hanging around machine shops and watching the men
work. On account of these things my father was very sure that I had
mechanical ability, and when I was fifteen years old took me out of school
and apprenticed me in a machine shop. This shop was partly devoted to the
manufacture of heavy machinery and partly to repairs of all kinds of
machinery and tools. I have now been at work in this shop for five years.
I am a journeyman mechanic and making good wages, and yet, somehow or
other, I feel that I am in the wrong place. I wish you could tell me what
is the matter with me."
After examining the young man and the data submitted, we made the
following report:
ANALYSIS OF AN EMBRYO FINANCIER
"While you have undoubted mechanical ability, this is a minor part of your
intellectual equipment. You are also qualified for commercial pursuits.
You have a good sense of values. You understand the value of a dollar even
now and you have natural aptitudes which, with proper training and
experience, will make you an excellent financier. You also have executive
ability. You like people and you like to deal with them. You like to
handle them, and because you enjoy handling people and negotiating with
them, you are successful in doing so. While you are fairly active
physically, you are very much more active mentally. Your work, therefore,
should be mental work, with a fair amount of light physical activity
mingled with it, instead of purely physical work. You ought to hold an
executive position and ought to have charge of thee finances of some
concern which is engaged in the building and selling of machinery. You
have worked, up to the present time, with heavy, coarse, crude machinery.
But you are of fine texture, refined type, and naturally have a desire to
work with that which is fine, delicate and beautiful--something into which
you can put some of your natural refinement and artistic ability. You are
still young. You have learned a trade at which you can earn fairly good
wages. You ought, therefore, to prepare yourself in some way for business.
Work during the summer, and then during the winter resume your studies,
preparing yourself for an executive position in connection with
manufacturing and selling fine machinery. Study accounting, banking,
finance, salesmanship, advertising, mechanical engineering and designing.
At the earliest possible moment give up your work in a machine shop where
heavy machinery is manufactured and begin to get some actual experience in
the manufacture of something finer and more artistic; for example, the
automobile."
A few years later, in Boston, a young man came to us, well dressed, happy,
and prosperous. He said he wished to consult us. After a few minutes' talk
with him, we said: "We have given you advice somewhere before. This is not
the first time you have consulted us." He smiled, and said: "Yes. I
consulted you in St. Paul, some years ago. At that time you advised me to
secure an executive position in the automobile business. This advice
struck me at the time as being wise, and satisfied my own desires and
ambitions. I lost no time in following your directions and was soon
engaged as a mechanic in an automobile factory. I attended night-school at
first, but finally made arrangements to spend half my time in school and
the other half in the factory, learning every part of the business. At the
present time I am the vice-president and treasurer of the ---- Motor
Company, and one of the designers of the ---- Motor Car. We are doing an
excellent business and making money. Whereas I was certainly misfit in my
old job, I am well and happily placed since I have learned my true
vocation."
EVOLUTION OF AN ELECTRICAL ENGINEER
D.B., of Chicago, was a young man admirably endowed with mechanical
ability. From his earliest years he was especially interested in matters
electrical. His father told us that he always had dry-cell and other
batteries around the house. He used to try to make magnetos out of
horseshoe magnets, and at one time attempted to build a dynamo. When he
was sixteen years of age, having finished grammar school and having had
one or two years of high school training, young B. became so ambitious to
get into electrical work that his father, thinking that he was intended
for exactly this vocation, consented to his leaving high school and taking
a position as assistant to the linemen of a telephone company. He worked
at this a year or two, and finally became a full-fledged lineman. He did
well as a lineman and after a year or so attracted the attention of an
electric light and power company, who enticed him away from the telephone
company and gave him charge of poles and wires in a residential district.
Here his unusual ingenuity and quickness soon became so manifest that he
was taken off the outside and placed in charge of a gang of men wiring
houses and installing electric fixtures. This was a pretty good job for a
young fellow and paid good wages; at least, the wages seemed quite large
to young B. at the time. By this time, however, he was twenty-one and
decided to marry. He needed more money.
GETTING HIS BEARINGS
He had a long talk with a very kind and wise advisor, who finally said to
him: "See here, B., you have abilities that ought to be put to use at
something better than stringing wires and hanging bells."
"Why, I am a foreman now," said B.
"Yes, I know you are a foreman, but who plans all the work you do?"
"Why, the Super."
"Yes, the Super hands the plans down to you, but who plans the work for
him?"
"Why, the Chief."
"Now, look here; the Chief comes to his office at ten o'clock in the
morning. He uses his head until noon. He leaves at noon, and perhaps he
doesn't come back until two or three o'clock. He uses his head then until
five or, sometimes, until four; then he goes off to play golf. But as the
result of those few hours' use of the Chief's head, the Superintendent,
and you six or eight foremen, and all the two hundred men under your
direction work a whole day or a week, or even a month, as you know. You
are merely carrying out in a mechanical, routine kind of a way the
thoughts and ideas that another man thinks. Now, you have the ability to
think for yourself."
"I could think for myself," said he, "but I can't do all the figuring that
is necessary in order to decide just what size wire should go here, and
what kind of equipment should go there, and all the different things.
That's beyond me."
"Yes, it is beyond you now, but it doesn't need to be beyond you. You have
the mental ability to learn to use those formulae just as well as the
Chief does. The thing necessary is for you to learn how to do it, to get
needful education. Now, you are young, and you're strong, and you've got
lots of time before you. If you want to make more money, the way to do it
is to learn to use your head and save weeks, months of time, as well as
the labor of your hands."
"If I went off to college or university for two or three years, I don't
think Bessie would wait for me," said he. "She wants to get married. I
want to, too, and I think we ought to do it."
AN EDUCATION BY CORRESPONDENCE
"Well," said his counselor, "you don't need to go off to school. You can
take electrical engineering in a correspondence course, even after you are
married. You're making good wages now as a foreman. Your hours of work are
only eight a day, and you have plenty of time in the evenings and on
holidays and other times to study this subject. Besides, you will probably
make better progress studying it while you work at the trade than you
would in school and withdrawn from the practical applications of the
principles that you are learning."
The result of all this was that D.B. did take a correspondence course in
electrical engineering. It was pretty tough work. He had not studied for
years. One of the first things he had to learn was how to study; how to
concentrate; how to learn the things he had to know without tremendous
waste of energy. After a little while he learned how to study. Then he
progressed, a little at a time, with the intricate and complicated
mathematics of the profession he had determined to make his own. Again and
again he was puzzled, perplexed, and almost defeated. But his young wife
encouraged him, and when things got so bad that he thought he would have
to give it all up, he would go and talk with his counselor, who would
inspire him with new ambition, so that he would go to work again. So,
month after month, year after year, he struggled away with his
correspondence course in electrical engineering. Little by little, he got
hold of the technical knowledge necessary for professional engineering
work.
A VICTORY FOR THE CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL GRADUATE
At first he was greatly handicapped by the prejudice of some of his
superiors against correspondence school courses, which were very much
newer at that time than they are now and regarded as much more of an
experiment. His superiors were graduates of universities and looked down
with contempt upon any merely "practical" man who tried to qualify as an
engineer by studying at home at night and without the personal oversight
of authorities in a university. But D.B. was dogged in his persistence.
Missing no opportunities to improve and advance himself, he was,
nevertheless, respectful and diplomatic. And he repeatedly demonstrated
his grasp of the subject. Eventually he was promoted to the position of
superintendent of the electric light and power company. There was only
one man then between him and the desired goal, namely, the chief engineer.
At the time B. became superintendent the chief engineer was a young
university graduate, and was perhaps a little too egotistical and dogmatic
on account of his degree and honors. Soon after B. took charge as
superintendent, the company decided to build a new central power station.
The design was left to the young chief engineer, and the practical work of
carrying it out to our friend. When, finally, the design was complete and
passed on to D.B. for execution, he felt that it was defective in several
ways. He spent several nights of hard study on it and became convinced
that he was right. He therefore took the whole matter to his superior and
tried to explain to him how the design was defective.
"I made that plan, and it is right," said the chief engineer. "Your
business isn't to criticize the plan, but to go ahead and carry it out.
Now, I don't care to hear any more about it."
"But," said B., "if we carry out this plan the way it stands, it will mean
the investment on the part of the company of something like $35,000 which
will be practically dead loss. I can't conscientiously go to work and
carry out this plan as it stands. I am sure if you will go over it again
carefully, pay attention to my suggestions, and consult the proper
authorities, you will find that I am right."
"That's what comes of studying a correspondence course," said the chief.
"You get a little smattering of knowledge into your head. Part of it is
worth while, and part of it is purely theoretical and useless, and because
you have had some practical experience, you imagine you know it all. Now,
you have lots yet to learn, B., and I am willing to help you, but I want
to tell you that that plan and those specifications are technically
correct, and all you need to do is to go ahead and carry them out. I'll
take the responsibility."
"Very well," said B., "if you want those plans and specifications carried
out as they are, you can get someone else to do it. I would rather resign
than to superintend this job which I know to be technically wrong."
His resignation had to be passed upon by the general manager, who, before
accepting it, sent for him.
"What's the trouble, B.?" said he. "I thought you were getting along fine.
We like your work, and we thought you liked the company. Why do you want
to leave?"
"I don't like to say anything about it, Mr. Jones," said B., "but the
plans passed on to me to carry out in the construction of that new
power-house down in Elm Street are technically wrong. They mean an
expenditure of $35,000 along certain lines which will be pretty nearly a
dead loss. When you come to try to use your equipment there, you will find
that it all has to be taken out and replaced by the proper materials.
"Suppose you get the plans, B., and show them to me, and explain just what
you mean," said the general manager, who was also a professional engineer
of many years' successful experience.
So B. produced the plans and explained his proposition.
"Why, of course you are right," said the general manager. "I'm surprised
that Mr. F. should have thought for a moment that he could use that type."
The result was that B. was reinstated and the chief engineer reprimanded.
Stung by his reprimand and angered because the correspondence school
graduate had bested him, the chief engineer resigned. His resignation was
accepted and B. became chief engineer of the company. Later, he was
promoted to the position of chief engineer of an even larger corporation,
and, finally, occupied an executive position as managing engineer for a
municipal light and power plant in one of the large cities of the country.
THE GENESIS OF AN INVENTOR
Some years ago we spent a few months in a very comfortable and homelike
hotel in one of the largest cities in the Middle West. Down in a nook of
the basement of this hotel was a private electric light plant. In charge
of the plant was an old Scotch engineer delightful for his wise sayings
and quaint philosophy. The fireman, a young man named T., was rather a
puzzle to us. He had all the marks of unusual mechanical ability, and yet
he seemed to take only the slightest interest in his work, and was
constantly being reproved by his chief for laziness, irresponsibility, and
neglect of duty. "What's the use?" he asked us, after we gained his
confidence, and had asked him why he did not take greater interest in his
work. "What's the use? After years of experience shoveling coal into a
firebox and monkeying around these old grease pots, I suppose I might get
an engineer's certificate. Then what would I be? Why, just like old Mack
there--$75 to $100 a month, sitting around a hot, close basement twelve
hours a day or, perhaps, twelve hours at night, nothing to look forward
to, no further advancement, no more pay, and, finally, T.B. would carry me
off because of the lack of fresh air, sunshine and outdoor exercise. No,
thank you!"
"Well, then, why don't you do something else?"
"I don't know what to do. I like mechanics, and some job of this kind is
the only thing I know how to do or would care to do. Yet, I don't care for
this. I must confess that I am puzzled as to what in the world I was made
for, anyhow."
"What you need is to give your time and attention to the intellectual side
of engineering rather than the purely mechanical and physical. You are of
the intellectual type, and you are as badly placed trying to do mere
mechanical work as if you were an eagle trying to cross the country on
foot."
"I believe you are right in that. I am going to get an education."
AMBITION, INDUSTRY, AND PERSISTENCE
He began at once with correspondence courses in mechanical and electrical
engineering. Twelve hours a day he shoveled coal in his basement
boiler-room. Some four to eight hours a day he studied in his little room
up under the roof. It takes an immense amount of courage, persistence, and
perseverance to complete a correspondence course in engineering, as anyone
who has tried it well knows. There is lacking any inspiration from the
personality and skill of a teacher. There is no spur to endeavor from
association with other students doing the same kind of work and striving
for the same degree. There are no glee clubs, athletic games,
fraternities, prizes, scholarships, and other aids to the imagination and
ambition, such as are found in a university. It is all hard, lonely work.
But what the student learns, he knows. And, somehow, he gains a great
knack for the practical use of his knowledge. Night after night T. toiled
away, until he had finished his course and secured his certificate of
graduation.
By this time T.'s ambition began to assume a definite form. He was
determined that he should have the honor and the emoluments which would
come to him as a result of solving one of the toughest problems in
engineering--one which had puzzled both technical and practical men for
many years. He therefore saved up a few dollars and, packing his little
belongings, departed to complete his education in one of the most famous
technical engineering schools of the country. Tuition was high. Board cost
a good deal of money. Books were distressingly expensive. Tools, machine
shop fees, and other incidentals ate into the little store he had brought
with him, and inside of two months it was gone. He hunted around and
finally secured a job running an engine. This meant twelve hours in the
engine room every night. In addition, he did what other students
considered a full day's work attending lectures and carrying on his
studies in the laboratories and classroom. He went almost without
necessary food and clothing in order to buy books, tools, and other
equipment. But he was young, he was strong, and, above all, he was happy
in his mental picture of the great object of his ambition. In due time he
had taken his degree, having specialized on all subjects bearing upon the
solution of his great problem.
PATIENT TOIL HIS GENIUS
Coming back from the university after having finished his course, T. found
a position as engineer in an electric light and power plant. Then he began
saving up money to purchase the necessary equipment for a laboratory of
his own. Finally, he had a little building and was one of the proudest
young men we ever saw. Little by little, he added to his apparatus the
things he needed. Several nights a week, after his hard day's work in the
engine room, he toiled, trying to solve the problem upon which he had
fixed his mind. About this time he married, and he and his wife moved into
a narrow little flat. Years passed, children came into the little flat,
and still he worked at his problem. Again and again, and still again, he
failed. Yet, each time he failed, he told us he was coming closer to the
solution. At last came the day, after many heart-breaking experiences,
when the problem, while not fully solved, had at least revealed a solution
which was commercially valuable.
His years of self-denial and toil seemed to be about to end in success.
But he found that he had only begun another long period of discouraging
and almost desperate work. It was a struggle to scrape together the
necessary funds for securing a patent. If he was to complete and perfect
his invention, he must have more capital. So, with his model, he made the
rounds of manufacturers of engines, manufacturers who used engines,
railroads, steamboat companies, electric light and power companies; in
fact, everywhere he thought he might get some encouragement and financial
assistance. His little family was living on short rations. He himself had
not eaten as he ought for years. One after another, the men in authority
said: "Yes, your proposition looks good, but I don't think it can ever be
made practical. Some of the brightest men in the engineering profession
have spent years trying to solve that problem, and have not found the
answer to it. I do not believe that it will ever be found. You seem to
have come near it, but yet you have not found it, and we cannot see our
way clear to put any money into it."
REAPING HIS REWARD
T. argued, pleaded, and demanded an opportunity for a demonstration, but
all in vain. Then, one day, a lawyer, who had been consulted by T., said:
"I have no money to invest in anything myself, but I'll tell you frankly
and honestly, it looks good to me. Now, I happen to be on very good terms
with Mr. J. over at the T. & B. Company. He has been interested in this
problem for years and has worked along toward its solution. He understands
every phase of it, and I believe he will do something with your device.
Unless I am mistaken, he will be interested in it, and will give you an
opportunity to demonstrate it. If your demonstration works out as well as
you think it will, he has the authority to put you in a position where you
can go ahead and perfect it if it is perfectible. I will give you a letter
of introduction to him." And thus began T.'s prosperity. He now lives in a
beautiful home on a wide boulevard. His invention, still short of
perfection, but highly valuable, is coming slowly into use, and would
probably be in very widespread use were it not for the fact that he is
constantly working on it, perfecting it, improving it, and hoping finally
to have a complete solution to the problem.
CHAPTER VIII
THE IMPRACTICAL MAN
"My life is a failure," wrote Sydney Williams to us, "and I do not know
why."
In middle life my grandfather Williams moved his family across the Potomac
River from Virginia in order to study to enter the ministry. He is said to
have freed some slaves at that time, so he must have been a 'planter,' He
became a Congregational minister. My grandfather Jacobs was a carpenter;
but, as I knew him, and for some years before my birth, he was a helpless
invalid from paralysis on one side.
My father graduated from college and then became a minister. He preached
for many years, then he took up work with a religious publishing house,
finally having charge of the work at St. Paul. He was there, I believe,
when he was elected president of a small school for girls. He assumed his
new duties in June and I was born the following November. (I am the
youngest of eleven children, of whom there are now three boys and five
girls still living, three boys having died while still babies before my
birth.)
Until I was nearly twelve years old we lived at the girls' school, which
father succeeded in greatly enlarging. Mother taught me to read a little
and write a little. She and others read to me a great deal. I had no
playmates except my nephews and nieces, to whom I was continually being
pointed out as a 'model.' Out of the sight of the grown-ups, I was not
always such a model as they could have wished; yet I did feel a certain
amount of responsibility that was oppressive and repressive. When nearly
eleven, I was sent to the public school, where I was soon promoted with
two others. The next year father and mother moved into a larger town, so
that I had a few months of real home life before my father's death in
April, 1893.
Then my mother, her mother, and I went to Wisconsin to live with a
married sister of mine whose husband was the Presbyterian minister there.
I entered the fourth grade of the public school that fall; but, by the end
of the school year, I had completed the fifth grade.
My mother died in May, 1896. I continued to live with my sister. Finished
the seventh grade that June, but entered preparatory school that fall. In
November, 1897, my brother-in-law moved to Iowa, and I made the mistake of
deciding to go with him. While living in Wisconsin, I had become
acquainted with a fine lot of boys. One of them organized a small military
company; I was elected quarter-master and, later, lieutenant. I now know
that that was because we were considered 'rich,' Also in Wisconsin I
overcame some of my extreme bashfulness in regard to girls, derived from
babyhood experiences. In fact, one reason I decided to leave Wisconsin was
the fear that the friendship with one girl might become too serious; I was
beginning to shun responsibility.
ATTAINMENTS IN SCHOLARSHIP
In Iowa I entered the high school and completed the tenth grade the next
June (1898). My elder brother was my official guardian and he wanted me to
make a change. As a result, in September, 1898, I had my first experience
of being away alone by entering a famous academy. There I earned the
reputation of being a 'grind,' and graduated second in my class in June,
1901. While there I went out for football, and made the third team and
even played once on the second. My poor eyesight hindered me somewhat, but
still more the fact that I was not eager to fall down on the ball on the
hard ground when it did not seem to me necessary. I was quite ready to get
hurt, if there was any reason for it. That, too, was a mistake on my part.
That September I entered Harvard University. My father had left some
insurance, and mother left some of it to me for a college education. She
expected, as did my sisters and brothers, that I would become a minister.
By the end of my Freshman year I had decided that I could not do so, but
from that time I was unable to decide what I did want to do or could do.
Consequently I did not get the good out of a college education that I
might have. Moreover, though I stood fairly well in most of my classes, I
did not always understand the subjects as well as the professors thought I
did. As soon as it became possible to elect subjects, I dropped Latin,
Greek, and German, and specialized in history, economics, etc. I graduated
'Cum Laude,' But that was really a failure, considering what I might have
done.
But I did well enough to receive recommendation for a $500 fellowship that
enabled me to return for another year. I did work which caused me to be
recommended for an A.M. degree. But I felt that I had so little in
comparison with others, that I was actually ashamed to receive it.
Socially, however, that extra year was a very delightful one for me.
During two summers as an undergraduate, I worked at Nantasket Beach
selling tickets in the bathing pavilion for $50 a month, besides room and
board. I made good, much to the surprise of the superintendent.
HUNTING A JOB
So then I was finally through college in June, 1906. It is almost
incredible how very childlike I still was, so far as my attitude toward
the world was concerned. I had high ideals, and I wanted to get into
business, but where or how I did not know. Moreover, my money was gone. A
student gave me a note with which I intended to get his previous summer's
job as a starter on an electric car line owned by a railway company. The
position was abolished, however, so I became a conductor on a suburban
line. Unfortunately, my motorman was a high-strung, nervous Irishman, who
made me so nervous that I often could not give the signals properly, and
who made life generally unpleasant for me. He professed a liking for me
and did prevent one or two serious accidents. At the same time, he said I
was the first 'square' conductor he had ever worked with, and, no doubt,
he missed his 'extra,' After three weeks of him, and of the general
public's idea that I must, of course, be knocking down fares, I resigned.
However, the superintendent offered me a job as 'inspector' of registers
on the main line, a job that he was just creating. When the rush was over
after Labor Day, I was again out of a job. I might have secured a
clerkship with the railway company, but I was foolish enough not to try.
A few weeks later found me established in the district office of a
correspondence school not very far from New York City as a representative.
At first I gave good promise of success, but I lost my enthusiasm and
belief in the school and became ashamed to be numbered as one of its
workers because of the character of most of the local field force at that
time and before my time. The reputation of the school in that place was
not very good. Also I was not successful in collecting the monthly
payments from those who had hard luck stories or had been lied to by the
man who had enrolled them. By the end of two months I was ready to quit,
but my immediate superior begged me to stay, in order to keep him from
having to break in a new man just then. At the end of about four months I
did resign to save being kicked out. Mind you, I was to blame, all right;
for I had given up a real continuous effort beyond the merest routine and
the attempt to collect the monthly payments. While I was there I did write
a few contracts, among them a cash one amounting to $80. But, toward the
end, my lack of success was due to my utter disgust with myself for being
so blamed poor and for shirking.
AN ATTEMPT IN ORANGE CULTURE
Going back to a brother in New York, I tried to land a job, but, of
course, in such a state of mind, I could not. Then I went to my older
brother in Cincinnati, where he was, and is, the pastor of a large church.
Unfortunately, he did not take me by the back of the neck and kick me into
some kind of work, any kind. At last, in March, 1908, he helped me to come
out West. I landed in Los Angeles, and indirectly through a friend of his
I secured a job on an orange ranch in the San Gabriel Valley, which I held
until the end of the season. Once more I was happy and contented. It was
certainly a pleasure to work.
That fall, or rather winter (1908), I secured a place near San Diego,
where I had shelter and food during the winters and small wages during the
active seasons in return for doing the chores and other work.
I had become possessed with a desire for an orange grove, and refused to
consider how much it would take to develop one. I was finally able to
secure a small tract of unimproved land. But I found that the task of
clearing it would be too great for me because of the great trees, so for
this and other reasons I snatched at a chance to file on a homestead in
the Imperial Valley. This was in May, 1910. Later that summer I was able
to sell my piece of land near San Diego at a profit, so that in September
I went over to get settled on my homestead. I employed a fellow to help me
make a wagon trail for a mile or more and to build my cabin for me. I
moved in the first of November. Early in 1912 I decided it would be
impossible to irrigate enough land there to make a living at that time.
Also the difficulties of living alone so far out in the desert were
greater than I had anticipated. With the help of a friend, I was able to
make final proof in July and pay the government for the 160 acres, instead
of having to continue to live on it. I did stay, however, until the
general election in 1912.
AT WORK IN A SURVEYING CREW
Then I went to Los Angeles to get something to do. The town was full of
people seeking work, as usual, most of whom could present better records
than I could. To be sure, my friends and even my old correspondence school
boss gave me splendid recommendations, but I felt my lack of business
training and feared that 999 out of any 1,000 employers would not take a
chance with me on such a record as I had. Consequently I did not try very
hard. For a while I was with a real estate firm trying to secure
applications for a mortgage. The commission was $25, but, naturally, that
did not go far toward expenses. It was not long before I was in a bad
mental condition again through worrying, self-condemnation, and
uncertainty. It would not have been difficult to prove that I was
'insane.'
Finally an acquaintance of mine, a prominent lawyer, took up my case. He
has a good personal and business friend who is the general manager of a
large oil company with headquarters here in Bakersfield. When first
appealed to, this gentleman refused point blank, because he had a bad
opinion of college graduates in general (I really don't blame him or other
business men); but the lawyer used his influence to the utmost with the
result that I came up here in March, 1913, and was sent up into the oil
fields. I was put under the civil engineer, and for two months I was sort
of 'inspector' and 'force account' man in connection with the building of
a supply railroad, but I gradually worked into the regular surveying crew,
first as substitute rear chainman, and then as the regular one. Before
long I was head chainman. I could have remained a chainman with the same
crew to this time, but I left a little over a year ago, as there once more
seemed a chance to earn a place in the country.
ANOTHER ATTEMPT AT ORANGE CULTURE
A young fellow, now located near Bakersfield, whom I had known in San
Diego, told me great tales that I was too anxious to believe, and finally
made some fine promises to help me get a piece of what he said was his
land and to bring it to a productive state. But when I reached his place,
in February, he was not ready, willing or able to carry out his promises.
He kept me hanging on, however, and as I had used up my savings in a
month's attendance at the short course of the State agricultural college
and in bringing my goods from Bakersfield, I was compelled to get work
from him as one of his orchard gang. I helped to set out several hundred
trees and berry plants, and later knew what it meant to hoe for ten hours
a day. I left him the latter part of July in order to work out a scheme I
had thought of.
[Illustration: FIG. 25. "Sydney Williams." For analysis see pages 206 to
210. Here is a fine, capable intellect, good sense of humor, optimism,
cheerfulness, great refinement, and excellent critical powers in art and
literature. But there is a deficiency of practicability. Note smallness
and flatness of brows, narrowness of head just above the ears, fineness of
features and height of head in center, above temples.]
[Illustration: FIG. 26. "Sydney Williams." Note flatness of brows;
smallness and fineness of features; fineness of texture; height of
forehead and crown.]
[Illustration: FIG. 27. Prof. Adolf von Menzel, Sociologist. A man of
great intellect, especially interested in theoretical and statistical
studies of people, in the mass, but not greatly interested in practical,
material affairs. Note immense dome of forehead and head, with flatness at
brows.]
[Illustration: FIG. 28. Edgar Allan Poe, Poet. Impractical, deficient in
financial sense, but keenly alive to a world of fancy, ideals, dreams,
imagery, beauty, mysticism and tragedy. Note high forehead, wide above,
flat at brows and concave at sides; small nose and mouth, deep-set, gloomy
eyes; dark complexion; and lack of symmetry and balance in head and
features.]
[Illustration: FIG. 29. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Author. Highly
intellectual, sentimental, impractical, sensitive, emotional. A man of
high ideals and beautiful thoughts, and creative power. Note high,
dome-shaped head; flat, high brows, fine, delicate features; weak mouth,
and general softness of contour and expression.]
[Illustration: _Copyright by Harper & Brothers, N. Y_.
FIG. 30. Thomas De Quincy, Author. A man of fine, discriminating, logical
intellect along purely mental lines, but impractical in material affairs.
Note high, prominent forehead, with flat, poorly-developed brows, weak
nose and mouth and narrow head.]
[Illustration: FIG. 31. O. Henry, at the age of thirty. Impractical,
lacking in desire for money and financial judgment. Creative, humorous, a
lover of human nature, mild, rather easy-going, idealistic, constant. Note
high forehead, flat at brows, full at sides along top, concave nose, full
lips, prominent chin.]
[Illustration: FIG. 32. Edwin Reynolds, of Wisconsin. Of the practical,
matter-of-fact, literal type of intellect. Interested in facts, keenly
observant, quick in thought, alert and positive in his mental activities.
Note high, sloping forehead, very prominent at the brows, large nose, high
in the bridge and well-developed.]
"The first part of September I moved back to Bakersfield. I tried out my
scheme by mail on two of the most prominent men in the country (one of the
times when I had plenty of nerve). It did not work and the time did not
seem auspicious for trying it on a greater number, especially as I did not
have money enough to do it properly.
"While still working for the orchard man, I began to do some work in
getting subscriptions for the Curtis publications. I did get a few. Later,
about the middle of October, I went to Los Angeles, where I had a booth at
an exhibition for three weeks in the interest of a publishing house. But
it did not pay expenses, and I was deeper in debt than ever. I landed in
Bakersfield nearly 'broke.' Thanks to the kindness of the people where I
roomed and boarded, I was able to pull through until I obtained a loan
last week, secured by a mortgage on my homestead.
"I was entirely unable to force myself to do any real canvassing while I
was absolutely in need of each commission, but, now that I once more have
a bank account, I hope to make myself keep at it until I can feel
moderately successful. That is the one job I have fallen down on over and
over (I have not even mentioned many of the attempts), and I believe I
could be a real salesman if I could only get over my fear of approaching
people on any proposition of immediate profit to me."
Here we have in detail the old, old story. How often have you heard of the
man who graduated with high honors at the head of his class and was unable
to make a living afterward? How many men of highest scholarship have you
met who could not make a living for themselves and their families? Not
long ago we were offered the services of a man who had degrees from
several universities in America and Europe, who was master of several
languages, and who was glad to offer to do a little translating at
twenty-five cents an hour.
AN ANALYSIS OF SYDNEY WILLIAMS
What handicaps these men? They have good intellects, or they would be
unable to win high honors in colleges and universities. It is fitting that
they should educate themselves highly, since they are so capable of
attainment in scholarship. Surely, they ought to do some intellectual work
of some kind, because they are not fitted for manual labor. Where do they
belong? What is their particular type? What opportunities are there for
their unquestioned talents?
Here is what we wrote to Sydney Williams:
"From photographs and data submitted, I should judge your type of
organization, character and aptitudes to be as follows:
"You have inherited only a fairly good physical constitution. You will
always need to take care of yourself, but there is absolutely no reason
why you should worry in regard to your health.
"Under stress and strain your nervous system may give you trouble, and
there may be some tendency to digestive disturbances, but if you will
practice moderation, live on a well-balanced and sensibly selected diet,
and keep yourself from extremes of every kind you will probably maintain
very fair health and strength for many years.
"Intellectually you have a good, active mind of the theoretical type. Your
mind is quick to grasp theories, ideals, abstractions, and such intangible
and purely mental concepts. Your imagination is active, and is inclined to
run away with plans, schemes, and inventions, with speculations and with
visions of future prospects. However, your plans and inventions are liable
to be purely along mental and intellectual lines, rather than practical.
"You do not observe well. You are a little too careless in regard to your
facts. You therefore have a tendency to go ahead with your theories and
your plans upon insufficient data or upon data which are not accurate
because they have not been properly verified.
"This deficiency in observation also handicaps you, because you do not
see things in their right relation, and your judgment is, therefore,
liable to be erratic and unsound.
"You should compel yourself to get the facts. You should suspend judgment
until you have made sure that all of the premises from which you argue to
your conclusions are sound and accurate. Take nothing for granted. Compel
yourself to stick to the facts. Not only ask yourself the question, 'Will
it work?' but make sure that the affirmative answer is absolutely accurate
before you go ahead.
"Many of your characteristics are those of immaturity, notwithstanding
your years, your education, and your experience. You still retain many
youthful tendencies. You are inclined to be impulsive. You are very
responsive emotionally, and when your emotions are aroused you are prone
to decide important matters without reference to facts, reason, and logic.
Another very youthful characteristic in you is your tendency to be
headstrong, wilful, stubborn, and opinionated. When you have arrived at
one of your swift conclusions you find it very difficult to take advice.
Even when you do listen to what others say, you do not listen well. Your
mind jumps ahead to conclusions that are erroneous and which were never in
the mind of the person giving you the advice.
"As you can readily see, it is this inability to get competent counsel
from others, coupled with your own lack of observation and lack of
deliberation, that leads you into so many situations that turn out to be
undesirable. Here, again, you need to go more slowly, to act more
according to your knowledge and less according to impulse, to make sure
that you understand what other people say, especially when seeking for
advice. As a result of your rather emotional character, you are liable to
go to extremes and do erratic things, to be over-zealous for a short
period; also, at times, to be high tempered, although your temper quickly
evaporates. In all of these things you will see the need for cultivation
of more self-control, more poise, more calmness, more maturity of thought,
speech, and action.
"You are very idealistic. Your standards are high. You naturally expect
much. It is your hope always, when making a change, that you will get into
something which will more nearly approach perfection than the thing you
are leaving.
"But you are also critical. Indeed, you are inclined to be hypercritical,
to find too much fault, to see too many flaws and failures. For this
reason, nothing ever measures up to your ideals--you are always being
disappointed.
"You need to cultivate far more courage. By this I mean the courage which
hangs on, which meets obstacles, which overcomes difficulties, which
persists through disagreeable situations. Your impulsiveness leads you
into plenty of things, but you are so hypercritical, and you become so
easily discouraged when eventualities do not measure up to your ideals,
that you fail to finish that which you start.
"Naturally, of course, if you were to be more deliberate and more careful
in forming your judgments, you would find things more nearly ideal after
you got into them. Then, if you would stick to them, you could make a much
greater success of them.
"Your intention to be honest, is, no doubt, above reproach. However, your
conduct or the results may at times be equivalent to dishonesty, being so
regarded by others. This, of course, is the result of your immaturity,
your impulsiveness, and your tendency not to see things through.
"You are very keenly sensitive. With your great love of beauty and
refinement, anything which is coarse, crude, and ugly in your environment
is very depressing to you. You also find it difficult to associate happily
with those who are coarse and crude by nature. Unquestionably, such people
frequently hurt you cruelly when they have no intention of doing so. It
would be well if you would learn to accept other people for what they are
worth, rather than being so critical of them and so easily hurt. Praise
and blame are usually meant impersonally and should be so received. In
other words, people praise or blame the deed and not the doer.
"Your appreciation of financial and commercial values and methods is
deficient. This is due to many different things, but principally to your
lack of observation, your inability to see things in their right
relations, and your limited sense of values. For these reasons you are not
and cannot become vitally interested in financial and commercial affairs.
If your wants were supplied, and you had something interesting to do,
money would receive practically no consideration from you. For your own
sake, you ought to attach more importance to monetary considerations,
cultivate a greater sense of values, develop more practical commercial
sense. On the other hand, however, you should not attempt any vocation in
which a high development of these qualities is necessary.
"In practical affairs, you show a tendency not to learn by experience.
This is because of deficiency in your observation of facts. You do not
really understand the essential facts of the experiences through which you
pass, and, therefore, they do not impress or teach you.
"In your choice of a vocation you should make up your mind once for all
that, on account of the qualities I have described, you are not commercial
or financial, and, therefore, you do not belong in the industrial or
commercial world. Your talents are educational, dramatic, professional,
literary. You are decidedly of the mental type. Your world is a mental
world, an intellectual world. Ideas, ideals, and theories are the things
with which you can deal most successfully.
"Owing to your distaste for detail, and the difficulty you have in
applying yourself to a task until it is finished, and also on account of
your very keen and sensitive critical faculties, you are probably better
fitted for success as a critic than as a producer.
"A position in a house publishing books and magazines, where your duty
would be to read, analyze, and criticise manuscripts, would offer you far
better opportunities than anything you have yet attempted.
"You could probably do well in a mail-order house as correspondent.
"You also have some dramatic ability which, if developed and trained,
might make you a success, either on the stage or in the pulpit. In this
connection, I merely call your attention, in passing, to the
opportunities in the motion picture drama. Here is where dramatic ability
is everything and the heavier demands upon the actor in the ordinary
drama, especially in the way of physical development, voice, etc., do not
enter.
"Another line which might possibly interest you would be that of a
salesman in an art or music store, where customers come to you, or in a
book store. You probably would do better selling to women than to men.
"Whatever you do, you should work under direction, under the direction of
some one whose judgment, wisdom, honesty, and high principles you respect.
Under wise leadership you have your very best opportunities for success.
In attempting to be your own manager and to go your own way, you suffer
from the serious handicaps to which I have already referred.
"In selecting from among the vocations I have enumerated the one that is
best for you, you will, of course, be guided very largely by
opportunities. At this distance I do not know just which is your best
opportunity, and, therefore, cannot counsel you definitely to undertake
any one of these vocations in preference to the others. If the opportunity
is at hand, perhaps the position of literary or dramatic critic with a
publishing house would be most congenial for you and offer you the best
future. If not, then one of the others. You might even undertake a
position as salesman in a book store or an art store while preparing or
waiting for an opening in one of the other lines suggested.
"Whatever you undertake, however, compel yourself, in spite of obstacles,
in spite of your very natural criticisms of the situation, to stick to it
until you make a success of it.
"As you grow older, if you will patiently and conscientiously cultivate
more deliberation, more practical sense, more self-control, and more
poise, you will become more mature in judgment and gradually overcome to a
greater and greater degree the handicaps which have so far interfered with
your progress and the best and highest expression of your personality."
HANDICAPS OF THIS TYPE
To make a long story short, Sydney Williams and men of his type have
unusual intellectual powers of analysis, criticism, memory, abstraction,
and philosophy. They can master hypotheses, higher mathematics, and Hebrew
irregular verbs, but they are babes in all practical affairs. They have
some such conception of the plain facts of human nature, ordinary
financial values, and efficient methods of commerce as a man with color
blindness has of the art of Corot. Like the children they are, these
people seldom suspect their deficiencies. Oftentimes they are ambitious to
make a success in a commercial way. They try salesmanship, or, if they
have a little capital, they may embark in some ambitious business project
on their own account. They even go into farming or agriculture or poultry
raising, or some kind of fancy fruit producing, with all of the optimism
and cheerfulness and confidence in their ability that Sydney Williams felt
for his orange growing. When they fail, it is more often through their own
incompetence than because some one comes along who is mean enough to take
candy from a baby. They usually dissipate their assets by impracticable
schemes before the unscrupulous can take them. The only hope for such men
is to learn their limitations; to learn that, even though they may be
ambitious for commercial success, they are utterly unqualified for it;
that, although they may wish to do something in the way of production or
selling, they have neither talent, courage, secretiveness, persistence,
nor other qualities necessary for a success in these lines. They are too
credulous. They are too impractical. They are too lacking in fighting
qualities, and, therefore, too easily imposed upon. They are usually lazy
physically and find disagreeable situations hard, so that they are out of
place in the rough-and-tumble, strenuous, hurly-burly of business,
manufacturing, or ordinary professional life.
Perhaps a few stories would indicate what these men can do, do well, and
what they can be happy and satisfied in doing. There is a real need for
them in the world.
A CAREER IN MUSIC
George R. came to us late one evening in a little town in Illinois. He was
nervous, weak, and diffident.
"I am now," he said, "a salesman in a dry goods store. But I have only
held the job three months and do not expect that I will be permitted to
remain more than a week or so longer. I have been warned several times by
the floor-walker that my errors will cost me my position. God knows, I do
my best to succeed in the work, but it is like all the other positions
I've held. Somehow or other I don't seem to be able to give satisfaction.
While I am on my guard and as alert as I know how to be against one of the
things I've been told not to do, I am just as sure as sunshine to go and
do some other thing which is against the rules. If I don't do something
against the rules, then I forget to do something I was told to do. If I
don't forget to do something I've been told to do, then I am quite likely
to make some outlandish mistake that no one ever thought of framing a rule
to fit. The result of it all is that in about another week or, at the
most, two, I'll be out of employment again. I have tried driving a
delivery wagon. I've tried grocery stores. I've tried doing collections. I
began once as clerk in a bank. Immediately after leaving college, I
started in as newspaper reporter. I've been a newsboy on railroad trains.
I sold candies and peanuts in a fair ground. I have been night clerk in a
hotel. I've been steward on a steamboat. I've been a shipping clerk in a
publishing house, and I have been fired from every job I have ever had.
True enough, I've hated them all, but, nevertheless; I have tried to do my
best in them. Why I cannot succeed with any of them, I don't know, and yet
I have a feeling that somehow, somewhere, sometime, I will find something
to do that I will love, and that I can do well."
"Music," we said, "unquestionably music."
"Do you think I could?" he said wistfully. "Music has been my passion all
my life long. It has been my one joy, my one solace in all my wanderings
and all my failures. But I have always been afraid I would fail also in
that, and, if I should, it would break my heart sure. But if you think I
have the talent, then I shall give my whole time, my whole thought, my
whole energy to music hereafter."
It was rather late in life for this young man to begin a musical career.
While he had always been fond of music, he had been sent to college for a
classical course by parents to whom a classical course meant everything
that was desirable in an education. He had learned to play the piano, the
violin, the guitar, the mandolin, and some other instruments, without
education, because of his natural musical talent. He played them all as he
had opportunity, for his own amusement, but, because of his ambition for
commercial success, had never thought of music as a career. We wish we
might tell you that this young man was now one of the foremost composers
or conductors of his time. It would make an excellent story. Such,
however, is not the case.
He devoted himself to securing a thorough musical education, supporting
himself and paying his expenses in the mean-while by playing in churches,
musicales, motion picture shows, and other places. He also received a few
dollars nearly every week for playing the violin for dances and other
functions in a semi-professional orchestra. Truly this was not "art for
art's sake." Any critical musician could probably tell you that such use
of his musical talent forever shut off any hopes of his becoming a true
artist. On the other hand, it did fill his stomach and clothe him while he
was securing a sufficient musical education to enable him to make a very
fair living as teacher on various musical instruments and as a performer
at popular concerts, recitals, etc. Best of all, he was happy in his work,
felt himself growing in success and, while there were probably heights
which he never could scale and to which he may have turned his longing
eyes, he doubtless got a considerable amount of satisfaction out of the
fact that he was no longer being kicked around from pillar to post in the
commercial world.
VOCATIONS FOR THE IMPRACTICAL
Herbert Spencer felt that he was a complete and utter failure as a civil
engineer, but he made a magnificent success as a scientist, essayist, and
philosopher.
The number of great authors, scientists, philosophers, poets, actors,
preachers, teachers, lecturers, and musicians who were ludicrously
impractical is legion. Literature abounds in stories of their
idiosyncrasies. These people deal with abstractions, ideas, with theories,
and with emotions. They may be very successful in the spinning of
theories, in the working out of clever ideas, and in their appeal to the
emotions of their fellow-men. They may write poetry which is the product
of genius; they may devise profound philosophy. This is their realm. Here
is where they are supreme, and it is in this kind of work they find an
expression for all of their talent.
Right here there is need for careful distinction. There is a great
difference between the impractical man who has energy, courage, and
persistence, and the impractical man who is lazy and cowardly. No matter
what a man's natural talent may be, it takes hard work to be successful in
such callings as art, music, the pulpit, the stage, the platform, and the
pen. Inspiration may seem to have a great deal to do with success. But
even in the writing of a poem inspiration is probably only about five per
cent.; hard work constitutes the other ninety-five per cent. It is one
thing to have vague, beautiful dreams, to be an admirer of beauty, to
enjoy thrills in contemplation of beautiful thoughts or beautiful
pictures. It is quite another thing to have the energy, the courage, and
the dogged persistence necessary to create that which is beautiful.
NO EASY ROAD TO SUCCESS
We offer no golden key which unlocks the doors to success. Much as we
regret to disappoint many aspiring young men and women, we must be
truthful and admit that there is no magic way in which some wonderful,
unguessed talent can be discovered within them and made to blossom forth
in a night, as it were. Many people of this type come to us for
consultation, evidently with the delectable delusion that we can point out
to them some quick and easy way to fame and fortune. Again we must make
emphatic by repetition the hard, uncompromising truth that laziness,
cowardice, weakness, and vacilation are incompatible with true success. No
matter what a man's other aptitudes may be, no matter how great his talent
or his opportunities, we can suggest absolutely no vocation in which he
can be successful unless he has the will to overcome these deficiencies in
his character.
Many a man is deluded into the fond supposition that he is not successful
because he does not fit into the vocation where he finds himself. The
truth is that he probably is in as desirable a vocation as could possibly
be found for him. The reason he is not successful is because he has failed
to develop the fundamental qualities of industry, courage, and
persistence.
HOW TO BECOME MORE PRACTICAL
When the impractical man learns his limitations he is all too likely to go
to extremes in depreciating his own business ability. Many such people are
seemingly proud of their deficiencies in business sense. "I am no business
man. You attend to it, I'll trust you," they say. While a lack of natural
business ability may not be a man's fault, it is nothing to be proud of.
You may not be born with keen, financial sense, but that is no reason why
you may not develop more and more of it and make yourself a better
business man. As a matter of fact, every man is in business--he has
something to sell which he wishes the rest of the world to buy from him.
He has himself, at least, to support, and more than likely he has others
dependent upon him. He has no right, therefore, to neglect business
affairs and to permit others to impose upon him and to steal from him and
from those dependent upon him the proper reward for his labor.
Even the youth who is poor in mathematics can learn something about
geometry, algebra, and trigonometry; even he who "has no head for
language" can learn to speak a foreign tongue and even to read Latin or
Greek. It is not easy for either one of them and perhaps the one can never
become a great mathematician nor the other a great linguist, but both can
learn something, both can improve their grasp of the difficult subject.
There are probably few readers of these pages who have not in their school
days overcome just such handicaps in some particular subject of study.
In a similar way those who are impractical and have little business sense
can improve in this respect and they ought to. Such people ought to study
practical affairs, ought to give their attention to financial matters. In
fact, one of the best ways to increase financial judgment is to form the
intimate acquaintance of some one who has a keen sense of financial
values. If such a person can be persuaded to talk about what he knows, the
impractical man will do well to take a keen interest in what he says, to
qualify himself to understand it, and, if possible, to get the point of
view from which a good business man approaches his problems and studies
his affairs. Actual practice is, of course, necessary for development, and
the impractical man ought to take an interest in his affairs and ought to
do his best to handle them. Naturally, he needs to seek competent counsel
in regard to them, but he should pay some attention to the counsel given,
try to learn something from it, watch results of every course of action
and in every possible way study to make himself more practical and less
theoretical and abstract in his attitude toward life in general and toward
business affairs in particular.
Not long ago we attended a meeting of two and three hundred of the most
prominent authors, poets, and playwrights in America. We were not at all
surprised to note that nearly every one of those who had made a financial
success of his art was a man of the practical, commercial type who had
developed his business sense along with his artistic or literary talent.
A PAUPER, HE DREAMED OF MILLIONS
Some years ago we formed the acquaintance of a delightful man who is so
typical of a certain class of the impractical that his story is
instructive. When we first formed the acquaintance of this gentleman he
was about thirty years of age, rather handsome in appearance, with great
blue eyes, very fine silky blonde hair, and a clear, pink, and white
complexion. His head, somewhat narrow just above the ears, indicated a
mild, easy-going, gentle disposition. The large, rounded dome just above
temples was typical of the irrepressible optimist. His forehead, very full
and bulging just below the hair line, showed him to be of the thoughtful,
meditative, drearily type, while flatness and narrowness at the brows told
as plainly as print of the utter impracticability of his roseate dreams.
True to his exquisite blonde coloring, this man was eager, buoyant,
irrepressible, impatient of monotony, routine, and detail--social and
friendly. True to his fine texture, he shrank from hardship, was
sensitive, refined, beauty loving and luxury loving. Because of his mild
disposition and optimism and also because of his love of approval, he was
suave, affable, courteous, agreeable. He made acquaintances easily and had
many of the elements of popularity.
Because he was ambitious to occupy a position of prominence and
distinction, because he wished to gratify his luxurious and elegant
tastes, and because in his irrepressible optimism it seemed so absurdly
easy to do, he was eager to make a large fortune. Lacking the
aggressiveness, energy, willingness to undergo hardship and to work hard
and long, patiently enduring the hours and days of drudgery over details
that could not be neglected, he dreamed of making millions by successful
speculation.
LOOKING FOR A SHORT CUT TO WEALTH
It is easy to see why a man of this type, with his futile dreams of easy
conquests in the field of finance, should have scorned the slow and
painful process of acquiring an education. Yet the tragedy of his life was
that his only hope of usefulness in the world was through the careful
cultivation and development of his really fine intellect. It is also easy
to see why such a man would lack the patience to learn a trade even if he
had had the manual skill to carry on any trade successfully--which he had
not. For the same reasons he would not take pains to qualify himself for
any occupation, although he might have made a fair success in retail
salesmanship perhaps, notwithstanding his far greater fitness for
educational, ministerial, or platform work. On the contrary, he roamed
about the country occupying himself at odd times with such bits of light
mental or physical work as came his way. Being without training and taking
no real interest in his work, he never retained any job long. Sometimes,
lured by the will-o'-the-wisp of some fancied opportunity to make a
million, he gave up his work. Sometimes he merely got tired of working and
quit. But most often he was discharged for his incompetence. It is
difficult indeed for any man to attend properly to the cent-a-piece
details of an ordinary job when he is dreaming of the easy thousands he is
going to make next week.
This charming gentleman was always out of funds. Although he carefully
tonsured the ends of his trouser legs, inked the cuffs of his coat,
blackened and polished his hose and even his own, fine, fair skin where it
showed through the holes of his shoes, and turned his collars and ties
again and again, he was nearly always shabby. On rare and ever rarer
occasions he would do some relative or friend the inestimable favor and
honor of accepting a small loan, "to be repaid in a few days, as soon as a
big deal I now have under way is consummated." These loans were his only
successes in the realm of practical finance. Inasmuch as the repayment of
them was contingent upon the closing of an ever-imminent, but never
consummated, "big deal," they cost him nothing for either principal or
interest. For a few weeks after the successful negotiation of one of these
loans, he would be resplendent, opulent, fastidious, even generous. All
too soon the last dollar would slip through his unheeding fingers. If
during a period of affluence he had succeeded in establishing a little
semblance of credit, he would maintain his regal style of living as long
as it lasted. Then he would come down to the hall bedroom or even the
ten-cent lodging house, the lunch wagon, and the pawn shop. But even at
the lowest ebb of his fortunes, he never seemed to lose his cheerfulness,
his good nature, his grand manners, and his easy, confident hope and
conviction about the huge sums that were to come into his possession
"within a few days."
A DILETTANTE IN REAL ESTATE
Do not imagine that this man's dreams of great and easy fortunes were mere
idle fancies--far from it. He was nearly always engaged in negotiations
for some big deal. One of his favorite pastimes was to hunt up large
holdings of real estate offered for sale, go to the owners, represent
himself as a real estate broker, and secure permission to put these
properties on his "list." This permission obtained, he would go about
trying to find buyers. But his ideas of real estate values, of the
adaptation of properties to purchasers, of the details of a real estate
transaction and of salesmanship were so vague and so impractical that if
he ever succeeded in selling a piece of real estate, we have not yet heard
of it. He lacked the practical sense necessary to inform himself upon such
important matters as taxes, assessments, insurance rates, trend of
population, direction and character of commercial expansion, bank
clearings, freight shipments, volume of retail and wholesale business,
projected municipal and public service improvements, crop reports, output
of manufacturies, and many other items which form the basis for
intelligent negotiation, in a real estate deal. He could talk only in
glittering generalities, and his suggestions were usually so impracticable
that he failed to secure the confidence of those who were in a position to
purchase properties so valuable as those he invariably hit upon for his
ambitious projects.
AN UNDESERVED BAD REPUTATION
Here, then, was a man of unusual intelligence and capacity along
theoretical, abstract, philosophical, and spiritual lines. His intentions
were good. He was kindly, sympathetic, generous to a fault, refined,
ambitious, high principled at heart and a thorough gentleman by birth,
training, and instinct. Yet, because of a lack of clear knowledge, his
life has been one of hardship, privation, disappointment, disillusionment,
galling poverty, and utter failure. He has been subjected to ridicule and
the even more blighting cruelty of good-natured, patronizing, contemptuous
tolerance. His reputation is that of a lazy, good-for-nothing,
disreputable dead beat and loafer. And yet, in a sense, nothing is further
from the truth. Notwithstanding his many disappointments, no one could
have been more sincere than he in believing that just around the corner
fortune awaited him.
DIAGNOSIS OF THE IMPRACTICAL MAN'S CASE
The fundamental difficulty with the impractical man is two fold. First,
his powers of observation are so deficient that it is difficult for him to
obtain facts. It is an axiom of conscious life that there is pleasure and
satisfaction in the use of well-developed powers and a disinclination to
use powers which are deficient in development. Because it is difficult for
the impractical man to obtain facts, he has little desire to obtain them.
He takes little interest in them, does not appreciate their value. He,
therefore, assumes his facts, takes them for granted or proceeds almost
wholly without them. Even when he does take the trouble to ascertain the
facts, he is inclined to be hasty and slipshod in his methods. He,
therefore does not obtain all of the necessary information bearing upon
his problem. He does not painstakingly verify his knowledge through
repeated observations, under all kinds of conditions. So he is frequently
mistaken and reasons to his conclusions upon supposed facts which are not
facts at all.
Second, the impractical man, as a general rule, has well-developed powers
of reason, logic, and imagination. His mind easily and unerringly leaps
from premises to conclusion and weaves long and beautiful chains of
reasoning, each link perfectly formed. The only trouble is that none of
the chains are attached to anything solid and substantial at either end.
With highly developed powers of imagination, it follows that the
impractical man loves to dream, to build castles in the air. When he
attempts to form a judgment or reach a conclusion, he may possibly begin
by attempting to ascertain the facts. But observation for him is a slow
and painful process. He does not enjoy it. He has no patience with it.
Mere facts restrict him. Practical reasoning is like walking painfully,
step by step, along a narrow, steep pathway, leading to a fixed
destination at which the traveler arrives whether he wills it or not. The
impractical man's form of reasoning, starting at the same place, soars
into the air, dips and sweeps in magnificent and inspiring curves and
finally sets him down at whatever destination seems most desirable to him.
His well-developed powers of imagination are usually more than willing to
supply the deficiencies in his powers of observation. In his own realm he
is a valuable member of society--often becomes rich and famous. But he is
a misfit in any vocation which deals wholly with concrete things.
DESCRIPTION OF THE IMPRACTICAL MAN
The impractical man is easily recognized. He may be blonde or brunette,
large or small, fine textured or coarse textured, energetic or lazy,
aggressive or mild, friendly or unfriendly, ambitious or unambitious,
honest or dishonest--but his mark is upon his forehead. If his brows are
flat or if his forehead immediately above and at the sides of his eyes is
undeveloped or only a little developed, his powers of observation are
deficient. He is not interested in facts and his judgment is based upon
hasty and mistaken premises. As a general rule, in such cases, the upper
part of the forehead is well developed. This is always the case if the man
is intelligent. If the forehead is both low and retreating and flat at the
brows, then the individual lacks both power of observation and reasoning
power, and is very deficient in intellect.
Figures 27 and 28 and 29 and 30 show some very common types of the
impractical man. Note the flatness of the brows in every case. Figures 32,
50, and 54 show the foreheads of practical men.
CHAPTER IX
HUNGRY FOR FAME
The born artist has a passion for creation. This is true whether his art
expresses itself through paints and brushes, through chisel and stone, on
the stage, through musical tones, through bricks and mortar, or through
the printed page. The born artist may or may not have, as companion to his
passion for creation, a hunger for fame, an ear which adores applause. Few
artists, however, have ever become famous who were not spurred on by an
eager desire for the plaudits of their fellows.
It is possible to have the passion for creation without the hunger for
fame. It is also possible to have a hunger for fame without the passion
for creation. In the "Light That Failed," Kipling tells of little Maisie,
who toiled and struggled, not to create beauty, but for success. Yet, poor
Dick, who loved her, was forced to admit that there was no special reason
why her work should be done at all.
Horace Annesley Vachell, in "Brothers," tells the story of Mark Samphire's
tragedy. "When, after three years of most gruelling, hard work as an art
student, he turned to his great master and asked: 'When you were here last
you said to a friend of mine that it was fortunate for me that I had
independent means. You are my master; you have seen everything I have
done. Pynsent knows my work, too, every line of it. I ask you both: Am I
wasting my time?'
"Neither answered.
"'No mediocre success will content me,' continued Mark. 'I ask you again:
Am I wasting my time?'
"'Yes,' said the master gruffly. He put on his hat and went out.
"'He's not infallible,' Pynsent muttered angrily.
"'Then you advise me to go on? No, you are too honest to do that. I shall
not go on, Pynsent; but I do not regret the last three years. They would
have been wasted, indeed, if they had blinded me to the truth concerning
my powers.'"
WHEN THE DIVINE FIRE IS NOT AFLAME
The art schools of Paris! History, fiction, reminiscence, your own
knowledge, perhaps your own experience, join in piling mountain-high the
tale of wasted years, blasted ambitions, broken hopes and shattered
ideals. Worse than this, perhaps, they tell of homes, galleries and shops
disfigured with mediocre work and criminally hideous daubs.
The music studios of Paris, Berlin, New York, and other large cities, the
schools of dramatic art, the theological seminaries, and the departments
of literature in our universities could add their sad testimony.
Theatrical managers, editors of magazines, publishers, art dealers, and
lyceum bureaus are besieged by armies of aspiring misfits.
Probably there is no more difficult and hazardous undertaking in all the
experience of the vocational counsellor than that presented by people of
this type. The mere fact that a young man has painted scores of pictures
which have been rejected has no bearing on the case. Artistic and literary
history is studded with the glorious names of those who struggled through
years of failure and rejection to final success. This is, in fact, true of
nearly all of the great artists and writers. True, the mere dictum of any
authority, however high, would have very little effect in turning the true
creative artist from his life work, but what a pity it would have been if
Richard Mansfield, Booth Tarkington, Mark Twain, and a host of others had
paid any attention to the advice of those who told them they never could
succeed! And yet, unless the vocational counsellor can encourage and urge
on those who have the divine spark, and turn back from their quest those
who have it not, he has failed in one of his most important tasks.
ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS IN ART
Let us, therefore, examine some of the elements of success in art. We have
seen that the born artist has a passion for creation. He _must_ draw, or
paint, or act, or sing, or write. That which is within him demands
expression and will not be denied. His love is for the work and not for
the reward or the applause. These are but incidental. His visions and
dreams are of ever greater achievements and not of an ever increasing
income or wider popularity. Work well done and the conscious approval of
his own mind are the sweetest nectar to his soul.
But this passion of creation is, perhaps, not enough in itself. "Art is a
jealous mistress." Even the passion for creation must wait upon slowly and
painfully acquired technique, and, in the case of painting, sculpture,
instrumental music, and some other forms of art, upon inherent capacity
and manual skill. Many an artist's soul is imprisoned in a clumsy body
which will not do its bidding.
"Art is long," and he who is unwilling or unable to keep alive the divine
spark through years of poverty had better turn back before he sets forth
upon the great adventure. Searching the portraits of the world's great
artists, living and dead, you will not find a lazy man amongst them.
AN ATTEMPT TO MIX INDOLENCE AND POETRY
During our school days we made the acquaintance of Larime Hutchinson, then
a lad of twenty, shy, self-conscious, pathetically credulous, and hobbled
by a prodigious ineptitude which made him a favorite butt for schoolboy
jokes and pranks. Larime was in great disfavor with the teachers because
he almost never had his lessons. He was also in disfavor with the college
treasurer because he did not pay his bills. Larime's father was a country
minister and could send him only a few dollars a month. The rest of his
financial necessities he was supposed to meet by sawing wood, mowing
lawns, attending furnaces, and other such odd jobs. But Larime never could
hold these jobs because he was too lazy to do them well. He was also in
high disfavor with his schoolmates, first, because of his timidity and
self-consciousness; second, because of the strange air of superiority
which, paradoxically enough, he managed to affect even in spite of these
handicaps. A little confidential consorting with this peculiar young man
soon revealed the fact that he yearned to be heralded with great acclaim
as "The Poet of the New World." Not only did he yearn; he confidently
expected it. Nay, more; he already was "The Poet of the New World," and
awaited only the day of his acknowledgment by those who, despite their
prejudices and envy, would eventually be compelled to accord him his true
position. To prove his claims, Larime read us some of his "poetry." It was
bad, very bad, and yet it was not quite bad enough to be good.
Such visions of glory as obscured Larime Hutchinson's sensible view of the
practical world are, perhaps, common enough in adolescence, and, as a
general rule, work no serious harm. There were, however, two fatal defects
of character in this case. The first was that Larime continued to dream
and to write what he thought was verse, when he ought to have been at work
plowing corn, for he had qualities which, with industry, would have made
him a successful farmer. Second, he was mentally too lazy for the drudgery
even the greatest poet must perform if he is to perfect his technique.
A MIND FOCUSSED ON DETAILS
The case of Marshall Mears, a young man who consulted us a few years ago
with reference to his ambition to become a journalist and author, well
illustrates a different phase of this same problem. This young man was of
the tall, raw-boned, vigorous, active, energetic, industrious type. There
was not a lazy bone in his body. In addition to his energy, he had unusual
powers of endurance, so that he could work fifteen, eighteen, or twenty
hours a day for weeks at a time without seeming to show any signs of
fatigue. He was ambitious for success as a writer. He was willing to work,
to work hard, to work long, to wait for recognition through years of
constant effort. He had secured a fairly good education and, in many ways,
seemed well fitted for the vocation he had chosen to pursue.
A careful examination, however, showed two fundamental deficiencies in
Marshall Mears which training could only partially overcome. First, his
was one of those narrow-gauge, single-track minds. He was incapable of any
breadth of vision. His mind was completely obsessed with details. He would
go to a lecture, or to a play, and invariably, instead of grasping the
main argument of the lecture, or the lesson of the play, he saw only a few
inconsequential details of action in the play, and remembered only stray
and somewhat irrelevant statements made by the lecturer. A novel or an
essay appealed to him in the same way. Present to him a business
proposition and his whole attention would be absorbed by some chance
remark. He was a devoted admirer of the late Elbert Hubbard and he had
longed for years to hear the great man lecture. Finally his opportunity
came and he was greatly elated, and not a little excited, as he looked
forward to what he believed to be one of the treats of a lifetime. When he
returned from the lecture, as we had feared, instead of being uplifted and
delighted, he was manifestly disappointed.
"Didn't you like the lecture?" we asked.
"I cannot understand," he complained, "why as intelligent a man as Hubbard
should split his infinitives."
Naturally, a man with a mind like this could not construct a plot or
outline an article. His writings, like his conversations, were long drawn
out, meandering and painfully tiresome recitations of trifling and, for
the most part, irrelevant detail.
We counselled him to lay aside his pen and take hold of plow handles
instead. He has since become a successful farmer, perfectly happy, working
out all the infinitude of minutiae in connection with the intensive
cultivation of small fruits.
LACK OF DISCRIMINATION A HANDICAP
Still another phase of this problem is presented by the case of N.J.F.
This man also wanted to be an editor and writer. He was a big,
fine-looking fellow, fairly well educated, had some ability in written
expression, and frequent good ideas. With his aptitudes, training, and
talents, it seemed, at first sight, that he certainly ought to be able to
succeed in an editorial capacity. Further examination showed, however, a
lamentable lack of discrimination, a deficient sense of the fitness of
things, and consequently, unreliable judgment. These deficiencies are
worse than handicaps to an editor. They are absolute disqualifications. An
editor's first duty is to discriminate, to sift, to winnow the few grains
of wheat out of the bushels of chaff that come to his mill. Editors must
have a very keen sense of the fitness of things. It is true that the
discriminating reader of newspapers and magazines may be tempted to feel
at times that this sense of the fitness of things is very rare in editors.
Unquestionably, it could be improved in many cases, and yet, on the whole,
it must be admitted that newspaper and magazine editors perform at least
one important function with a very fair degree of acceptability, namely,
they purvey material which is at least interesting to the particular class
of readers to whom they wish to appeal. If readers could be induced to
wade through for a week the masses of uninteresting material which is
submitted, they would doubtless have far greater respect for the
intelligence, criticism, peculiarities, and sense of fitness of things of
the editors.
But we digress. N.J.F. was incapable of sound judgment, not because he did
not know the facts, but because, instead of reasoning logically to his
conclusion, in accordance with the facts, he was entirely governed by his
rather erratic feelings. In other words, he could not reason well from
cause to effect; he did not understand people, and so could not sense what
would interest them, and his powers of criticism, such as he possessed,
were destructive rather than constructive.
Contrary to our advice, N.J.F. persisted in his editorial ambitions and in
time managed to persuade the owner of a certain publication to entrust him
with its editorial management. Almost immediately the periodical began to
lose subscribers. Down, down, down went its circulation until it almost
reached the vanishing point. Finally, it expired. The trouble was not that
its pages contained anything bad, harmful or illiterate, but simply that
there was page after page of dry, discursive, uninteresting, valueless
material. It was a pity, because, under a competent editor, the periodical
in question had occupied an important and useful place in the current
literature of the period, and also because, as a dealer in coal, lumber,
lime, and building materials, N.J. F. would have been a useful and
successful member of the community.
[Illustration: FIG. 33. John Masefield, Poet. Idealistic,
sentimental, dreamy, impractical, but intensely responsive to beauty,
rhythm and imagery. Has creative power. Note high, straight forehead, very
high head, fine texture, finely chiseled features, and dreamy, mystic
expression.]
[Illustration: FIG. 34. Edward DeReszke, Opera Singer. Great
artistic and musical talent, with capacity for sentiment and emotion. Note
width of brows; dome of head over temples; fulness of eyes, curves of
nose, cheeks and lips, Also large physical frame, especially chest and
abdomen.]
[Illustration: _Copyright by A. Dupont, N.Y._
FIG. 35. Puccini. Composer. Has artistic talent and creative ability
together with, energy, ambition, persistence, courage, determination.
Rather mild in disposition. Not a particularly good business man. More
interested in music than in money. Note width of forehead at eyes and at
upper corners and its narrowness between; high nose; brunette color;
square, strong jaw and chin; straight, firm mouth, and calm, determined
expression.]
[Illustration: FIG. 36. John S. Sargent, R.A., Portrait Painter.
Keen powers of observation, high ambition, great energy, fine
discrimination, excellent powers of expression, and social qualities. Note
unusual development of brows, height of head; fulness of forehead at
center; fulness of eyes, large, high nose, and fulness of backhead.]
[Illustration: _Photo by American Press Association._
FIG. 37. Pietro Mascagni. Composer. Musical, emotional sensuous,
impulsive, spasmodically energetic. Note width of forehead at brows, full
lips, dimpled chin, heavy cheeks, thick-lidded eyes, large nose, and
intense, ardent expression.]
[Illustration: FIG. 38. Richard Burton. Author. Has fine,
sentimental, idealistic, artistic and literary talents, intellectual,
creative and inventive ability, together with energy, determination, and
ambition. Note height and width of forehead; fulness back of upper
corners; large, but finely chiseled features, and thoughtfully intense,
but calm, serious, poised expression.]
[Illustration: FIG. 39. Mendelssohn, Composer. Very refined, sensitive,
responsive, emotional and delighted with appreciation and applause.
Creative, musical, capable of great industry and perseverance. Note width
of forehead at brows; large, glowing eyes; finely chiseled, regular
features; short upper lip; beautifully curved lips; high head, rounded
above temples. Compare this with Figure 20.]
[Illustration: FIG. 40. Massenet, Composer. Artistic ability, backed up
by ambition, energy, determination, courage, and persistence. Note width
of lower portion of forehead; large, well-formed nose; firm mouth, jaw and
chin; height and width of head; square hands and finger-tips. Also very
emotional and intense nature. Note round, dome-shaped head, smooth
fingers, and dreamy expression.]
THE INSANITY OF GENIUS
The greatest artists, musicians, writers, and thinkers are men of genius
and are, therefore, in a sense, abnormal. Lombroso, in his work, "The Man
of Genius," produces a great deal of interesting evidence showing the
similarity between the manifestations of genius and those of insanity.
Lombroso's conclusions have been more or less discredited, but later
investigations and practically all students agree that the true genius is
more or less an abnormality. In his case, some one or two faculties are
developed out of all reasonable proportion to the others. Naturally
enough, in such cases there is no need for a vocational counsellor. The
genius devotes himself to his music, or his painting, or his writing,
because there is nothing else he can do, nothing else in which he takes
any interest, and because the inner urge is so powerful as to be
irresistible.
But grossly deceived are those who imagine that the fire of genius burns
away any necessity for drudgery. On the other hand, genius seems to
consist very largely of a capacity for almost infinite drudgery. A
prominent engineer once said to us that all great inventions which become
commercially practicable are the joint product of a genius and a drudge,
or rather, of a genius and a corps of drudges. The genius, in a flash of
inspiration, conceives a new idea. Having conceived it, he can only sit
down and wait for a new inspiration, while the drudges take his idea, work
out its details, modify and conform it to conditions, and, finally,
harness it to the commercial wagon. This sounded well and has a great deal
of truth in it. Yet the most slavish drudge in the Edison laboratories and
factories is Edison himself. The hardest worker in all the Westinghouse
plant was Westinghouse. And who but the Wright brothers themselves made a
commercial success of the aeroplane? Sometimes, it is true, one man
conceives an idea which he is unable to work out and which must be made
practical by others, but more often than not he stumbles on the idea more
by accident than because he is looking for it. So the young man or the
young woman who has hopes of winning fame in the world of art, music, or
literature should assay himself or herself first of all for a willingness
to work, to work hard, and to work endlessly.
INDICATIONS OF ENERGY
Such energy is indicated by the large nose, high in the bridge, which
admits large quantities of oxygen into the lungs; by high cheek bones,
oftentimes by a head wide just above the ears, by square hands and
square-tipped fingers, by hard or elastic consistency of fibre.
Persistence and patience are indicated by brunette coloring and plodding
by a well-developed and rather prominent jaw and chin. Havelock Ellis and
other anthropologists have noted the fact that dark coloring is more
frequently found in artists and actors than light hair, eyes, and skin.
Artistic, musical, and literary ability are as various in their
indications as they are in their manifestations. One man is a painter,
another a sculptor, another an architect. One man paints flowers, another
landscapes, another portraits, another allegorical scenes, and still
another the rough, virile, vigorous, or even horrible and gruesome aspects
of life. One musician sings, another plays the violin, still another the
piano, and another the pipe organ. One conducts a grand opera, another
conducts a choir. One musician composes lyrics, another oratorios, another
ragtime, and still another symphonies. One man writes poetry, another
stories, another essays, another history, another philosophy, and still
another the hard, dry, mathematical facts of science. Obviously, it would
only confuse the reader were we to attempt to describe the physical
appearance of all these different classes.
INDICATIONS OF ARTISTIC TEMPERAMENT
In general, we may say that an appreciation of form, color, proportion,
size, and distance is indicated by well-developed brows, broad and full at
the outer angles, and by eyes set rather widely apart. But size, form,
color, and proportion are but the mediums through which the artist's soul
conveys its message. Whether or not one has the soul which can conceive a
worthy message is indicated by the expression of the eyes, an expression
which cannot be described but which, once seen and recognized, can never
afterward be mistaken.
Inherent capacity for music is indicated by a forehead wide at the brows.
Going over the portraits of all the famous composers and performers, you
will find that while they differ in most other particulars, they are all
alike in the proportionate width of the forehead at the brows. The kind
and quality of music one may create depends partially upon training and
partially upon the kind and quality of his soul, which, again, expresses
itself in the eyes.
Capacity for literature and expression is indicated by fulness of the eye,
by heighth and width of the forehead, and, perhaps, especially by the
development of the head and forehead at the sides just above the temples
and back of the hair line. Any portrait gallery of great authors will show
this development in nine out of ten (see figures).
The artistic, musical, or literary man with fine, silken hair, fine,
delicate skin, small and finely chiselled features, and a general
daintiness of build will express refinement, beauty, tender sentiments,
and sensitiveness in his work, while the man with coarse, bushy or wavy
hair, coarse, thick skin, large, rugged features, and a general ruggedness
and clumsiness of build, even when his size is small, will express vigor,
virility, ruggedness, and even gruesomeness and horror, in his work. There
may be in his productions a wild, virile type of beauty, as in the music
of Wagner and the sculpture of Rodin, but the keynote of his work is
elemental force.
The dilettante has conical hands, with small, tapering fingers; this is
the hand which is popularly supposed to accompany artistic temperament.
He loves art. He appreciates art. He may even win fame and fortune as a
competent critic of art, but he cannot create it. Your true artist has
square, competent hands, with blunt, square-tipped fingers. The hands
shown in figure 57 page 317 are those of a music lover who can neither
play nor sing. Those in figure 58 are the hands of a true artist on the
piano and pipe organ. The true producing artist nearly always has square
hands, with large thumbs set near the wrist, thus giving a wide reach
between tip of thumb and tip of forefinger, as shown in figure 58. Actors
and operatic singers sometimes have conical hands, with tapering fingers.
They express emotion and beauty with voice, gesture, and facial expression
rather than with their hands.
In the world of art and literature many are called but few are chosen. The
pathway to the heights is steep and rugged and there are many pitfalls.
There are many by-paths. Furthermore, it is cold and lonesome on the
mountain-top. Before anyone sets out on the perilous journey he should
read Jack London's "Martin Eden," Louis M. Alcott's autobiography, the
story of Holman Hunt, the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, and the
biographies of others who have attained fame in these fields.
CHAPTER X
WASTE OF TALENT IN THE PROFESSIONS
In the old days the physician was often a priest. There was mystery,
magic, authority, and power in the profession. There were almost royal
privileges, prerogatives, robes, insignia, and emoluments.
Humanity sheds its superstitions slowly. Science and common sense have
smitten and shattered them for centuries, yet many fragments remain. And
so there is still a good deal of mysticism, magic, and awe connected with
both the art of healing and the priesthood. Hence, the lure of these
professions. Romantic and ambitious youth longs to enter into the holy of
holies, looks forward with trembling eagerness to the day when authority
shall clothe him like a garment, when his simple-hearted people, gathered
about him, will look up to him with adoration in eyes which say, "When you
speak, God speaks."
There are other appeals to aspiration in the professions. When the layman
seeks for social preferment, he must bring with him either the certificate
of gentle birth or the indorsement of his banker. The professional man has
a standing, however, far in excess of what he might command as the result
of his financial standing.
The profession of law, in like manner, has, in the minds of the common
people, always set a man apart from his fellows. About his profession,
too, there is the charm of mystery, the thought of thrilling flights of
oratory and high adventure in the courts of law, of opportunities for
great financial success, and for political preferment.
Of late years the profession of engineering has called to the youth of the
land with an almost irresistible voice. The development of steam and
gasoline engines, of the electric current, and of a welter of machinery
called for engineers. The specialization of engineering practice into
production, chemical, industrial, municipal, efficiency, mining,
construction, concrete, drainage, irrigation, landscape, and other phases,
has still further increased the demand. Some few engineers, by means of
keen financial ability in addition to extraordinary powers in the
engineering field, have made themselves names of international fame, as
well as great fortunes. All these things have fired the ambitions of our
youth, and the engineering schools are full.
OVER-CROWDING OF THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
Our colleges and universities, in their academic courses, do not fit their
students for business, neither do they fit them for any of the
professions. They are graduated "neither fish, nor fowl, nor good red
herring," so far as vocation goes. Being an educated man, in his own
estimation, the bearer of a college degree cannot go into business, he
cannot "go back" into manual labor. So he must go forward. There is no way
for him to go forward, so far as he knows, except to enter some technical
school and prepare himself for one of the "learned professions."
Go into the graduating class in any college or university, and ask the
young men what their plans for the future are. How many of them will reply
that they are going into business? How many of them that they are going
into agriculture? How many that they are going into manufacturing? Our
experience is a very small percentage. Many of them have not yet made up
their minds what they will do. The great majority of those who have made
up their minds are headed toward the law, medicine, the ministry, or
engineering. This is a great pity. Why should the teachers and counselors
of these young men encourage them in preparing themselves for professions
which are already over-crowded and which bid fair, within the next ten
years, to become still more seriously congested? Perhaps the professors do
not know these things. If so, a little common sense would suggest that it
is their business to find out. Nor would the truth be difficult to learn.
In "Increasing Home Efficiency," by Martha Brensley Bruere and Robert W.
Bruere, we read:
"We have pretty definitely grasped the idea that the labor market must be
organized, because it is for the social advantage that the trades should
be neither over-nor under-supplied with workers; but it seems to shock
people inexpressibly to think that the demand for ministers and teachers
and doctors should be put in the class with that for bricklayers and
plumbers. And yet the problem is quite as acute in the middle class as
among the wage-workers. Take the profession of medicine, for instance, a
calling of the social value of which there can be no question, and which
is largely recruited from the middle class. The introduction of the
Carnegie Foundation's Report on Medical Education says:
"'In a society constituted as are our Middle States, the interests of the
social order will he served best when the number of men entering a given
profession reaches and does not exceed a certain ratio.... For twenty-five
years past there has been an enormous over-production of medical
practitioners. This has been in absolute disregard of the public welfare.
Taking the United States as a whole, physicians are four or five times as
numerous in proportion to population as in older countries, like
Germany.... In a town of 2,000 people one will find in most of our States
from five to eight physicians, where two well-trained men could do the
work efficiently and make a competent livelihood. When, however, six or
eight physicians undertake to gain a living in a town which will support
only two, the whole plane of professional conduct is lowered in the
struggle which ensues, each man becomes intent upon his own practice,
public health and sanitation are neglected, and the ideals and standards
of the profession tend to demoralization.... It seems clear that as
nations advance in civilization they will be driven to ... limit the
number of those who enter (the professions) to some reasonable estimate of
the number who are actually needed,'
"And in the face of this there were, in 1910, 23,927 students in
preparation to further congest the profession of medicine! It's an
inexcusable waste, for, though there's much the statistician hasn't done,
there's little he can't do when he sets his mind to it. If he can
estimate the market for the output of a shoe factory, why not the market
for the output of a professional school? It ought to be possible to tell
how many crown fillings the people of Omaha will need in their teeth in
1920 and just how many dentists must be graduated from the dental schools
in time to do it."
PROBLEMS FOR LAWYERS AND PREACHERS
So much for the physician. While we have not at hand any exact statistics
in regard to lawyers, there is a pretty general feeling amongst all who
have studied the subject that the legal profession is even more
over-crowded than the medical. God alone knows all the wickednesses that
are perpetrated in this old world because there are too many lawyers for
proper and necessary legal work and so, many of them live just as close to
the dead line of professional ethics as is possible without actual
disbarment. And yet, with all their devices and vices, the average lawyer
is compelled to get along upon an income of less than $1,000 a year.
The ministry is, perhaps, even more over-crowded than either medicine or
law. There are several reasons for this. In the first place, there are
from four to a dozen churches in most places where one would render far
better service. These churches are, many of them, poorly supported, and,
therefore, inefficient. Yet each must have a pastor. Second, the fact that
a theological or pre-theological student can secure aid in pursuing his
education tempts many young men into the ministry. Recently a university
student called upon us. He told us he was working his way through the
university by supplying pulpits on Sunday. "But it's hard work," he
confessed, "particularly when one must enthusiastically proclaim things he
does not believe." This young man was, doubtless, an exception, but we
have seen many poorly equipped for the ministry, "studying theology
because they could not afford to take some other post-graduate work."
How greatly over-crowded this ancient and honorable profession has become
may be guessed by the fact that a fine, intelligent man may spend four
years in preparatory school, four years in college, and three years in a
theological seminary, may acquire twenty-five years of successful
experience, and still receive for his services only $500 a year. Moreover,
he is expected to contribute to the cause not only all his own time and
talent, but also the services of his wife and children. This, of course,
is pretty close to the minimum salary, but the great majority of
ecclesiastical salaries range very low--nor have they responded to the
increase in the cost of living.
After all, the question is not one of the over-crowding of a profession,
but of fitness for success in it. No matter how many may be seeking
careers in any profession, the great majority are mediocre or worse, and
the man with unusual aptitude and ability to work and work hard easily
outstrips his fellows and finds both fame and fortune. The trouble is that
the lure of the professions takes thousands of men into them who are
better fitted for business, for mechanics, for agriculture, and for other
vocations.
SUCCESSFUL, BUT NOT SATISFIED
Because they have the capacity to work hard, because they are
conscientious and because they have some ordinary intellect and common
sense, many men make a fair success in medicine, in the law, in the
ministry, as college professors, as engineers, or in some other
profession. All through their lives, however, they have the feeling that
they are not doing their best work, that they would be better off, better
satisfied, and happier if engaged in some other vocation. How well every
true man knows that it is not enough to have kept the wolf from the door,
it is not enough even to have piled up a little ahead. Every man of red
blood and backbone wants to do his best work, wants to do work that he
loves, work into which he can throw himself with heart and soul and with
all his mind and strength. Merely to muddle through with some
half-detested work, not making an utter failure of it, is no satisfaction
when the day's work is done. Not only the man himself, but all of us, lose
when he who might have been a great manufacturer and organizer of
industry fritters away his life and his talents as a "pretty good doctor"
or a "fair sort of lawyer."
Judge Elbert H. Gary was far from being a failure as a lawyer. Yet his
life might have been a failure in the law in comparison to what he has
accomplished and is accomplishing as the great head and organizer of the
largest steel business in the United States. Oliver Wendell Holmes was
successful as a physician and yet what would the world have lost if he had
devoted his entire time and attention to the practice of medicine! Glen
Buck once studied for the ministry. Imagine big, liberty-loving, outspoken
Glen Buck trying to speak the truth as God gave him to see the truth and
at the same time keep his artistic, literary, financial, and dramatic
talents confined within the limits of a pastor's activities. So it is that
some men are too meek and too small for the professions--others too
aggressive, too versatile, and too independent for the routine of
professional life. Still others have decided talents which qualify them
for unusual success in other vocations. If a man has unusual intellectual
attainment, he either does or does not acquire extensive education. If he
does not, the probabilities are that he will enter business; he will
become a merchant, a manufacturer, a promoter, a banker, or a railroad
man. In some one of the departments of industry, commerce, transportation,
or finance, he makes a place for himself by hard work, beginning at the
bottom. If, on the other hand, circumstances are such that he can secure
an education, then he passes by business, manufacturing, transportation,
finance; he must forsooth become a doctor, a lawyer, a preacher, an
editor, or an engineer. The question of vocation is thus, all too often,
decided by the incident of education and not according to natural
aptitudes.
INDICATIONS OF SUCCESS IN MEDICINE
The young man who is ambitious to enter upon a profession ought to study
himself carefully before beginning his preparation. He ought to know, not
guess, whether he is qualified for the highest form of success in his
chosen vocation. And there is no reason why he should not know. In the
appendix to this work we have outlined the leading characteristics
required for success in medicine. Some of these are absolutely
essential--others contributory. Among the essentials are health, a
scientific mind, pleasure in dealing with people in an intimate way,
ability to inspire confidence, and courage. Many a young man has taken
highest honors in medical school only to fail in practice because he could
not handle people successfully, or because he lacked the courage to face
the constant reiteration of complaints and suffering by his patients. Sick
people are selfish, peevish, whimsical, and babyish. It takes tact,
patience, understanding, and good nature to handle them successfully.
INDICATIONS FOR SUCCESS IN LAW
It takes a combination of fox and lion to make a successful lawyer. And
yet we are besieged with sheep and rabbits who are eager to enter law
school or who have passed through law school and are wondering why they do
not succeed in their profession.
There are at least two general types of lawyers, the court or trial lawyer
and the counselor. The first must be a true catechist, a convincing public
speaker, keen, alert, resourceful, self-confident, courageous, with a
considerable degree of poise and self-control. He may be either
aggressive, belligerent, and combative, or mild, persuasive, and
non-resistant, but shrewd, intelligent, resourceful. A timid, dreamy,
credulous man has no business in the law. A lawyer may love peace, but he
should be willing to fight for it.
Because legal ethics forbid a lawyer to advertise or solicit business
openly, it is necessary for him to secure a standing and clientele by
indirect methods. Best of these is making and keeping friends, by mingling
with all classes and conditions of people, by political activity, and in
other ways making one's self agreeable and useful in the community. Thus a
lawyer draws to himself the attention of the most desirable class of
people. In order to be successful in this, the lawyer must possess
qualities of sociability and friendship. A man who is not naturally social
or friendly is not well qualified for any profession. Unless he intends to
work with a partner who has these qualifications, and who will be the
business getter of the firm, he would better leave the law alone.
INDICATIONS OF JUDICIAL QUALITIES
The second class of lawyer, the counsellor, is more of the judicial type.
He is quite likely to be stout or to have the indications of approaching
stoutness. He should be calm, deliberate, cautious, prudent, capable of
handling details, a man with a splendid memory and with the capacity for
acquiring a great fund of knowledge about all kinds of things. He should
be able to take an interest in almost any kind of business or profession
and quickly master its fundamentals.
A MISFIT IN THE LAW
Men of the high-strung, nervous, timid, self-conscious, sentimental class
are sadly out of place in the law. While they may be abundantly well
equipped for success from an intellectual standpoint, physically and
emotionally they are utterly unfit for it. A young man once sought us for
counsel who had spent many years in colleges and universities acquiring
one of the finest legal educations possible in this country. Because of
his intellectual equipment, the study of the law was fascinating to him,
and both his parents and his professors in law school expected him to make
a brilliant success in practice. What was his intense disappointment, as
well as theirs, when he opened an office, to find that almost everything
connected with the practice of law was distasteful to him, so that he
found himself incapable of doing it successfully. For several years he had
made a desperate attempt to succeed and to learn to like his profession,
but every day only made him hate it more ardently. As a natural result he
did poorer and poorer work at it.
It was no wonder to us that this young man did not like the practice of
law. In the first place, he was fond of change and variety. His was not a
nature which could address itself to one task and concentrate upon that
hour after hour and day after day, such as carefully scrutinizing every
detail of a case and perfecting his preparation of it for presentation in
court. In the second place, his was an unusually sensitive, refined,
responsive, and sentimental disposition. So fine were his emotional
sensibilities that it was almost more than he could endure to hear--as he
was compelled to day after day--the seamy, inharmonious, sordid, and
criminal side of life. The recital and consideration of these things
depressed him, made him morbid and sapped his vitality and courage. For
the swift repartee, keen combat, and mutual incriminations of the court
room he was utterly unfitted. Any criticism was taken personally. He found
it impossible to let the jibes, criticisms, and heated words of his
opponents trickle off from him as easily as water does from a duck's back,
which is the proper legal mental attitude in regard to such things. He
told us that sharp, harsh, or bitter words entered his soul like barbed
iron and he was upset and unstrung for hours afterward. A man with such an
emotional nature as his and such an intellect is especially qualified for
literature, and we are glad to say that he is now making a very flattering
success in this particular field.
INDICATIONS FOR SUCCESS IN THE MINISTRY
Aside from spiritual qualifications, success in the ministry depends
chiefly upon two talents: First, ability to speak well in public; second,
social adaptability. The second is perhaps the more important. We have
heard many ministers who were only indifferent public speakers, but who
made a great success of their callings because of their social aptitudes,
their ability to meet and mingle with all kinds of people, their
cheerfulness, their optimism, their helpfulness, their tact and diplomacy.
A traveling evangelist may depend principally upon his power as a public
speaker, but the pastor of a church must depend far more upon his ability
to make and keep friends among the members of his congregation and in the
community.
The minister, of all the professional men, is most in need of ambition, a
desire to please others and to help others, spiritual quality,
humanitarianism, benevolence, faith, hope, veneration for the Deity, and
for the supernatural elements of religion. The day has gone by when the
solemn, joyless preacher can command a large congregation. People to-day
want a religion which is bright and cheerful, which offers a surcease from
the cares and sorrows of ordinary life. They want to be cheered,
encouraged, inspired, and uplifted, rather than depressed and made sad and
melancholy. Therefore, the successful preacher will not permit his intense
conviction of the seriousness, earnestness, and solemnity of his calling
interfere with his exhibiting always a bright, cheerful, and attractive
personality.
To be successful the pastor must take an interest in all the members of
his congregation; he must sympathize with them, mourn with them when they
mourn, rejoice with them when they rejoice, cheer them when they are
discouraged, counsel them when they are perplexed. Indeed, he must enter
into their lives fully and wholly, also tactfully and diplomatically.
Perhaps the most successful preachers of the day are medium or blond in
color. While those of dark complexion, dark eyes and dark hair, are more
inclined to be religious, more inclined to take life seriously, more
inclined to look forward and upward to the spiritual and the supernatural,
and are also more studious, more capable of deep research and profound
meditation, they do not, as a rule, have the social qualities, the
aggressiveness, the cheerfulness, and the adaptability of the lighter
complexioned people.
INDICATIONS FOR SUCCESS IN ENGINEERING
When engineering first became a profession there were only two classes of
engineers, the civil and the military. Engineers in those days were
chiefly concerned with the making of surveys and the construction of roads
and bridges. The steam engine had not yet been made a commercial
possibility, therefore there was almost no machinery in existence, and
such little as there was did not require a professional engineer for its
designing or operation. Nothing was known of electricity. Very little was
known of chemistry and almost nothing was known of industry as it has been
organized to-day. Since that time there has been an almost incredible
development along all of these lines. As the result we now have almost as
many kinds of engineers as there are classes of industry. There is the
civil engineer, the mining engineer, the construction, the irrigation, the
drainage, the sewage disposal, the gas production, the hydraulic, the
chemical, the electrical, the mechanical, the industrial, the efficiency,
the production, the illuminating, the automobile, the aeroplane, the
marine, the submarine, and who knows how many other kinds. Indeed, there
are also social engineers, merchandising engineers, advertising engineers,
and even religious engineers. Naturally, it requires a slightly different
kind of man to succeed in each one of the different branches of
engineering, and it would be too great a task for the reader to try to
wade through all of the qualifications here. It would also, no doubt, only
result in confusion and a lack of understanding of the real fundamentals.
Fundamentally the engineer should be medium in coloring. The extreme blond
is too changeable and usually not fond enough of detail to succeed in a
profession which requires so much concentration and accuracy. Practically
all successful engineers have the practical, scientific type of forehead.
By this we mean the forehead which is prominent at the brows and, while
high, slopes backward from the brows. Usually those succeed best in
engineering who are medium in texture. The fine-textured individual,
however, if he is qualified for engineering, will take up some of the
finer, higher grades of it and make fine and delicate material or
machinery, or will engage in some form of engineering which requires only
intellectual work. Practically all successful engineers are of the bony
and muscular type or some modification of this type. This is the type
which naturally takes interest in construction, in machinery, and in
material accomplishment and achievement. Engineering practice usually
requires painstaking accuracy and exactitude. Indeed, this is perhaps more
than any other one qualification fundamental for success in engineering.
THE PROFESSIONAL TYPE
This, then, is the composite photograph of the successful professional
man: He is more mental than physical; more scientific, philosophic,
humanitarian, and idealistic than commercial; more social and friendly
than exclusive and reserved; more ambitious for professional high standing
or achievement than for wealth or power. Unless the aspirant to
professional honors has some or all of these qualifications in a
considerable degree, he would better turn his attention to some other
vocation where there is not so much competition. Those who have some, but
not all, of these qualities would do well in other vocations, such as
literature, finance, commerce, or manufacture. Many physicians become
authors, inventors, or financiers; many lawyers become financiers or
manufacturers; many engineers become good advertising men, manufacturers,
or merchants. All such would have done better to begin in the vocation to
which they afterward turned.
A good rule for the young man or the young woman to follow is to make up
his or her mind to enter some other vocation rather than a profession
unless he or she is markedly well qualified to outdistance the crowd of
mediocre competitors and make an unusual success.
[Illustration: _Photo by Paul Thompson_.
FIG. 41. Front face view of ex-Senator Root. The width of head, large, but
well-formed and well-balanced features, firm mouth, chin and jaw, and
expression of alertness and confident strength all indicate the unusually
well qualified executive.]
[Illustration: _Copyright, by Rockland, New York_.
FIG. 42. Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. A man of marked personality, shrewdness,
ambition, courage, determination, self-reliance, persistence, and energy.
Added to these were humanitarianism, reverence, optimism, kindliness,
humor, eloquence, and organizing ability. Note high, dome-like head;
prominent brows; fulness of the eyes and surrounding tissues; large, bony
nose; long upper lip; firm mouth; square jaw and prominent chin; large,
well-formed ears; short fingers, and shrewd, kindly expression.]
[Illustration: FIG. 43. Rufus Isaacs, Baron Reading, Lord Chief Justice
of England. Keen, penetrating, alert, analytical, resolute, self-reliant,
courageous, persistent, non-sentimental, practical financial. Note
comparatively low, wide forehead, long upper lip, thin lips, square-set
jaw and chin, long, large nose, with somewhat depressed tip, large ears,
and flatness of the top of the head.]
[Illustration: _Copyright by Harris & Ewing, Washington, D. C_.
FIG. 44. Hon. Elihu Root, former United States Senator from New York.
Practical, energetic, ambitious, intellectual, with courage, critical
faculties, ambition, shrewdness, idealism, and a keen knowledge of human
nature in excellent balance. Note high, long head; high forehead,
prominent at brows, large, well-formed nose; prominent chin, general
splendid balance of head and face proportions, and calm, poised, but keen
and forceful expression.]
[Illustration: FIG. 45. Harland B. Howe, Lawyer. Practical,
matter-of-fact, shrewd, non-sentimental, energetic, ambitious, determined,
and courageous. Note wide, high forehead; prominent at brows rather square
above; high head, large nose, short, thin upper lip, and square, prominent
jaw and chin.]
[Illustration: _Copyright by Harris & Ewing, Washington, D. C_.
FIG. 46. The late Justice Horace H. Lurton, of the United States Supreme
Court. Excellent example of judicial type. Practical, matter-of-fact,
comparatively unemotional, calm and poised. Note prominence at brows,
comparative flatness just above temples, strong jaw and chin, calm,
unwavering expression.]
[Illustration: _Photo by Pach_.
FIG. 47. Prof. William H. Burr, of Columbia University. Member of Isthmian
Canal Commission. A fine example of professional type. Great intellect,
energy, ambition, shrewdness, determination, and constancy, with
refinement, idealism, sympathy, and friendliness. Note high, full
forehead; large, long, but finely chiseled, nose; high head, narrow and
straight at sides; fine texture; friendly expression.]
[Illustration: FIG. 48. Hon. John Wesley Gaines, Ex-Congressman from
Tennessee. A fine example of the dramatic orator and politician. Refined,
sensitive, responsive, courageous, ambitious, energetic, friendly. Note
high, long head, prominent nose, short upper lip, prominent chin, finely
chiseled features, and spirited expression.]
CHAPTER XI
WOMEN'S WORK
This chapter is not written for the purpose of adding one whisper to the
impassioned controversies at present raging over women's work. So far as
it is within our power, we shall refrain from taking sides with either
that army which contends that woman is in every way the equal of man and
should be permitted to engage in all of man's activities on an equal
footing with him, or with that other army which declares that woman's
place is the home and that every woman should be a wife, mother, and
housekeeper.
Doubtless there are many wholesome and needed reforms being agitated with
reference to women's work. Doubtless, also, there are many pernicious
changes being advocated by both the sincere but mistaken and the vicious
and designing. It is not the purpose of this chapter to discuss these
reforms or to favor or to oppose any of them. We shall, in this chapter,
discuss the problem of vocation for women under present conditions.
BROAD SCOPE OF WOMEN'S WORK
The present day finds women at work in practically every field of human
endeavor. There is no profession, business, trade, or calling which does
not count women amongst its successful representatives. Nor does the fact
that a woman has married, has a home and children, debar her from
achievement in any vocation outside the home which she may choose. Madam
Ernestine Schuman-Heinck, with her eight children; Elizabeth Cady Stanton,
with her ten children; Katherine Booth-Clibborn, with her ten children;
Ethel Barrymore, with her family; Mrs. Netscher, proprietor of the Boston
Store in Chicago, with her family; Mary Roberts Rhinehart, with her
children; Madam Louise Homer, with her little flock, and thousands of
others are examples of women who have been successful not only as
home-makers but also in art, literature, professional or commercial
vocations.
Since this is true, it follows that, theoretically at least, woman may
choose her profession in precisely the same way that man chooses his.
Practically, however, this is not true in most cases. Undoubtedly, a very
large majority of women have happily married, are sufficiently provided
for, and are happier, healthier, more useful, and better satisfied with
life in the home than anywhere else. Notwithstanding the fact that our
girls, almost without exception, enter upon the important vocation of
wifehood, motherhood and home-making with almost no proper training, their
aptitudes for the work are so great and their natural intuitions in regard
to it so true, that unquestionably, large numbers of them in the United
States are happy and satisfied and have no part and no interest in all the
hue and cry in regard to women's rights or women's work.
WOMEN NATURAL-BORN WIVES AND MOTHERS
The natural tendency of the majority of women for maternity and
home-making must be taken into consideration. Some boys play with weapons,
others with machinery, still others are interested in dogs and horses.
Some boys are natural traders, others love to hunt and fish, while you
will find an occasional lad curled up in a big chair in the library
absorbed in a book. But practically all girls play with dolls, which is a
sufficient evidence of the almost universality of the maternal instinct in
women. The pity is that our educational traditions, almost without
exception, are those handed down to us from schools and universities which
educated boys and men only. We are therefore educating our girls to be
merchants, lawyers, doctors, accountants, artists, musicians; in fact,
almost anything but mothers. Twenty years ago, this was universally true.
To-day, fortunately, the light has begun to break, and in many schools,
both public and private, we are beginning to teach our girls domestic
science, the care and feeding of infants, pre-natal culture, home
management, economic purchasing, and other such important subjects.
VOCATIONS FOR MOTHERS
Occasionally we find a girl who has no talent for housework or home
management. She is not particularly interested in it. She finds it
monotonous and distasteful. For these reasons she probably does not do it
well. On the other hand, she may have keen, reliable commercial instincts
and be well qualified for a business career, or she may be educational,
artistic, literary or professional in type. Such a woman has, of course,
no business trying to keep house. She may have a strong love nature and
ardent maternal desires. If so, there is no reason why she should not
marry and become the mother of children. If she does, however, she should
turn the management of the home over to someone else and seek
self-expression and compensation in the vocation for which she is best
fitted. This, of course, is no easy matter. Many men either have violent
or stubborn prejudices against any such arrangement. Whether or not she
can take her true place in the world depends upon the courage,
determination, tactfulness, and personal force of each individual woman.
WOMEN AS TEACHERS
There is one occupation for women which is thoroughly established,
entirely respectable, socially uplifting, and fully approved by even the
most conservative and fastidious. This is teaching. The result is that the
profession of teaching, for women, is overcrowded and becoming more
overcrowded. The work done is, on the whole, mediocre or worse, and, as a
result of these two conditions, the pay is pitifully small considering the
importance of the results.
Because women can become teachers without losing one notch of their social
standing in even the most hide-bound communities, thousands of women
become teachers who ought to be housewives. Thousands of others struggle
in the schoolroom, doing work they hate and despise, for a miserable
pittance, when they might be happy and successful in a store or an
office. We have met women teachers who ought to have been physicians;
others who ought to have been lawyers; others, many of them, who ought to
have been in business; and still others, thousands of them, who ought to
have been in their own homes. And, naturally enough, we have also met
women in the professions and in business and in their homes who ought to
have been teachers--but not nearly so many.
The true teacher has three fundamental qualifications. First, a love of
knowledge; second, a desire to impart knowledge, and third, a love of
young people. Added to these should be patience, firmness, tactfulness,
knowledge of human nature, facility in expression, reasoning power,
enthusiasm, and a personality which inspires confidence. Can any county
superintendent discover these qualities by means of the examination upon
which first, second and third-grade certificates are based? Have the
members of any average school board the discrimination necessary to
determine the presence or absence of these qualities in any candidate who
brings her certificate?
WOMEN IN BUSINESS
The business world suffers from the presence in the ranks of its workers
of thousands of hopelessly inefficient girls who have no aptitudes for
business, or even for the minor detailed processes of commercial activity.
They take no real interest in their work. They have no particular ambition
for advancement. Their one motive for condescending to grace the office
with their presence at all is to earn pin-money or, perhaps, to support
themselves in some fashion until they marry. It is true that some of these
girls might be taught to be reliable and efficient in their work if they
could be persuaded to take an interest in it, to look upon it as something
more potent and more important than a mere stop-gap. Many of them, no
doubt, could be trained to earn salaries which would pay them to continue
in business even after marriage.
WOMEN IN DOMESTIC SERVICE
Others of these girls are utterly unfitted for office work. Some of them
would succeed very well as teachers, some as artists, and others as
musicians. Like so many of their brothers, however, they have followed the
line of least resistance--regardless of their aptitudes. Most of these
girls belong in the home. They are quite justified in looking forward to
matrimony as their true career. How much better if they would only earn
the necessary pin-money in domestic service! From a monetary point of
view, thirty dollars a month, with board, room, laundry, and many other
necessities furnished, is a princely compensation compared with the five
or eight dollars a week received by most girls in an office. From an
economic point of view, the coming into our homes of thousands of
intelligent, fairly well educated, trained, and ambitious young women
would be a blessing and benefit. Socially, of course, the first young
women who adopted such a radical change in custom would be pariahs. They
would also, doubtless, suffer many hardships in the way of irregular
hours, small, dark, stuffy rooms, unreasonable mistresses, no adequate
place to entertain their friends, and other such injustices. But, with a
higher and more intelligent class of household servants, doubtless these
abuses would disappear.
We opened this chapter with the disavowal of any intention to advocate
reform. We make this one exception. We most earnestly hope that such a
reform may be consummated. At the same time, we have an uneasy suspicion
that we are sighing for the moon.
THE TRAGEDY OF BAD COOKING
The whole problem of household management is just now a very serious one.
When the maid is ignorant, untrained, and, as is so often the case, slack,
wasteful, and inefficient, the situation is, in all conscience, bad
enough. But when the mistress is only a little less ignorant than her
servant, is equally slack, and perhaps even more inefficient, the high
cost of living gets a terrific boost in that household, while comfort,
wholesomeness, and adequacy of living are correspondingly depressed. One
of the saddest elements in our consultation work is the stream of both men
and women who lack courage, aggressiveness, initiative, mental focus, and
personal efficiency generally because they are deficient in physical
stamina. Their whole life is, as it were, sub-normal. With inherent
qualifications for success, they are, nevertheless, threatened with
failure because, to use the language of the ring, "they lack the punch."
The trouble with nine out of ten of these unfortunates is that they are
under-nourished. Not because they do not get enough food, but because
their diet is not properly balanced, is served to them in incompatible
combinations, is badly prepared, poorly cooked, unpalatable, and
doubtless, in many cases, served in anything but an appetizing manner.
Napoleon is quoted as having said that an army fights with its stomach.
The man who goes out to do battle for commercial or professional success
from an ill-managed and inefficient kitchen and dining-room is as badly
off as the army with an inadequate commissary department. Yet, while the
commissary department of the modern army receives the most scientific and
careful supervision, many a man must leave his kitchen in the hands of a
wife who received her training in music, literature, modern languages, and
classics, or in a business college, and of a servant who received what
little training she has as a farm laborer in Europe.
There is no denying the truth that if housewives themselves were
scientifically trained, we should have a far higher average of training
and efficiency amongst domestic servants. One of the consequences of our
deplorable self-consciousness in the matter of sex is that we have been
too prudish frankly to train our girls to become successful wives and
mothers. The result is that, when it becomes necessary for them to earn
money before their marriage, instead of gaining experience in
housekeeping, cooking and purchasing, they have taken up the stage,
teaching, factory work, office work, and retail selling. As we have seen,
a great many of them are misfits in these callings. Good food is wasted,
good stomachs are impaired, and good brains and nerves deteriorate
because, as a general rule, only those who are too ignorant or too
inefficient for office work or factory work can be induced to take service
in our kitchens.
CHAPTER XII
SPECIAL FORMS OF UNFITNESS
Place a quinine tablet and a strychnine tablet of the same size on the
table before you. Can you, by looking at them, smelling of them, or
feeling of them, tell them apart? Would you know the difference instantly,
by their appearance, between bichloride of mercury tablets and soda
tablets? Down in the basement of a manufacturing chemist's huge building,
there is a girl placing tablets in boxes and bottles. They come to her in
huge bins. One tablet looks very much like another. Upon her faithful,
conscientious and unerring attention to every minute detail of her rather
routine and monotonous work may depend the fate of empires.
In an office on the main floor of this same building sits a man directing
the policy of the entire industry. Upon him rests the responsibility for
the success of the enterprise a year, five years, twenty years ahead. He
gives an order: "Purchase land. Build a factory for the making of carbolic
acid. Equip it with the necessary machinery and apparatus. Purchase in
advance the needed raw materials. Be ready to put the product on the
market by the first of September." The execution of that order involves
minute attention to thousands of details. Yet, if the man who gave it were
to consider many of them and render decision upon them, the business would
rapidly become a ship in a storm with no one at the helm.
The work of the girl in the basement, sorting tablets, may turn out to be
far more important in the world's history than the work of the man in the
front office, managing the business. It is just as important, therefore,
that she should be fitted for her vocation as that he should be fitted for
his.
GENERALS AND DETAIL WORKERS
Fortunately for carrying on the business of the world, there are many
people who love detail, take delight in handling it, find intense
satisfaction in seeing that the few little parts of the great machinery of
life under their care are always in the right place at the right time and
under the right conditions. Since there is such an incalculable mass of
these important trifles to be looked after, it is well that the majority
of people are better detail workers than formulators of policies and
leaders of great movements. Tragedy results when the man with the detail
worker's heart and brain attempts to wear the diadem of authority. He
breaks his back trying to carry burdens no human shoulders are broad
enough to bear. He is so bowed down by them that he sees only his mincing
footsteps and has no conception of the general direction in which he is
going. Nine times out of ten he travels wearily around in a little circle,
which grows smaller and smaller as his over-taxed strength grows less and
less.
When you put a man of larger mental grasp in charge of a wearying round of
monotonous details, you have mingled the elements out of which a cataclysm
sometimes comes. These are the men who, with the very best intentions in
the world, fail to appear with the horseshoe nail at the correct moment.
To be there, at that time, with the horseshoe nail is their duty. Nothing
greater than that is expected of them. Yet, because their minds grasp the
great movements of armies in battles and campaigns, they overlook the
horseshoe nail and, as the old poem says:
"For the want of the nail, the shoe was lost;
For the want of the shoe, the horse was lost;
For the want of the horse, the rider was lost;
For the want of the rider, the battle was lost;
For the want of the battle, the kingdom was lost--
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail!"
Perhaps the man who bore the title of rider ought to have been charged
with the duty of being there with that horseshoe nail, and the man who was
only a blacksmith's helper should have ridden the horse and saved the
battle and the kingdom.
INDICATIONS OF DETAIL AND NON-DETAIL APTITUDES
It ought not to be difficult for any man or woman to know whether or not
he or she is qualified for detail work. The man who enjoys detail and
takes pleasure in order, system, accuracy, and exactitude, down to the
last dot and hairline, ought to know that he is qualified for detail work
and has no business trying to carry on or manage affairs in which there is
a considerable element of risk as well as many variables. Strangely
enough, however, many of them do not know this, and over and over again we
find the detail man wearing himself into nervous prostration in the wrong
vocation.
On the other hand, the man who hates routine, grows restive under
monotony, is impatient with painstaking accuracy and minute details, ought
to know better than to make himself--or to allow himself to be
made--responsible for them. And yet, nearly every day someone is coming to
us with a complaint about the monotony of his job--how he hates its
routine and how often he gets himself into trouble because he neglects or
overlooks some little thing.
It ought to be easy enough to tell the difference between these two
classes of workers. If you are a brunette, with fairly prominent brows and
somewhat sloping forehead, a chin prominent at the lower point and
receding upward toward the mouth; if your head is high and square behind;
if your fingers are long and square-tipped; if your flesh is elastic or
hard in consistency, then you can trust yourself to take responsibility
for things in which seeming trifles may be of the highest importance. If,
on the other hand, you are blonde or red-haired; if your head is round and
dome-shaped just above the temples and round behind; if your nose is
prominent and your chin narrow and receding at the lower point; if your
flesh is elastic, with a tendency toward softness; if your fingers are
short and either square or tapering, then you had better prepare yourself
for some vocation where you can deal with large affairs, where you can
plan and organize and direct, and let other people work out the details.
COURAGE AND RECKLESSNESS
The story is told of two soldiers going into battle. Both pushed forward
swiftly and eagerly. They were rapidly nearing the danger zone. Already
men were falling around them. As they went on, one suddenly looked at the
other. "Why," he cried, "your face is white, your eyes are glazed, your
limbs are trembling. I believe you are afraid!"
"Great God, man! of course I am afraid," replied the other. "And if you
were one-half as afraid as I am, you would turn and run."
Here we have the discrimination between real courage and mere
foolhardiness or recklessness. There are some vocations which require
courage. There are others which require an element of recklessness. It
requires courage to drive the locomotive of a railroad train at a speed of
eighty miles an hour, but it also requires caution, prudence,
watchfulness, and even apprehension.
In a western factory men were wanted for an important job, one in which a
moment's carelessness in the handling of levers might cost a dozen fellow
workmen their lives. "Find me," said the superintendent, "the most careful
men you can get. I do not want anyone dumping damage suits on the
company." The employment department found the very careful men, but none
of them were satisfactory; they were all so careful that they made no
speed, and soon had to be relieved for this reason, and because the
constant nervous strain was too much for them. Here was a kind of work
requiring a certain cool, calm, deliberate recklessness. Men were found
with steady nerves, keen eyesight, quick reaction time, and smooth
co-ordination of muscular action, together with a moderate degree of
cautiousness. These men liked the work for the very tingle of the danger
in it. They swung their ponderous machines to their tasks with a sureness
of touch and a swiftness of operation which not only delighted the
superintendent, but inspired confidence in their fellow workers.
INDICATIONS OF COURAGE AND CAUTION
If you are brunette, with small, sway-back or snub nose, narrow, rounded
chin, and a tendency to disturbances of the circulation; if your head is
narrow at the sides and high and square behind, look for a vocation where
caution is a prime requisite, but do not get yourself into situations
where you will have to fight or where there is so much risk that your
natural apprehensiveness will cause you to worry and lie awake nights.
Contrary wise, if your chin is broad and prominent, your head is wide
above the ears, low and round behind, and rather short; especially if you
are a blonde, with a large nose, high in the bridge, and a big rounded
dome just above the temples, select for yourself a vocation where success
depends upon a cheerful willingness to take a chance. You may blunder into
a tight situation now and then, and you will occasionally make a bad guess
and lose thereby, but you will not be inclined to worry and you will
greatly enjoy the give and take of the fight by means of which you will
extricate yourself from undesirable situations.
QUICKNESS OR SLOWNESS OF THOUGHT AND ACTION
If you are of the thoughtful, philosophical type, instead of the keen,
alert, practical type, don't attempt to win success in any vocation
requiring quick thought and quick decision. You like to reason things out;
you want to know why before you go ahead. Your success lies in lines which
require slow, thoughtful, careful reasoning, mature deliberation, and an
ability to plod diligently through masses of facts and arguments.
If, on the other hand, you are of the observant, practical,
matter-of-fact, scientific type, your vocation should be one calling for
quick thought, quick decision, ability to get the facts and to deal with
them, keen observation, and one not requiring too great a nicety of mental
calculation.
If you have a small, round, retreating chin, beware of any vocation which
requires great deliberation in action, because you are very quick to act.
Your hands, once their task is learned, move very swiftly. You are
inclined to be impulsive. If your forehead is of the type which indicates
quick thinking and you have a large nose, high in the bridge, then you are
of the keenest, most alert, most energetic and dynamic type. No sooner do
you see a proposition than you decide. No sooner do you decide than you
act, and when you have acted, you want to see the results of that action
immediately. You are, therefore, unfitted for any vocation which requires
prolonged meditation, great deliberation in action, and a patient,
plodding willingness to wait for results.
If your chin is long, broad, and prominent at the point, your action will
always wait upon your thought. If your thought is quick, as indicated by
the sloping forehead, your action may follow very quickly, but never
impulsively. If, on the other hand, your forehead is one which indicates
reflection and slowness of thought, then you will be very deliberate,
postponing action in every case until you have carefully and painstakingly
thought the entire matter out. It is useless for anyone to try to rush you
to either decision or action, for you may have it in you to be quite
hopelessly stubborn.
THE SOCIAL QUALITIES
Some time ago a splendidly educated young man came to us for advice. "What
I want to know more than anything else," he said, "is why Hugo Schultz
always sells more goods than I do. I spent two years in high school, four
years in a special preparatory school and four years in college. I have
had eight years of fairly successful business experience. For two years I
have been a traveling salesman. When I first started out my sales amounted
to only about $5 a day, on an average. Within a year I had pushed them up
to $1,000 a day, on an average, and now sometimes I sell $3,000 or $4,000
worth a day. With the exception of Hugo Schultz, I sell more goods than
any other man representing our company. If I sell $52,000 worth in a
month, Schultz sells $65,000 worth-yet Schultz has never been beyond the
fourth grade in school. He is ten years younger than I am, has had
practically no business experience, and has only been on the road one
year."
Upon examination, we found that this young man was selling goods with a
splendidly trained intellect. He analyzed all the factors in his problem
carefully, even down to the peculiarities of every one of his customers.
He presented his goods with faultlessly worked out arguments and appeals
to the common sense and good judgment of his customers. He was, therefore,
more than usually successful. In answer to our inquiry, however, he said:
"No, I hate selling goods. The only reason I keep it up is because there
is good money in it--more money than I could make with the same amount of
effort in any other department of business. I do not like to approach
strangers. I have to lash myself into it every morning of my working life,
and it is very hard for me to be friendly with customers about whom I care
nothing personally."
"What about Peter Schultz?" we asked. "Is he a good mixer?"
"It is his whole stock in trade. Now that you have called my attention to
it, I can see clearly enough that he takes delight in meeting strangers.
Why, even when he is off duty, he finds his recreation running around into
crowds, meeting new people, getting acquainted with them, making friends
with them. I see it all now. He sells goods on the basis of friendship. He
appeals to people's feelings rather than their intellects, and most people
are ruled by their feelings. I know that."
At our suggestion, this intellectual young man gave up his business career
altogether and turned his attention to journalism, where he has been even
more successful than he was as a salesman. Needless to say, Hugo Schultz
is still breaking records on the road.
It is difficult for anyone who is not by nature friendly and social to
succeed in a vocation in which the principal work is meeting, dealing
with, handling, and persuading his fellow men. There is an old saying
"that kissing goes by favor," and doubtless it is true that other valuable
things go the same way. People naturally like to do business with their
friends, with those who are personally agreeable to them. It takes a long
time for the unsocial or the unfriendly man to make himself personally
agreeable to strangers, or, in fact, to very many people, whether
strangers or not.
If it is hard for the unsocial and unfriendly man to work among people, it
is distressing, dull and stupid for the man who is a good mixer and loves
his friends to work in solitude or where his entire attention is engrossed
in things and ideas instead of people.
INDICATIONS OF SOCIAL QUALITIES
Notwithstanding these very clear distinctions and the seeming ease with
which one ought to classify himself in this respect, we are constantly
besieged by those who have very deficient social natures and who are
ambitious to succeed as salesmen, preachers, lawyers, politicians, and
physicians.
There is plenty of work in the world which does not require one to be
particularly friendly, although, it must be admitted, friendliness is a
splendid asset in any calling. Scholarship, literary work, art, music,
engineering, mechanical work, agriculture in all its branches,
contracting, building, architecture, and many other vocations offer
opportunities for success to those who are only moderately equipped
socially.
If the unsocial and unfriendly are deceived in regard to themselves, no
less so are the social and the friendly. Again and again we find them in
occupations which take them out of the haunts of living men, where they
are so unhappy and dissatisfied that they sometimes become desperate. Why
a man who likes people and likes to be with them, and is successful in
dealing with them, should take himself off on a lonely ranch, twelve miles
from the nearest neighbor and twenty miles from a railroad, passes the
comprehension of all but those who, through experience, have learned the
picturesque contrariness of human nature.
It is easy to distinguish, at a glance, between the social fellow and the
natural-born hermit. Go to any political convention, or any convention of
successful salesmen, or to a ministers' meeting attended by successful
city preachers, or to any other gathering attended by men who have
succeeded in callings where the ability to mix successfully with their
fellow men is of paramount importance. Get a seat on the side lines, if
possible, and then study the backs of their heads.
THE HEADS OF POLITICIANS
We attended two great political conventions in 1912. There were more than
one thousand delegates at each convention. So certain were we of the type
of men successful enough politically to be chosen as delegates to a
national convention of their party, that we offered a prize of ten dollars
to the friends who accompanied us for every delegate they would point out
to us who did not have a round, full back-head, making his head appear
long directly backwards from the ears. Although our friends were skeptical
and planned in some detail as to what they would do with the money they
expected to win from us, we attended both conventions without a penny of
outlay for prizes. If you know any unfriendly, unsocial men, look at the
backs of their heads and see how short they are.
There are vocations for all who have the courage, the ambition, the
willingness to work, the persistence to keep ever-lastingly at it. Finding
one's true vocation in life means, not finding an easy way to success, but
finding an opportunity to work and work hard at something interesting,
something you can do well, and something in which your highest and best
talents will find an opportunity for their fullest expression.
Just as finding an unusual talent for music means years and years of the
most careful study and preparation, followed by incessant practice; just
as finding of a talent for the law means years of work in schools,
colleges and universities; so the finding of a talent for business,
mechanics, science, construction, or any other vocation involves years of
study, self-development, preparation, and practice, if you are to achieve
a worth-while success.
A HARD-LUCK STORY
The following incident illustrates plainly enough the mental attitude of
the average fellow--the reason why he has failed, and the remedy:
A man came into our office complaining of his luck.
He was on the gray and wrinkled side of the half-century mark, somewhat
bent, and slow of step.
This was the tune of his dirge:
"My life is a failure. I have never had a chance. My father was poor and
couldn't give me the advantages that other young men had. So I've had my
nose on the grindstone all my life long.
"See what I am to-day. While other men have made money and, at my age, are
well fixed, I am dependent on my little old Saturday night envelope to
keep me from starving. That wouldn't be so bad, but my employers are
beginning to hint that I'm not so lively as I was once and that a younger
man would fill the job better. It's only a question of time when I'll be a
leading member of the Down and Out Club. Then it'll be the Bay for mine."
Our friend, whom we call Mr. Socratic, butted into the conversation right
here.
"Pretty tough luck!" he said. "Know any men of your age that are doing
better?"
"Sure, lots of 'em."
"What's the reason?"
"Well, they have had better luck."
"How do you mean? Investments turned out better?"
"No; I never had anything to invest."
"How, then?"
"Well, they had advantages."
"What, for instance?"
"Education."
"Why didn't you get an education?"
"Couldn't afford it."
"Had some income, didn't you?"
[Illustration: FIG. 49. Hon. Joseph Walker, of Massachusetts. Has good
degree of balance between practical and ideal tendencies. Is shrewd,
ambitious, determined, persistent, courageous, intellectual, oratorical,
dramatic, forceful, social, and optimistic. Excellent planner and schemer.
Note high, wide forehead, prominent at brows; keen, shrewd and determined
expression; high, wide head; height of head just above temples; square jaw
and chin; firm mouth; short upper lip, and well-built, prominent nose.]
[Illustration: FIG. 50. Hon. Lon V. Stephens, former Governor of
Missouri, keenly observant, intensely practical, rather serious, ambitious
energetic, courageous, friendly, far-sighted. A public speaker of some
dramatic ability. Note great prominence of forehead at brows, depressed
corners of eyes and mouth and tip of nose, high, long head, medium-short
upper lip, and prominent chin.]
[Illustration: _Photo by Paul Thompson_.
FIG. 51. Hon Oscar Underwood, United States Senator from Alabama.
Practical, energetic, ambitious, courageous, determined, enduring. Note
resemblance in profile and head shape to Figs. 48, 50, and 52, also
politicians. A public speaker with considerable dramatic talent.]
[Illustration: _Copyright by Harris & Ewing, Washington, D.C._.
FIG. 52. Hon. Victor Murdock, Ex-Congressman, of Kansas. Practical, alert,
keen, ambitious, combative, courageous. Has considerable dramatic talent,
as shown by large nose, short upper lip and long, prominent chin. Compare
with Figs. 48, 50, and 51.]
[Illustration: FIG. 53. The late Robert C. Ogden, Merchant and
Philanthropist. A man of keen, practical, commercial judgment, high
ambition, great energy, strong determination, and strong sense of justice,
together with idealism, benevolence, optimism, and kindliness. Note large
development of brows; width of forehead across center; high head, domed
above temples; large, well-formed nose; long, straight upper lip;
straight, firm mouth, and poised, calm, kindly expression.]
[Illustration: FIG. 54. Prof. P.G. Holden, Agricultural Expert and
Teacher. A fine admixture of the physically frail and bony and muscular
type, hence his intellectual interest and ability in agriculture. Has
ambition, energy, and great social and friendly qualities. Note height and
length of head, development of brows, and size and contour of nose.]
[Illustration: FIG. 55. W. Nelson Edelsten, Insurance Special Agent.
Keen, observant, alert, ambitious, energetic, courageous, refined,
sensitive, emotional, enthusiastic, appreciative of approval, friendly.
Note prominence of brows, high head, large, well-formed nose, chin, and
ears, fine texture, high dome over temples, short upper lip, and alert,
high-strung, friendly expression.]
[Illustration: _Copyright by Harris & Ewing._
FIG. 56. Dr. Beverly T. Galloway, Assistant Secretary of Agriculture of
the United States. Same as FIG. 8. Note high crown large prominent nose;
very full backhead.]
"Yes, but only enough to live on."
"Had time to study, didn't you?"
"No--always had to work."
"What about your evenings? Have to work nights?"
"No."
"Had a pretty good time, didn't you?"
"Oh, yes."
"Out with the fellows and the girls about every night?"
"Yes."
"Wore good clothes, smoked good cigars, hired livery rigs, took in good
shows, lived pretty well, shook dice a little, risked a few dollars on the
ponies now and then?"
"Oh, yes; I was no tight-wad."
"You had to be a good fellow, eh?"
"Sure, I am only going through this world once, so I have had a good time
as I've gone along."
"You couldn't have put in two or three nights a week studying and still
have had a good time?"
"Oh, I might have, I s'pose, but I didn't have the money to buy books."
"How much do you figure you spent, on an average, on those nights you were
out with the boys?"
"Oh, I don't know; sometimes a dime for a cigar, sometimes three or four
dollars for theater tickets, supper, and the trimmings."
"Well, would it average two bits?"
"Yes, I guess so; all of that. Maybe more."
"If you had saved that for two nights a week, it would have counted up
about two and a quarter a month. Buy a pretty good book for that, couldn't
you?"
"S'pose so."
"And if you had been buying books and studying them, going to
night-school, or taking a correspondence course all these years, you would
have had an education by now, wouldn't you?"
"Well, I don't know. Some men are born to succeed. They have more brains
than others."
"Who, for instance?"
"Well, there's Edison."
"Yes; and while you were having a good time with the boys, wearing good
clothes, and enjoying the comforts of life, Edison was working and
studying, wearing shabby clothes and patched shoes, so that he might buy
books. What right have you to say that Edison has a better head,
naturally, than you until you have done what Edison did to develop his?"
"Well, if you put it that way--none, I guess."
"Then you might have been an Edison if you had sacrificed, worked, and
studied as Edison did?"
"Perhaps."
"Then where does the 'hard luck' come in? While you were having a good
time, Edison was having a hard time. Isn't that so?"
"Yes, and now Edison is on Easy Street and I am headed for the Bay. I see
your point, Mr. Socratic. I guess it isn't luck, after all. It's my fault.
But knowing that won't make it any easier for me when I get canned."
"What's the use crossing the bridge before you get to it? I read the other
day of a man who studied law, was admitted to the bar, and made money on
it, all after he was seventy years old."
"Think there's any chance for me? Can I learn anything at my age?"
"You learned something just now, didn't you?" asked Socratic.
"Yes, I guess I did."
"Well, if you can learn one thing, you can learn a hundred, can't you?"
"Guess so."
"Will you?"
"I sure will."
If you are a worker and not a shirker--if you are a lifter and not a
leaner--if you have done your best to succeed in your present vocation,
and are still dissatisfied, and feel that you could do better in some
other line of work, we hope that this book has been of some assistance to
you in determining your new line.
If, however, you have never attempted your best--if you have never worked
your hardest--if you have grown weary, and laid down your burden in the
face of difficulties and obstacles--if you have neglected your education,
your training, your preparation for success, then, before you make a
change, before you seek vocational counsel, do your best to make good
where you are. It may be the one vocation in which you can succeed.
PART TWO
ANALYZING CHARACTER IN SELECTION OF EMPLOYEES
CHAPTER I
THE COST OF UNSCIENTIFIC SELECTION
People used to thank God for their sickness and pain--at the same time
naively praying Him to take back His gift. This inconsistency was due to a
combination of ignorance and the good old human foible of blaming some one
else. Folks did not know then, as well as they do now, that they had the
stomachache because they were too fond of rich dainties. The cause of the
pain being mysterious, they went back to first principles and blamed (or
thanked) God for it. They believed that God afflicted them for their good
and His glory, but their belief was hardly practical enough to keep them
from praying Him not to do them too much good or Himself too much glory.
Bodily ills are no different from our other troubles. In case of doubt as
to their origin, it is far more convenient to blame some supernatural
source for them than to take the blame upon ourselves. In support of this,
take the attitude of employers toward strikes and lockouts, their most
outbreaking and violent troubles. These are named in all of our contracts
along with lightning, tornadoes, floods, and other "acts of God," if not
directly, at least by inference It is plain enough, at any rate, that
those who draw up the contract consider strikes and lockouts as wholly
outside of their control, as they do the elements. It is the same old
ignorance, the same desire to shift the blame.
WHO IS TO BLAME?
Modern business common sense counts strikes and lockouts among preventable
industrial diseases, just as the modern science of medicine classes
smallpox, diphtheria, typhoid fever, the plague, tuberculosis, and the
hookworm amongst preventable bodily diseases. The strike is a violent
eruption, according to those who have made the closest study of the
situation, resulting from long-continued abuses of bad management, bad
selection, bad assignment of duties, and other vicious or ignorant
practices. So a fever is a kind of physical house cleaning for the removal
of debris of months or even years of foolish living.
But persistent violation of the laws of health does not always lead to
acute disease. Seated in the office of a prominent and successful
physician in a Western city one day, we were discussing with him the true
nature of disease. "My patients," said he, "many of them are now lying on
beds of pain, burning with fever. They are called sick people. The folks
walking along the street out there are called well people. The terms are
inaccurate. Fever is the effort of nature to throw off poisons, poisons
which have been accumulating in the system for years as the result of
wrong ways of living. Many people suppose that fevers are caused by germs.
This is not true. No germ can harm or disturb a healthy body. It is only
when the body is depleted in vitality that its defenses come down and
germs find a ready soil in which to propagate. People who have fevers,
therefore, are only taking a violent manner of getting well, and, if
wisely treated and intelligently nursed, they do get well. As you know, it
is a very common experience for a person to feel far better after recovery
from a spell of sickness than he has for years previously. Now, nine out
of ten of the people going along the street who call themselves well are
not well. The majority of them are probably only 25 per cent, efficient
physically. They are loaded up with the debilitating consequences of their
own recklessness or ignorant manner of living."
A PROLIFIC CAUSE OF INEFFICIENCY
In the same way, there are latent illnesses and inefficiencies in many
commercial organizations which never reach the point of strikes and
lockouts. For some reason or other that lively germ, the walking delegate,
fails to get a foothold. Perhaps there would be a beneficial house
cleaning if he did. Discontent, dissatisfaction, unrest, and constant
changes in personnel load the body up with wastes, inefficiencies and
unnecessary expenses. Any employer who thinks at all, and who has any
basis for judgment as a result of observation, knows that what he desires
to purchase, when he pays wages, is not a prescribed number of days and
hours, is not a standard number of foot pounds of physical energy, but
rather human intelligence and human willingness and enthusiasm in the use
of that intelligence in his service. It is true that most employees do a
certain amount of physical work, but it is also true that the value of
that work depends entirely upon the amount of intelligence and good will
the employee puts into it. The employee who is doing work for which he is
not fitted and is unhappy and discontented is doubly inefficient. He is
inefficient because he is not well fitted for the work and could not do
his best even if he were perfectly satisfied and happy. And he is
inefficient because he is in a bad psychical state. With his mental
attitude, he could not do good work even if he were in the place for which
he was best fitted.
Efficiency experts maintain that the average employee in our industrial
and commercial institutions is only from twenty-five to thirty-five per
cent, efficient. Sixty-five to seventy-five per cent, loss in productive
power on the part of the forty million workers in this country constitutes
an almost incalculable sum.
Who is to blame for this loss? Are we not too intelligent, too well versed
in the laws of cause and effect and too courageous to try to blame the
Almighty for it or to lay it to the public schools or to hold the employee
accountable? As a matter of fact, no matter how we may try to shift the
blame, those of us who are executives know only too well that our board of
directors and stockholders hold us strictly responsible for results. What
they want is dividends, not excuses. They do not care to hear how hard it
is to find good men. They are not interested in the stories of employees
who are so ungrateful as to leave just when they have become most useful.
They will not permit you to shift any of the blame upon the shoulders of
the employee. They expect you to use methods in selecting and assigning
employees and handling them after they are selected that will yield the
largest possible permanent results.
HIGH COST OF HIRING AND FIRING
Employers who will take the trouble to study their records for some years
past, will, unless they are very exceptional, find that the average length
of service in their organization is much shorter than they would be
prepared to believe unless the actual figures were before them. We have
the word of its manager in regard to a certain foundry in the Middle West
that the average period of employment for any one man in that foundry is
only 30 days. We know a large steel mill employing 8,000 where the average
length of service per employee is a few days more than four months. These
figures were given to us by the employment manager of the mill. The head
of the employment department of a large electrical manufacturing company
stated to us that the average length of service per employee for his
organization was one year or a little less.
From "Current Affairs," Boston, we quote the following significant
editorial:
"Do employers realize the waste and extravagance and actual money loss due
to haphazard hiring and firing?
"Twelve typical factories were recently investigated as to their
employment records by Mr. M.W. Alexander. He chose the normal industrial
year of 1912. He chose representative factories, big and little, in
several States. The results of this inquiry were reported in an address
before the National Association of Manufacturers.
"Mr. Alexander found that this group of factories had 37,274 employees at
the beginning of 1912, and 43,971 at the end of the year--a net increase
of 6,697 workers. But the books showed that the factories had actually
hired 43,571 new hands, 35,874 having been dropped during the year Of
course, not all were fired. Some were absent because of sickness, some
died, some left voluntarily; but these were only a small proportion. And
the fact remains that in order to increase their working force by 6,697
these twelve industries had to break in 42,571 new employees and suffer
the consequent extra expense of instruction cost, reduced production, and
beginners' spoiled work. Making liberal discounts for the workers
unavoidably withdrawn, it is estimated that these twelve factories
suffered a definite money loss of more than $831,000 during the year on
account of reckless hiring and firing.
"The conclusion seems justified: 'The highest grade of judgment in the
hiring and discharging of employees is needed. The employment "clerk" of
to-day will have to be replaced by the employment "superintendent" of
to-morrow, not merely by changing the title and salary of the incumbent of
the office, but by placing in charge of this important branch of
management a man whose character, breadth of view, and capacity eminently
qualify him for the discharge of these duties.'"
It is probable that most executives and employers do not know because they
have not fully considered what this rapid ratio of change costs. This
cost, of course, varies over a very wide range, according to the kind of
work to be done and the class of employees. The sales manager of one
organization told us that it cost his concern $3,000 to find, employ,
train, and break-in to his work a new salesman. The employment manager of
one of the largest corporations in the world in-forms us that it costs him
$10,000 in actual money to replace the head of a department. The
employment manager of a large factory employing people whose wages ran
from $5 a week up, told us that the records of his department showed that
it cost $70 to get the name of a departing employee off the payroll and to
substitute thereon the name of a new permanent employee to take his place.
But these are only costs that can be computed. There are other costs
perhaps even greater, records of which never reach the accounting
department or the employment department. Let us tell you a story:
A COMMONPLACE STORY
Joe Lathrop, foreman of the finishing room, had a bad headache. It had
been along toward the cool, clear dawn of that very morning when, having
tearfully assured Mrs. Lathrop for the twentieth time that he had taken
but "one li'l' drink," he sobbed himself to sleep. His ears still range
disconcertingly with the stinging echoes of his wife's all-too-frank and
truthful portrayal of his character, disposition, parentage, and future
prospects. His heart was still swollen and painful with the many things he
would like to have said in reply had he not been deterred by valor's
better part. It was a relief to him, therefore, to take advantage of his
monarchical prerogatives in the finishing department and give vent to his
hot and acrid feelings.
With all his flaying irony and blundering invective, however, Joe Lathrop
never for a moment lost sight of the fact that there were some men upon
the finishing floor whom it was far better for him to let alone. With all
his truculence, he was too good a politician to lay his tongue to the man
tagged with an invisible, but none the less protective, tag of a man
higher up. And so Joe Lathrop let loose his vials of wrath upon those
whose continuance upon the payroll depended upon merit alone. One of these
was Robinson.
HATED FOR HIS EFFICIENCY
Robinson had been finishing piano frames upon this floor for twenty
months. He was a young married man, in good health, ambitious, faithful,
loyal, skilful, and efficient. He was a man who worked far more with his
brains than with his hands. He understood the principles of piano
construction, and was, therefore, no rule-of-thumb man. He had studied his
work and, as a result, had continually increased both its quantity and
quality Robinson was not self-assertive, perhaps a little taciturn, but
there was something about him which made people respect him. Over the
dinner pails at noon there had been many a conjecture on the part of
Robinson's fellow-workers that he was in line for promotion and that he
might be made assistant foreman at any time.
Joe Lathrop knew that Robinson's quiet efficiency and attention to
business had not escaped the superintendent's eye. He felt that the day
might come almost any time when, on account of his "just one li'l' drink,"
or its consequences, he might have to yield his scepter to the younger
man.
DISCHARGED WITHOUT CAUSE
Along about nine o'clock of this particular morning, Lathrop was
brow-beating one of the men for some fancied fault near the place where
Robinson was working. Seeing Robinson quietly doing his work, paying no
attention to the wrangle so near him, only further irritated the suffering
foreman.
"Robinson," he yelled. "You have been here long enough to know better than
this. What do you mean by standing there like a wooden post right beside
this man and letting him make such a botch of these frames?"
Robinson, of course, being a wise man, kept his own counsel, and went on
with his work. He could not acknowledge himself at fault when he was not
at fault. His manhood revolted. His business was to concentrate upon his
own work. Since he could not acknowledge the fault, he therefore said
nothing. This, of course, was just what Lathrop did not want.
"Speak up," he bawled, "explain yourself."
"I have my own work to attend to, Mr. Lathrop, as you know," he said
quietly.
"I'll have no back talk from you, you sulky dough-face," roared Lathrop.
"Get to hell out of here. Go to the office and get your time."
Robinson knew better than to protest. He even hesitated to go to the
superintendent, but finally decided to do so.
"It's a shame, Robinson," admitted the superintendent, "but Joe is an
awfully good man when he is right, as you know, and as long as we keep him
in our service we have to stand behind him in order to maintain
discipline." And so Robinson walked out with half a week's pay in his
pocket.
THE BEGINNING OF LOSSES
Let us estimate roughly what Joe Lathrop's "one li'l' drink" and his
suspicious jealousy cost the piano company.
Of course, his first cost was the loss of time in the finishing room
while Robinson's place stood empty. It is fair to suppose that the company
was making some profit on Robinson. It, therefore, lost the profit of
those two days. Besides this, the machinery and the equipment Robinson
operated stood still for two days eating up, in the meantime, interest on
investment, rental of floor space, depreciation, light, heat, and all
other overhead charges that it ought to have been making products to pay.
In addition to all the overhead charges, the machinery ought also to have
been making a profit for the piano company.
But there were other losses. Robinson's absence disorganized the shop
routine. There were delays, conflicts, piano parts piled up in one end of
the room while other departments clamored for finished frames at the other
end of the room. Then, at least one-half a day of Joe Lathrop's valuable
time went to waste while he was out trying to find some one to fill
Robinson's place. His first attempt was made at the gate of the factory,
where the sea of the unemployed threw up its flotsam and jetsam. But
finishing piano frames is rather a fine job and none of the willing and
eager applicants there could fill the bill. Joe then made the round of two
or three employment agencies who had helped him out in previous similar
emergencies. This time, however, they seemed to be without resource, so
far as he was concerned. Being in considerable perspiration and
desperation by this time, he was probably gladder than he ought to have
been to receive a summons to appear at the court of Terrence Mulvaney.
Terrence, who sat in judgment in the back room of his own beverage
emporium, the place where Lathrop secured his "li'l' drinks," had heard,
in the usual wireless way, that there was a finisher needed at the big
factory Lathrop still owed Terrence for a good many of his "li'l' drinks."
Furthermore, Terrence, by virtue of some mysterious underground
connection, pulled mysterious wires, so that an invitation from him was a
command. For these reasons, also, Joe Lathrop found it discreet in his own
eyes to engage on the spot Tim Murphy, a very dear friend of Mulvaney
and, according to Mulvaney's own impartial testimony, a very worthy and
deserving man.
BREAKING IN AN INCOMPETENT
Valuable hours and moments of the company's time were consumed in
initiating Tim Murphy into the employ of the company. There were certain
necessary processes in the paymaster's department, the accounting
department, the liability department, the tool room, and the medical
department.
Now, while Murphy had had some experience in finishing piano frames, he
was utterly unfamiliar with the make of piano produced in this factory.
Likewise, he was ignorant of the customs, rules, and individual methods
which obtained in the factory. This meant that his employers paid him good
wages for five or six weeks while he was finding his way around. It was
good money spent without adequate return in the way of service. In fact,
during these weeks, the company would probably have been better off
without Tim Murphy than with him, for he spoiled a good deal of his work,
took up a great deal of his foreman's time which ought to have been
applied in other directions, broke and ruined a number of valuable tools
and otherwise manifested those symptoms which so often mark the entrance
into an organization of a man propelled by pull rather than push.
The trouble in Tim Murphy's corner continued to halt and disorganize the
work in the department so that there were still further delays and losses
up and down the line. All this was bad enough, but by the end of five
weeks of Murphy's attachment to the payroll he had demonstrated that he
was not only incapable, indolent, careless, and unreliable, but that he
was a disorganizer, a gossip, and a trouble maker.
BAD EFFECT UPON OTHER EMPLOYEES
Finally the superintendent, who in some mysterious way had managed to
escape the entanglement of underground wires running from Terrence
Mulvaney's saloon, issued a direct, positive order to Foreman Lathrop, and
Murphy's place in that factory knew him no more. Nor was Murphy
astonished or disappointed. He had been expecting this very thing to
happen, and was prepared for it. So when he walked out, two skilful, but
easily influenced companions, walked out with him. Thus Joe Lathrop had,
added to one of his frequent early morning headaches, the serious trouble
of trying to find three men to fill yawning vacancies. The company was
faced with a new series of losses even greater than those which had
followed the discharge of Robinson. Furthermore, there was trouble and
disorganization among the men still remaining in the department. Every man
there had liked and respected the competent young worker, Robinson. They
all knew that he had been discharged largely because Joe Lathrop was
jealous and somewhat afraid of him, and because Joe had had a bad headache
and grouch. They resented the injustice. Their respect for their foreman
dropped several degrees. Their interest in their work slackened. "What is
the use," they thought, "to do our best when superior workmanship might
get us thrown out of here instead of promoted?"
And so Joe Lathrop's series of "li'l' drinks" finally resulted in
decreasing the efficiency of his department to such an extent that the
superintendent was obliged to discharge him. Then the superintendent was
in for it. He had to find a new man. He had to take the time and the
trouble to break the new man in, and the company had to share the losses
resulting from disorganization until the new foreman was installed.
This is not a fanciful story, but was told to us by a man who knew the
superintendent, Joe Lathrop, Robinson, Terrence Mulvaney, and Tim Murphy.
Nor is it an unusual story. Just such headaches, discharges, troubles, and
losses are occurring every day in the industrial and commercial
institutions of this country.
This story illustrates not only the high cost of constant change in
personnel, but also the high cost of leaving the important matter of
hiring and firing to foremen. Where this is done, discharges without
cause, the selection of incompetents, grafting on the payroll, inside and
outside politics, the indolent retention on the payroll of those who are
unfit, and many other abuses too numerous to mention, are bound to follow.
ONLY ONE LEGITIMATE REASON FOR HIRING
There is only one legitimate reason for putting any man or woman on the
payroll, namely, that he or she is well fitted to perform the tasks
assigned, will perform them contentedly and happily and, therefore, be a
valuable asset to the concern. But with foremen, superintendents, and
other minor executives selecting employees, for any reason and every
reason except the legitimate reason, it is small wonder that employees
grow discontented and leave, are demoralized and incompetent so that they
are discharged. For these reasons it is an unusual organization which does
not turn over its entire working force every year. The average of the
concerns we have investigated shows much more frequent turnover than this.
Under these circumstances, it should be easy to understand why our
efficiency engineers and scientific management experts find the average
organization only 25 per cent efficient. And this is not the only trouble
we make for ourselves as the result of unscientific selection in the rank
and file. In many cases we use no better judgment in the selection of even
our highest and most responsible executives. If it is true, as has been so
often stated, that a good general creates a good army and leads it to
victory, and a poor general demoralizes and leads to defeat the finest and
bravest army, then it is more disastrous for you to select one misfit
executive than a thousand misfits for your rank and file.
In our next chapter we shall attempt to show some of the troubles which
overtake a man who selects the wrong kind of executives.
CHAPTER II
THE SELECTION OF EXECUTIVES
The President and General Manager of a large manufacturing and sales
company, who, for the purpose of the present narrative, shall be called
Jessup, was making a trip from Chicago to New York on the Twentieth
Century Limited. In the smoking room of his car he met a gentleman whose
appearance and manner attracted him greatly. Acquaintanceship was a matter
of course, mutual admiration followed swift upon its heels, and friendship
soon began to crystallize in the association. As the train sped on through
the night, the Big Executive became more and more delighted with his
new-found acquaintance. The man agreed with him in many of his sentiments;
belonged to the same political party; was a member of the same fraternal
order; wore the same Greek letter society pin as his oldest son; and, what
was, perhaps, more important, entertained what seemed to him intelligent,
clean-cut, forceful, progressive ideas in regard to business.
As their talk proceeded, President Jessup found that the gentleman was a
Mr. Lynch, advertising manager of a firm manufacturing jewelry, located in
Providence, Rhode Island. He had been in this position for five years and
during that time had planned, assisted in designing, and sold to a
national market several profitable jewelry specialties. Lynch's graphic
story of how these advertising campaigns had been planned, executed, and
carried through to success fascinated the President of the western
concern. To his mind, his own enterprise, the manufacture and sale of
steam and hot-water heating plants, had long been in the doldrums. He
himself had spent many sleepless nights trying to plan some way of
extending its business; of opening up new markets; of creating a wide new
patronage; of manufacturing something which would bring in more profits
than their regular line, and finding a successful sale for it. It now
seemed to him that he had found just the man to assist him in carrying out
these vaguely formed plans, which as yet were little more than dreams. He
told Lynch something of his ideas and ideals, and, as the two men parted
for the night, he said:
"I have just a glimmering of an idea, Mr. Lynch, that we might be able to
make an arrangement whereby you would be greatly profited in increased
opportunities and bigger income, and perhaps we also would reap an
advantage in increased business. Think it over."
SELECTION BY PERSONAL PLEASURE
Long after he had retired, President Jessup pondered over the situation,
and the more he pondered, the more he became convinced that he had found
just the man he wanted. True, he had not had in mind, during any of his
midnight vigils, the taking on of any new help--his payroll was already
heavy enough. He had a good advertising manager and a good sales manager,
men who were competent to take care of the business of the concern. In
response to their efforts, patronage was growing, not rapidly and
spectacularly, yet steadily and substantially. Now, however, he saw an
opportunity to produce something which would be different enough from the
product of any of his competitors to warrant him in undertaking a national
advertising campaign. Up to the present he had had only a local business.
A few hundred miles from his factory in all directions could be found all
the heating plants which he had manufactured and sold. His dream was to
produce some special form of apparatus which would sell wherever there
were homes, stores, offices, churches, theaters, and schools to be warmed.
Mr. Lynch was just the man to study their business carefully, decide upon
some such product, help to design it, and plan and execute the national
advertising campaign which would develop a local into a national business.
Jessup dropped to sleep with his mind made up.
Next morning, as the train sped along between the Catskills and the
Hudson, the two men, over the breakfast table, began negotiations. Jessup
was surprised, and somewhat disappointed to find what a large salary his
new friend was drawing in Providence. He was still more surprised and
disappointed to find that Lynch's future prospects in the jewelry business
were so bright that it would take a considerably larger salary to entice
him away. The Westerner's mind, however, was made up and the future
profits he saw arising from a national business were so attractive that he
finally threw aside caution and offered Lynch twelve thousand five hundred
dollars a year and moving expenses to the western city where his factory
was located. This offer was finally accepted, the two men shook hands, and
arrangements were made for Lynch to report for duty in the West within
thirty days.
THE NEW MAN IN A QUANDARY
Now, President Jessup had no intention of dismissing his advertising
manager and his sales manager. Each knew the business from beginning to
end; each was thoroughly familiar with the trade already built up and
personally acquainted with many dealers who handled the products, and
could be depended upon not only to hold the present trade, but to increase
it. Therefore it seemed good judgment to retain these two men on the local
trade while turning Lynch loose upon the campaign for the securing of a
national market. So it was decided to retain both of the old men and to
give the newcomer the title of sales promotion manager. There were some
heart-burnings on the part of those already in the office when the new man
came in and took charge. It was not pleasant for men who had been with the
business for years and served it faithfully and helped to build it up, to
have a man placed over them who knew nothing about it and whose salary was
more than their two salaries combined. However, Lynch's personality was so
pleasant and he was so tactful and agreeable that this little feeling of
inharmony seemed soon to disappear. Presently all were working together in
the happiest possible way toward the inauguration of the new policy of the
concern.
As time went on, however, Lynch began to show signs of restlessness and
uneasiness. Being a man of keen, alert mind and quick intelligence, he had
quickly grasped the fundamentals of the heating business. He was soon able
to talk with the firm's designers and engineers in their own language. But
the more he studied boilers and radiators, the less interest he took in
them. He had sense enough to know that the only thing that would win in
the plan he had in mind was a radical change in design which would
increase the amount of heat delivered in proportion to the amount of fuel
burned, or the amount of heat delivered in proportion to the cost of fuel
burned, or would reduce the amount of supervision required, or would do
away with some of the long-standing sources of trouble and annoyance in
heating apparatus. Long and hard he thought and conjectured, and studied
statistics, and followed reports of experiments, but for the life of him
he could not take any interest in any such line of research. He hated the
gases, ashes, soot, smoke, and dirt generally. Huge rough castings of
steel and iron seemed gross and ugly to him, and the completed product
seemed coarse and unfinished. The only improvements he could think of were
improvements in beauty of line, in refinement of the design, in added
ornamentation, and other enhancements of the physical appearance of the
product. In these he took some interest, but he had the good sense to know
that no change of this kind would accomplish what they wished in the
matter of going after a national market.
THE HIGH-SALARIED ONE FAILS
For a while President Jessup waited patiently; then, as the big salary
checks came to him to be signed month after month, he began to grow
restless. No result had yet been announced and in his conferences with
Lynch, he could not determine that any hopeful progress was being made.
Finally, in desperation, he called his engineers and designers together.
For three weeks he worked with them night and day, studying, analyzing,
making records, and computing results. They took cat-naps on benches in
the laboratory while waiting for fires to burn a standard number of hours;
ate out of lunch-boxes; and finally, unshaven and covered with soot and
ashes, they triumphantly produced a fire-box and boiler which would burn
the cheapest kind of coal screenings satisfactorily, with but little
supervision and a high degree of efficiency. This was the best thing they
had ever done in the laboratory. This was the attainment which he had so
long desired. This, properly advertised and handled, certainly ought to
revolutionize the steam and hot-water heating business. But it was not one
of Lynch's brain-children. However, Lynch would now have an opportunity to
prove his value and return to the concern large profits for the amount
they had spent and would spend upon him. At any rate, he knew how to plan
and conduct an advertising and selling campaign.
Lynch, intensely relieved by the solving of this problem, the utility of
which he very readily saw, threw himself, heart and soul, into the
construction of the advertising campaign. As this work progressed, Jessup
began to have some misgivings. While the advertisements, circulars,
catalogues, and other literature were beautiful; while the English in them
was elegant, and the form of expression refined, somehow or other, they
seemed to lack the necessary punch or kick which Jessup knew they ought to
have. The two big things about the new product were, first, economy of
fuel; second, ease of operation and small demand for supervision. These
points were not brought out clearly enough. They did not grip. They did
not get home as they should. There was a good deal of talk in all the
advertising about the beauty of the new apparatus; about the refinement of
its finish; about its workmanship, and many other things which, to
Jessup's mind, detracted from the main issue. The one thing he wanted to
hammer into the minds of the readers of his advertising was the fact that
here was a heating apparatus for which fuel could be purchased in the
usual quantities and at half the regular price. What he wanted to do was
to make them actually see the dollars and cents saved, not only in fuel,
but also in the cost of operation. He wanted suburbanites to see the fact
that they could attend to their furnaces each morning before going to
town, and that the fires would not need any further attention until the
following morning; but, somehow or other, the advertising did not seem to
picture this clearly enough. The statements were made, yes; there was
plenty of evidence produced to show this; but it was done in a way which,
somehow or other, did not produce an intense conviction.
Jessup had secured from his board of directors an appropriation of fifty
thousand dollars for a national advertising campaign. Upon the result of
his first attempt would depend his securing a further appropriation for
such a campaign as he had planned and as he wanted to execute. This being
the case, he did not feel that he was justified in permitting Lynch's
advertising to go out as it was. The result was that, just before the time
came when copy must be sent to the magazines, newspapers, and street-car
advertising companies, Jessup called his old advertising manager into
conference and for a week they struggled together, revising the copy,
rewriting the selling argument, and placing emphasis in clear, strong,
unforgetable figures where it would do the most good.
WHY THE "GREAT FIND" WAS A DISAPPOINTMENT
The result of all this was that Lynch, seeing the writing on the wall,
tendered his resignation--which was all too gladly accepted. In offering
his resignation, however, Lynch had stipulated that he was to receive four
thousand dollars out of the six thousand five hundred still due him on his
year's contract. President Jessup's error in selecting an employee had
cost him ten thousand dollars in salary. Besides this was the still larger
sum in expenses, in wasted effort, and in the disorganization of his
entire factory and selling force as the result of the introduction of a
man who did not belong there.
His mistake was due to two fundamental errors. In the first place, the
facts that a man is personally agreeable, that he belongs to the same
political party, that he belongs to the same lodge or fraternity, that his
ideas and opinion on matters outside of business agree with his
employer's, are merely incidental and by no means adequate reasons for
employing him. Nor is the fact that he has made a good record, even an
extraordinary record, in some other line of business a good reason for
employing him. Perhaps, on the other hand, the fact that his record is
made in a totally different business is a good reason for not employing
him. It certainly was so in this case.
In the second place, President Jessup did not take into consideration the
natural aptitudes of his man, natural aptitudes which he might very easily
have determined with a moment's casual observation. Lynch was exceedingly
fine in texture; his hair, his skin, his features, his hands, and his feet
were all fine and delicate. He, therefore, loved beauty, refinement, small
articles, fine lines, elegant designs. These things appealed to him
strongly, and because of this he was able to make them appeal to others.
Anything which was heavy, rough, coarse, crude, uncouth, or ugly repelled
him. He could not take an interest in it except in the most theoretical
way. For this reason he could not interest others in it. He had an unusual
knack for selling things to people which would appeal to their love of the
beautiful and their desire for adornment; in short, to their vanity; but
he had no qualifications for selling to people on a purely commercial
basis, and especially selling something which was so matter-of-fact and
commonplace in its character as the saving of coal and the freedom from
necessity of frequent attention.
A WEAK MAN AND HIS TEMPTATION
In the winter of 1914-1915, the people of New York were shocked at the
downfall of a man who had held a very high social, church, and business
position. He had a wife and two or three beautiful children; he occupied a
very prominent place in church and Sunday-school; he was well connected
socially; he was a prominent member of one of the more popular secret
fraternal organizations; he had a good position at a large salary, and
enjoyed the complete confidence and respect of his employers and business
associates. Like a bolt out of a clear sky, therefore, came the revelation
that he had robbed his employers of more than a hundred thousand dollars.
This money he had lost in speculation.
It was the old, old story. He had begun speculating with his own reserve;
this was quickly wiped out. Then, in order to win back what he had lost,
he had begun to borrow, little by little from his employer. He would win
for a little while; then he would lose, and, as a result, would have to
borrow more in an attempt to make good his losses and repay what he had
borrowed.
This man's employers had to make good a loss of about one hundred and
twenty-two thousand dollars. In addition to this, they lost time, money,
service, energy, and physical well-being because of the upset in their
business and the bitter disappointment to them in the defalcation of their
trusted employee. They also spent money tracing him in his flight and
bringing him back to face trial and receive his penalty. More money was
spent trying to discover whether he had concealed any of the funds he had
stolen, so that they might be recovered. All of this might have been saved
and the man himself, perhaps, might have been protected from the fate
which overtook him, if, instead of judging him by his church record and
his pleasing personal appearance and manner, they had taken the trouble to
learn something about the external evidences of weaknesses which this man
possessed in such a marked degree.
WHY HE GAMBLED AND STOLE
If they had learned some very simple principles, they would have been able
to determine at a glance at his curly blond hair; by his secretively
veiled eyes; by his large, somewhat fleshy nose, not particularly high in
the bridge; by the weakness and looseness of his mouth, and the small and
retreating contour of his chin, and by other important indications, that
he was selfish by nature, grasping, extravagant, too hopeful, too
optimistic, too fond of money, too self-indulgent; that he lacked
conscientiousness; that he lacked caution; that he lacked foresight; that
he lacked any very keen sense of distinction between what was his and what
belonged to others; that he lacked firmness, decision, self-control,
will-power. Notwithstanding his lack of all these things, he had made a
success for himself, up to the time of his defalcation, by means of a
keen, penetrating intellect, excellent powers of expression, the ability
to make himself agreeable, ease in mingling with strangers, a natural
talent for piety and pious profession, and considerable financial and
commercial shrewdness.
A man of this type is nearly always a gambler if he has an opportunity;
but he ought to be placed in a position where there will be no temptation
to him to rob others to satisfy his gambling proclivities. He is one of
the last men in the world who ought to be placed in a position of
responsibility, trust, and confidence. For the protection of others and
for protection against himself, he ought to be under the most careful
supervision. His intellectual powers, his suavity, his ability to meet and
handle strangers, his commercial and financial shrewdness, ought all to be
given full scope by his employers, but any opportunity to handle money or
help himself to the funds of others should be carefully shut away from
him.
AN ENGINE WITHOUT A BALANCE WHEEL
Some years ago we had an opportunity to look into the affairs of a
mail-order house which had just failed for a large sum, so that its
creditors, in the final adjustment, received about eleven cents on a
dollar for their claims. The business had been established by a capitalist
of considerable wealth, who had made his money in an entirely different
line. For some years it was operated in a conservative way by a man who
had had years of experience in the mail-order business. The man was well
along in years and rather old-fashioned in his ideas. While his management
was safe and sane, it had not produced a very large return upon the
capital investment. For this reason, the owner determined to engage, as
advertising manager, a young man who had several years' successful
experience in advertising, but no first-hand knowledge of the mail-order
business. The young man did brilliant work. The business of the house
began to grow, dividends began to come in, and the owner was delighted.
But the new advertising manager and the old general manager did not get
along well together. The young man was progressive, optimistic, had ideas
of expansion and growth, while the old man was conservative, careful, and
somewhat out of date in his ideas as to business.
There could be no result of such a combination except the final
resignation of the old general manager. This was only too gladly accepted,
and the young man who had come in as advertising manager was placed in
full charge. Following his appointment there was a period of rapid
expansion. Many new lines were added; the concern rented two more floors
in the building where it was located, and eventually purchased ground and
built a fine new building. The payroll doubled, then trebled, then
quadrupled. All these things, of course, took more capital, and the owner
was compelled to add many thousands of dollars to his original investment,
first, for permanent improvement; then, from time to time, for working
capital. He was glad to do this, because the business was growing. There
seemed to be every prospect that in the near future there would be profits
far in excess of anything the owner had ever dreamed of under the old
management.
SUPERSTRUCTURE WITHOUT FOUNDATION
Then came a time when other ventures of the owner compelled the use of all
of his spare capital. He could no longer add to the funds invested in his
mail-order business. He called his new general manager in and said: "I
have put a great deal of money into this mail-order business. You have
your beautiful new building; you have a goodly amount of working capital;
you have expanded and added new lines; and I think the time has come when
you ought to be able not only to run along without any more investment on
my part, but very soon to show me a nice little profit. I assure you that
it will come in exceedingly handy in the new venture which I have
undertaken."
"Oh, certainly," the young man said, "there is no doubt that we shall soon
be paying you larger profits than any other enterprise you control, with
the new business we have secured and the splendid profits on all lines we
are now handling. There is no reason why we should need any more capital,
and I do not think it will be very long before we will have repaid you in
dividends for every penny of money you have recently put into the
business."
And so the owner turned his back on his mail-order business and gave his
time, thought, and energy to his other ventures. Reports, of course,
reached him regularly, but he had full confidence in the manager, and he
was very busy, so he paid but little attention to them.
THE INEVITABLE COLLAPSE
A little more than a year had passed when the capitalist was profoundly
astonished and dismayed to have one of his best business friends call upon
him and request: "Charlie, I wish you could do something for me on that
account. It's long past due and it's getting altogether too large for me
to carry as business is now."
"Why, what account is that? I didn't know I owed you a cent."
"Why, for that mail-order business of yours. They've been ordering goods
from me for over a year now, and what they have ordered during the last
six months has not been paid for. I knew that you were good, of course,
and so was perfectly willing to extend the credit. But you know, as a
businessman, that there is a limit to such things, and I think it has
about been reached. I hope you can take care of it immediately, as I can
very readily use the funds."
"Why, how much is this wretched account of mine, Will? I didn't know I
owed you a cent. It can't be very much."
"Well, it all depends upon what you call very much. It's something like
thirty-five thousand dollars."
"Thirty-five thousand dollars! Why, man, you must be dreaming," and the
capitalist turned to his telephone and called up the general manager of
his mail-order business.
"Why, yes," came back the cheerful, confident tone of the optimistic young
manager, "we do owe them around thirty-five thousand, I think. I supposed,
of course, you knew all about it. I've been sending my reports in every
week."
"But why haven't you paid it? Certainly your sales are big enough and your
income from them good enough for you to pay your bills."
"Well, I'll tell you; it is taking us just a little longer for us to get
on our feet than I had expected. Then, after your decision not to put any
more money into the business, I found it necessary, in order to round out
and complete our line, to add some new items which cost us quite a little.
But we are in good shape now and the sales are increasing. We shall soon
be able to take care of all of our outstanding obligations."
"How much are your outstanding obligations?" asked the capitalist, with a
sinking heart.
"Well, about two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, I should say. But it
won't take us long to clean that up now that we've squared away."
"You'd better come right over here and bring your books with you. I want
to go into this thing."
WHY HE FAILED
It took only a few hours' investigation of the books to convince the
capitalist that his mail-order business was hopelessly insolvent. It took
expert accountants to find out why it was insolvent. The trouble was that
the young manager had proceeded with only the vaguest and roughest kind of
an estimate of cost, based, not upon facts, but mostly upon his own superb
guesswork. New business had been brought in by reducing prices. "Low
prices" had been one of the slogans of the young man's campaign, and he
had cut under all of his competitors. On the other hand, there had been
the slackest kind of management inside. Overhead expenses had mounted and
mounted. The young man had been altogether too easy and generous in fixing
salaries, granting promotions and increases, and in giving positions to
those who applied. He was really a splendid young fellow, with a
sympathetic heart and a generous hand, and it was very difficult for him
to turn away anyone who could tell an artistic hard-luck story. Expensive
equipment had been purchased which had far greater capacity than the needs
of the business required; therefore, many machines and other fixtures had
stood idle seventy-five per cent of the time, eating up money in interest
charges, depreciation, space, light, heat, and other expenses. In addition
to these out-and-out expenditures, there were dozens of little leaks in
all the departments of the business, all busily draining away not only
possible profits, but the working capital, and, finally, the limit of the
concern's credit.
As a result of this kind of management, the final accounting showed the
liabilities of the concern to be in the neighborhood of four hundred
thousand dollars and its assets only about forty-five thousand. No one
could be found to take the business, even as a gift, and assume its
obligations. The owner himself had his capital so tightly involved in
other ventures that he was unable to save this concern, and it was
therefore sold under the hammer. The creditors received their little
eleven cents on the dollar. The owner's capital investment was, of course,
a total and complete loss.
This man made his mistake in placing a business in which there is a
multitude of detail and a necessity for the closest possible scrutiny of
every cent of expenditure--a business which must be done upon the smallest
possible margin in order to be successful--in the hands of a man who could
look only outward and forward and upward. The young man was, indeed, a
splendid business getter. He was a natural-born advertiser, salesman, and
promoter. His personality was forceful, pleasing, and magnetic. In his
intentions and principles he was honest and highly honorable. He was keen,
positive, quick in thought, quick in action, progressive, eager, buoyant;
he had a splendid grasp of large affairs, principles, and generalities.
But he had no mind for details; he rather scorned them. He was perfectly
willing to leave the details to someone else, and even then did not care
to hear any more about them himself. He never ought to have been placed in
charge of a business involving such minute carefulness as the mail-order
business. He was dangerous in any position of responsibility without a
partner or an auditor and treasurer competent to look after the finances
and all of the details of the accounting and administration. This young
man's function was getting in the business, but he was not equipped by
nature or by training to take care of the business after it came into the
house or to administer the funds which came in with it. The capitalist
would have known, if he had exercised one-half the care in choosing a
general manager that he did in selecting a driving horse, that the young
man was unfitted for the work he was expected to do.
A COMMON TYPE
He would have known that anyone as blonde in coloring and as round-headed
as this young man was unfit for a position which required the minutest and
most careful scrutiny of every detail of administration. He would also
have noticed his wide-open, credulous, and generous eye; the narrowness of
his head just behind the ears, indicating his inclination to side-step
anything in the nature of a disagreeable contest or combat. The high dome
of his head just above the temple and the turned up tip of his nose, both
indicating extreme optimism; his very short fingers, indicating dislike of
detail and the inability to handle it; his rather soft-elastic consistency
of hand, showing inability to bear down hard and firm in cutting expenses
and holding down salaries.
This young man's type is very common. We meet it constantly in business,
and wherever we have met it, we have always found that, unless it was
associated with a man of dark complexion, hard consistency, keen, shrewd
eyes, the ability to fight and to stick, a sort of bull-dog tenacity, it
simply ran away in over-optimistic ventures, dissipated its earnings, and
ended in dismal failure.
[Illustration: FIG. 57. Conical hands, with conical finger tips. Indicate
refinement, responsiveness, sentiment, love of beauty in music and art,
and an emotional nature. This hand, however, is not very practical, and is
not the typical hand of the musical performer or creative artist. May be
the hand of an actor or singer.]
[Illustration: FIG. 58. Back and front view of hand of Mrs. Flora E.
Durand, of Libertyville, Illinois, Pianiste and Pipe Organist. Mrs. Durand
is a performer of unusual skill and artistic feeling. Note squareness of
entire hand and of finger tips.]
[Illustration: FIG. 59. Back and front view of hands of financier and
administrator. Very practical, matter-of-fact, and sensible; not
particularly fond of detail, but can compel himself to do it. Note square
hands and finger tips and moderately short fingers.]
[Illustration: FIG. 60. Front and back view of hands of a mechanical and
electrical engineer of some prominence. He is not only highly qualified,
intellectually, for engineering work, but is a mechanic of great
expertness and skill. All his work is beautifully finished and
marvellously accurate. Note long, square hands and fingers.]
[Illustration: FIG. 61. Long fingers, indicating a tendency to capacity
for details.]
[Illustration: FIG. 62. An example of narrow head, indicating mildness of
disposition--an inclination to win way and secure ends by intellect, tact,
and diplomacy, rather than by direct conflict.]
[Illustration: _Copyright Ernest H. Mills._
FIG. 63. Sir Henry Fowler. A splendid example of fine, enduring physical
balance with excellent intellectual equipment. Note large, long nose,
ears, and chin; long, straight upper lip; long, rather lean lines of
cheeks and face in general, flat-topped head; prominent brows, and square
jaw, These are all typical indications of calmness, practical judgment,
prudence, shrewdness, moderation, and, as a result, longevity.]
[Illustration: FIG. 64. Reginald D. Barry, Engineer and Scientific
Experimenter. Interested in mechanics and engineering in an almost purely
intellectual manner. Ambitious, determined, optimistic. Note especially
height and width of upper part of cranium, with slender lower face; also
rounded dome above temples, and width and fulness back of upper corners of
forehead.]
[Illustration: FIG. 65. Colbert E. Lyon. Note especially high dome of
head above temples, indicating optimism, faith, hope, sympathy, generosity
and humanitarian leanings. Note also fine texture, indicating love of
beauty, refinement, and responsiveness. Practical judgment, energy and
determination are shown by prominent brows; large, high nose; and strong
chin; fine powers of expression by prominent eyes.]
[Illustration: FIG. 66. Dr. V. Stefansson, Explorer. Of the active,
restless, eager, pioneering type, capable of enduring hardship. Note
square jaw, large nose, convex profile, blond color, high, wide
cheekbones, strong chin, and coarse texture.]
[Illustration: FIG. 67. High, square head, indicating conscientiousness,
prudence, carefulness, dependability, and constancy.]
[Illustration: FIG. 68. High, round head, indicating ambition, love of
adventure, and a certain degree of recklessness, carelessness, and
irresponsibility.]
ROOSEVELT AND TAFT CONTRASTED
When Mr. Roosevelt was about to end his term as President of the United
States in 1907, he and his more prudent advisors did not consider it good
political judgment for him to seek at that time nomination for what would
have been, in effect, a third term. He therefore began to cast about to
find a successor who would carry out his policies. As President, he had
inaugurated certain policies of administration which he regarded as being
of the highest possible importance to the country, and to the world at
large. We are not here discussing the common sense, wisdom, and
statesmanship of those policies. The fact to which we are calling
attention is that Mr. Roosevelt wished to use his influence as President
and as the leader of his party to have placed in nomination, as his
successor, a man upon whom he could rely to continue to administer the
office of President according to the policies he himself had inaugurated.
Mr. Taft had long been a member of Mr. Roosevelt's cabinet and had also
been a very close personal friend. As Governor of the Philippines, and as
Secretary of War, he had made a splendid record and was considered to be
one of the most loyal and able of the President's official family.
Accordingly, he was selected by Mr. Roosevelt as his successor. In his
campaign for election, and in his inaugural address, Mr. Taft repeatedly
gave assurance to the voters that it was his intention to carry out the
Roosevelt policies. There is practically no one, even those who disapprove
most heartily of Mr. Taft's record in the Presidency, who thinks that he
was anything but sincere and honest in making these promises to the
voters.
HOW IT WORKED OUT
Now, without discussing for a moment Mr. Taft's administration as
President from the standpoint of its true value to the country, or the
actual quality of his statesmanship, there is no question in the mind of
anyone that he signally failed to carry out the Roosevelt policies. In
fact, he became the titular leader of that faction of the Republican
party, before the end of his administration, most violently opposed to the
Roosevelt policies. He has subscribed to and preached a totally different
political doctrine from that of his former friend and chief ever since.
This course of action may have been right; it may have been wrong; it may
have been wise, or it may have been unwise. It may have been fully
justified, or it may not have been justified. These are not questions
which interest us here.
The point is that Mr. Roosevelt, in all good faith, and believing in the
wisdom of his choice, selected Mr. Taft to carry out his policies in the
government, and that Mr. Taft, no doubt with the best of intentions,
failed to carry out those policies. The result was a split in the
Republican party, the election of a Democratic President and Congress, and
other far-reaching consequences, the full meaning of which we have not yet
begun to see. They may be good; they may be unfortunate. That is not the
question at issue. The question is, could Mr. Roosevelt, if he had had a
scientific understanding of human nature, have foretold Mr. Taft's course
of action?
INDICATIONS OF DIFFERENCES IN CHARACTER, IDEAS, IDEALS, AND ACTIONS
The Roosevelt policies were aggressive and bold, cutting across
traditions, flinging down the gauntlet, and throwing defiance into the
faces of powerful political and business interests. They assumed for the
executive office at least all of the powers which, according to the
Constitution, belong to it, working in harmony with a group of men who had
interested themselves in a number of progressive--perhaps some might say
radical--reform measures. Furthermore, these policies were a perfectly
natural expression of Mr. Roosevelt's personality.
Do Mr. Taft's physical characteristics, as easily observable indicate
that he is of a character, temperament and aptitude to continue such
policies as these. A comparison of the two men should give us the answer.
Mr. Taft is very much lighter in color than Mr. Roosevelt. As a general
rule, the lighter blond coloring is an indication of mildness of
disposition, instead of the fierceness and eager determination to dominate
of the man who is as ruddy as Mr. Roosevelt.
Mr. Taft's forehead is very much more practical in type than Mr.
Roosevelt's. He is, therefore, far more interested in the practical
application of such principles as he has than in theories, hypotheses, and
reform.
Mr. Taft's nose, by its roundness and softness of contour, indicates
mildness, good nature, refinement, and delicacy of feeling, while Mr.
Roosevelt's is the large-tipped, bony-bridged nose of aggressiveness and
combativeness.
Mr. Taft's mouth is a good-natured, smiling, laughing, jovial mouth,
instead of the grim, hard, fighting mouth as shown in Mr. Roosevelt's
type.
Mr. Taft's chin is of the rounded and rather retreating type, an
indication that he is probably far better qualified by disposition to
follow a strong and aggressive leader than to take the aggressive,
dominating, fighting leadership himself.
Mr. Taft is a very much larger man than Mr. Roosevelt. This, while not
particularly important, is just one more indication of his good nature and
his dislike for a hard, grueling fight. It is an interesting fact that
almost all of the great fighters of the world have been little men.
Alexander, Caesar, Napoleon, Grant, Lord Roberts, Sheridan, Sherman,
Wilhelm II, and many others have been below medium in stature. Of the
others, Kitchener, Wellington, Frederick the Great, Washington, and von
Hindenberg have been men of not more than medium size. It is almost
unprecedented to find a fighter in a man of Mr. Taft's huge size.
In structure, Mr. Taft is essentially of the judicial type. This type is
always a defender of property, an upholder of the Constitution, a strong
advocate of making the best of things as they are, rather than plunging
into violent innovations, the results of which are unknown and may very
easily prove to be disastrous. On the other hand, Mr. Roosevelt is of
restless, active, pioneering structure--the bony, muscular type of man who
has always led reform movements and led in fighting for changes he thought
would add to the freedom of humanity.
Mr. Taft's texture is finer than that of Mr. Roosevelt. He is, therefore,
more interested in the refinements, the luxuries, and the delicacies of
life than is Mr. Roosevelt. He is also less vigorous, less virile, and
less insistent upon reform and the right of the people to rule. It is an
interesting fact that most of the great friends of the people, most of
those who are eager in demanding the rights of the proletariat, are men of
medium or coarse texture.
Mr. Taft is soft elastic in consistency of fiber, while Mr. Roosevelt is
hard elastic. This indicates more impressionability or amenability to
influence, more desire for finding an easy and pleasant way to accomplish
his end on the part of Mr. Taft than on the part of Mr. Roosevelt.
In Mr. Taft the vital element leads--in Mr. Roosevelt, the motive. The
vital element conduces to putting on of flesh, enjoys the good things of
life, loves an easy time, and naturally inclines to make the best of
things as they are. On the other hand, the motive element demands outdoor
activity, freedom, liberty of movement, and not only liberty for itself,
but liberty for everyone else.
Mr. Roosevelt's jaw is square and determined, which shows an inclination
to push things through regardless of obstacles; to pursue his ends no
matter what difficulties stand in the way. Mr. Taft's jaw is rather
rounded and not so prominent. This indicates less determination, less
perseverance, less persistence in pushing against obstacles and
difficulties.
Note the difference in width between Mr. Roosevelt's and Mr. Taft's head
just above the ears. Mr. Roosevelt is very wide-headed. This indicates
energy, aggressiveness, impatience, a certain amount of destructive
tendency. It is this which not only makes Mr. Roosevelt an aggressive,
eager, fighting, dominating politician and statesman, but also a mighty
hunter.
On the other hand, Mr. Taft's head is medium narrow just above the ears.
This indicates mildness, an inclination to use diplomacy rather than
force, and a tendency to take things as they are rather than to push ahead
aggressively and make radical changes.
Mr. Roosevelt's head is high in the crown. Mr. Taft's head is low in the
crown. A high crown indicates firmness, decision, love of power, love of
authority, a demand to rule, and great ambition. A low crown, on the other
hand, indicates amenability to authority, a willingness to compromise, and
a lack of domineering quality.
Compare the expression of the two men. Mr. Roosevelt's expression is
intense, vigorous, and almost belligerent. Mr. Taft's expression is mild,
calm, judicial, good-natured, and jovial.
By what stretch of the imagination could anyone suppose that a man of Mr.
Taft's character and aptitudes, as shown by the indications pointed out in
the foregoing, could even begin to carry out the policies of a man of Mr.
Roosevelt's character, as shown by the indications we have pointed out?
And yet, all of the political history of the United States since 1909 has
been completely changed as the result of Mr. Roosevelt's lack of knowledge
of the plain facts of the science of human nature. Indeed, the result of
Mr. Roosevelt's choice of a successor is found in Mexico, in Germany, in
England, in France, and, in fact, throughout the world.
IF NOT SCIENTIFICALLY, HOW?
Woodrow Wilson has been criticized, perhaps, as severely for his selection
of men for various posts in his administration as for any other cause, if
reports are to be believed. He has probably suffered far more from
unfortunate selection of lieutenants and of men for special tasks, and has
more deeply regretted his mistakes of this nature, than any other thing in
his administration up to the time that these lines are written.
The few examples we have given in this chapter of men who gave excellent
promise and then failed to live up to their expectations are typical. They
are occurring every day in every line of business and industry, as well as
in politics and government. We are told by some who have made a study of
this subject that the only way to find out what a man can do, what his
aptitudes are, what are his abilities, his capacities, his type, and what
his performances will be, is to put him in a place where he will have an
opportunity to show what there is in him. If this is the best that science
can do for us, we are, then, groping in darkness through a tangled maze of
pitfalls. We have nothing left but to go on using disastrous and
impracticable methods in the selection of men for commerce, for industry,
for financial responsibility, and for the highest positions of honor,
responsibility, and power in the gift of the people.
CHAPTER III
THE REMEDY
True, we can determine a man's fitness by giving him a trial. But, if he
is a failure, and we learn nothing by experience, the next incumbent may
be a hundred-fold worse. Furthermore, in many places, selection by trial
is an impossibility, as in marriage, in the presidency of a bank, or in a
general to lead a forlorn hope. There must be some better way.
Some years ago we were asked to make an investigation at a printing and
publishing house. Two years before this time the proprietor had ceased to
receive any profits from the enterprise and, at this particular time,
complained that for months he had been putting money into the business in
order to keep it going. He himself was not a practical printer and was not
in immediate management of the concern. His manager, however, was an able
man, a good printer, and was considered to be a good business man.
At the very outset of our investigation, we found that the foreman of the
composing-room purchased type, leads, and slugs, furniture, cases, and all
of the other materials used in his department. The foreman of the
press-room purchased paper, ink, rollers, twine, and other things. The
foreman of the shipping-room purchased packing-cases, wrapping paper,
twine, nails, hammers, marking ink, and other materials he used. The
foreman of the bindery purchased glue, cloth, leather, boards, paper, and
wire. The office manager purchased typewriter ribbons, carbon paper,
clips, paper fasteners, pins, mucilage, rulers, pens, and pencils. The
foreman of the electrotyping department purchased copper, acids, metal,
and tools. We were rather surprised to find that the coal and lubricating
oil for the engine room were purchased by the manager himself, but not at
all surprised to learn that he had never heard of such a quantity as a
British Thermal unit and that he had absolutely no records to show the
kind of coal most efficient under his boilers. A little further
investigation showed that each head of department had charge of the stores
of materials and supplies for his department and gave them out to
employees upon a mere verbal request. We were not long in discovering that
the foreman of the composing-room received "tokens of regard" from
salesmen; that the foreman of the press-room was regularly on the payroll
of several companies furnishing inks and rollers, and had a brother-in-law
running a little print shop around the corner and spending very little
money for ink, paper, and other such materials. Each head of a department
also had full power to "hire and fire," as he called it. The foreman of
the composing-room said to us, when we questioned him in regard to this
matter, "Why, if I didn't have the power to hire and fire I could not
maintain discipline in my department; rather than give that up, I would
resign my position."
As a result of this state of affairs, we found a brother of the foreman
occupying an easy position in the composing-room, a brother-in-law, two
nieces, two nephews, and a son occupying easy positions at good salaries
in the press-room and various other nephews and other semi-dependents
working away under foremen who were related to them in the various
departments. In the composing-room, also, we found, upon careful
investigation, that several of the employees were very heavily overpaid at
times and that they divided the surplus in their pay envelopes with the
foreman.
When we called these things to the attention of the manager, he was deeply
surprised and pained. "Why," he said, "every head of a department in this
printing and publishing house is a personal friend of mine. I have the
highest regard for them and have held their honor and uprightness so high
in my estimation that it has never occurred to me to investigate their
administration in their several departments. You know, of course, that
this is the usual procedure in the printing business. The foremen regard
these prerogatives as being especially theirs and would very deeply and
bitterly resent any attempt on the part of the management to take them
away." The manager was only partly right. It is true that these practices
have been followed in many printing and publishing houses; that they are
followed in some even to-day; but even in his time the most progressive
and successful had long ago abolished this inefficient and
dishonesty-breeding system.
SCIENTIFIC PURCHASING ENDS ABUSES
To-day in every well-managed printing office, as well as every other
industry, there is a purchasing department. Materials are purchased, not
through favors, or on account of bonus from the salesmen, but upon exact
specifications which are worked out in the laboratory. Materials are
accepted and paid for only after a laboratory analysis to ascertain their
true worth. Materials are kept in a stores department and are issued only
upon written requisitions. Requisitions are carefully checked up, records
kept to show that each department is using only its proper quota of
materials and supplies of all kinds.
While the purchasing of mere inanimate material, which after all is only
secondary in importance, has thus been reduced to science and art in
charge of specialists, the methods of selection, assignment, and handling
of employees in nearly all industrial and commercial institutions
continues to-day on the same old dishonest basis as that which we found in
the printing and publishing house described. Foremen, superintendents, and
heads of departments still guard jealously their prerogatives of hiring
and firing. So deeply rooted is this prejudice in the minds of the
industrial and commercial world, that many managers have said to us in
horror, "Why, we can't take away the power to hire and fire from our
foremen. They couldn't maintain discipline. They would not consent to
remain in their executive positions if they did not have this power of
life and death, as it were, over their employees."
Incidentally, we may say, that we have had almost no trouble in securing
the enthusiastic and loyal co-operation of foremen and superintendents
where employment departments have been installed.
SCIENTIFIC EMPLOYMENT THE REMEDY
It is becoming increasingly clear to employers that, only by following the
example of the purchasing department, can industry and commerce cure the
evil which we have briefly described and exemplified in the two preceding
chapters. We find that employment, instead of being left to the tender
mercies of foremen, Tom, Dick, and Harry--who may or may not be good
judges of men, who may or may not be honest, who may or may not indulge in
nepotism, who may or may not pad the payroll; who may or may not be
unreasonable, tyrannical and otherwise inimical to the best interest of
the concern from whom they draw their living--selection of help is now
delegated to specialists and experts. Employment departments are now
established with more or less complete control over the selection and
assignment of men and women in the organization. In some of these
departments complete records are kept. Exact and painstaking care is used
in securing data, hunting up applicants, watching the actual performances
of those who are put to work, determining whether or not they live up to
their opportunities. In other employment departments this system is very
loose and the departments exist principally for the purpose of securing
applicants who are then turned over without recommendation to the foreman
who still has the power of employing and discharging.
The remedy for which we have been looking is to be found in an employment
department, organized with a carefully selected personnel, which will
perform the same careful, analytical research and record-keeping functions
as a scientific purchasing department. Perhaps, for the sake of clearness,
it would be well for us to describe rather in detail the work of such a
department.
ORGANIZATION
The organization of such a department depends entirely upon the number of
applicants and employees with which it must deal and the character of the
work to be done. Suppose, for example, we have a factory with two thousand
employees, seventy-five per cent of them skilled, fifteen per cent of them
unskilled, and ten per cent office employees. The work of such a
department could be very well carried on by one employment supervisor, one
assistant supervisor, one clerk and record-keeper, and part of the time of
one stenographer. The employment supervisor is a staff officer. His
position in the company is that of a member of the staff of the general
manager or president. His work should be subject to oversight by the
president or general manager alone, and he should not be answerable to any
other officer or member of the corporation. It is the function of the
employment supervisor to direct the work of his department, to conduct its
relations with all other departments of the business, to interview,
analyze, and recommend for employment all executives and employees of more
than ordinary importance; to hear and adjudicate all cases of complaint or
disagreement between executives or between executives and their employees
and also to review cases heard by his assistant in which there is any
degree of dissatisfaction with the settlement proposed.
It is the duty of the assistant employment supervisor to interview and
analyze, select, and recommend for employment all applicants for minor
positions in the factory and office. It is also his duty, under direction
of the supervisor, to number and carefully analyze every position in the
organization, determining its requirements, and, having made a careful
list of these requirements in a card index, to keep it in the files of the
department where it can be readily consulted. It is the duty of the clerk
and record-keeper to make out all reports, to record all reports sent from
heads of departments, to keep the files, to make out notifications to the
paymaster and to other officers as occasion requires, and in general to
keep the records and files of the department in a neat, orderly condition,
up to date every moment of the day, and so managed as to yield readily and
instantly any information desired.
It is the duty of the stenographer to attend to all correspondence of the
department, including dictation from the supervisor and the assistant
supervisor.
FUNCTIONS OF AN EMPLOYMENT DEPARTMENT
Briefly, it is the function of the employment department to secure,
interview, analyze, select, and recommend for employment men and women who
will pre-eminently fit into the various positions in the organization; by
competent counsel, upon request, to assist the line executives in the
management of employees, and, in all its activities, to act in the
capacity of expert in human nature, conducting all phases of relationship
between the corporation and its employees.
In detail, however, the functions of a well-organized and efficient
employment department are these:
ANALYSIS OF POSITIONS
1. Theoretically, the first function of an employment department is to
analyze carefully every position in the organization, listing its
requirements, noting the environment and other conditions which surround
it; in short, painting what will be to the members of the department a
clear and easily recognizable word-picture of the aptitudes and character
of the man or woman best fitted to fill that position. While this is the
theoretical first function of the department, in actual practice certain
conditions may arise which will make this inadvisable. But it ought to be
done as quickly as possible, and the records tabulated on cards in a
convenient way in a card file. These are the specifications for the human
material needed in each place. The method of making this analysis varies
under different circumstances.
ANALYSIS OF EXECUTIVES
2. The next step in the work of an employment department is the analysis
of all executives. Each executive is interviewed and carefully analyzed
for two purposes; first, to find whether he is indeed the right man in the
right place; second, to observe his characteristics, his peculiarities,
his personality, and to learn from him his preferences. All of these are
carefully listed, and, in selecting employees, care is taken to select
only those who will work harmoniously and happily with the executives
under whom they are placed.
ANALYSIS OF EMPLOYEES
3. Employees in the organization at the time of the installation of the
employment department are analyzed as opportunity offers. In this way the
supervisor determines whether or not they are well placed as they are, or
whether they have talent and abilities which would make them far more
valuable in some other part of the institution. The analysis of each
employee is made out either completely and in detail or in a general way,
according to his importance, his future possibilities, his probable length
of service with the institution, and other conditions. Clearly a great
deal more time would be spent and a great deal more careful analysis made
in the case of an important executive, than in the case of a day laborer
engaged as a member of a temporary shoveling gang.
These analyses, after having been written out, are filed in folders. Each
employee has a folder of his own, and in this are placed not only his
analysis, but a sheet for the keeping of his record and all letters and
papers referring to him.
SECURING OF APPLICANTS
4. Inasmuch as every live organization is always growing and, therefore,
taking on new employees, and inasmuch, also, as there is a state of flux
in every organization, vacancies occurring for one reason or another, it
is a function of the employment department to secure as many of the most
desirable applicants possible for all of the positions in the enterprise.
Some of these applicants come to the employment department in the natural
course of events, others come as the result of advertisements; still
others because the employment supervisor and his assistant take means to
ferret them out and send for them. Promising young men in schools and
colleges and in the employ, perhaps, of other organizations are kept under
careful observation. Data in regard to them is listed in the reserve file,
and their records, as they come in various ways to the employment
supervisor, are filed with them.
5. Applicants having been secured in these ways, the next step is
carefully to analyze them. Under ideal conditions this analysis is made by
observation, unknown to the applicant, during a pleasant interview. He may
be asked certain questions, not chiefly for the sake of bringing out
direct information, but for the sake of observing the effects of the
interrogations upon him.
In some large organizations, in the rush season, 100 new employees may be
added every day. In order to select this number, perhaps several hundred
applicants may be interviewed. Obviously, a detailed and thorough analysis
of each cannot be made. Under such conditions, however, the work is
usually of such a character that the most casual observation on the part
of a trained interviewer will reveal at once the fact that the applicant
either is or is not fitted for the work to be done.
As a result of the analyses made by the employment supervisor and his
staff, applicants are recommended to foremen who have made requisitions
for the filling of vacancies. Bear in mind, it is not the function of the
employment department arbitrarily to employ. When a desirable applicant
has been found, he is sent, with a recommendation, to the head of the
department which has made requisition for an employee. Then the foreman or
superintendent or the manager either rejects or accepts the applicant. In
case of rejection, the executive returns the applicant to the employment
department, stating his reason for his action.
When an applicant is accepted, the employment department notifies the
paymaster, also places a folder for a new employee in the file. It is
often highly desirable, also, before sending an employee to a foreman to
inform him fully and in detail as to the work he is expected to do, the
conditions under which he will be expected to work, the rate of pay he
will receive, the opportunities for advancement, and all other information
which may decide the applicant for or against accepting the position if it
is offered to him.
REPORTS AND RECORDS
6. The employment department organizes methods for receiving regular and
complete reports upon the performance and deportment of every employee in
the organization. These reports include punctuality, attendance,
efficiency, special ability, deportment, home environment, and habits,
companions, and other necessary and valuable information. Every employer
who has the good of his employees and their advancement at heart ought to
know these things. Reports are received from foremen and superintendents,
also from others who are especially assigned by the employment supervisor
to secure the information.
RECOMMENDATION FOR TRANSFER, PROMOTION AND INCREASE
7. As a result of these reports and of its own analysis, the employment
department recommends for transfer from one department to another, or for
promotion, or for increase of pay, such employees as merit these changes
in their positions and relationship with the company. In cases where
necessity seems to demand it, the employment department may also recommend
the discharge of an employee.
CONSULTATION ON RATES OF PAY
8. In co-operation with properly constituted authorities, and as the
result of careful, scientific study of the whole situation, the employment
department assists in establishing rates of pay commensurate with the work
done, with the conditions in the industry, and with their probable effect
upon the loyalty, happiness, and consequent efficiency of the employees.
SPECIAL INFORMATION TO MANAGEMENT
9. Upon request of the general manager or any other executive in the
organization, the employment supervisor may furnish complete information
as to any employee in the organization when that information is
legitimately required. Oftentimes, also, there will be a call made upon
the employment department for some one with special ability to undertake a
certain task. It may be that the employment department has had under its
observation for months or even years some man already in the employ of the
company who will exactly fill the new position or the vacancy just
created. Or it may be that, upon consultation of the records, the
employment department will find just the man it is looking for. In case
neither of these things happen, then the right man may be found listed and
described in the reserve file.
TRANSFER AND DISCHARGE
10. When a foreman or other executive can no longer use any man in his
employ, he does not discharge him, but sends him instead to the employment
department with a report and recommendation. Oftentimes the employment
supervisor or his assistant can adjust the matter and return the man to
his position, better fitted than ever to perform his task. It may be that
the executive and not the employee is at fault. On the other hand, it is
often the case that the employment department can take the man so returned
and place him in another department, where he will be happy and efficient.
It may be that the work that he has been doing is suited to him, but that
his executive is not the right kind of personality for him. Whatever the
employment department finds in regard to the man, action is taken in
accordance therewith. In case there is real cause for it, the employee is
paid off and dropped from the rolls of the company.
AID IN MANAGEMENT AND DISCIPLINE
11. Owing to his peculiar knowledge of human nature, it is often possible
for the employment supervisor or his assistant to aid executives in
discipline in their several departments. It has been our experience that
an efficient employment department is not in existence very long before
many executives begin to come in for consultation and to ask the
employment supervisor or his assistant what course to pursue in reference
to some particular man or some particular set of circumstances. This has
been found to be one of the most valuable functions of an employment
department.
SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES
12. Also because of his expert knowledge of human nature, the employment
supervisor or his assistant is often called upon to adjudicate between
executives, between fellow-employees or between an executive and his
subordinate. Disputes and differences of opinion usually arise because
people fail to understand each other. The employment supervisor,
understanding both parties in the quarrel, is usually able to point out
some basis of amicable adjustment and the restoration of friendly
relationship.
EDUCATION OF EMPLOYEES
13. Employers are learning that the finest and most valuable assets in
their employees are not their bones and muscles; not their intelligence,
training, and experience when they enter the organization; but, rather,
the possibility of development of their intelligence, talents, and
aptitudes. Educators now almost entirely agree that the best and most
serviceable education possible is that afforded by work, provided the work
is intelligently directed and constantly used by those who direct it as an
educational force. Employers are also grasping the great possibilities for
them in this theory. Corporation schools, night schools, special classes,
and many other forms of education inside the walls of commercial and
industrial enterprises are being used to good advantage. In an ideal
economic system, every factory, every store, every shop, every place where
men and women are gathered together for employment should be, in the
higher sense of the word, a school for the development of the very best
human qualities.
Since this is true, who is better qualified by training, by education, and
by experience to conduct this education than the employment supervisor and
his assistants? If he is properly chosen for his work, he has a special
scientific knowledge of human nature; he knows not only the talents and
aptitudes of every member of the force, but also knows the best way for
developing and bringing out these talents and aptitudes. He knows for just
what vocation each one under his tutelage is suited. He knows just what
study and training each one ought to pursue in order to best fit himself
for that vocation.
WELFARE WORK
14. Because of its peculiar relationship to all the employees in the
organization, there is no department better fitted to undertake all of
that activity in connection with industrial life, which is known as
welfare work or social betterment, than that entrusted with employment.
ADAPTABILITY
The organization and plan of an employment department, as we have outlined
it, is, as we have said, for an institution employing two thousand men and
women. For larger organizations, of course, the employment supervisor must
have more assistants, there must be more clerks and stenographers,
according to the number of employees handled and the character of the work
to be done. There are some organizations in which there is very little
fluctuation in the personnel. In such cases a small employment department
is all that is necessary, even although a large number of employees may be
on the payroll. In other kinds of work there is a very large fluctuation,
under ordinary conditions, and in such cases it is necessary to have more
help in the employment department. In the case of small business, such as
retail stores, the employer himself is oftentimes the entire employment
department, except for such assistance as he may obtain from a clerk or
stenographer. In such a case, also, the records do not need to be so
complete and so voluminous, since the proprietor can carry a great deal in
regard to each one of his employees in his own mind. We know many
executives in large organizations, where employment departments have not
been established, who constitute, in themselves, employment departments
for their own little corner of the industry. They may have only five or
six employees under their care, but they handle them according to
scientific principles, analyzing them and their work with just as great
care as if there were hundreds of them.
The method, after all, is unimportant. It is the spirit of the work that
is all important. It does not matter whether you have a huge force of
clerks, assistants, interviewers, and stenographers, or whether you
yourself, in your little corner office with your three or four retail
clerks as a working force, constitute the whole organization. The spirit
of scientific analysis and the fitting of each man to his job in a common
sense, sane, practical way, instead of according to out-of-date methods,
is the important consideration in the remedy which we present.
CHAPTER IV
RESULTS OF SCIENTIFIC EMPLOYMENT
In a lecture to the students of the New York Edison Company Commercial
School, on January 20, 1915, afterward also presented at the Third Annual
Convention of the National Association of Corporation Schools at
Worcester, Mass., on June 9, 1915, Herman Schneider, Dean of the College
of Engineering of the University of Cincinnati, in discussing "The Problem
of Selecting the Right Job," made the following statement:
"2. Physical Characteristics.
"This seems to be a development of the old idea of phrenology. It is
claimed in this system that physical characteristics indicate certain
abilities. For example, a directive, money-making executive will have a
certain shaped head and hand. A number of money-making executives were
picked at random and their physical characteristics charted. We do not
find that they conform at all to any law. Also, we found men who had
physical characteristics that ought to make them executives, but they were
anything but executives. A number of tests of this kind gave negative
results. We were forced to the conclusion that this system was not
reliable."
It is of exceeding great importance for us to know whether the conclusion
of Dean Schneider is to be accepted as final. He is a man of high
attainment and has done some most remarkable and highly commendable work
in connection with continuation schools in the city of Cincinnati. His
opinion and conclusion, therefore, are worthy of the most careful
consideration.
At first glance, Dean Schneider's method of investigation seems sound and
his statement, therefore, conclusive. He examined actual cases; he
collected evidence, and he found that physical characteristics were not a
reliable guide to aptitudes and character. It is well for us, however, to
remember in discussing problems of this kind, that every new scientific
discovery has always been rejected by many recognized authorities after
what they considered to be careful and convincing tests. Harvey nearly
died in trying to maintain his theory of the circulation of the blood;
Darwin's theory was insistently repudiated and rejected by many scientific
men of his day; Galilo, Columbus, Boillard, the discoverer of the
convolution of Broca, and Stevenson, the inventor of the steam locomotive
engine, failed to convince the recognized authorities of their times.
Gall, who localized the motor functions of the brain, a discovery
universally accepted by all brain physiologists today, was laughed out of
court by men of the highest scientific authority, who, by experiments,
"proved" that he was wrong. So great a mathematician and scientist as
Professor Simon Newcomb made the emphatic remark that the dream of flight
in a heavier-than-air machine was absurd and would never be realized. The
difficulty with all these conclusions lay in the fact that the
much-vaunted "proof" was negative in character. Nothing is easier--or more
fallacious, logically--than to "prove" that a thing is _not_ so. The
difficulty lies in proving that it _is_ so; therefore, logically sound.
According to logicians, conclusions based upon negative premises are
inherently unsound. In order to reach reliable conclusions, we must first
have _all_ of the essential facts in the case. We question seriously
whether this was possible in the course of such a brief investigation as
Dean Schneider made. Scientific selection of employees according to the
science of character analysis by the observational method was first
proposed in the summer of 1912, so that Dean Schneider has had only three
years, during which he was much occupied with other duties, in which to
make his observations. We only wish here to raise the question as to
whether, in that short time, he could obtain all of the facts necessary
for reaching a final conclusion. At any rate, other scientists have spent
at least fifteen or twenty years in the examination of the same facts
before reaching their conclusions.
The method employed as outlined in the paragraph quote does not seem to
fulfill all of the necessary requirements of a careful and complete
scientific investigation. Take, for example, the test of "directive
money-making executives." Would Dean Schneider, or any other engineer,
permit a layman, no matter how well qualified otherwise, to examine twenty
or thirty different pieces of engineering work for the purpose of
determining whether or not they "conform to any law." We acknowledge Dean
Schneider's ability as an engineer and as an educator, but until he has
submitted proof, we must question his ability and training as an observer
of physical characteristics as indicative of character and aptitudes.
Again, take the test of those who have "the characteristics that ought to
make them executives." We should like to know what these physical
characteristics were. We should also like to know what other physical
characteristics these men had. Perhaps there were some which interfered
seriously with their becoming successful as executives.
Still further, it would be illuminating to know whether the men so
examined had ever been properly trained for executive work; whether they
had had opportunities to become executives or whether some or all of them
may not have been misfits in whatever they were doing. Obviously, a sound,
scientific conclusion cannot be reached until all of the variables in the
problem have been adequately studied and brought under control. There is
no evidence in the paragraph that we have quoted that Dean Schneider had
done this.
But, after all, we shall proceed very little, if any, with our inquiry as
to the reliability of Dean Schneider's conclusions if we content ourselves
merely with criticizing his methods of research and reason. Even if we
could prove beyond a doubt that the methods used were unscientific and the
reasoning unsound, we could go no further toward establishing the contrary
of Dean Schneider's conclusion than he has in establishing the
unreliability of determining mental aptitudes and character by an
observation of physical characteristics. The main question is not, "Is
Dean Schneider right or wrong?" but rather, "Is an employment department,
conducted along the lines laid down in the preceding chapter, a
profitable investment, and, especially, is it possible to determine the
right job for any individual by observing his physical characteristics?"
BUT IT IS BEING DONE
Fortunately, this question is no longer academic. There is no need for the
bringing up of arguments, the stating of theories, the quoting of
authorities, or any such controversial methods. Employment departments
_have_ been established in a number of commercial and industrial
organizations, some very large--some small--and _are_ being conducted,
with some variations, according to the plan outlined in the preceding
chapter. The science of character analysis by the observational method
_is_ the basis of their work. In addition, this science is the basis of
employment work in several hundred other employment departments, large and
small, where the Blackford plan has not been adopted in its entirety. The
plan referred to was formulated in 1912. The fact that this method has
been in actual commercial use under widely varying conditions and in the
hands of many different individuals, for more than three years, is, on the
face of it, a reasonably fair presumption of its reliability. At any rate,
it is fully as convincing as Dean Schneider's purely negative "proof."
The question remains as to whether the commercial applications of this
method are successful; whether the results obtained are reliable; whether
the inefficiencies and losses, to which we have referred in previous
chapters, are appreciably remedied by its use.
SOME PRACTICAL RESULTS
In one of the first organizations where the Blackford Employment Plan was
installed there were employed about 2,500 men and women. At the time of
the adoption of this plan the various foremen and superintendents in the
plant were hiring about 6,600 new employees each year in order to maintain
their regular working force of 2,500. Within six months new employees were
being taken on at the rate of only 4,080 a year--and this notwithstanding
the fact that many changes were necessitated by sweeping reorganization
and adoption of new methods of manufacture in the industry.
Excellent results were obtained in reassignment of executives as the
result of a careful analysis of those holding positions when the
department was installed. One executive instantly recognized as being
clever, designing, and essentially dishonest was replaced by another of a
reliable, efficient type. Under the new executive, the department more
than doubled its output, at the same time cutting the payroll of the
department down to 43 per cent of its former size. Still another
executive, holding a position of highest trust and responsibility, was
reported upon adversely after analysis by the employment department. An
investigation made as the result of this report revealed serious
irregularities covering a long period of months. Another man properly
qualified for the position was selected by the department, and immediately
began to effect noticeable savings, as well as greatly increasing the
value of the department's work in the institution. Still another executive
selected by this department increased the output of one of the shops by
120 per cent, with a very slight increase in the payroll. In another
organization, careful records showed that among employees selected
according to this plan, 90 per cent were efficient, satisfactory, and
permanent; 8 per cent fairly satisfactory but not permanent; and 2 per
cent unsatisfactory and discharged.
AN UNUSUAL HARMONY OF JUDGMENT
But these results, while desirable, are not wholly convincing. It is easy
enough to explain them on the ground that any man or woman of common
sense, keen observation and good judgment, devoting all his or her
intelligence and time to employment problems, might have gained the same
results without using a method for determining aptitudes and character
from an observation of physical characteristics.
More specific and more convincing evidence may be found in a series of
incidents which occurred in connection with an employment department
established in a textile factory, employing twelve hundred men, located in
New England. The supervisor of this department is a young man who has been
a student and practitioner of this method in employment work since August,
1912. Previously to taking up this work, he had taken an engineer's degree
and had some experience as an executive, in a large factory.
In January, 1915, the supervisor analyzed carefully twenty executives then
at work in the plant, carefully wrote out the analyses and submitted them
to the management with recommendations for transfers and readjustments of
rather a sweeping nature. The management, wishing to make an experiment,
agreed to make the changes, provided we were also to analyze the
executives in question, submit our analyses in writing, and show agreement
as to the character and aptitudes of the men. We accordingly proceeded to
the factory, and there, without consultation with the supervisor or his
report, proceeded to analyze the twenty executives independently. It would
not be fair to the executives in question to publish all of these analyses
in full, but a comparison of the essential points in a few of them will be
instructive:
Supervisor says of No. 1: "Sociable, scheming, secretive; poor judge of
men; lacking seriously in executive ability; decidedly a 'one-man-job'
man; does not plan ahead; clannish, narrow-minded; very low intelligence
for a foreman. Any organization he builds will be close-mouthed,
unreliable, and selfish in structure. Because of the technical knowledge
of the business which he has gained, and which can be gained only by long
experience, he should do good work in experimental lines. Any change made,
however, should separate him completely from the regular productive
organization."
Dr. Blackford reports on No. 1: "He is, however, an undesirable man to be
in charge of others. He is far more destructive than constructive, more
disorganizing than organizing. He is ultra-conservative, non-progressive,
and is not disposed to take on any new methods unless he himself can get
the credit for their installation. In disposition he is stubborn and
obstinate. He is also reserved and suspicious. Being of the selfish type,
he will look after his own interests first in all things. No. 1 lacks
straightforwardness and frankness of disposition, so he will be tricky,
slippery, and do things in an underhanded way. He has very great dislike
of detail and will have a tendency to procrastinate if given an
opportunity, I believe he has passed the age limit of mental growth."
Supervisor thus summarizes No. 2: "A well-intentioned, honest and reliable
man, lacking absolutely in executive ability. Should have a job as
inspector or like, where he would have no one to look after but himself."
Dr. Blackford says of No. 2: "No. 2 is a simple-hearted man of very
ordinary ability. He is not systematic or orderly; is very susceptible to
criticism; exceedingly emotional, apprehensive, and watchful. No doubt men
will like him because he is easy with them. However, he will not be a
particularly good executive, because he cannot maintain discipline."
Supervisor thus analyzes No. 3: "Very clannish, lacking absolutely in
intelligence, executive ability, frankness; in fact, every attribute that
is necessary for a good foreman. Is wholly unfitted for an executive job
of any kind. Under very strict supervision, would make a fair workman."
Dr. Blackford reports on No. 3: "He is easily influenced; too undependable
and too lax in discipline to make a good executive. He has a keen sense of
right and wrong, but will take on the color of his surroundings. If led by
an undesirable man, he will be a poor asset, and only a fair one even
under good influence."
Supervisor, on No. 4: "An active, honest and frank man; a good boss for a
small gang of men. Limited somewhat by lack of education and medium
planning ability."
Dr. Blackford, on No. 4: "An energetic, active man of only fair
intelligence and capability. He is sympathetic and generous to those he
likes, but his strongest quality is a desire to rule. He will enjoy
enforcing laws, rules and regulations, and will do this with a degree of
energy and watchfulness which probably results in good work on part of
those under him. He is a fair executive. Under right influence, might
further develop."
Supervisor reports on No. 5: "A capable man, secretive and somewhat
clannish; is susceptible, however, to other influences and can be
developed. A little quick-tempered in handling help; expects too much at
the outset. This man must be removed from the influence of No. 1 or he
will make no progress."
Dr. Blackford, on No. 5: "A capable man, secretive in his work; careful,
conservative, and conservatively progressive. He is intelligent and
industrious. He is also ambitious, and has good artistic sense. He is the
type of man that takes pride in doing good work. He will prefer his work
to be perfect and finished rather than faulty. In disposition he is
usually mild, but has a very destructive temper when aroused; so he is
probably a little hot-headed with his workers. He is reserved and
secretive, but under encouragement will unfold whatever information he has
concerning the work. Perhaps his most negative point is a lack of courage
in his convictions, but with encouragement and proper support, he ought to
develop into a good executive."
Supervisor says, briefly, of No. 6: "A very loyal, honest and painstaking
employee; very sincere and absolutely reliable; lacking somewhat in
executive ability to handle a large gang. Very desirable."
Dr. Blackford says, more at length, of No. 6: "Industrious, energetic,
watchful, careful, dependable, and conscientious in her work. She is
sympathetic, but exacting with her workers. She has fair intelligence, is
teachable, and will give considerable thought to improving her work. She
is also a good critic and a good judge of values. If not given too large a
department or too great responsibility, she ought to be very valuable in
an executive position."
Supervisor, on No. 7: "An active, reliable man; a good gang-boss or
leader; very susceptible to further training."
Dr. Blackford, on No. 7: "Highest grade and finest-textured of any of the
foremen yet considered. He is also intelligent, honest, industrious; has
high principles; is careful in his work, and will take very great pride in
it. He is naturally artistic and ought to turn out very beautiful work. He
is clean morally and physically, thorough, and will always prefer a fine
quality of goods and workmanship to coarse quality. He is distinctly a
quality man. With training and opportunity he ought to develop into a fine
man for greater responsibility than he now carries."
ANALYSES FROM PHOTOGRAPHS
Perhaps, in some ways, an even more convincing evidence of the reliability
and practicability of the observational method may be found in the results
obtainable by analysis from photographs. A photograph is, in a sense, a
purely mechanical product. It is, in graphic form, a record of the
subject's physical characteristics, stripped of all of the atmosphere, so
to speak, of his personality. A photograph cannot talk, cannot act, cannot
reveal the man within by any subtle appeal to what are called the
intuitions. Photographs as the basis of analysis are used extensively in
employment and vocational work. These analyses are usually written out in
detail and stand, in black and white, undeniable records of the analyst's
observations and conclusions. The analysis of Sidney Williams appearing on
pages 206 to 210 is a sample of the definite and specific manner in which
these analyses are made. It has been impossible for us to trace and verify
in detail every one of these records. They are being made all the time,
and in one form or another, by many of those who are now using this
method. But we have traced several hundred of them for purposes of
verification and have found amongst them only three which have differed
with the facts in the case in any essential particular. In fact, some
analysts are far more reliable in making analyses from photographs than in
personal interviews. In dealing with the photograph they apply the
principles and laws of the science relentlessly and almost mathematically,
while, in a personal interview, they are irresistibly influenced by their
sympathies, their likes and their dislikes.
As a test, we have had some analyses made without even a photograph as a
guide, using simply standard charts of the essential physical
characteristics of the subjects. For this test five subjects were chosen,
all of them unknown to the analysts. Their physical characteristics were
charted by those acquainted with the method and five copies were made of
each chart.
In order to give the reader an idea of the nature of the data upon which
these analyses were made, we reproduce here, in ordinary language, the
information contained in the chart made out for Subject Number One:
Sex--Male.
Nationality--Scotch.
Occupation--Teacher.
Date of Birth--March 19, 1891.
Color--Eyes, medium; hair, skin and beard, slightly brunette.
Form--Forehead, eyes, mouth and chin, plane; nose, strongly convex.
Height--5 ft. 9 1/2 in.
Weight--145 lbs.
Build--Square-shouldered, bony and muscular; lacking somewhat in
adipose.
Consistency of Flesh--Hard-elastic.
Flexibility of Joints--Rigid-elastic.
Long trunk, short legs.
Nose section, of face predominates, chin a close second, mouth third.
High, wide, long, medium-square head.
Middle division of cranium predominates, top second, base third.
Crown section of cranium largest; front section, second; back section,
third; temporal, fourth.
Square forehead, medium wide, more prominent at the brows than above.
Expression somewhat grim.
Health good; body, clothes, hands and mouth clean and in good condition.
Hands square.
Fingers medium long, with square tips, well-rounded, sensitive
pads and short nails.
Thumbs long and set low on hand.
The information as to the other four subjects was similar in character.
One of these charts was then sent to Mr. G.C. B----, another to Mr.
C.F.R----, another to Miss E.W.R----, another to Mrs. A.W----, and the
fifth to Miss M.O.P----, students of this science--two of them having
studied it less than one year. Each analyst was asked to make his analysis
according to a definite plan, so that the results could be definitely
compared. These results are shown in the table on pages 356 and 357.
Herein is the true answer to the serious question with which we opened
this chapter. Whether or not reliable analyses can be made by the
observation of physical characteristics is no longer debatable.
Such analyses _are being made_.
[Transcribers Note: Key to Analyst list of Chart is as follows:
1-Practical or Impractical 2-Mild or Aggressive
3-Quick or Slow 4-Active or Inactive
5-Responsive or Indifferent 6-Variable or Constant
7-Energetic or Lazy 8-Dependable or Irresponsible
9-Speculative or Conservative 10-Ambitious or Unambitious
11-Social or Unsocial 12-Honest or Dishonest
13-Skillful or Awkward 14-General or Detail
15-Determined or Indecisive 16-Courageous or Fearful
17-Mechanical 18-Professional
19-Commercial 20-Artistic
Ticks replaced with / symbol]
ANALYSING CHARACTER
Subject Number One
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2
Analyst 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 Vocation
First Second Third
Choice Choice Choice
G.C.B. I M S A R C E D C A U H S D I F / Clerical Sell.
C.F.R. I M S A I V E D C U U H A G I F / Clerical Research Sell.
A.W. I A S A R C E D C A U H S D I F / / Sec. Law Sell.
M.O.P. P M S A R C E D C A U H S D D F / / / Office Exec. Sec.
E.W.R. I M Q A R C E D C A U H A D I F / / Educ. Lit Sec.
Record I M S A R C E D C A U H S D I F / / Purch. Bank Sec.
Subject Number Two
G.C.B. I A Q A R C E D C A S H S D D C / Sell. Merch. Pol.
C.F.R. P A Q A I C E D C A U H S D D C / Ins. Ace. Stat.
A.W. P A S A R C L D C A U H S D D C / / Phys. Sell. Clerk
M.O.P. P A Q A R C E D S A S H S D D C / / Sell. Pol. Purch.
E.W.R. P A Q A R C E D C A S H A D D C / / Sell. Adm. Pol.
Record P A Q A R V E D S A S H S D D C / / / Adv. Sell. Jour.
Subject Number Three
G.C.B. I M Q A R C E D C A U H S G D C / Merch. Finan. Sell.
C.F.R. P A Q A R V E I S A S D S D D F / Comm. Prom. Adv.
A.W. P A Q A R V E D S A U H S G D C / / Org. Sell. Const.
M.O.P. P M Q I R C E D C C S H S D D C / / / Educ. Sell. Exec.
E.W.R. P A Q A R V E I S A U H S D D C / / / Jour. Adv. Sell.
Record P A Q A R V E D S A U H S D D F / / / Res. Eng. Sell.
Subject Number Four
G.C.B. I A Q A I C E D C A S H S G D C / Educ. Pers. Serv. Sell.
C.F.R. P A S A I C E D C A U H S D D C / / Eng. Educ. Research
A.W. P A S A R V E D C A U H S D D F / / Educ. Jour. Soc.Ser.
M.O.P. P M Q A R C E D C A S H S D D C / / Educ. Pol. Sell.
E.W.R. P A Q A E C E D C A U H S D D C / Eng. Agr. Mfr.
Record P M S A R C E D C A U H S D D F / / Agr. Educ. Eng.
Subject Number Five
G.C.B. I A Q A R V E D C A S H S D D C / Agr. Soc. Serv. Educ.
C.F.R. P A Q A R C E D S A S H S D D C / Exec. Sell. Educ.
A.W. P A Q A R V E D C A U H S D I C / / Mfr. Org. Sell.
M.O.P. P A Q A R C E D C A S H S D D C / Org. Exec. Res.
E.W.R. P A Q A R V E D S A S H S D D C / / Agr. Mfr. Pol.
Record P A Q A R V E D S A S H S D D C / / Agr. Org. Pol.
Explanation of abbreviations: Sell., selling; Sec., secretarial work;
Exec., executive position; Lit., literature; Purch., purchasing; Merch.,
merchandising; Pol., politics; Ins., insurance; Acc., accountant; Stat.,
statistics; Phys., physician; Adm., administration; Adv., advertising;
Jour., journalism; Finan., financial; Comm., commerce; Prom., promoting;
Org., organizing; Const., construction; Educ., educating; Eng.,
engineering; Pers. Serv., personal service; Soc.Serv., social service;
Agr., agriculture; Mfr., manufacturing.
NOTE--An analysis of the foregoing record shows 82-1/4% of agreement with
the record in regard to the subjects' characteristics. This part of the
work depends upon an application of principles. In checking the four
classifications, Mechanical, Professional, Commercial and Artistic, the
element of individual judgment of the analyst entered into the problem;
yet here we have an agreement with the record amounting to 65-1/2%.
Naturally, choice of exact vocation offers an unusually wide field to the
personal equation, especially when the analyst has no data, as in this
case, in regard to early environment, education, training, residence, and
opportunities. But, even in this case, the students are, in general, in
marked agreement with the records. It is impossible to state this
agreement in percentages, since each was given a first, second, and third
choice, and since some of the vocations suggested are very nearly those
indicated in the record, yet not exactly the same. A study of these three
columns, however, will impress the reader with the accuracy of the
analysts' judgments.
CHAPTER V
IDEAL EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS
The progress of civilization and enlightment is a good deal like that in
the old riddle of the man who had a fox, a goose, and a basket of corn to
carry across the river and could carry only one at a time. If you
remember, he carried the goose across first, leaving the fox with the
corn, since the fox could not eat the corn. Then he went back, leaving the
goose, and got the corn; then, when he returned for the fox, he took the
goose back with him and left it alone on the bank, while he carried the
fox across to keep company with the corn. Then he returned once more and
brought the goose over, completing the transfer.
So Civilization carries forward, for a time, one aspect of life. Then she
drops this and returns to bring up another. This, in turn, she drops again
and goes back once more, and when she goes back she is likely enough to
carry the first advance back with her. In the end, however, she finally
brings up all of the elements and factors in human life.
For the last fifty years we have made great progress in the invention of
machinery, the development of new industries, the organization of great
financial and industrial institutions, and the volume of production in
nearly all lines. But, in the meantime, in order to make this advance,
Civilization has been required to carry back, some hundred of years, the
relationship between employer and employed. Now let us hope she is ready
to go back and bring this important factor up to date.
ANCIENT AND MODERN EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS
In the old feudal days, the employee was a serf, bound to the soil of his
employer. He received a bare living and shared not at all in the gains of
the man whose chattel he was. In the days of transition between ancient
feudalism and modern industrialism, Civilization greatly improved the
relationship between employer and employee. The proprietor and all his men
worked side by side in the same shop, performing the same tasks. Each was
proud of his skill. Each took delight in his work. Each understood the
other. Oftentimes the employee lived under the same roof with his
employer, enjoyed the same recreations, and ate at the same table. The
skilful, competent, shrewd employer gathered around him the best men in
the trade. He profited greatly and his men shared in his prosperity. The
invention of machinery and the great enlargement of industrial units makes
such relationship between employer and employee impossible. Yet, when
employment conditions are improved to match the improvements in machinery
and production, we shall go back to the ancient shop for the fundamental
principles upon which the new and better relationship will be built.
MUTUAL INTERESTS OF EMPLOYER AND EMPLOYEE
Observe carefully what these fundamental principles are. First, men who
love their work and take pride in it; second, mutuality of interests in
that work; third, mutual understanding between employer and employee. By
this we mean an understanding by each of the other's point of view,
personality, ability, motives, intentions, ambitions, and desires. Already
Civilization is groping toward the establishment of a new relation upon
this basis. Scientific methods of employment are being adopted in more and
more of our industrial and commercial plants. These insure the fitness of
the employee for his work and, because of his fitness, his love for it and
pride in it. They also insure a better understanding between employer and
employee, whose relationship to each other is guided and controlled by a
sympathetic and expert corps of men and women especially selected and
trained for just such work. Profit sharing, the bonus system, the premium
system, study clubs and classes, and many other forms of giving an
adequate day's pay for a day's efficient work are all evidences of the
desire on the part of the employers and employees to mutualize their
interests.
It is true that to-day, perhaps, we have reached the very flood-tide of
organization of employees into labor unions and employers into
associations, and that these organizations are frequently antagonistic.
But these are only evidences of our blind groping toward the ideal. These
movements show that we are awake to our needs, that we appreciate the
intolerable nature of present conditions and that we have determined to
better them. It is inevitable, when such an awakening comes, that we shall
eventually learn by our mistakes and direct our effort toward the true
solution of our problem.
IDEAL CONDITIONS DIVERSE AS TO DETAIL
Just what would constitute the details of ideal employment conditions it
is impossible at this time to say. These will have to be worked out
painstakingly, carefully, and with a true appreciation of the fundamental
principles involved, by wise and competent employers and employees. It is
altogether likely that different conditions will be found to be ideal in
different industries and probably in different units of the same
industries. One man will maintain ideal conditions by the virtue of his
own magnetism and forceful personality, tying his men to himself with the
strong bonds of mutual admiration, mutual respect, mutual loyalty, and
mutual love. Another will create ideal conditions principally by the
magnificent exploits of his organization. It is human nature for a man to
like to belong to a winning team, to be proud of his connection with a
championship organization. Still, another institution may maintain ideal
employment conditions by the good judgment, efficiency, and sincere
motives with which it conducts its welfare work. Still another may
approach the ideal by means of profit sharing, bonuses, and other such
emoluments. We have seen and studied organizations in this country and in
Europe which very nearly approached the ideal for each of these reasons.
We have also seen some which took advantage of several or all of these.
THE EMPLOYER'S IDEAL
As time goes on, more effective methods of profit sharing will, no doubt,
be evolved, methods in which there is greater justice for both employer
and employee. New ideas will be developed in welfare work as the result of
scientific methods of employment. Employer and employee will learn to
understand each other better. The success of all of these methods of
organization, when they are adopted, will cause their spread throughout
the industrial world, and thus gradually, but surely, we shall approach
that ideal organization where every employee is looked upon as a bundle of
limitless latent possibilities; where training, education, and development
along lines of constructive thought and feeling are held to be of far more
importance than the invention of new machinery, the discovery of new
methods, or the opening of new markets. This is the reasonable mental
attitude. Some obscure employee, thus trained and educated, may invent
more wonder-working machinery, discover more efficient methods, and open
up wider and more profitable markets than any before dreamed. Even if no
such brilliant star arises, the increased efficiency, loyalty, and
enthusiasm of the whole mass of employees, lifted by its improved
relationships, will yield results far beyond any won by mechanical or
commercial exploitation.
THE EMPLOYEE'S IDEAL
The ideal for every employee, therefore, is that he should be employed in
that position which he is best fitted to fill, doing work which by natural
aptitudes, training, and experience he is best qualified to do, and
working under conditions of material environment--tools, rates of pay,
hours of labor, and periods of rest, superintendence and management,
future prospects, and education--which will develop and make useful to
himself and his employer his best and finest latent abilities and
capacities.
We have seen that the ideal for the organization is that each man in it
shall be so selected, assigned, managed, and educated, that he will
express for the organization his highest and best constructive thoughts
and feelings.
THE MUTUAL IDEAL--CO-OPERATION
There is one more step. That is, the mutual ideal. It is contained in the
other two--and the other two are essentially one. The mutual ideal is the
ideal of co-operation. There is no antagonism between these ideals. The
old fallacy that the boss must get just as much as possible out of the
workman and pay just as little as possible, and that the workman must do
just as little as he can and wring from the boss just as much pay as he
can for what he does, and that, therefore, their interests are
diametrically opposed, has been all but exploded. It was based upon
ignorance, upon prejudice, and upon privately interested
misrepresentation. The new scientific spirit, working side by side with
the new spirit of a broader and deeper humanity, has demonstrated, and is
demonstrating, the truth, that in no other union is there such great
strength as in the union of those who are working together, creating
wealth for themselves and serving humanity. This is the mutual,
co-operative ideal in employment.
PART THREE
ANALYZING CHARACTER IN PERSUASION
CHAPTER I
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSUASION
The first act of practically every human being is to cry. This cry,
unconscious though it may be, is an eager, insistent demand for attention,
an appeal to the minds and the feelings of others, an attempt to persuade
others to act. Life itself and all that makes life worth living depends
upon the effectiveness of that cry.
From the moment of birth, therefore, you are dependent upon your power to
persuade for the provision of all your necessities, the satisfaction of
all your desires, and the realization of all your ambitions. The human
race produces but few Robinson Crusoes, and even these must have their
Fridays. In infancy and early life we persuade our parents to supply our
necessities and grant us our privileges and luxuries. Most of us are wise
enough to appeal to the powerful sentiments of parental duty, parental
love, and parental pride, and, therefore, persuasion is not difficult. As
we grow older, we persuade our teachers that we understand our lessons. We
persuade our playmates to yield to us a share in their sports, and we
persuade our enemies in the boy and girl world to respect us and not to
persecute us. As we grow older, we persuade our husbands or our wives to
marry us. We persuade our children to grow up in the way they should. We
persuade our employers to give us an opportunity to work and to pay us
wages. We persuade our neighbors to yield us respect and social
privileges. We persuade our servants to render loyalty and efficient
service. We persuade dealers to sell us reliable goods at reasonable
prices. We persuade our friends to accept our hospitality, to join our
clubs, our lodges, and to come and live in our suburbs.
POWER TO PERSUADE ESSENTIAL TO SUCCESS
If we enter some profession, we find ourselves constantly faced by the
need of persuading our clients and patients, witnesses, judges, juries,
opposing counsel and court officers, our congregations and executive
boards of our churches and schools, individual members of our parishes,
our partners and assistants, and, in fact, people above us, below us, and
all around us. The farmer must sell his produce, the manufacturer his
manufactured article, the railroad its transportation service, wholesale
and retail distributors their merchandise. Politics consists almost wholly
in persuasion. A congressman must persuade first his party leaders and
perhaps his competitor in the party; then the voters at the primaries;
then the voters at the election; then the speaker of the House; then the
members of his committee; then the President and many executives in the
administration; then, perhaps, the House itself in assembly; then, in
turn, his constituents and, perhaps, the entire nation.
Wealth cannot be gained, social position cannot be attained, honor conies
not, power is impossible, authority is not conferred, pleasure cannot be
purchased, a happy and harmonious human life cannot be realized, spiritual
peace cannot be found, and happiness is forever beyond our reach, except
through the power of persuasion. By persuasion in prayer, we attempt to
move the very mind and heart of God Himself.
TWO CANONS OF SUCCESS
So all-inclusive is this power that if you will think the matter out
clearly, you will see that the answer to the problem of every human being,
diverse as these problems are, the gratification of every human desire,
the realization of every human ambition, may be summed up in two brief
colloquial injunctions, namely: first, have the goods; second, to be able
to sell them. Neither one of these is complete without the other. No man
can permanently succeed in any truly desirable way unless he has something
tangible or intangible, spiritual, intellectual, or material which he can
offer to others as compensation for that which he wishes to receive. And
no matter how valuable any man's offering, it must lie unnoticed in the
world's markets unless he can sell it--in other words, persuade others to
exchange for it that which he desires. The thing he wants may be only an
opinion or a conviction, may be only of momentary value, or it may be gold
and silver coin.
The air-brake is probably one of the most valuable inventions ever applied
to the railroad industry, and yet George Westinghouse, its inventor, found
it impossible even to give it away to railroad presidents until he had
learned how to sell it. The telephone, perhaps the greatest convenience,
luxury, and time and money saver of modern times, would have remained a
scientific toy unless the most astute and vigorous methods of persuasion
had been used to insure its almost universal adoption and use. We have
seen that Elias Howe built the first sewing machine so well that its
fundamentals have never been improved upon, and yet, despite his most
strenuous efforts and the efforts of his friends and associates, it
remained a mere mechanical curiosity until he had learned how to persuade
others to use it.
MUTUALITY OF ALL HUMAN INTERESTS
A.F. Sheldon has said, "Salesmanship is not conquest, but co-operation."
Salesmanship is only the commercial name for persuasion, therefore Mr.
Sheldon has uttered a great truth. Human interests do not clash, however
much they may appear to. All human interests are mutual. John D.
Rockefeller did not amass a fortune by making others poor. On the
contrary, in the building up of his hundreds of millions, he increased the
wealth of others by billions. The theory that there is not enough wealth
to go around, and that if one man has a great deal of money others must
therefore have too little, is a vicious and dangerous fallacy. The
resources of the universe are infinite. The possibilities of humanity are
unlimited. The interests of all lie, fundamentally, in the greater and
greater development of the latent possibilities in all men and the more
and more efficient exploitation and conservation of the resources of the
universe. This is philosophic. It is a generalization. It is a statement
of facts so tremendous in their scope and so deep in their significance
that it is difficult to make a connection between them and the practical
details of every-day life.
PERSUASION REVEALS MUTUALITY OF INTERESTS
The very fact that human intercourse, in every aspect of its activity,
rests upon persuasion is an indication that all interests are mutual. The
persuader teaches the persuaded that their interest coincide. Take a
practical example: Salesmen have declared to us that life insurance
policies are the most difficult of all specialties to sell. Yet, in nine
cases out of ten, policyholders will agree that their benefits far exceed
those derived by the salesmen who persuade them to purchase. The life
insurance salesman is not attempting to hoodwink, hypnotize, cajole, or
browbeat his client in a case where their interests clash, but simply, by
skilful setting forth of facts and appeals to the feelings, to persuade
his client to act in his own interest.
We have seen in this chapter that all individuals who succeed depend upon
their power of persuasion. We have seen, also, that persuasion is not
necessarily an attempt to advance the interests of one at the expense of
another, but essentially a process by means of which two or more minds
reach the conclusion that their interests coincide. Since these two
propositions are true, it follows that we shall be justified in laying
tribute upon every means within our power to increase our effectiveness in
persuasion.
PERSUASION A MENTAL ACT DEPENDING UPON INDIVIDUAL MENTAL RESPONSE
Persuasion has been defined as the meeting of minds. This is an excellent
definition, chiefly because it localizes the activities involved. It
identifies our problem as a purely mental or psychical one. The reason why
any two people disagree as to any truth is because their minds have no
common ground upon which to meet. Either the minds do not possess all the
facts, have not reasoned in accordance with the facts so as to reach a
sound conclusion, or, having the facts and having reached the conclusion,
they are actuated by different motives. Or it may be a combination of both
of these conditions which prevents their meeting. Granting that it is to a
man's interest to buy a life insurance policy, the reason he and the
solicitor cannot get together on the proposition is either because he does
not know all of the facts involved or because the solicitor has not
appealed to motives strong enough to cause his prospective customer to
take action. To the insurance solicitor, the facts of the case may be so
clear and so easily grasped that he underestimates his prospective
client's opposition, and so does not present the facts in a convincing
manner or he himself may have such a confused idea of the factors in the
case that he cannot state them clearly. The prospective client may have a
remarkably quick, keen comprehension of the essential factors of any plan,
but may be unable to grasp details, while, on the other hand, the
solicitor, not knowing this, may present his proposition in such minute
detail as to confuse. Or the situation may be exactly reversed. The
client's mind may be very slow in action and demand the presentation of a
few essential facts with all of the reasons for them, or it may be very
quick in action and demand the presentation of many facts in rapid
succession, with no attempt to give reasons for them. It will thus be seen
that, even in getting down to a conclusive possession of facts, the
persuader and the persuaded may be greatly handicapped by
misunderstanding.
THE DIFFERENCE IN MOTIVES
When we proceed from fact to motive, we find even greater possibilities of
misunderstanding. To the solicitor the one all-powerful motive for the
purchase of a life insurance policy may lie in the fact that it is an
excellent investment. Unless, therefore, he understands psychology and his
client well enough to do otherwise, he may talk the investment feature and
appeal to the investment motive when dealing with a man who cares nothing
about the investment, but might respond readily and instantly if his
desire to provide for the future of his wife and children were appealed
to.
Success in persuading, therefore, depends upon two things: First,
knowledge in general as to how the human mind works; how it receives its
knowledge; how it proceeds from facts and motives to conclusions; what its
ambitions, desires, and other feelings are; how these may be aroused and,
finally, how they may provide the motive power and induce favorable
action. Second, knowledge as to how each individual human mind works; what
it's particular methods are in the obtaining of information, in reasoning
upon that information, and forming its conclusions; what its motives are
and how these motives finally induce decision and action.
The study of the first of these problems is a study of psychology. Because
knowledge in regard to it can be easily obtained in practically all of the
standard works of salesmanship, perhaps it is not necessary for us to go
into it more deeply here. Those who wish to pursue it further, may find an
exceedingly valuable discussion of it in "Influencing Men in Business," by
Walter Dill Scott; "The Art of Selling," by Arthur Frederick Sheldon, and
"The Science of Business Building," by Arthur Frederick Sheldon.
MANY DOMINATING MOTIVES
As we have already seen, one man gets his information very quickly,
another must get it slowly. One demands details, another cannot endure
them. But these are not the only differences. One man learns best through
his eyes, another through his ears, and still another by his sense of
touch. One man gets his facts most easily by reading about them, another
must see the actual production, while the third forms the most definite
and easily understandable mental picture of them as a result of hearing
them described. One man, in buying machinery, wants to examine carefully
every detail of its construction, another man wants only to see it in
action and examine its product, while still another man demands both.
There is the same diversity in motives. One man's strongest motive is
vanity; another's, ambition, love of power; still another's, love of
beauty. One man responds most readily to any appeal to his affections,
another to an appeal to his pride. So, amongst dominating motives in men,
we find also avarice, greed, parsimony, benevolence, progressiveness, love
of variety, love of the striking and unusual, love of pleasure, a love of
cleanliness, physical appetite, a desire for comfort, love of home, love
of family, love of friends, love of country, religion, philanthropy,
politics, and many others which will readily occur to the thinking reader.
DIFFICULTY OF DETERMINING MOTIVES
It will readily be seen that no study of psychology in the ordinary
acceptance of the term can give us any clue to these variations in
individuals. Yet successful persuasion depends upon as accurate a
knowledge as possible of these very differences among people. The
parsimonious salesman who takes it for granted that every one's motives
are the same as his own, and, therefore, talks to every prospect about the
money-saving possibilities of his commodity, will most certainly fail in
trying to persuade those to purchase who care nothing about saving a few
cents, but do care a great deal about the quality, style, and beauty of
the commodity. The attorney who makes his plea to the court on the basis
of technical justice in every case he pleads will lose many cases in those
courts where the presiding judge is rather impatient with technical
justice and may, perhaps, decide cases upon their merits or according to
his own sympathies. We once knew a learned, able, and conscientious judge
who, despite his many years' training in the law, was almost certain to
decide a case in favor of the litigant who made the strongest appeal to
his sympathies. The parent who knows nothing but the persuasive power of
corporal punishment, will have little success in disciplining a child
blessed with unusual fighting spirit, independence, and tenacity, just as
the parent who appeals only to a love of approval will fail in handling a
child who does not care what people think about him.
PERSUASION IN DISCIPLINE OF CHILDREN
We once knew a woman who lived near us who had two little boys. One of
them was sensitive, timid, affectionate, and idealistic. Being a healthy,
active boy, there was a great deal of mischief in him, and in her attempts
to discipline him the mother scolded, berated, and often cuffed and
slapped him, occasionally administering a whipping. It was plain that the
scoldings and whippings only made the boy more shy, more self-conscious,
and less confident of himself, which, in one sense, was the worst thing
that could have happened to him. The qualities he most needed were courage
and self-confidence. With his ideals, his responsiveness, and his
affection, he could have been handled easily and would have developed a
splendid intellect and a fine character normally and healthfully.
The other boy, although somewhat younger, was more than a match for his
older brother. He was practical, matter-of-fact, shrewd, courageous, too
self-confident if anything, always ready for a fight, aggressive and
wilful. The mother did not scold or whip this boy for the simple reason
that she could not. He was too active and too willing to fight. Being thus
deprived of the only means of discipline which seemed to her to be
effective, she permitted the boy principally to have his own way, her only
appeals being to his reason. Unfortunately, this is the very type of boy
who will not listen to reason. In this case, as in the first, she would
have been successful if she had appealed to the boy's affections, for he
had a very strong love nature and would have responded instantly.
It is plain enough to any thoughtful mind that it is not safe to judge of
other people's motives by their conversation. "Language," said Talleyrand,
"was invented for the purpose of concealing thought." Many people conceal
their real motives under a very alluring curtain of language. It seems to
be the most natural thing in the world for the thief and swindler to talk
with the greatest apparent earnestness and sincerity and honesty. Pious
talk very frequently is the haze in which an avaricious and greedy soul
hides itself. Bluff, bluster, and boasting are the sops which the coward
throws to his own vanity, while the quietest, sweetest, and gentlest
tones often sheath the fierce heart of the born fighter, as a velvet glove
is said to clothe a hand of steel.
HOW MOTIVES MAY BE KNOWN
Motives lie at the very foundation of being. They are deeply imbedded in
the very cells and fiber of the individual. They shape his thoughts, his
habits, and all of his actions. It is, therefore, impossible that they
should not show themselves to the practiced eye in every physical
characteristic, in the tones of the voice, in the handshake, in gestures,
in the walk, and in handwriting, in clothing, in the condition of the
body, and in the expression of the face. So the motives of man festoon his
personality with flaunting and infallible signs to be known and read by
all men who care to take the trouble to learn. Some of them are so plain
that there is scarcely any grown person so unobservant as not to have seen
them. Others are more elusive, but none the less legible to the practiced
eye.
The simpler motives, after they have held sway for years, are easily
discernible. Sensuality, arrogance, vanity, coldness, benevolence,
sympathy, and others are easily determined. But, in order to be successful
in persuasion, you need to be able to trace all of the feelings both
permanent and transitory.
THE MENTAL LAW OF SALE
There is a great practical truth in the mental law of sale now generally
accepted by business psychologists and by practical men in the business
world. This mental law of sale holds true in all kinds of persuasion
because it describes the process of the human mind as it proceeds, step by
step, from indifference or antagonism to favorable action. It is,
therefore, impossible to discuss intelligently the ways and means of
successful persuasion, except upon a basis of this law. Here is the law:
[10]"Favorable attention properly sustained changes into interest,
interest properly intensified changes into desire, desire properly
augmented ripens into decision and action."
[Footnote 10: From "The Science of Business Building," by A.F. Sheldon.]
FAVORABLE ATTENTION
Now, it is known to psychologists that certain sensations attract
favorable attention in a larger number of cases than others. For example,
in an appeal to the eye, rectangular shape in proportion of three to five,
that is to say, three units of measurement wide by five units of
measurement long is more likely to attract favorable attention than a
square. Similarly, any object in motion or having the illusion of motion,
is more likely to attract favorable attention than an object at rest.
Black letters upon a white background attract more favorable attention
than white letters upon a black background. Many such psychological
problems have been worked out. They are valuable, but they have no place
in this work, since our task here is not to deal with averages, but rather
with variations in individuals--how to discern them and how to deal with
them.
INTEREST
In a similar way, psychologists have determined that the average
individual more quickly becomes interested in that which he can understand
than in that which he cannot understand, in that which appeals to
something in his own experience than in that which has no such appeal, in
that which appeals to his tastes and his feelings than in that which
appeals to his judgment. These are rules applicable to the average, but
they are very general and are of little use to you unless you add to them
specific knowledge of every individual whom you wish to persuade.
DESIRE
Desire, as you will see by the terms of the law of sale, is merely
interest intensified. Desire is the main spring of action. It is the real
force of every motive. Contradictory as it may seem at first sight, people
always do what they want to do even when they act most reluctantly. Their
action is inspired by a desire to escape what they believe to be the
certain penalty of inaction or of contrary action. The boy who slowly
approaches his father to receive a promised whipping, does so because he
wants to. And he wants to because he knows he will be whipped so much
harder if he runs away. Desire is, therefore, the great citadel toward
which all of the campaign of the persuader must be directed. Given a
powerful enough desire, decision and action follow as a matter of course.
Psychologists have determined that imagination is the most powerful mental
stimulus to desire. Imagination presents to the mind, as it were, a more
or less vivid mental picture of the individual enjoying the gratification
of his desire--be it physical, intellectual, or spiritual. The longer this
picture remains in the mind, the more vivid it becomes, the more it crowds
all other thoughts and feelings from the mind, the more powerful and
irresistible becomes the desire. It is the task of the persuader,
therefore, to stimulate the imagination to the painting of such mental
pictures. This we well know, but what we wish to know further is what are
the most powerful desires in the particular human mind with which we are
dealing. Obviously, the automobile salesman who vividly pictures to the
timid person the thrills of speeding around curves would be as far wrong
as if he were picturing the sedate, quiet luxury of his car to a speed
maniac. What he wants to know and what we all want to know in substance is
how to tell, at a glance, which is the timid, sedate person and which the
speed maniac.
DECISION AND ACTION
Perhaps the most delicate and most difficult process among all the four
steps of persuasion is inducing decision and action. When one reflects
upon the multitudinous important decisions made and actions taken every
hour, it hardly seems possible that it can be so difficult to induce our
fellow-men to make the short step from hesitant desire to definite
decision. The truth is, of course, that in the making of almost any
important decision there is a stern conflict between conflicting desires.
Take, for example, a man buying an automobile. Under the skilful
persuasive power of the salesman, he has vividly pictured to himself
enjoying possession. But this is not his only mental picture. Perhaps he
has a picture of his old age, in which he might enjoy the income from the
money which would go into an automobile. There are also in his mind mental
pictures of half a dozen to a dozen or more other makes of automobiles. In
addition to these, there may be a mental picture of a motor boat, a little
cottage by the sea, a new set of furniture for his house, new fittings for
his store, an increased advertising appropriation, a new insurance policy,
a trip to California and return, and goodness only knows how many other
objects of desire. It is no wonder he hesitates and that he must be very
skilfully and deftly brought to the point of decision.
WAYS OF INDUCING DECISION AND ACTION
For this reason, experience has shown that many people, perhaps the
majority of people, can be induced to decide whether they will have red
rubber or gray rubber tires on an automobile they contemplate purchasing
far more easily than they can be induced to decide definitely that they
will purchase the car. Having decided upon the tires, however, they can be
asked to decide upon other minor points, including the terms upon which
they intend to pay for the car, and thus eventually go through the entire
process of purchasing the car without ever giving their delicate mental
mechanism the severe shock and strain of deciding to purchase it at all.
As a general rule, such people are surprised and delighted to find that
they have made the decision so easily and with so little pain and
distress.
But this method will not work with all people. There are some natures so
positive, so aggressive, so fond of taking the initiative, so determined
to make their own decisions without interference that the wise salesman or
persuader apparently permits them to have their own way, at the same time
skilfully guiding them in the way he wishes them to go by means of
indirect suggestion.
INDUCING A POSITIVE NATURE TO PERSUADE HIMSELF
The story is told of an old-time, domineering railroad official, formerly
an army colonel, a great lover of horses, who was intensely prejudiced
against the automobile. During the days when carriages were favorite
conveyances of the wealthy, this man kept a magnificent stable and boasted
that no driver ever passed him on the road. With the coming in of
automobiles, he became accustomed to seeing the gasoline-drinking machines
flash by. They came up behind him with a honk. They rushed by with a roar
and they disappeared in the distance in a cloud of dust. He saw the
chauffeurs gripping their steering wheels and glaring intensely along the
road.
"Humph!" he scorned, "those fellows work harder than an engineer for their
rattlety-bang speed. I had rather sit back and get some pleasure out of
riding, as I do behind my bays."
Then one morning he noticed a car slip by him slowly, noiselessly, easily,
and with so little evidence of effort that the old man felt that by urging
his horses to just a little faster pace he might have kept ahead. The next
morning, the same thing happened again. It was the same car, and this time
the old man tightened his reins a little and sent his horses speeding
ahead. At first he gained a little on the car, but eventually it pulled
slowly and easily away from him. The third morning, there was another
little brush of speed on the boulevard. By this time the old railroad man
had noticed how luxurious the car was, how smoothly it rolled, how deeply
upholstered were the seats, how lustrous and satiny the finish.
Finally, one morning, one of the old man's horses cast a shoe and the
courteous young driver of the automobile, coming along, kindly offered to
take the colonel on downtown. The offer was accepted, the team sent to a
horseshoer's in care of the coachman, and the colonel and his new friend
drove off still slowly, still quietly, and yet, one by one, they passed
other carriages on the road. Finally a trolley car was overtaken and left
behind.
"See," said the young man modestly, "just the pressure of a finger on the
throttle."
"Oh, do you call that a throttle?" asked the railroader. The word was a
familiar one to him, and being distinctly of the mechanical type, he was
easily interested in machinery. For the remainder of the journey the young
man talked quietly, but interestingly of the mechanism of the car,
emphasizing the need of skill, steadiness of eye, steadiness of hand,
coolness of nerve necessary to drive it. The colonel was deeply interested
and, just as the young man deposited him at his destination, he said, "It
is possible your horses may not be ready to come for you this evening. If
so, I should be delighted to call for you as I go out your way at about
the same time you go." The colonel graciously accepted the invitation and
at four o'clock of that same afternoon he was again seated along-side the
driver of the car. After they had drawn out of the congested streets onto
the wide boulevard, the young man again deftly turned the conversation to
the mechanism of the car and the skill necessary for driving it. This was
too much for the colonel.
"Pshaw! I do not believe it takes so much skill. With what I know about
it, I believe I could drive the car."
After some hesitation, the young man finally permitted the railroad
official to take the wheel. At first the colonel drove somewhat clumsily,
but this only increased his determination, and within an hour he was
sending the car along at a good clip. When finally they drove up to the
colonel's country home, the young man scarcely needed to invite his
passenger to accompany him to the city on the following morning. Before
the end of the week, the old man had purchased a magnificent high-powered
car. So skilfully did the young man handle his campaign that his customer
did not learn he was an automobile salesman until just a few hours before
the deal was consummated.
HANDLING THE INDECISIVE
If there are positive natures which must be permitted to feel that the
decision is all their own, there are weak, indecisive natures, also, who
are rather grateful than otherwise for having important decisions taken
off of their hands. For such people, a direct, positive suggestion is
perhaps the most powerful and effective means of securing decision and
action. One of the favorite methods of dealing with them is to press a
fountain pen into their fingers with the definitely worded command, "Sign
your name right here, please."
People are also brought to decide and act by being impressed with the fact
that delay may make it altogether too late or may possibly postpone part
of the advantage to be gained or may permit some one else to get ahead.
Decision oftentimes is also induced by a direct or indirect compliment to
the individual's decisiveness, positiveness, and ability to take action
when he sees that action is necessary. A very successful salesman often
used this method: "You say rightly that you want to think it over. That
shows that you are a wise man, because a man who acts without thinking is
foolish. On the other hand, the man who thinks without acting is a mere
dreamer, and I know you do not belong to that class. You have had the
evidence. You have weighed it. You have formed your conclusions, and now,
because you are a man of decision and action, you are ready to sign the
contract."
NEED FOR CHARACTER ANALYSIS
Here, again, the reader has already seen that we are dealing with
generalities. We have, as yet, no way of determining definitely and
quickly whether the individual with whom we are dealing will respond best
to that treatment which secures his decision upon minor points, or that
which permits him to make his own decision guided only by indirect
suggestions, or that which makes the decision for him, or that which
compliments him upon his decisiveness, or any one of many other methods of
closing. And so it is necessary to study humanity to learn to know just
what will gain favorable attention of each one individually, just which
one of a thousand possible motives to appeal to in order to arouse
interest, just what kind of a desire to stimulate in order to intensify
it to that point where it becomes irresistible, just what method of
closing to use in order to bring about decision and action.
In succeeding chapters of this part of the book, we shall give some
attention to these problems.
CHAPTER II
SECURING FAVORABLE ATTENTION
You would find it an interesting study in human nature to stand in front
of different shop windows and record the types of people whose favorable
attention is drawn by each. Select, for example, a book-store window, a
jewelry display, a window full of tools and instruments, an offering of
meats and groceries, and a traction engine. You will find a description of
various types in the first few chapters of this book. Suppose you took
fifty, one hundred, one hundred and fifty, two hundred observations before
each display and then analyzed the records to find the percentage of each
type whose favorable attention was called to each window.
Our own observations, taken in New York City, produced the following
results:
Phys. Bone & Imprac- Profes- Mechanical
Display Frail Fat Muscle tical sional Vain Total
Bookstore 30 10 12 15 20 6 7 100
Jewelry 15 20 3 12 19 35 6 100
Tools & 8 12 30 6 14 4 26 100
Instruments
Meats & 6 42 8 8 13 11 12 100
Groceries
Traction 8 16 31 9 7 3 26 100
Engine
THE PHYSICALLY FRAIL
These results show that the individual of the physically frail type, as
described in Chapter 2 of this book, is chiefly interested in books, in
beauty, ideas and ideals, elegance, and luxuries. His favorable attention
is caught by that which is beautiful. If the thing offered him has in it
or about it any elements of beauty, elegance, luxury, or idealism, this
should first be presented, even if the true value of the article lies in
its utility. In the same way, this individual will respond most quickly
with his favorable attention to that which is intellectual, educational,
literary, scientific, or philosophic, unless he is also of the strictly
financial type which is sometimes, though not often, true of the
physically frail. Then his attention may be readily secured by an apt
quotation from a price list.
Because the physically frail man does not like manual labor and cannot do
it well, his attention may be gained by any contrivance for saving labor,
making life easier physically, and substituting mental work for physical.
"Let the Gold Dust Twins Do Your Work" is a headline which no doubt
attracts the favorable attention of many of this class, who might utterly
ignore "Let the Gold Dust Twins Save You Money."
THE FAT MAN
The favorable attention of the fat man is very evidently gained most
readily by that which appeals to his physical senses and appetites. This
is because the keynote of his nature is enjoyment. He is always on the
alert for anything which may contribute to his enjoyment. He is not fond
of physical or mental work, but he is interested in food products,
labor-saving devices, comforts, luxuries, finances, politics,
merchandizing, and, in fact, everything which contributes to his enjoyment
either directly or indirectly through his ability to command the mental
and physical services of others.
He who would gain the favorable attention of a fat man, therefore, might
be most successful by beginning with inviting him to luncheon or dinner.
In the absence of this, he might begin conversation by a discreet question
or comment upon the political situation. The headline, "Let Me Show You
How To Make More Money" might appeal to the impractical man, but it is not
likely to gain the favorable attention of the fat man. The fat man's
natural feeling about a request of that kind is: "If you know how to make
more money, why don't you use that knowledge for yourself?" Financially,
his favorable attention is much more likely to be secured by asking him
whether he believes real estate prices are going to advance or railroad
stocks are going to decline or interest rates are going to hold firm.
Unless he is of the highly speculative type, he is more than likely to be
suspicious of any financial proposition which offers large returns at the
outset. He usually has a shrewd way of unearthing propositions which will
pay him large returns; but, as a general rule, he would rather unearth
them himself than to have some interested party come and offer them to
him.
THE MAN OF BONE AND MUSCLE
The favorable attention of the man of bone and muscle is always most
quickly gained by something that moves, some piece of mechanism, or,
perhaps, by an object suggestive of outdoor sports. Many a salesman has
secured the favorable attention and gained his way into the good graces of
a man of this type by talking to him about hunting, fishing, golf or
baseball. If you take the fat man to luncheon with you, take this man out
to play golf or tennis or have a motor ride.
A salesman of our acquaintance once determined to sell a full line of
school supplies to the superintendent of schools in a large western city.
The contract was a considerable one and meant a large commission to the
salesman. As he studied the situation, he learned that one of his
competitors had been furnishing all of the supplies for the schools in
this city for a number of years and that it was very difficult for the
salesmen from other business houses to get a hearing. The superintendent's
usual manner of rebuff was to say: "No, I do not care to look at your
line. We are being excellently served now, sir, and have no desire to make
a change."
This salesman proceeded to the office of the superintendent early in the
morning, before that official arrived, and was waiting in the ante-room
when his prospective customer came in. Observing the man quickly, as he
walked through the ante-room into his private office, the salesman noted
that he was tall, square-shouldered, with a square face and jaw, wide
forehead and a slow, elastic, graceful stride. In other words, he was
distinctly a man of the bony and muscular type. A few minutes later the
salesman was ushered into the superintendent's office. He carried with
him, instead of a huge sample case--this he left in the ante-room--an
ingenious little mechanical pencil sharpener. Stepping up to the
superintendent's desk, he set the machine down squarely in front of the
official and, without a word, picked up a pencil from the desk and
sharpened it.
"How much by the dozen?" asked the superintendent.
"Twenty-five dollars," replied the salesman.
"Send me five dozen," said the superintendent, drawing towards him a
requisition blank.
While the superintendent was writing the requisition, the salesman quietly
slipped out and brought in his sample case. When he returned, the
superintendent was sharpening a pencil for himself with much evident
enjoyment.
"What else have you?" said he, without looking up.
Of course that question opened up the salesman's sample case, and when he
left the office, he had at least broken down that ancient barrier and had
secured an order for considerably more than one-third of the year's
supplies.
In our story of the railroad man who was induced to buy an automobile
without even suspecting that his patronage was being solicited, observe
how skillfully the salesman drew his customer's attention to the
mechanical features of the machine. The colonel, being a railroad man,
was, of course, of this bony and muscular type.
THE IMPRACTICAL MAN
The impractical man lives in a world of dreams, theories, hypotheses, and
philosophies. His favorable attention is immediately attracted to an
ingenious idea. If he is of the fine-textured, delicate-featured type, he
will give his favorable attention readily to that which is artistic,
poetical, musical, dramatic, or literary. Financially, he is far more
likely to give attention to a proposition which promises immense returns
quickly than to one which is safe, solid and substantial, but promises
only small returns. His favorable attention cannot for long be sustained
by mere recitation of facts. He does not care much about facts and they
are likely to prove dry and uninteresting to him. Give him the theories;
show him the philosophy of the thing; appeal to his imagination, his sense
of beauty and his ideals, and he is ready to listen further.
THE PRACTICAL MAN
The practical man demands facts. Theories and abstractions worry him. Even
if you had his favorable attention and were to try to go too much into the
reasons for things, you would probably lose it. He is the kind of man who
wants to be shown, who demands that you place the actual object before
him, if possible, so that he can see it, taste it, smell it, feel of it.
His principal concern about any proposition is not, "Is it reasonable?" or
"Is it in accordance with theories?" but rather "Will it work?" "Is it
practical?" If you can show him the facts and can convince him by
demonstration, if possible, that the thing will work, you will secure his
very immediate attention.
THE VAIN
Those who are hungry for fame, who are eager for the limelight, whose ears
itch for the sound of applause, are, of course, quickly responsive to
flattery. If they are fine-textured and have delicate features, small
hands and feet, flattery must be of a refined and delicate nature. If, on
the other hand, they are of coarse texture, large, coarse features and big
hands and feet, they will, if their vanity be a ruling motive, eagerly
swallow the most atrocious and fulsome praises. Look for the extremely
short upper lip, for an excess of jewelry, a tendency to over-dress and
extreme foppish methods of arranging the hair. Where you find one or more
of these indications, you find the easiest road to favorable attention
through the appetite of the individual for praise. If he is of the
intellectual type, praise him for his smartness. If he is a fat man,
praise him for his popularity, his political astuteness, his financial
acumen, his artistic ordering of a dinner, for his impartiality. If he is
of the bony and muscular type, praise him for his mechanical ability, for
his strength, skill and agility, for his love of freedom and independence.
If he is of the literary and artistic type, praise him for his art. If he
shows a fondness for dress, flatter him on his personal appearance. Watch
any man of this type carefully and you will soon discover his pet vanity,
and when you have discovered it, you have found an easy road to the
citadel of his desires.
THE MATTER-OF-FACT
If an individual has a long, straight upper lip, a keenly practical,
matter-of-fact type of forehead, long, severe lines of countenance and a
high crown, do not attempt flattery. Such a person is instantly suspicious
of anyone who flatters him. He keeps his feelings well under control. He
has very decided opinions and convictions of his own and it is difficult
to induce him to act except in accordance with them. Such a person gives
his favorable attention to fact and, usually, only to facts germane to the
proposition in hand. He does not care much for comments upon these facts
and is quite likely to refuse to listen to all appeals to his emotions. He
has, however, as a general rule, considerable love of power. He likes to
dominate, to rule, not so much for material personal advantage as for the
sake of imposing his opinions and convictions upon others and the
satisfaction of feeling that the power is in his hands. Show him facts
that will convince him that your proposition will increase his power and
you appeal to one of his strongest motives.
THE SOCIAL AND FRIENDLY
There is a very large class of people who are distinctly friendly and
social in type. A leading characteristic of this type is, as we have
stated already, the full, round back-head. The best, easiest and quickest
way to gain the favorable attention of such people is to develop your
relations with them upon a friendly and social basis. Indeed, a capacity
for making friends and keeping them is one of the most valuable assets of
any human being, no matter what his ambitions and desires. As a general
rule, we can more easily persuade those who feel friendly toward us than
we can those who are indifferent. Observe the successful salesman and the
successful politician, those whose professional success depends upon the
power to persuade; they are nearly all of the social, friendly type.
THE VALUE OF FRIENDLINESS
For some men it comes natural to make friends with everyone with whom they
come in contact. Others make friends with few, but their friendships are
powerful and lasting. Still others are very social; they meet people
easily and are fairly successful in dealing with them; but they make few,
if any, intimate friends. Still others are neither social nor friendly.
They do not particularly care for people but rather enjoy solitude. No
matter which type a man may be, he will do well to cultivate true
friendliness. Our friends turn business to us. They give us important
information at the right time. They influence people in our favor. They
warn us of disasters. They come to our rescue in times of trouble and help
to protect us against our enemies. Finally, but perhaps most important of
all, they give us an opportunity to do all these things for them, and in
this service we find our highest and truest pleasure.
COMBINATION TYPES
We have suggested arbitrarily in this chapter a few of the types you will
meet and the best ways to gain the favorable attention of each. Naturally,
these types may overlap. For example, a man may be a fat man and also of
the exceedingly practical type. He is, therefore, approachable upon either
one of the two lines suggested or with something which appeals to both
elements in his nature at once. Plain, simple, easily recognized facts
about a sound financial proposition, for example, would combine the two
factors.
There are, of course, many other types and combination types. To treat
each one of them exhaustively would require, not a volume, but a library.
Yet there are certain fundamental principles by which all of them may be
known and in accordance with which each may be successfully persuaded. A
thorough scientific study of human nature will reveal them.
CHAPTER III
AROUSING INTEREST AND CREATING DESIRE
Before the days of business psychology, form letters for the purpose of
securing business from those addressed used to begin something like this:
"DEAR MR. BLANK:
"We beg to announce that we have on hand a very large
stock of bicycles, which we desire to close out as early as possible."
Consciously or unconsciously, the recipient of this letter would say to
himself: "What in thunder is that to me? I have no particular interest in
this fellow's stock of bicycles. I do not care whether his stock is large
or small, nor do I care whether he wants to sell it or not." And the form
letter would go into the waste basket. Nowadays, however, we have learned
better and our form letter would begin something like this:
"DEAR MR. BLANK:
"What would it be worth to you to have the freedom of movement, the
open air, the healthful exercise, and the enjoyment of the beauties
of nature which are all placed easily within your reach by the
possession of a bicycle?"
The recipient of this letter immediately pictures to himself time saved in
going to and from work, in running errands, in paying visits. He also has
visions of increased health--perhaps freedom from the headaches that have
been troubling him--pictures of long rides upon air-shod wheels over
smooth boulevards and through leafy lanes.
_Himself!_
Do you get it? The writer of that letter makes the reader think about
_himself_. He knows that the latter is more interested in himself than in
any other human being in the world and that he is more interested in human
beings than he is in anything else. This is the key to the arousing of
interest. Make the man think about himself in connection with what you
have to offer.
HOW PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THEMSELVES
But different people think about themselves in entirely different ways.
The glutton thinks of his stomach; the scholar of his knowledge; the
athlete of his prowess, and the seeker after power, of his ambitions.
Those who seek to persuade others by scientific means will learn to
determine in just what way each individual is most interested in himself.
Then his task will be to make every individual whom he seeks to persuade
think, as he best likes to think, of himself and, at the same time, in
close connection, think of the idea or the article or the proposition
offered.
INTERESTING THE INTELLECTUAL MAN
Suppose he were trying to persuade a man of the intellectual type to
purchase a life insurance policy. After having gained favorable attention,
his further argument might be along these lines: "Your greatest asset is
in your mental power. With your intellect you can accomplish what it would
take a hundred men a year to accomplish with their hands. In fact, with
your intellect you can accomplish what no number of men working throughout
eternity could accomplish by the mere toil of their hands. Intellectual
power depends upon the ability to concentrate and the freedom and health
of your intellectual faculties. Psychologists and physiologists both
agree, as you well know, that there is nothing which quite so quickly
upsets both your physical and your mental machinery as anxiety and worry.
With this policy in force, you are fortified--you are free to concentrate
upon your problems, your work, without anxiety as to the future of your
wife and children. Whatever happens to you, you know that they will be
provided for. Furthermore, if you should live twenty years from now, you
will receive ten thousand dollars in one lump sum. That is a provision
against the possible day when you may be weary and wish to rest, or it may
be just the endowment which you need in order to carry on your researches
and investigations and, perhaps, find the solution to some of the
intellectual problems on which you have so long been working."
INTERESTING THE FAT MAN
The fat man likes to think of himself enjoying the good things of life as
to body and mind, comfort, luxury, a jovial good time with congenial
friends, the exercise of executive, financial or political power, or all
three. His interest, therefore, is readily aroused if you talk to him
about himself in connection with these things. There are many cases, of
course, in which this must be done indirectly rather than directly. The
effort should be not always to talk directly about the man to himself, but
to make him think about himself. It is usually not permissible to talk to
the judge on the bench about himself, but it is always permissible to
paint the picture in such a way that the judge, if he is a fat man, will
almost inevitably think of himself in connection with the matters
presented.
For example, a lawyer friend of ours often appeared with cases before a
corpulent jurist. "If it is at all possible," he told us, "without
dragging the thing in too obviously by the ears, I always talk about food
in my summing up. If I want to get the sympathy of the judge, I try,
somehow or other, to make my client appear before the imagination as
suffering from want of nourishment. I can see that the judge always feels
those sufferings keenly himself. In one case, where I represented a woman
in a divorce case, I told, as graphically as I knew how, the excellence of
her cooking. I told about how her roast chicken and her pies tasted, and I
could actually see his Honor's mouth water. Of course, in addition to
that, I presented a good legal case. But I have always thought it was
those imaginary pies and roast chicken that got my client her decision."
INTERESTS OF THE ACTIVE MAN
The man of bone and muscle likes to think of himself in action. Muscular
exercise, out-of-doors freedom, skill, agility and strength--these are the
things in which he is interested. You can also interest him in thoughts
of himself using tools, building or operating machinery, traveling or,
perhaps, working in his garden or amongst his fruit trees. By an easy step
in analogy this man is also interested in politics and religion, freedom
and reform, and in mechanical principles and construction. Notice how the
letter cited at the opening of this chapter makes the man who receives it
think of himself in motion, think of himself as enjoying freedom, the
outdoor air, exercise, the beauties of nature. All of these things appeal
to the man of bone and muscle, who is, by all odds, the most likely
purchaser of a bicycle.
THE IMPRACTICAL MAN'S INTEREST
The impractical man usually likes to think of himself as an ideal being,
living in an ideal world, surrounded by ideal people, associated together
under ideal conditions. In other words, he is a day-dreamer, dreaming of
those things which delight him most, without thought as to their
foundation in fact, or the possibility of putting them into practice. It
is usually easy enough for the eloquent salesman who understands him to
persuade such a man. He responds to eloquence. Since he doesn't demand
facts, his mind is soon soaring off into realms of fancy upon the wings of
the speaker's words. But since interests are all mutual, you will, if you
are wise, use your knowledge of this man's impractical nature to help to
persuade him to do for himself that which is practicable. Such a man ought
to have life insurance, for example, and to have it so protected that he
can do nothing visionary and impracticable with it. Make him think of
himself, if you can, conferring ideal benefits upon his wife and family.
You could never interest him in the bare, trite facts in the case, but
when you have gained his interest, see to it that you sell him an entirely
practicable life insurance policy for a man of his type. There is never
any ultimate advantage gained by using your knowledge of human nature to
persuade people to do anything which is not, in the long run, the best
thing for them to do.
INTERESTING THE PRACTICAL MAN
The practical man likes to think of himself and others as doing things, as
saying things, accomplishing practical things, worth-while things. We
shall never forget the intensity with which one of the most practical
persons in our acquaintance says over and over again: "I like to see
things _done_" If your practical person is also of the financial type, he
likes to think of himself as doing things which will result in profit.
There is scarcely any proposition of any kind you may ever wish to present
to a practical financial person which cannot be presented in such a way as
to make that person think of himself as getting something done both
practical and profitable. If you can make him think of himself in this
way, you will have aroused his interest.
INTERESTS OF THE VAIN
Vain men and women, who live upon the praises, applause and approval of
others, like to think of themselves as being admired, courted, favored,
appreciated, and even flattered. Such a person once said to us: "I cannot
live without flattery. I want people to say nice things about me. I do not
care whether they mean them or not, if only they will say them to my
face." To interest such a person in himself is really a work of
supererogation--because he thinks of nothing else, and usually can talk of
nothing else. All you have to do to arouse his interest is to show him the
connection between his vanity and the proposition you have to offer, and
then heartily join in the applause.
GENERAL APPLICATIONS
In a similar way, the doting mother thinks about herself in connection
with her children. Make the devoted husband and father think about himself
in connection with his family. Make the social, friendly person think
about himself in connection with his acquaintances and friends. Make the
detail worker think of himself in connection with little intimate details.
Make the generalist think of himself in connection with large movements.
The interest a person may feel is not always concerned with that which is
immediately and directly connected with himself. Just at present, for
example, we are all more or less interested in the war in Europe. We read
about it. We discuss and argue about it. We follow its moves of armies and
diplomacies. In one sense this interest is impersonal. Yet,
psychologically, our interest depends entirely upon our own connection
with the results. Through our sympathies we place ourselves either with
"the oppressed Belgian people whose homes have been ravished" or with "the
great German nation fighting for its existence against an iron ring of
enemies who enviously conspired for her downfall." We are also interested
in the war because it affects our business, our finances, our means of
travel and communication, and a thousand and one other matters which
directly concern us. Even a casual observer might be interested in a war
between two colonies of ants; but unless the outcome in some way directly
concerned him, his interest would be purely intellectual and by no means
strong enough to use as a basis for successful persuasion.
UNSELFISHNESS OF SELF-INTEREST
Some may object that in treating the subject of interest, we have made
human beings appear far more selfish and self-seeking than they really
are. Such is not our intention. The most unselfish acts of heroism that
can be performed result from intense personal interest aroused through
sympathy, generosity, duty, patriotism, or love. When a person capable of
one of these heroic acts thinks of himself, he is likely to think of
himself as sympathizing with those who suffer, as being generous to those
who are in need, as performing his duty without fear of consequences, as
loving his native land, or as pouring out his very soul for the benefit of
those who are dear to him.
DESIRE
According to the law of sale, desire is interest intensified. Interest may
be purely intellectual. Desire is a feeling. Interest may not even suggest
speech or action to the interested person. Desire infallibly suggests
speech or action. The woman who stands before a magnificent window display
of the latest fashions in evening gowns may be deeply interested in them,
but if, perchance, she be a modest, retiring, home-keeping woman with no
social ambitions, she doesn't even think of purchasing one. In fact, the
chances are that she would not accept it as a gift. She would have no use
for it. As a result, her interest in the display begins to wane and soon
she passes on. How different is the case of the woman who loves
excitement, attends many evening functions, and is ambitious to outshine
her friends! She stops before the window. She also is interested. The
longer she stands before the window and the more interested she becomes,
the more certain is she to begin to think about purchasing one or more of
the gowns, or of having one or more made upon these models. If she stands
there long enough and her interest continues to increase, she will soon be
making definite plans for gaining possession. In other words, her desire
for an evening gown has been aroused.
MAKE THEM SEE THEMSELVES ENJOYING POSSESSION
Ask any successful clothing salesman or saleslady what is the best way to
arouse desire for a suit, a cloak or a gown. Almost without exception they
will answer: "Place the garment on the prospective customer and let him
see himself in a good mirror and in a good light." In this way the
individual actually sees himself enjoying possession. There is no stronger
stimulus to desire than this.
A young man of our acquaintance had a great contempt for spring and fall
overcoats, and had never purchased one. One day, after he had ordered a
suit from his tailor, the salesman said: "Mr. Jenkins, you ought to have a
spring overcoat to wear with that suit."
"A spring overcoat!" scoffed Jenkins. "I never wore a spring overcoat in
my life. When it is cold, I wear my winter overcoat. When it is too warm
for that, I am perfectly comfortable without an overcoat. Why should I
waste my money in a thing which is only ornamental? If I am going to
spend any more money on overcoats, I should rather put it into an extra
fine winter overcoat."
"Now, here is one of our very latest styles, Mr. Jenkins," went on the
salesman, ignoring the protest. "Just slip it on and see how it fits you."
The salesman held the garment invitingly, and, with a grudging warning to
the salesman that he was wasting his time, Jenkins slipped it on. The
salesman settled it upon his broad shoulders, smoothly folded back the
rich, heavy silk facing, and deftly swung a mirror into position.
"Fits as if it were made for you, Mr. Jenkins," he praised. "I tell you,
when you walk down the street in that overcoat in the bright, clear
sunlight of a spring morning, you look prosperous."
In relating the incident afterward, Jenkins said: "Why, the fellow had me,
absolutely. I could see myself walking down Michigan Avenue to business,
and the sun shining on the lake, and the little shoots of grass beginning
to show in Grant Park. I did feel prosperous. I felt so prosperous that,
then and there, I bought that overcoat, the first spring overcoat I ever
owned and just exactly one more spring overcoat than I had ever had any
intention of owning."
AROUSE THEIR FEELINGS ABOUT THEMSELVES
If interest, therefore, is aroused by making a person think about himself,
desire is created by making a person feel about himself and feel about
himself in such a way that the feeling impels him to favorable decision
and action. The object of the man or woman who would persuade according to
scientific principles is to stimulate, through intensified thought, the
strongest and most easily aroused feelings of the person to be persuaded.
As you have already seen, we have been hammering upon those feelings from
the very beginning. In securing favorable attention, we appeal to them. In
arousing interest, we do our best to make the person to be persuaded think
of himself in connection with these feelings; and now, in creating
desire, we simply are going a step further and by every possible means
intensifying the excitement of those feelings.
For example, in selling a garment to an exceedingly utilitarian and
economical person, we secure his favorable attention, perhaps, by the
remark: "Let me show you something that will look as well as the best and
wear like iron, at a moderate price." We arouse his interest by showing
him the hard, close, wear-resisting weave of cloth, the tenacity with
which it holds its shape, and, at the same time, its neatness,
attractiveness, finish, and superior workmanship. We create a desire for
the possession of the garment by inducing him to put it on, at the same
time remarking: "You can see for yourself that this garment is
conservative and suitable in style. While not the extreme of fashion, it
is not out-of-date nor out of harmony with the prevailing mode. A year
from now you will be able to wear it with exactly the same feeling that
you are well and neatly dressed, as you feel in wearing it to-day.
Furthermore, because it is a standard style and not a novelty, it sells at
far below the cost of fancy garments, notwithstanding its superior quality
and workmanship. You will be proud to wear this garment when those who
have paid twice as much for the more extreme styles have been compelled to
discard them and purchase new."
THE PERSUASIVE POWER OF SUGGESTION
In his excellent scientific work, "Influencing Men in Business," Walter
Dill Scott says:
"In persuading men, logical reasoning is practically never to be used
alone. After the arguments have been presented, skillful suggestions
should be used as a supplement. This supplement often changes threatened
defeat into success. The skillful pleader before a jury, the wise
politician, and the successful superintendent of men all alike are
compelled to resort to suggestion to supplement their arguments in their
attempts to influence men.
"If we should divide all customers into the two classes, professional
buyers and the general public, then, in appealing to this latter class,
special attention should be given to suggestion. In an advertisement
containing both a good suggestion and a good argument, the suggestion is
read often and the argument rarely. From infancy, we have been accustomed
to respond to suggestions so frequently that we follow this habit in
purchasing merchandise, even though we ought to make such purchases only
after due deliberation. Deliberation is a process of thought which is very
elaborate and very exhausting. The general purchaser--the housewife--does
not ordinarily rise to such an undertaking, but contents herself with a
process very closely approximating the working of pure suggestion. Even
though she begins to deliberate, the process is likely to be cut short by
the effect of a clever suggestion.
"The general public responds more readily to suggestions than to
arguments; hence, in dealing with this large group, it is usually wise to
construct the copy according to this habitual method of response of the
general public. Immediate action is more often secured by suggestion than
by arguments."
Since this is true, that person is most skillful in persuading who has
acquired the most skill in suggestion. He stimulates the imagination to
paint vivid and intensely-colored mental pictures of the gratification of
desire. Make desire strong enough, and, if you have correctly analyzed the
one to be persuaded, the rest follows.
CHAPTER IV
INDUCING DECISION AND ACTION
"I want it," said a gentleman to us, speaking of a piece of property in
which he was contemplating investment. "I want it so bad that I can't
think of much else. I lie awake nights dreaming of myself in possession of
it, and yet, somehow or other, I can't make up my mind to buy it. I have
the money and have had the money in the bank for weeks. There is nothing
else I want to do with that money half as much as I want to buy that
property, but it is an important move and, somehow or other, I just can't
make the plunge."
This gentleman's experience illustrates a psychological condition well
known to many of our readers, because they have been in substantially the
same situation--and well known to every salesman, because he has had to
meet and combat just such a situation many a time.
Desire having been created, our law of sale states that desire, properly
augmented, ripens into decision and action. This is true. And yet the
ripening process is sometimes so slow that the frost of fear or the rot of
regret spoils the fruit. It is popularly supposed to be true that if a
person really desires to do a thing strongly enough, and it is within the
bounds of possibility, he will do it. Nine times out of ten, or perhaps
ninety-nine times out of a hundred, this is the case; but there are times
when the will simply refuses to respond to desire.
A BALKY WILL
A lady who was of an exceedingly stubborn nature once said to us:
"Ordinarily, I consider myself to be quite amenable to persuasion and
suggestion. I like to live peaceably with others. Occasionally, however,
someone, and perhaps someone whom I love very dearly, says something or
does something that makes me stubborn. Then I absolutely balk. Commands,
demands, appeals, cajoleries, every means thinkable, are used, but the
more people attempt to influence my action, the more stubborn I become. If
then I am left alone to think it over for a few hours, very likely I shall
begin to think that it would be advisable, from every point of view, for
me to yield. My judgment is already convinced that to yield is the best
policy. My love for my friends, my desire for peace, my wish to be
accommodating and to have their approval all urge me to yield. I want to
yield. But, even then--how, I cannot explain--there is something inside
which absolutely forbids it. This is so strong that it feels stronger than
my judgment and all of my desires taken together. The only possible course
for me to pursue is to forget the entire matter for a few days, at the end
of which time, perhaps, the stubbornness has seemingly evaporated."
DECISION MAY WAIT UPON AN IRRELEVANT WORD
And so, merely augmenting desire oftentimes is not enough to bring about
decision and action, even in cases which are not so extreme as those which
we have just cited. The proposition may be of such a nature that it does
not admit of arousing desire to any very high pitch. In all such cases
what is needed is some special stimulus to the will. As every chemist
knows, sulphuric acid and alcohol, when mingled together in a glass
vessel, do not combine. They have an affinity for each other. All of the
necessary elements for active combination are present in that glass, and
yet they do not combine. But drop in a bit of platinum and instantly the
whole mass is boiling with energy let loose. In a similar way, oftentimes,
all the elements for decision and action are present in the mind, yet
nothing happens. But a word or a little act, seemingly insignificant in
itself, oftentimes breaks the spell, as it were, and decision and action
follow. In our first chapter of this part we described some of these
methods for ripening desire into decision and action. This chapter we
shall devote to a consideration of different classes of individuals and
the best methods of inducing in them favorable decision and action.
THE IMPULSIVE MAN
The impulsive individual must be rushed. His emotions are very responsive,
easily aroused, and, as, a rule, when aroused take a strong hold upon him.
It is the impulsive person's tendency always to act quickly and to act in
response to his strong feelings. The impulsive man discharges his feelings
with speed in action, and they rapidly evaporate. Therefore, desire, when
aroused, must be quickly ripened into decision and action or it soon
cools, and it is too late. As a general rule, the impulsive person is well
supplied with fears, and if he is given time to think the matter over his
lack of courage begins to assert itself. Fears of possible or impossible
disaster begin to take form until the feelings of fear and apprehension
entirely overshadow the desires which have been created.
Mark Twain's story of his attendance at a missionary meeting is typical.
After the speaker had been talking for half an hour, Mark was in such
hearty sympathy with him and the cause for which he plead that he decided
to put one dollar in the collection box when it came around--but the man
kept on talking. At the end of three-quarters of an hour, Mark decided he
would give only fifty cents. At the end of an hour, he decided that he
would give nothing, and when, at the end of an hour and a half, the
collection box finally did come around, Mark took out a dollar to pay
himself for his pains.
INDICATIONS OF IMPULSIVENESS
Here are some of the indications of impulsiveness: blonde coloring,
especially if accompanied by a florid skin; small, round, retreating chin;
small size; fineness of texture; elasticity of consistency; short head;
short, smooth fingers, with tapering tips; a keen, alert, intense
expression. The impulsive person's movements are also impulsive. He walks
with a quick step, sometimes almost jerky. His gestures are quick, and if
he is very impulsive, he always has the air of starting to do things
before he has properly considered what he is going to do.
THE DELIBERATE MAN
The deliberate individual is the opposite of the impulsive. His feelings
may be strong, but he has them well under control. He may think slowly or
he may think quickly, but he always acts with deliberation and always
after he has thought very carefully. Once he has determined to act, he may
act far more energetically, and certainly more persistently, than the
impulsive person. The thing to remember about him is that he is
constitutionally opposed to hasty decision and action. Even when his mind
is made up and his desires are strong, he is very likely to postpone
action until his resolution has had an opportunity to harden. Oftentimes
these deliberate people are, or seem to be, incorrigible procrastinators.
It is useless to try to rush them. Give them time to think and consider.
INDICATIONS OF DELIBERATION
These are some of the indications of deliberation: dark coloring, with an
inclination to pallor; a long, strong, prominent chin and well-developed
jaw; large size; medium or coarse texture; hard consistency; a long,
square head; long, knotty fingers, with square tips; slow, deliberate,
rhythmical movements; a calm, poised expression, and either an absence of
gesture or gesture of a slow, graceful character.
Looking around amongst your friends and acquaintances, you will readily
see that few, if any, have all of the characteristics of impulsiveness in
a marked degree, and an equally small number all of the characteristics of
deliberation in a marked degree. The majority of people probably have a
combination of these characteristics--some indications of impulsiveness
and some of deliberation. In such cases, the question is answered by a
preponderance of evidence.
OBSTINATE PEOPLE
Some people are remarkably obstinate. If given their own way, they are
agreeable and amiable, but when opposed, they are exceedingly difficult to
persuade. If such persons are of the positive type and like to feel that
they are doing the thing and that no one else is influencing or coercing
them, then they must be handled by an adroit suggestion similar in
principle to that described in the case of the automobile salesman on page
380. On the other hand, in case these obstinate people are somewhat
negative in character, without much initiative or aggressiveness but with
a very large degree of stubbornness, then care must be taken not to
antagonize them or to oppose them--always gently to lead them and never to
try to drive them.
Argument is probably the most useless waste of energy possible in
attempting persuasion. Your own experience teaches you that argument only
leaves each party to the controversy more strongly convinced than ever
that he is right. This is true no matter what the character of the arguers
be. It is especially and most emphatically true when either one or the
other, or both, who participate in the argument are of the obstinate type.
The obstinate person may be amenable to reason if reasons are stated
calmly, tactfully, and without arousing his opposition. His emotions of
love, sympathy, generosity, desire for power and authority may be
successfully appealed to and he may be gently led to a decision by way of
minor and seemingly insignificant points.
INDICATIONS OF OBSTINACY
These are the indications of obstinacy: dark coloring; a prominent chin; a
head high in the crown; hard consistency; a rigidity of the joints,
especially of the joints in the hands and fingers. Perhaps the most
important and most easily recognized indication of a domineering,
obstinate, determined will is the length of line from the point of the
chin to the crown of the head. When this line greatly exceeds in length
that from the nape of the neck to the hair line at the top of the
forehead, you have an individual who desires to rule and bitterly resents
any attempt on the part of others to rule him.
The indications of a positive, aggressive, dominating will are these:
blonde color; prominent chin; a large, bony nose, high in the bridge;
high forehead, prominent at the brows and retreating as it rises; medium
or small size; medium fine, medium or coarse texture; hard consistency,
rigid joints; a head wide just above and also behind the ears and high in
the crown; a keen, penetrating, intense expression of the eyes, and
positive, decided tones of voice, movements and gestures.
The individual who is negatively stubborn may have a small or sway-back
nose; may have a high forehead, flat at the brows and prominent above; may
have elastic or soft consistency; may have a head narrow above and behind
the ears. Obstinacy will be shown in the length of line from the point of
chin to the crown of head and in the rigidity of the joints of the hands
and fingers.
THE INDECISIVE
The gentleman mentioned at the opening of this chapter belongs to the
indecisive class. They are like those of whom we sing in the old hymn:
"But timorous mortals start and shrink
To cross that narrow sea
And linger, shivering, on the brink
And fear to launch away."
We have often watched boys in swimming. In every crowd there are always a
few of these timorous mortals who "shiver on the brink and fear to launch
away." As a general rule, some of their companions usually come up behind
them and give them a strong push, after which they are pleased and happy
enough in the water. We have seen boys who seemed to be waiting for
someone to push them in. No doubt they were. Certain it is that grown up
men and women who suffer in an agony of indecision usually like to have
someone take the matter out of their hands.
In the case of the gentleman to whom we have referred in the opening of
this chapter, the real estate agent one day walked into his office, laid a
contract down on the desk in front of him, and said, very impressively:
"This thing has got to be settled up to-day. Just sign your name right
there." And, with a feeling of intense relief and satisfaction, our friend
did sign his name "right there." To the best of our knowledge and belief,
he has been glad of it ever since.
HOW ONE SALESMAN OVERCAME INDECISION
We once knew a salesman of the positive, domineering type. He was selling
an educational work. Now, education is a thing everyone needs but few will
take the trouble and find the money to purchase unless they are very
strongly persuaded. Men who would readily spend fifty or seventy-five
dollars for a night's carousal will hesitate, and find objections, and
back and fill for weeks, or even for months, before they spend thirty or
forty dollars on a bit of education which they well know they ought to
have. Our friend, therefore, was met over and over again with the
temporizing excuse: "Well, I will have to think this matter over. I cannot
decide it to-day, but you come in and see me again." Almost without
exception, this excuse means that the man who makes it knows, deep down in
his heart, that he ought to make his decision--that he will profit by it
in many ways. He fully intends to make his decision some time, or else he
would not ask the salesman to come back and see him again. But he is a
little weak-kneed. He lacks something in decisiveness. Our friend treated
practically all of these indecisive prospects of his in the same way.
"I am sorry," he would say, "but I can't come back to see you again. My
time is limited. There are plenty of people who want to know about my
proposition and who are eager to take it. I must get around and see them.
I can't afford to go back on my track and spend time with people to whom I
have already explained the whole thing. You want this and you know you
want it. You intend to have it, or you would not ask me to come back and
see you again. There is no good reason why you should not have it now, and
you know there is not. Furthermore, if you do not take it now and I do not
come back to see you--and I won't--then you will never take it. That's
plain enough. You feel more like taking it right now, to-day, while I am
talking to you, than you will later, when you have forgotten half of what
I have said. If there is any question you want to ask about this, ask me
now and I will answer it. But there isn't any, because I have already
answered your questions. You are satisfied. Your mind is made up. There is
no reason for delay--just sign your name right there, please." And only
about four per cent of those to whom he talked that way refused to sign
when he told them to.
The indecisive person wants someone always to decide for him. If you are
trying to persuade such a person, then you must decide for him. Do it as
tactfully as you can. Sometimes these people want others to decide for
them and, at the same time, to make the situation look as if they had
decided for themselves. They realize their own indecisiveness. They are
ashamed of it, and they do not like to be reminded of it.
INDICATIONS OF INDECISION
These are the indications of indecisiveness: brunette coloring; moderately
square and prominent chin--sometimes a long, narrow chin; small, snub or
sway-back nose; high forehead, flat at the brows and prominent above; soft
consistency; great flexibility of the joints of hands and fingers; a head
narrow above and behind the ears and square in the back; a timid,
apprehensive expression; rather aimless movements and gestures, and a
small thumb, set high on the hand. Rare, indeed, is the person who has all
of these indications. So rare, in fact, that he is scarcely a normal being
if he has them all in a marked degree.
THE BALANCED TYPE
There are some people of an evenly balanced type. They are neither
violently impulsive nor ponderously deliberate. They are interested in
facts and pass their judgment upon them, but they are also interested in
theories and willing to listen to them. They are practical and
matter-of-fact, but they also have ideals. They have clean, powerful
emotions, fairly well controlled, and yet, when their judgment has been
satisfied, they are perfectly willing to act in response to their
feelings. They are neither easy, credulous and impulsive nor suspicious,
obstinate and procrastinating. The way to persuade them is first to
present the facts and show them the reasons why. Then, by suggestion and
word-painting, to stimulate their desire and give them an opportunity to
decide and act. Such people are medium in color, with forehead, nose,
mouth and chin inclining to the straight line; medium in size; medium in
build; fine or medium fine in texture; elastic in consistency; moderately
high, wide, long, square head; a pleasant but calm and sensible expression
of face and eyes; quiet, well-timed walk and gestures; well-modulated
voice.
THE EASY MARK
When the person to be persuaded is indecisive and also has large,
wide-open, credulous eyes; a hopeful, optimistic, turned-up nose, and a
large, round dome of a head just above the temples, he is the living image
of the champion easy mark. What he needs is not so much to be persuaded as
to be protected against himself. He, and the greedy, grasping, cunning but
short-sighted individual, who is always trying to get something for
nothing, constitute that very large class of people of whom it has been
said that there is one born every minute.
ADVANTAGE OF PERSUADER'S POSITION
In closing this chapter, we cannot forego the opportunity for a word of
counsel to you in your efforts to persuade others. Remember that if you do
your work well in securing favorable attention, arousing interest, and
creating desire, the person with whom you are dealing is like a man
standing on one foot, not quite knowing which way he will go. Even if he
is more or less obstinate and should be on both his feet, he is at least
standing still and considering which direction he will take. If this is
not true, then you have failed to create a desire, or, having created it,
have not augmented it until it is strong enough. But, granting that this
is true, do you not see what an advantage it gives you? The man who is
standing on one foot, undecided, is quickly pulled or pushed in the way
you want him to go if you yourself vigorously desire it. Even the man who
stands obstinately on both feet is at a disadvantage if he does not know
which way to go, and you very decidedly know which way you want him to go.
THE VALUE OF COURAGE
We have seen more sales skillfully brought up to the point of desire and
then lost through the indecision, the wavering, the fear, or the
hesitation of the salesman than for any other one cause. Of all of the
qualities and characteristics which contribute to success in the
persuasion of others, there is, perhaps, none more powerful than that
courage which gives calmness, surety of touch, decisiveness, and
unwavering, unhesitating action.
Some years ago we saw a huge mob surround a building in which a political
speaker was trying to talk upon an unpopular subject. The longer the mob
remained waiting for their victim to come out, the more violent and the
more abusive it became. There was an angry hum, sounding above the
occasional cries and shouts, which betokened trouble. Presently a large
man scrambled upon the pedestal of a statue in front of the building and
began to harangue the crowd. He argued with them, he pleaded with them, he
threatened them, he tried to cajole them. But through it all he could
scarcely make himself heard and the mob remained solidly packed about the
door. Then the police were brought and attempted to force a passageway for
the escape of the speaker, whose address inside the building was nearing a
close. But the police were powerless and some of them were badly hurt.
Then a quiet little man came down the steps of the building. He was
dressed in ordinary clothing and was unarmed. His open hands hung idly at
his side. He stood near the bottom step, where he could just look over the
heads of the crowd. He stood perfectly still, perfectly calm, and yet with
a look of such iron resolution on his countenance as we have seldom seen.
Those next him grew strangely quiet. Then the semi-circle of silence
spread until the entire mob stood as if holding its breath waiting to see
what this man would do.
"Make a passageway there," he said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice;
"there is a carriage coming through."
Instantly the crowd parted, a carriage was driven up to the steps, the
speaker came down and entered it, and it was driven rapidly away, followed
only by a few hisses and cat-calls.
When all is said and done, that is the spirit which secures the decision
and action of others.
CHAPTER V
EFFICIENT AND SATISFACTORY SERVICE
Marshall Nyall was an excellent workman. He was keen, quick of
comprehension, practical in his judgment, and unusually resourceful. He
was energetic, industrious, and skillful. Being blessed with considerable
idealism, he took pride and pleasure in putting a fine artistic finish on
everything he did. He studied his work in all its aspects and was alert in
finding ways of saving time, materials, energy, and money. He was,
therefore, personally efficient. As an employee of the Swift Motor
Company, he rose rapidly until he became superintendent. In that position
he made a good record. So valuable was he that the White Rapids Motor
Company coveted him and its president and general manager began to lay
plans to entice him away. Negotiations were begun and continued over a
period of weeks. Larger and larger grew the inducements offered by the
White Rapids Motor Company until, finally, Nyall's employers felt that
they could not afford to meet them any longer, and this highly efficient
man became works manager for the White Rapids Motor Company, at a very
greatly increased salary.
Now, the White Rapids Motor Company was larger and wealthier than the
Swift Motor Company. The position of works manager was a more important
and responsible position than that of superintendent. Nyall was
accordingly delighted and had high ambitions as to his career with his new
employers.
HOW THE TROUBLE STARTED
"You have a reputation," said the president and general manager to Nyall,
"for efficiency. Efficiency is what we want in the works here, and if you
can put these factories on as efficient a basis as you did the shops of
the Swift Motor Company, your future is assured."
"I can do that all right, Mr. Burton," Nyall replied confidently,
"provided I get the right kind of co-operation from the front office."
"Call on us for anything you want, Nyall," returned the president sharply.
He was a proud, positive man. He loved power. He had the ability to lead
and to rule, and he resented even the slightest imputation that any lack
of co-operation on his part might defeat his plans for efficient
management.
A few days later Nyall made some changes in the plan of routing the work
through the factories. These changes were rather radical and sweeping and
necessitated a considerable initial expense. Naturally, Burton was not
long in hearing about it. Instantly he summoned his works manager.
"Haven't you begun your work here in a rather drastic manner?" he
inquired. "Surely you have not studied this situation carefully enough in
a few days to justify you in making such sweeping changes in the system
which we have built up here after years of patient study and research. I
have given the routing of the work through the factories days and nights
of careful study, Nyall, during the years that we have been standardizing
it. I believe that it was just as nearly perfect as it can be just as we
had it."
"Your system was all wrong, and I can prove it to you," returned Nyall.
"Just wait a minute until I bring you in my charts."
RUBBING IT IN
Stepping into his office, he secured a number of charts and also several
sheets of tabulated figures. The charts were beautifully executed and in a
most admirable manner made graphically clear the sound reasoning upon
which Nyall had ordered the changes made. The tabulated figures proved
that his reasoning had been correct. He was positive, forceful, and
insistent in driving home his argument and in compelling his superior to
admit their force and cogency. When it was all admitted and Burton,
fighting to the last ditch, had been over-whelmed, Nyall's unconcealed air
of triumph was keenly and painfully exasperating to the defeated man.
This was only the first of the clashes between these two positive minds.
Ordinarily, perhaps, Burton would have preferred efficiency in the factory
to the triumph of his own opinions and ideas, much as it hurt him to be
found in error, But Nyall's disposition to wring the last drop of personal
triumph out of every victory was more than the good man could endure. With
his highly-strung nature, and goaded as he was by intense irritation, the
passion to prove Nyall in the wrong overrode all other considerations.
Thus he began to "cut off his nose to spite his face," as Nyall expressed
it--to conspire against Nyall's success.
If you have ever witnessed a fight for supremacy between two positive,
powerful, high-strung natures, with unusual resources of intellect and
capacity on both sides, we do not need to describe to you what happened in
the White Rapids Motor Company during the months that followed. Nyall
simply could not understand why Burton should jeopardize the success, and
even the solvency, of his enterprise by plotting against his own works
manager. To his friends he confided: "Honestly, I think the old man is
going crazy. The things he says and the things he does are not the product
of a sane, normal mind." Similarly, Burton could not understand, to save
his life, why Nyall should jeopardize the brilliant future which lay
before him "by bucking his president and general manager," as he put it.
"It is rule or ruin with him," he told his friends. "I never saw a more
stubborn man in my life. He is crazy to have his own way. He wants to take
the bit in his teeth, and if he were permitted to do it, he would run away
and smash himself and everything else."
BOTH BELLIGERENT AND STUBBORN
Why did not Nyall resign or, in default of his resignation, why did not
Burton discharge him? Such action was obvious for both men from a mere
common sense point of view, under the circumstances. The answer is that
both men were so obstinate and so set upon winning the fight upon which
they had entered, that neither of them would give up. It all ended when
the board of directors finally took a hand and removed Nyall in order to
save the institution from shipwreck.
Naturally enough, the word went out that Nyall could not stand prosperity;
that when placed in a position of authority and responsibility, he had
lost his head and had nearly wrecked the concern for which he worked. He
found that he could not go back to his old position with the Swift Motor
Company and that his reputation had suffered so seriously that he had to
be satisfied for a long time with a minor position in a rather obscure
concern.
THE KEY TO THE DIFFICULTY
Nyall was efficient--unusually efficient--but he did not give satisfaction
with the White Rapids Motor Company. Perhaps we do not need to point to
the moral of this tale. If Nyall had understood his superior and had
conducted himself accordingly, he might himself have been president and
general manager of the White Rapids Motor Company to-day. He would have
known that Burton was not a man to be brow-beaten, not a man to be defied,
not a man to be proven in the wrong. With a little tact and diplomacy, he
could have effected all of the changes he wished without even the
semblance of a clash with his chief. He might even have insisted upon the
first ones he advocated without serious trouble if he had done it in the
right way and if he had not permitted his feeling of personal triumph to
show itself so plainly.
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
In the first place, if he had known Burton as he should, he would have
gone to him before making any changes and said: "Mr. Burton, I understand
that you have given a great deal of time and thought to the routing of
work through the factories; that you have personally directed the building
up of the present system. I usually begin my work by studying the routing,
but if you feel satisfied with this routing, as a result of your study;
and experience, I will devote my time to something else." Approached in
this way, Burton would unquestionably have directed the new works manager
to make a complete study of the routing system and to suggest any
possible improvements.
This story is typical of many others which we have observed more or less
in detail. Nyall was a great success in the Swift Motor Company because
the chief executive of that company was a little mild, good-natured,
easy-going fellow, who not only needed the spur and stimulus of a positive
nature like Nyall's, but was quite frankly delighted with it. If Nyall had
approached him with questions and suggestions and a spirit of constant
bowing to his authority, he would have been as exasperated in his own
quiet way as Burton was with the opposite treatment. His constant
injunction to his subordinates was: "Do not come to me with details. Use
your own judgment and initiative. Go ahead. Do it in your own way. I hold
you responsible only for results."
ALWAYS "SOME OTHER WAY"
In his "Message to Garcia," Elbert Hubbard has the following to say:
"You, reader, put this matter to a test:
"You are sitting now in your office--six clerks are within call. Summon
any one of them and make this request: 'Please look in the encyclopedia
and make a brief memorandum for me concerning the life of Correggio.'
"Will the clerk quietly say, 'Yes, sir,' and go do the task?
"On your life, he will not. He will look at you out of a fishy eye and ask
one or more of the following questions:
"'Who was he?'
"'Which encyclopedia?'
"'Where is the encyclopedia?'
"'Was I hired for that?'
"'Don't you mean Bismarck?'
"'What's the matter with Charlie doing it?'
"'Is he dead?'
"'Is there any hurry?'
"'Shan't I bring you the book and let you look it up yourself?'
"'What do you want to know for?'
"And I will lay you ten to one that after you have answered the questions,
and explained why you want it, the clerk will go off and get one of the
other clerks to help him try to find Garcia--and then come back and tell
you there is no such man. Of course, I may lose my bet, but, according to
the Law of Average, I will not."
Now, there are many executives so constituted that they are not only
willing, but glad, to explain the why and the wherefore of the orders they
give. When they give the order, they are oftentimes willing to listen to
suggestions, and oftentimes to adopt them. These are men of the
deliberate, calm, reflective, rather mild type, with only a moderate
development of the crown of the head which shows a love of authority.
Oftentimes, also, they are men of the erratic, impulsive type who realize
their impulsiveness and are rather glad than otherwise to be picked up by
queries and suggestions from their subordinates. But for the man of the
positive, incisive, decided, domineering type these questions and
suggestions, this attitude which proposes that something else ought to be
done, or that the thing ought to be done in "some other way," are
exasperating in the extreme. Since this is the usual type of man to be
found in industrial business, it is not strange that so many employees,
perhaps efficient enough otherwise, fail to give satisfaction. It is
because they seemingly cannot overcome their itch to do the thing "some
other way." There is the best of all psychological reasons why every
employee should read and take to heart Elbert Hubband's "Message to
Garcia."
Over and over again, young men and young women have come to us saying: "I
wish you would tell me why I cannot hold a position. I know I do the work
well enough, but, somehow or other, I seem to be unfortunate. I have
trouble with everyone I work for and cannot remain in any one position for
very long." In practically every case the trouble has been that the young
man or the young woman did not understand the simple principles of human
nature.
HOW TO TAKE DISCIPLINE
Many sensitive souls do not understand that a wide-headed man of the bony
and muscular type, with high, retreating forehead, prominent brows, large
nose, high in the bridge, prominent teeth and mouth, and somewhat
retreating chin, is intensely energetic, practical and impatient--that he
wants to see things done--that he demands results and cannot wait for
them. He is inclined to be nervous and irritable. When things go wrong, or
he thinks they go wrong, he says things, says them with brutal frankness
and considerable vigor. He may even use profanity and call names. He is
especially impatient with and exasperated by excuses, since his passion is
for results. An excuse to him is like a red rag flaunted in a bull's face.
His irritation is relieved by speech. Afterward he passes on and probably
forgets all about the incident. Certainly he does not hold it against the
employee personally.
If, in addition to his other characteristics, this man also has a high
crown, he is inclined to be domineering and exacting. Since his whole
intention in his sharp speeches is to stimulate his employees to greater
efficiency, and since the farthest thing from his thoughts or his
intentions is to hurt their personal feelings, there is probably nothing
that will so quickly and thoroughly arouse his resentment as any
expression, word or act of wounded pride on the part of his employee.
Most employees make the serious mistake of taking criticism or censure as
a personal matter. They should reflect that their employer has no interest
in hurting their feelings--that what he wants is efficient service,
profitable not only to himself but to the employee, and that, according to
his type and his knowledge, he is taking the best possible means to secure
it.
When an employee enters an organization, he becomes an integral part of a
complicated service-rendering and profit-making machine. If he has any
tender personal feelings, he should wrap them up carefully in an envelope
of indifference and lock them away safely in the strong box of ambition.
Then he is perfectly willing to let his employer call him a blockhead,
provided the result is increased efficiency and profit.
TOO MUCH DIGNITY
A young man of our acquaintance once went to work as assistant to the
manager of an insurance company. This young man was quiet, hard-working,
dependable, and efficient. With his self-effacing modesty and the
remarkable accuracy and care with which he attended to every detail of his
work, he would have made an ideal assistant to most employers. The manager
of this insurance company, however, was jovial, friendly, social, witty,
and companionable. At first he was delighted with his new assistant. As
time went on, however, the young man's solemnity, his taciturnity, and the
quiet, dignified way in which he permitted all attempts at sociability and
jocularity to pass over his head, as it were, unnoticed, began to get on
his employer's nerves.
"If I don't get that young man out of the office, I will either murder him
or commit suicide," he told us. "Efficient? Lord, yes! I never knew
anybody so damnably efficient. Dependable? He is so dependable that he is
uncanny. I would rather have a human being around who is willing to smoke
a cigar with me once in a while, to crack a joke, or at least to laugh at
my jokes. Just to break the monotony, I would be perfectly willing to have
him make a few mistakes, to forget something. I have lots of faults--too
many, I guess, to be comfortable around such a paragon of perfection as
that boy."
Now, the truth of the matter was, as we well knew, that this young man,
while serious-minded and efficient, had a keen sense of humor, appreciated
a good joke, and was at times very merry with his own companions. He had
in his mind, however, a certain ideal conduct for a business man. And to
the best of his ability, he lived up to this ideal, no matter what the
personality of his employer.
"FAMILIARITY BREEDS CONTEMPT"
Many employees make the mistake of attempting familiarity with employers
whose dignity is largely developed and whose sociability and sense of
humor are only moderate or even deficient. The man whose head shows its
longest line from point of chin to crown, who has a long face with long,
vertical lines, whose lips are rather thin, whose forehead is rather
narrow and somewhat retreating, and whose back-head is only moderately
developed or even deficient, is not a man to slap on the back. He will
resent any familiarity or any jocular attempt to draw him down on a plane
of equality with his employees. If such a man is also fine-textured, he is
very sensitive and must be treated with deference and respect. If he has a
short upper lip, he is amenable to flattery, but the flattery must be
delicate and deferential.
Even when these characteristics are not extreme and the habitual attitude
of an employer is one of geniality, with a certain amount of jocularity,
employees should be on their guard, especially if the executive has a
square head behind. Such a man, like Cousin Egbert, in Harry Leon Wilson's
story, "Ruggles of Red Gap," "can be pushed just so far." It is dangerous
to try to push him any further. He has a very true and proper sense of
dignity and, while he is perfectly willing to be sociable and to live with
his employees upon terms of friendliness, he knows well how to check any
exuberance which tends to trench upon familiarity.
THE "NAPOLEONIC" EXECUTIVE
There is a type of employer who has a high, well-rounded, long head; his
head is also wide above the ears, but rather narrow back of the ears. He
is usually light in complexion, fine textured--a good combination of the
bony and muscular type and the fat man type. This man's eyes are the
neither round, wide-open eyes of simple credulity nor the long, narrow,
somewhat oblique slits of secretiveness, avarice, shrewdness and
suspicion. His face tends to roundness, curves and dimples, and his lips
are rather full. His head is especially high and dome-shaped just above
the temples and behind the hair line. His chin may be fairly well formed
or it may be narrow and retreating. If it is of the narrow and retreating
variety, then some of the characteristics are accentuated.
This man is a man of intense enthusiasm, great energy, a desire to
accomplish things and to be the head of whatever he undertakes. He is
eager, responsive, emotional, ambitious, and erratic. He is often
brilliant, nearly always resourceful, conceives large projects, attempts
big things, makes friends with important people, and often secures a very
enviable reputation, at least for a time. But this man has his faults. He
is emotional and enthusiastic. He throws himself intensely into the
accomplishment of one ambitious plan after another. He has not the
calmness of dispassionate judgment and the deliberateness necessary to be
a good judge of men. He lacks real courage and therefore attempts to cover
up his deficiency by bluff and bluster. Because of his poor judgment in
regard to human nature, he frequently selects employees on the impulse of
the moment, absolutely without reference to their fitness for the work he
wants them to do. The ruling emotion which prompts him in selection may be
any one of a dozen. We have seen men like this select important
lieutenants because of their personal attractiveness, because someone else
wanted them, because of similarity of tastes in matters wholly irrelevant,
because the fellows knew how to flatter, out of sympathy for their
families, and, in one pathetic case, because the young man thus chosen had
painstakingly read through an immense set of books supposed to be
representative of the world's best literature.
INJUSTICE TO EMPLOYEES
In many cases, enthusiasm and optimism on the part of such executives have
placed men in positions far beyond their capacity and loaded them with
responsibilities for which they had no aptitudes. Oftentimes such rapid
promotion and such sudden increase of income have utterly turned the head
of the victim, setting him back years in his normal development and his
pursuit of success.
Because the sudden infatuations of such executives are based upon emotion
and not judgment, they flicker out as quickly as the emotion evaporates.
Then ensues a period of suspicion, oftentimes wholly unjust. Because the
executive lacks real courage, every word and every act of the employee
makes him afraid that there is something sinister and dangerous behind it.
This is accentuated by the fact that, deep down in his own heart, the
executive knows that he does not understand men. When this condition of
affairs arises, both the executive and his employee are utterly miserable
unless the employee, being a man of judgment, and understanding the
situation in its essence, has the good sense either to bring the executive
willy-nilly to a complete readjustment of their relations or to resign.
Oftentimes, however, the employee has a larger salary than he ever
received before--he also feels certain that if he resigns, he cannot
secure so large a salary in any other place--and so he hangs on, hoping
against hope that the attitude of his superior will change. The executive,
on his part, feels that he ought to discharge the employee. He is not
satisfied with him. He is suspicious of him. He is afraid of him. He
realizes that he has used bad judgment in selecting him. But he lacks the
courage to discharge the man and oftentimes, for this reason, resorts to a
series of petty persecutions in an attempt to make him resign.
HOW TO STEER A DIFFICULT COURSE
The employee who is suddenly taken up, flattered, and offered an unusually
good position by a man of this type would do well to hesitate long before
accepting. If he does accept, he should take care that he does not attempt
anything beyond his powers and that he does not accept a larger salary
than he is able to earn. Once in his position, he should be modest,
efficient, and do his best to keep out of cliques and inside politics. At
the same time, he should take great care not to offend those who are
powerful. The employees of every "Napoleonic" executive are, by the very
nature of the organization, forced into politics. Tenure of office,
promotion, and increase in pay all depend, not upon real service--although
real service counts; not upon efficiency and merit--although these also
count; but primarily upon the whims and caprices of an employer of this
type. Every employee of any importance, therefore, does his best, first,
to keep his own relations to his employer on a frank, easy, confidential
basis; second, in so far as in him lies, to be at peace with all his
fellow employees. We have seen some of the most valuable men of their kind
we have ever met suddenly discharged without a word of explanation by
employers of this type. The trouble was that someone who could get a
hearing carried a bit of scandal, perhaps without the slightest foundation
in fact, to the ever-suspicious ears of the boss. The boss, because he
lacked the courage to admit that he had listened to such gossip, removed a
man who had served him satisfactorily for years without a word of warning,
and without a hearing.
Unless you understand human nature, and if you are at all responsive to
appreciation, there is probably no greater pleasure than to work for such
a man as we have described, so long as the sunshine of his favor falls
upon you. But, as a general rule, we find their employees anything but
happy. Almost without exception they feel that their tenure of office
hangs by the slenderest of threads and that it is necessary to regard all
of their fellow employees with suspicion. Some men enjoy working in this
fevered atmosphere. If you are one of them, there are excellent
opportunities for you in the employ of a man of this type. But you will do
well always to have a good safe place prepared in which to land if you
should suddenly be dropped.
THE BLUFFER
In all of your dealings with the man who lacks real courage, remember that
his blustering and show of bravery is only an assumption to cover up his
deficiencies and that if you yourself have the courage to face him and, in
the language of the street, "to call his bluff," he will quiet down and be
perfectly amenable to reason. But be sure to observe your man carefully
and accurately before trying to call his bluff.
SUCCESS AS AN EMPLOYEE
The ultimate success of every employee depends, first of all, upon his
selection of the kind of work for which he is pre-eminently fitted;
second, his selection, so far as possible, of the kind of employer and
superior executive under whom he can do his best work; third, upon his
study and mastery of every possible resource of knowledge and training
connected with the technical and practical aspects of his work; fourth,
upon his careful and scientific development of all of the best and most
valuable assets in his character; fifth, upon a thorough understanding and
application of the principles of personal efficiency; sixth, upon an
accurate knowledge of the character, disposition and personal
peculiarities of his employer or employers and superior executives;
seventh, upon an intelligent and diplomatic adjustment of his methods of
work, his personal appearance, his personal behavior, his relationship
with his fellow employees and with his employers, to the end of building
up and maintaining permanently the highest possible degree of confidence
in him and satisfaction with his service.
PART FOUR
PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF CHARACTER ANALYSIS
CHAPTER I
THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS OF CHARACTER ANALYSIS
A few years ago we were content to guess, to follow tradition, and to
charge up to the caprices of fate or an all-wise Providence the failures
we experienced as a result of our ignorance. Then someone, less bound by
tradition than the average, discovered that exact knowledge was obtainable
about most subjects. Scientific research took the place of guess-work or
mere haphazard leaps in the dark. We began to observe, classify, measure,
weigh, test, and record, instead of guess. Thus science was born.
As far back as human records go men have made observations upon others,
have formed certain conclusions as a result of these observations, and
have recorded them. Some were accurate and valuable; others merely
ludicrous and misleading. Tens of thousands of men and women have
attempted to analyze human character, but most of them became lost in a
maze of apparent contradictions and gave up in despair, content to follow
impression and intuition. Though they became discouraged and abandoned the
field, each of these workers contributed something of value to the
subject, and to-day we have a science of character analysis exact enough
to add very greatly to our wisdom in dealing with humanity and its
problems.
LIMITATIONS OF THE SCIENCE
We do not wish you to misunderstand our claims for the science. Character
analysis is not a science in the mathematical sense. As we said in our
introduction, we cannot place a man on the scales and determine that he
has so many milligrams of industry, or apply measurements and prove that
he has so many centimeters of talent for salesmanship. Nor can we, using
the method of the chemist, apply the litmus to his stream of consciousness
and get his psychical reaction in a demonstrable way. We are glad we
cannot, else humanity might lose the fine arts of coquetry and conquest.
Perhaps we never shall be able to do these things, but that is small cause
for discouragement. What we do claim for the science of character analysis
is that it is classified knowledge based upon sound principles; that it is
as accurate as the science of medicine; that it can be imparted to others;
and, best of all, that anyone can test it for himself beyond any question
of doubt.
TESTS SHOW UNTRAINED JUDGMENT UNRELIABLE
"Oh, I'm a pretty good judge of men," people say to us. We have heard this
declaration thousands of times in the last seventeen years. Occasionally
it was, no doubt, true, but more often not, even when the statement was
made in the greatest sincerity. So we determined to test the ability of
the public to analyze men. The first test appeared in a number of
magazines, giving a profile and full-face view, showing the hands of a
young man. A few simple questions were asked concerning him, such as
these:
"Would you employ this man?
"If so, would you employ him as salesman, executive, cashier, clerk,
chemist, mechanic?
"Is he healthy, honest, industrious, aggressive?
"Would you choose him as a friend?"
Of 5,000 replies but 4.1 per cent were right or nearly right. Some of the
replies were astounding. One manager of a big business wrote: "This man
would be an exceptionally honest and trustworthy cashier or treasurer."
One sales manager replied: "I would like to have this man on my sales
force. He would make a hummer of a salesman, if I am any judge of men. His
hands are identical with my own," etc., etc. But the climax was reached
with this letter from a young lady: "He would be a devoted husband and
father. I would like him as a friend."
Our own analysis of this man, from photographs on a test, was as follows:
"We would not employ this man.
"He is not healthy.
"He is intelligent.
"He is not honest.
"He is not industrious.
"He is aggressive in a disagreeable way.
"We would not choose him as a friend.
"John Doe is a natural mechanic who has had very little training in that
line of work. Being exceedingly keen and intelligent, without right moral
principles, he has used his natural mechanical ability in illegitimate
lines."
Here is a brief sketch of John Doe, furnished by a gentleman who
befriended him and has followed his career for years:
"John is thirty-one years of age and has just been released from a term in
Sing Sing Prison. The crime for which he served sentence was burglary. He
made a skeleton key with which he gained access to a loft where were
stored valuable goods. He stole three thousand dollars worth of these from
his employer. He admits that he has committed other crimes of forgery and
theft. Perhaps the cleverest of these was forgery which was never
discovered. He is exceedingly friendly and makes friends easily. He is,
however, very erratic and irritable in disposition and often quarrelsome.
He is a fair example of a common type which has intelligence and skill but
has not learned to direct his activities along constructive lines."
A more complicated advertisement followed this first one, giving the
portraits of nine men, each successful in his chosen work because well
fitted for it by natural aptitude as well as by training. People were
asked to state the vocation of each. Out of 4,876 replies but three were
correct.
SOME FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS
Surely, when the untrained judgment of intelligent people goes so wide of
the mark, it is worth while to inquire whether or not science can come to
the rescue. Perhaps a brief examination of some well-established truths
about human beings will aid in finding an answer to our query.
The science of character analysis by the observational method is based
upon three very simple scientific truths:
First, man's body is the product of evolution through countless ages, and
is what it is to-day as the result of the combined effect upon it of
heredity and environment.
Second, man's mind is also the product of evolution through countless
ages, and is what it is to-day as the result of the effect upon it of the
same heredity and the same environment as have affected his body.
Third, man's body and man's mind profoundly affect each other in all of
their actions and reactions and have affected each other through all the
centuries of their simultaneous evolution.
EVOLUTION OF BLONDES AND BRUNETTES
Men's bodies differ from one another in many ways. A little scientific
investigation soon proves to us that these differences are the result of
differences in heredity and environment. Men's minds differ from one
another in countless ways. Scientific investigation also proves that these
mental differences, or differences in character, are also the result of
differences in heredity and environment.
For example, people whose ancestors, through countless ages, lived in the
bright sunlight and tropical luxuriance of the warmer climes, have dark
eyes, dark hair, and dark skin because nature found it necessary to supply
an abundance of pigmentation in order to protect the delicate tissues of
the body from injury by the actinic rays of the sun. The same soft
luxuriance of their environment has made these people slow, easy-going,
hateful of change, introspective, philosophical and religious. On the
other hand, people whose ancestors dwelt for centuries in the cold, dark,
cloudy and foggy climate of Northwestern Europe have less need for
pigmentation and are, therefore, flaxen-haired, blue-eyed and
white-skinned.
The hardships and rigors of this Northern climate made these people
aggressive, active, restless, fond of variety, and, because of their
fierce struggle for existence, exceedingly practical, matter-of-fact, and
material.
WHY NOSES DIFFER IN SIZE AND SHAPE
Another example illustrates this truth clearly: The type of human nose
evolved in warm, humid climates is low and flat, with large, short
passageways directly to the lungs. People living in such a climate have
little need for great energy and activity, since there is food in
abundance all around them. On the other hand, the type of nose evolved in
a cold, dry climate is high in the bridge, with thin nostrils, so that the
air may be both warmed and moistened before reaching the lungs. People
living in such a climate have great need for activity, both in order to
secure the means of subsistence and in order to keep themselves warm. Thus
we find that the low, flat nose is everywhere the nose of indolence and
passivity, while the large nose, high in the bridge, is everywhere an
indication of energy and aggressiveness.
WHY SOME HEADS ARE HARD, OTHERS SOFT
In brief, then, darkness of color is not the cause of deliberation and
conservatism, but both darkness of color and conservatism are results of
the same causes, namely, a heredity and environment which produce these
characteristics. Blonde coloring is not a cause of restless activity, but
both the color and the activity are the result of evolution in a cold,
dark, rigorous climate.
A striking example of the working out of the three truths which we have
given is seen in the consistency of the body. Hard hands, hard muscles,
and, in general, a dense, compact, unyielding consistency of fiber, are
both inherited and acquired as the result of hard physical labor and the
enduring of hardships. As is well known, those who spend their lives in
grinding toil in the midst of hard conditions care little for the finer
sentiments and sympathies of life. They have no time for them, no energy
left for them. By the very necessities of their lot they are compelled to
be hostile to change, free from all extravagance, and largely impervious
to new ideas. Therefore, wherever we find hardness of consistency we find
a tendency to narrowness, parsimony, conservatism, and lack of sympathy.
Looking at this fact from a little different angle, we see that, since the
body affects the mind and the mind the body so profoundly, the body of
hard fiber, being impervious to physical impressions, will yield but
slowly and meagerly to those molecular changes which naturally accompany
emotional response and intellectual receptivity.
These are but a few examples of the truths upon which the science of
character analysis by the observational method is based. Many others may
occur to you. Many others have been observed, traced and verified in our
work upon this science.
A BRIEF RECAPITULATION
Briefly recapitulating, we see that for every physical difference between
men there is a corresponding mental difference, because both the physical
differences and the mental differences are the result of the same heredity
and environment. We see, further, that these physical and mental
differences are not only results of the same environment affecting the
individual through his remote ancestry, but that they are tied together by
cause and effect in the individual as he stands to-day.
BASIS OF CLASSIFICATION
We have told you that the science of character analysis is classified
knowledge. It is clear to you by this time that the knowledge which lies
at the basis of this science is knowledge concerning physical and mental
differences and their correspondences. In this science, therefore, since
we are to observe physical differences and from them to determine
differences in intellect, in disposition, in natural talents, in character
in general, our first classification must deal with these physical
differences.
Men differ from one another in nine fundamental ways These ways are:
color, form, size, structure, texture, consistency, proportion,
expression, and condition. Let us consider each of them briefly.
COLOR
Color is, perhaps, the most striking variable. You instantly observe
whether a person is white or black, brown or yellow. Indeed, so striking
are these variations that they were formerly the basis upon which humanity
was divided into races.
We have already briefly touched upon the cause for pigmentation and the
indications of differences in color. For many years anthropologists were
at a loss to understand exactly why some men were black and others white.
About twenty years ago, however, Von Schmaedel propounded the theory that
pigmentation in the hair, eyes and skin was Nature's way of protecting the
tissues from injury by the actinic or ultra-violet rays of the sun, which
destroy protoplasm. Following the enunciation of Von Schmaedel's theory,
prolonged experimentation was made by many anthropologists, chief among
whom was our own late Major Charles E. Woodruff, of the U.S. Army. In
Major Woodruff's book, "The Effects of Tropical Light Upon White Men," are
to be found, set forth in a most fascinating way, evidences amounting
almost to proof of the correctness of Von Schmaedel's theory.
Since Major Woodruff's book appeared, many other anthropologists have
declared their acceptance of the theory, so that to-day we may assert with
confidence that the black man is black because of the excessive sunlight
of his environment, and that the white man is white because he and his
ancestors did not need protection from the sun. Mountain climbers cover
their faces and hands with a mixture of grease and lamp-black in order to
prevent sunburn. When in India we wore actinic underwear, dark glasses,
and solar topees to protect us from the excessive light.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BLONDES AND BRUNETTES
Now, in regard to differences in character between the dark races and the
white races, you have only to consider the languorous air of the tropics
and sub-tropics, the abundance of food, the small need for fuel, clothing
and shelter--in general, everything in the environment which tends to make
man indolent and to give him plenty of time for introspection, philosophy,
theology, and the occult.
The dweller in Northern climes has had to wrestle with rapid changes,
demands for food, clothing, shelter and fuel, relative scarcity of all
these and difficulty of securing them--in short, nearly every possible
element in his surroundings which would compel him to get out and hustle,
to take an active interest in material things, to be constantly on the
alert both mentally and physically--in a word, to master and conquer his
environment.
These are some of the differences between the dark and the white races. We
find the same differences in proportion between blondes and brunettes in
the white races.
HAVELOCK ELLIS ON BLONDES AND BRUNETTES
The noted anthropologist Havelock Ellis says, in regard to this:
"It is clear that a high index of pigmentation, or an excess of fairness,
prevails among the men of restless and ambitious temperament; the
sanguine, energetic men; the men who easily dominate their fellows and who
get on in life, and the men who recruit the aristocracy and who doubtless
largely form the plutocracy. It is significant that the group of low-class
men--artisans and peasants--and the men of religion, whose mission in life
it is to preach resignation to a higher will, are both notably of dark
complexion; while the men of action thus tend to be fair, men of thought,
it seems to me, show some tendency to be dark."
The practical application of this truth is seen in the fact that the white
races of the earth seem to have a genius for government, for conquest, for
exploration, and for progress; while the dark races of the earth seem to
have a genius for art, for literature, for religion, and for conservatism.
Not long ago we read the conclusions of several anthropologists on this
subject. One declared that the first men were undoubtedly brunette, and
that the blonde was an abnormality and rapidly becoming extinct. Another
was equally sure that the pure white blonde was a special creation but
little lower than the angels, and that all the dark races were so colored
by their sins. This is a matter upon which we hesitate to speculate. It
would, however, be of some interest to know the respective coloring of
these two investigators.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF LAW OF COLOR
Color has its commercial application. The active, restless, aggressive,
variety-loving blonde is found in large proportions amongst speculators,
promoters, organizers, advertising men, traveling salesmen; while the more
stable and constant brunette predominates amongst the plodders, the
planners, the scientists, the administrators, and the conservators. Even
the poets bring out the difference. They sing of the fickle, light-hearted
coquette with golden hair and azure eyes, and of the faithful, constant,
true, undying affection of the lady with soft, brown eyes.
FORM
The second variable--Form--refers to form of face and features as seen in
profile. The sharp face, with the long, pointed nose, prominent eyes,
retreating forehead, prominent teeth and retreating chin, is the extreme
convex form. The hammock-shaped face, with high, prominent forehead, flat
brows, deep-set eyes, small snubbed or sway-back nose, retreating teeth
and long, prominent chin, is the extreme concave in form of profile.
It would involve much dry, technical writing to explain in detail the
scientific reasons why the extreme convex in profile indicates extreme
energy, quickness, impatience, impulsiveness, keenness and alertness of
intellect, and great rapidity in action. The large nose, high in the
bridge, however, indicating, as you have already seen, great energy, is
one of the scientific reasons for this. In a similar way it would take me
too long to tell in detail why the extreme concave of profile indicates
just the opposite qualities.
It is a scientific fact that that which is sharp is penetrating and moves
quickly; that which is blunt is non-penetrating and of necessity moves
slowly. The needle darts through the cloth more quickly than the bodkin.
The greyhound is swifter than the bulldog. The stiletto does quicker work
than the bludgeon. This, of course, is only a symbolism which may make
vivid the truth that the convex man works more rapidly than the concave.
In commercial work, the man who is successful in positions requiring quick
decision and quick action has a convex profile, while the man whose duties
call for patience, deliberation, reflection, and the ability to plod
should have some modification of the concave form of profile.
SIZE
It is an old saying that large bodies move slowly. It would be more
scientifically correct to say that large bodies get under way slowly.
Difference in physical size between men is important in many ways. If, as
William James says, "the causes of emotion are indubitably physiological,"
then the smaller the physical bulk which must be affected in order to have
an intense emotion, the more quickly and easily is that intense emotion
aroused.
Other things being equal, the small man is more excitable and becomes
angry more easily than the large man. He also cools down more quickly.
When the huge bulk of the big man becomes thoroughly aroused, thoroughly
wrought up, it is time to get out of the way and stand from under.
STRUCTURE
Hall Caine, the novelist, has an immense head, a slender jaw, and a small,
fragile body. James J. Jeffries, the pugilist, has a comparatively small
head, a large jaw, and huge bones and muscles. Ex-President Taft has a
comparatively small head, round face, round body, round arms and legs.
These are differences in structure.
Hall Caine is of the mental type. He is by nature unfitted to be either a
pugilist, a hammer-thrower, an explorer, a banker, or a judge. He is,
however, pre-eminently fitted to dream dreams of truth and beauty, to
construct those dreams into stories and plays. James J. Jeffries is by
nature and physique fitted for the trade of boiler-maker, for the sport of
pugilism, and for physical and manual accomplishment in general.
Ex-President Taft is by nature and physique fitted to sit quietly in a big
chair and direct the work of others, to administer affairs, to sit upon
the bench and weigh impartially causes of dispute between his fellow men.
As you see, these three are our old friends, the physically frail, the man
of bone and muscle, and the fat man.
The assignment of vocation according to structure is but common sense. The
dreamer has too slender a body for manual labor and is both too nervous
and too impatient of confinement to sit in an easy chair or on the bench.
The big, corpulent man enjoys the good things of life. He is well
nourished and free from anxiety. He is, therefore, especially well fitted
to judge calmly, deliberately and impartially. The man of bone and muscle
is too busy with his physical activities for dreams and too impatient of
confinement to sit in an easy chair or on the bench.
TEXTURE
Men also differ from one another very markedly in texture. This is easily
observable in the texture of hair, skin, features, general body build,
hands and feet. According to Prof. Ernst Haeckel, the skin is the first
and oldest sense organ. Indeed, all the other sense organs and the nervous
system and brain which have evolved in the use of them, are simply
inturned and specialized skin cells. This being true, the texture of the
entire organism, and especially the brain and nervous system, is
accurately indicated by the texture of the skin and its appendages, the
hair and nails.
Even the most casual observer notes the differences between the man with
coarse hair, coarse skin, rugged features, large, loosely-built limbs,
hands and feet, and the man with fine skin, silky hair, delicate, regular
features, slender limbs, and finely moulded hands and feet. The individual
of fine texture is sensitive and naturally refined. He loves beauty. He
does his best work when he is creating something or handling something
which is fine and beautiful. The coarse-textured individual is strong,
vigorous, virile, and enduring. He can do hard, unpleasant work, can go
through hardships, and can remain cheerful even in the midst of grimy,
unpleasant and unlovely surroundings. For these reasons, fine-textured
people do their best work in such lines as art, literature, music,
jewelry, dry goods, millinery, and fine, delicate tools, machinery and
materials; while we must rely upon coarse-textured people to do the heavy,
hard, rough, pioneering and constructive work of the world. Even in art
and literature coarse-textured people produce that which is either
vigorous and virile or gruesome and horrible.
Because of their refined sensibilities, fine-textured people usually
sympathize with the classes, the aristocracy; the coarse-textured people
with the masses. It is a remarkable fact that practically all of our great
liberators, radicals and revolutionists have been and are men of coarse
texture. There is a great scientific truth underlying the saying amongst
the people that certain ideas or books are "too fine-haired" for them.
PROPORTION
One of the most important of all the nine fundamental variables is
proportion. This refers to proportion of one part of the body to another,
of one part of the head to another. Each part of the body and of the head
has its own particular function. Nature is orderly and systematic in all
her work. She does not, therefore, try to digest food with the feet or
pump blood with the hands. She does not try to use our stomachs as means
of locomotion. Neither does she try to make us think with the backs of our
heads.
No one needs to be told that the long, slender, wiry legs of the deer were
made for swiftness, or that the huge, square, powerful jaw of the bulldog
was made to shut down with a vise-like grip that death itself can scarcely
relax. These are crude examples of proportion. In our study and research
we have learned to associate many fine gradations of differences in
proportion with their corresponding differences in mental aptitudes and
character.
EXPRESSION
Everything about a man indicates his character. Color, form, size,
structure, texture, consistency, and proportion indicate almost entirely
the man's inherent qualities. It is important for us to determine,
however, in sizing up men, what they have done with their natural
qualifications. This we do by observing Expression and Condition.
The cruder, simpler emotions are so frankly expressed that even a child or
an animal can tell instantly whether a man is happy or loving, grieved or
angry. These emotions show themselves in the voice, in the eyes, in the
expression of the mouth, in the very way the man stands or sits or walks,
in his gestures--in fact, in everything he does. In the same way, all of
the finer and more elusive thoughts and emotions express themselves in
everything a man says or does. Even when he does his best to mask his
feelings, he finds that, while he is controlling his eyes and his voice,
his posture, gestures, and even handwriting are giving him away. No living
man can give attention to all of the modes of expression at once, and the
trained observer quickly learns to discriminate between those which are
assumed for the purpose of deception and those which are perfectly
natural.
Transient emotions have transient expression, but the prevailing modes of
thought and feeling leave their unmistakable impress just as surely as
does a prevailing wind mould the form of all the trees growing in its
path. The man who is sly, furtive, secretive, and fundamentally dishonest
need not deceive you with his carefully manufactured expression of
open-eyed frankness and honesty. If you have ever been "taken in" by a
confidence man or a swindler, you either gave very slight attention to
his expression or, what is more likely, suspected him but hoped to "beat
him at his own game."
CONDITION
Discriminating employers long ago learned to observe carefully the
condition of every applicant. It is now a pretty well accepted fact that
the accountant who neglects his finger nails will probably also neglect
his entries; that the clerk who is slovenly about his clothes will also be
slovenly about his desk and his papers; that the man who cannot be relied
upon to keep his shoes shined and his collar clean is a very weak and
broken reed upon which to lean for anything requiring accuracy and
dependability.
HOW THE SCIENCE IS VERIFIED
We have presented to you, in a brief way, the fundamental principles of
the science of character analysis and the nine fundamental variables in
man to which those principles apply. Are we not justified in saying that a
body of knowledge which has been so classified and organized that the main
fundamental facts of it can be presented in a few pages, is, indeed, a
science? Add to this the fact that every conclusion is not only based upon
these fundamental scientific principles, but has been carefully verified
by investigation and observation in not only hundreds but thousands of
cases, and has been used daily for years under the trying conditions of
actual commercial practice, and this science has passed out of the merely
experimental stage.
CHAPTER II
HOW TO LEARN AND APPLY THE SCIENCE OF CHARACTER ANALYSIS
There are two ways to learn any science.
The first is to begin by collecting all possible facts, recording them and
verifying them under all possible conditions, until they are as thoroughly
established as any facts can be in our imperfect human understanding. The
collection of facts in this way requires the most painstaking research,
oftentimes including many thousands of observations. When all the facts
have been thus collected and verified, they are classified. Then they are
carefully analyzed and an effort is made to find some of the laws which
underlie them. Perhaps, instead of a definite law, all that can be at
first advanced is a hypothesis or theory. This hypothesis or theory having
been formulated, many thousands of observations are taken in an effort to
establish it as a definite law or a principle. Oftentimes whole new realms
have to be explored before this can be determined. Sometimes, after a
theory is advanced, perhaps seems to be approaching complete
establishment, some fact or set of facts is discovered which compels the
setting aside of all old theories and the formulation of a new one. When a
theory has been definitely established as a law, other laws are sought in
the same way until, finally, there are enough laws established to form the
basis of a general principle. Then more laws and more principles are added
in the same way until, finally, the body of knowledge has become
sufficiently accurate, sufficiently definite and sufficiently organized
and classified to be called a science.
HOW SCIENCE SLOWLY EVOLVES
This is the way in which all of the sciences known to man were first
learned; that is to say, they were learned by their formulators coincident
with the process of their formulation. This is a slow and laborious
process of learning. Few, if any, sciences have ever been thus mastered by
any one individual. Indeed, the certain establishment of a very few facts,
or, perhaps, only one important fact, the formulation of a theory, or the
final statement of a law is usually the limit of the contribution of any
one person to any science.
No science is independent. The science of physics, for example, could
never have reached its present-day state of development if it had not laid
heavy tribute upon the sciences of mathematics, astronomy, chemistry,
geography, mechanics, optics, and others. In a similar way, the science of
character analysis has derived many of its facts, laws, and even
principles, from the sciences of physics, chemistry, biology,
anthropology, ethnology, geography, geology, anatomy, physiology,
histology, embryology, psychology, and others. Since this is true, it is
obvious that the work of collecting, verifying, classifying, analyzing,
and organizing the facts upon which the science of character analysis is
based has been going on from the very dawn of civilization. Many
investigators, students and scholars, in many branches of knowledge, have
labored, added their little mite to the sum total, and passed on. The net
result of all their work, all their thousands of years of research,
investigation, study and thought, can now be gathered together and
presented in so simple a form that it can be learned by anyone of
intelligence in a few months. It took humanity untold thousands of years
to learn the scientific truth that the earth is an oblate spheroid. Many
men gave their lives to establish the truth. As a result, to-day every
schoolboy learns and understands the fact within a very few days after his
first opening of a text book on geography. Thousands of scholars have been
working on the science of physics from the dawn of human intelligence down
to the present date. Now a high school student learns all of its
essentials and fundamentals in a short term of fourteen weeks.
A SHORT CUT TO KNOWLEDGE
The second method of learning a science, therefore, is to take advantage
of all that has been done and, instead of beginning with facts and working
up to principles, begin with principles and work down to a practical
application amongst facts.
There are many ways of learning principles. One may memorize them from
books, or have them set forth and explained by an instructor or lecturer,
or stumble upon them in general reading, or work out a series of carefully
prescribed experiments in a laboratory, leading up to an enunciation of
the principles or, through its intelligent application in the world of
work, establish it in one's consciousness.
The student who learns his laws and principles out of books may have a
very clear and definite understanding of them. He may be able to add to
them or to teach them. But he has little skill in their practical
application as compared with the student who learns them in a laboratory.
Furthermore, the laboratory student is at a disadvantage, probably, as
compared with the man who makes intelligent application of the laws and
principles to his daily work. So well recognized by educators is this
truth that no attempt is made in our colleges and universities and, for
the most part, even in our high schools, to teach sciences involving
observation, logical reasoning and sound judgment purely out of books.
Medicine, surgery, agriculture, horticulture, mechanics and other such
sciences are now taught almost entirely by a combination of text books and
actual practice. This rule also applies to the science of character
analysis.
LEARN THE PRINCIPLES
The first step in the mastery and practical use of the science of
character analysis is to learn the principles and the laws which underlie
them. These principles and laws are comparatively few in number and
comparatively simple. They are all classified under and grouped around the
nine fundamental variables, a list of which was given in the preceding
chapter.
The best way to learn a principle is not to memorize it, but to
understand it. Learn, if possible, the reason for its existence, at least
in a general way; the laws which underlie it, and the facts upon which it
is based. The student who memorizes the words, "all bodies attract one
another directly in proportion to their mass and inversely in proportion
to the square of the distance between them," knows little or nothing about
the law of gravitation, while the student who understands just what those
words mean, whether he is able to repeat them correctly or not, does know
the law of gravitation, and, if necessary, can probably apply it. The boy
who learns that any object weighs less on a mountain-top than at the sea
level learns an interesting and perhaps valuable fact. The man who learns
that the law involved in this fact is the law of gravitation has learned
something which he may be able to apply in a thousand ways. The man who,
in the future, may learn _why_ the law of gravitation operates as it does,
may open untapped reservoirs of power for himself, for all humanity, and
for all future generations. Therefore, in learning a principle, learn not
only to understand it, but, if possible, _why_.
DEMONSTRATE AND VERIFY
Having gained as complete as possible an understanding of the laws and
principles of the science of character analysis, the next step is to
demonstrate to your own satisfaction that they are sound. This process
will also enable you to understand them even more definitely and
specifically than before.
When you learn, for example, that a blonde is more volatile, more fond of
change and variety, more inclined to pioneering and government, than the
brunette, you have learned an important law. When you study carefully the
history of the evolution of the blonde and brunette races, you know why
the law is as it is. But when you have gone out and observed several
hundred blondes and several hundred brunettes and have seen them manifest
dispositions, aptitudes and characteristics in accordance with the law,
you have not only demonstrated the law to your own satisfaction, but you
understand it even better than before. Furthermore, you are far better
able than ever to determine the characteristics of the people you meet, as
indicated by their color.
ANALYZE YOURSELF
There are many good reasons why the very first application of the
knowledge of the principles and laws of character analysis should be to
yourself. While, in one sense, you know your own thoughts and feelings and
innermost desires and ambitions better than anyone else does, in another
and very important sense, your friends and relatives probably understand
you far better than you understand yourself. If you need any demonstration
of this truth, look for it amongst your relatives and friends. You may
have a relative, for example, who is very modest, retiring and diffident,
who lacks self-confidence, who imagines that he is unattractive,
unintelligent, and below the average in ability. You and all the rest of
his friends, on the other hand, know that he has genuine talent, that he
has an unusually attractive personality once his self-consciousness has
been laid aside, that he is intelligent and far above the average in
ability. Contrariwise, you may know someone who vastly over-estimates
himself, whose own opinion of himself is at least fifty per cent higher
than that of his relatives and immediate acquaintances. If other people,
therefore, do not understand themselves, is it not at least probable that
you do not understand yourself? So universal is this lack of self-under
standing that the poet expressed a real human longing when he said:
"Oh, wad some power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as others see us!
It wad frae mony a blunder free us
And foolish notion:
What airs in dress and gait wad lea'e us
And even devotion!"
Careful analysis of yourself, however, with your own intimate knowledge of
the depths of your being will do more than give you an understanding of
your own character. It will give you a better understanding of some, at
least, of the laws and principles of character analysis. For this reason,
it will also give you a far more intimate understanding of others.
COMPARE INDICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS
When you have learned what certain physical characteristics indicate,
practise observing these indications amongst the people whom you know
well. Try your skill at making the connection between the indication and
the characteristics which, according to the science, it indicates. For
example, go over in your mind all of the blondes you know and trace in
their dispositions and characters, as you know them, the evidences of
volatility, love of variety, eagerness, exuberance, positiveness, and
other such characteristics. Take careful note as to how these qualities
manifest themselves; observe differences in degrees of blondness, and
corresponding differences in the degrees in which the characteristics
indicated show themselves. Observe, also, how the various characteristics
manifest themselves in combination. For example, note the difference
between a blonde with a big nose and a blonde with a small nose.
ANALYZE, CHECK UP AND VERIFY
When you have analyzed yourself and your relatives, friends and
acquaintances, you will be ready to begin on the analysis of people
previously unknown to you. You will find them everywhere--in street-cars,
in stores, on the streets, in churches and theaters, on athletic fields,
in offices, in factories, in schools and in colleges. When you have
analyzed them as carefully as you can and, if possible, have written down
a brief outline of your analysis of them, check up and verify; find out
how far you have been right. If, in any case, you find that you have been
mistaken, find out why--study the case further. You have already
demonstrated and verified your principles; therefore, either you have made
an error in your observation or you have reasoned illogically in drawing
your conclusions. Find out which it is and correct your analyses--then
verify them.
This is a practice which, if you are at all interested in human nature,
you will find intensely fascinating. It is one which you can pursue for
years and not find it monotonous. Not a day will pass, if you are diligent
in this practice, in which you will not learn something new, something
interesting, something valuable. Those who have studied and practised this
science for many years are, almost without exception, the ones who are
most eager and enthusiastic about making these observations, analyses and
verifications.
STUDY TYPES
Perhaps one of the most interesting and valuable forms of exercise in the
practical application of this science is the study of types and their
variations. Anyone who has observed humanity knows that, while no two
persons are exactly alike, practically all human beings can be classified
satisfactorily into comparatively a few general types. We have considered
some of these types at length in earlier chapters of this book. It is by a
study and comparison of people belonging to these general types, the
careful noting of resemblances and differences, that the science of
character analysis becomes almost as easy as the reading of a book. If you
see a man for the first time who resembles in many important particulars
of appearance some man you know well, study him to see whether he will not
manifest in much the same way the same characteristics as your friend.
This kind of observation, intelligently made, is the basis of accuracy and
swiftness in making analyses.
KEEP ACCURATE AND ADEQUATE RECORDS
The human mind is an excellent storehouse of knowledge, but it should not
be over-burdened. One of the first principles of efficiency as enunciated
by Mr. Harrington Emerson is: "If you would find the best, easiest and
quickest ways to the desirable things of life, keep and use immediate,
reliable, adequate, and permanent records."
The complete record of an analysis should show the name, address, sex,
exact age, height, weight, and all other essential physical
characteristics of the person analyzed, classified under the head of the
nine fundamental variables. It should show your conclusions as to his
ability, disposition, aptitudes and character in general. It should also
show the result of any further observations for the purpose of verifying
your conclusions, and should be so kept that, if, at any time in the
future, the individual should speak or act in any way which is either a
striking verification of the analysis or in striking disparity with it,
these incidents may be recorded and their relationship to what has gone
before on the record studied.
Such records as these are valuable in many ways. When you have collected a
large number of them, they become the basis of statistics, averages, and
other interesting and important collections of facts.
STICK TO THE PRINCIPLES
It has been our universal experience amongst practitioners of this science
that those who adhere most closely and most faithfully to its principles
are most successful. There is always a strong inclination, especially on
the part of those who are just beginning and those who are unusually
emotional and sympathetic, to make exceptions. It is very difficult for
some people of exceedingly sympathetic and responsive natures to analyze
correctly. The personality of the individual being analyzed appeals to
them either favorably or unfavorably. Perhaps his words make a strong
impression upon them. All these things cloud the analyst's judgment and,
instead of applying the principles rigidly, he falls back upon the old,
unreliable method of analyzing by means of his "intuitions."
The laws and principles of the science of character analysis are based
upon scientific truths regarding the development, evolution, history,
anatomy and psychology of the human race. They have been verified by
hundreds of thousands of careful observations. They have stood the test of
years of practical use in the business world. They are now being
successfully applied in commerce, in industry, in education, and in the
professions, by thousands of people. They can be relied upon, therefore,
to give you an intimate knowledge of the ability, disposition, aptitudes,
and character in general of every human being who comes under your careful
observation.
CHAPTER III
USES OF CHARACTER ANALYSIS
The old-time farmer planted his potatoes "in the dark of the moon." He
probably took good care not to plant them on Friday, never planted a field
of thirteen rows, and would have been horrified at putting them into the
ground on the same day when he has spilled salt or broken a mirror. By
taking all of this superstitious care to insure a good crop, he probably
counted himself lucky if he got 100 bushels to the acre. Eugene Grubb, out
in Wyoming, by throwing superstition to the four winds and depending,
instead, upon exact scientific knowledge, leaves luck out of the question
and knows that he will net 1,000 bushels to the acre.
One thousand years ago or more, our educational methods stiffened and set
in the rigid moulds of tradition. For nine hundred years civilization and
progress stood still. Then here and there men began to break the moulds
with hammers of scientific knowledge. Education, instead of blindly
following traditional forms, began to shape itself more and more to exact
knowledge of the child nature and its needs--very slowly, cautiously and
tentatively at first, but, as knowledge grew, with more and more boldness
and freedom. This is one of the reasons why the last one hundred years has
seen greater progress toward our dominion over the earth than all of the
thousand years before it.
For more than four thousand years--perhaps more than five thousand--men
have been constructing buildings with bricks. Brick-laying was a trade, a
skilled occupation, almost a profession, but its methods were based upon
traditions handed down from father to son, from journeyman to apprentice,
unbroken throughout that entire four-thousand-year period.
Then a bricklayer and his wife defied the heavens to fall, threw aside
traditions and began to apply exact knowledge to brick-laying. As a
result, they learned how to lay bricks three times as rapidly as the best
workman had ever been able to before--and with less fatigue.
SCIENCE TAKES THE PLACE OF GUESSWORK
Fifty years ago, the merchant and the manufacturer guessed at their costs
and fixed their prices with shrewd estimates as to their probable profits.
They also guessed as to which departments of their business paid the most
profit, how much and what kind of material they should buy, where the best
markets were to be found, what would be the best location for their stores
and factories, and many other important factors of profitable enterprise.
Some of these old worthies were good guessers. They built up fairly large
business institutions and made some very comfortable fortunes.
The business men of to-day--who are, indeed, of to-day and not a relic of
yesterday and the day before yesterday--have an exact and detailed
knowledge of their costs, determine prices scientifically, know definitely
where are the best markets and what are the best locations for their
factories, forecast with a reasonable degree of accuracy their need for
materials, determine in a laboratory just which materials will best supply
their needs, and in many other ways walk upon solid highways of exact
information rather than upon the quaking bog of guesswork. Partly because
of this, they have built up a multitude of institutions, each of them far
larger than the largest of the olden days and have made fortunes which
make the big accumulations of other days seem like mere pocket money. In
making these fortunes for themselves, they have enabled millions not only
to enjoy far larger incomes than people of their class and situation ever
received before, but to enjoy conveniences and luxuries beyond even the
dreams of the rich men and kings of olden days.
RANDOM METHODS YIELD TO SCIENTIFIC
In the old-time factories the various departments of work, machinery and
equipment in each of the departments were arranged almost at random. Even
a few years ago we sometimes saw factories in which the materials worked
upon were moved upstairs, then downstairs, then back upstairs, hither and
yon, until a diagram of their wanderings looked like a tangle of yarn.
Even in offices, desks were placed at random and letters, orders,
memoranda, and other documents and papers were moved about with all of the
orderliness and method of a school-girl playing "pussy wants a corner."
Modern scientific management, horrified at the waste of time and energy,
makes accurate knowledge take the place of this random, helter-skelter,
hit-or-miss basis of action and multiplies profits.
If the old-time farmer rotated his crops at all, he did it at random. He
was, therefore, a little more likely than not, perhaps, to put a crop into
a field which had been exhausted of the very elements that crop most
needed. By this method and by other superstitious, guesswork, traditional,
random, and neglectful methods, he struggled along on an average of about
twenty bushels of corn to the acre, proudly defying anybody to teach him
anything about farming out of books, or any white-collared dude from an
agricultural college to show him anything about raising corn. Hadn't he
been raising corn for nigh on forty years? How could there, then, be
anything more for him to learn about its production?
But a little twelve-year-old boy down in what had always been supposed to
be the poor corn lands of Alabama, by the painstaking application of a
little simple knowledge, produced 232 and a fraction bushels of corn on
one acre of land. Other boys in all parts of the South and of the corn
belt began producing from 100 to 200 bushels of corn to the acre in the
same way.
SCIENCE TAKES THE PLACE OF SUPERSTITION
Because man has lacked accurate knowledge about the world around him, he
has been the credulous victim of countless generations of swindlers,
fakers, fortune-tellers, mountebanks, and others experienced in chicanery.
Speculators used to consult clairvoyants, crystal gazers, astrologists
and card-readers for a forecast of business conditions. To-day, through
accurate knowledge based upon statistics relative to fundamental factors
in the business situation, they forecast the future with remarkable
accuracy.
The practice of medicine was once a combination of superstition,
incantation, ignorance and chicanery. In those days people were swept into
eternity by the millions on account of plague, cholera, and other
pestilences. To-day medical practice is based upon knowledge, and people
who are willing to order their lives in accordance with that knowledge not
only recover from their illnesses, but are scarcely ever ill. The ignorant
man pays $1.00 for a small bottle of colored alcohol and water which some
mountebank has convinced him is a panacea for all ills. In his blindness
he hopes to drink health out of that bottle. The man who knows eats
moderately, drinks moderately--if at all--smokes moderately--if at
all--does work for which he is fitted and in which he can be happy,
secures recreation and exercise according to his own particular needs, and
almost never thinks of medicine. Should he need treatment, however, he
goes to a man who has scientific knowledge of diagnosis and materia
medica. The first man, in all likelihood, goes to an early grave,
"stricken down by the hand of a mysterious Providence." The second man
lives to a ripe old age and enjoys life more at eighty than he did at
eight or eighteen.
Fifty years ago, mothers relied upon tradition and maternal instinct in
the care of their babies. More than one-half of all the babies born died
before they were five years old. The wise mother of to-day knows what she
is doing, and, as a result, infant mortality amongst the babies in her
hands becomes an almost negligible quantity.
NEGLECT YIELDS TO SCIENCE
Because we did not know how to take care of them, we neglected our forests
until they became well nigh extinct. To-day, by means of the science of
forestry, we are slowly winning back the priceless heritage we almost
threw away. Because of our ignorance, we neglected the by-products of our
fields, our mines, and our industries, and no one can compute the fortunes
we lost. Through scientific knowledge, we have begun to utilize these
by-products. Some of the greatest of modern industries, and the fortunes
which have grown out of them, are the result.
Selling and advertising used to be done partly by tradition and partly by
instinct, so called. To-day, while they have, perhaps, not been reduced to
exact sciences, they are based more and more upon exact knowledge, so that
merchandizing has become less and less a gamble and more and more a
satisfaction.
Since, through scientific knowledge, man has wrought such miracles in
agriculture, construction, education, commerce, industry, finance,
medicine, war, mining, and practically all of his other activities, it is
time he applied the same scientific methods to that without which all
these wonderful things would never have been executed, namely, his mind
and soul.
SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE OF SELF
In Part One of this book we have attempted to show the benefits which
follow upon self-knowledge as to vocation. But this is only one phase,
after all, of your life and activity. Obedience to the injunction, "know
thyself," will help, also, to solve many of the hard problems you meet in
education, social life, religion, morality, and family relations. The man
who, through character analysis, has a scientific knowledge of himself,
has therein a valuable guide to self-development and self-improvement. He
knows which qualities to cultivate and which to restrain. He knows what
situations and associations to avoid so that his frailties and weaknesses
will handicap him as little as possible.
SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE IN EMPLOYMENT
In Part Two we have shown briefly the application of knowledge of human
nature to the selection, assignment and management of employees. In
common with so many other important matters, this has been left in the
past very largely to superstitious traditions, guesswork, random,
hit-or-miss methods, chicanery, and so-called intuition. Now, for the sake
of his profits, and also for the sake of the fellow human beings with whom
he deals, the wise employer is seeking for and, in many cases, using exact
knowledge.
SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE IN PERSUASION
In Part Three we have referred to the use of character analysis in
persuasion. Without this knowledge, it is the most natural thing in the
world for the man who seeks to persuade others to present to them the
arguments and suggestions which would appeal to him. Long ago some wise
man said: "If you would persuade another, put yourself in his place; look
at the matter through his eyes." 'Twas easier said than done. You cannot
put yourself in another's place or see things from his point of view
unless you know him accurately, which is possible only through the science
of character analysis. We have often found people who have lived together
for a lifetime who neither knew nor understood each other.
SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE IN SOCIAL RELATIONS
Man's fundamental needs are food, drink, clothing, shelter, work,
companionship, and rest. If one of man's fundamental needs is
companionship, then he needs to know how to be successful socially. Most
people deeply feel this need. One of the most frequent questions we are
called upon to answer is: "How can I be a greater social success?" Social
success depends upon personal attractiveness in the broadest sense of that
term and upon a desire to make the most of that attractiveness. Many
people have great social ambitions but, for some reason or other, are so
unattractive that they are social failures. There are others who have
pleasant personalities but who, because of other interests, neglect their
social opportunities.
Personal attractiveness depends, first, upon the development of those
elements which are pleasing to others, such as intelligence, judgment,
reason, memory, sympathy, kindliness, courtesy, tactfulness, refinement, a
sense of humor, decision, adaptability, self-confidence, proper personal
pride, dignity, and perhaps others; second, upon a knowledge of each
individual with whom one comes in contact, so that one knows best how to
gain that person's favorable attention, to arouse his interest, and to
give him pleasure.
Many people are shy, diffident, self-conscious, and painfully embarassed
in the presence of strangers. They feel these deficiencies keenly. They
long, perhaps with an intensity which the naturally self-possessed person
will never know, for that social ease which they so greatly admire. Their
self-consciousness, diffidence and timidity in the presence of others is
very largely the result, first, of a lack of knowledge of themselves and
how to make the most of their own good qualities socially; second, of a
lack of knowledge of other people. It is a human trait deeply ingrained
and going back to the very beginning of life to be afraid of that which we
do not understand. Courage, self-confidence, and self-possession always
come with complete understanding. Therefore, these timid, bashful ones may
find, and many of them have found, greater social ease through a knowledge
of themselves and of others, gained through a study of character analysis.
LOVE AND MARRIAGE
We shall probably not be disputed when we state that, aside from religion,
at least, the most momentous problem in the life of every man and woman is
that of love and marriage.
Says Edward Carpenter: "That there should exist one other person in the
world toward whom all openness of interchange should establish itself,
from whom there should be no concealment; whose body should be as dear to
one, in every part, as one's own; with whom there should be no sense of
Mine or Thine, in property or possession; into whose mind one's thoughts
should naturally flow, as it were, to know themselves and to receive a new
illumination; and between whom and one's self there should be a
spontaneous rebound of sympathy in all the joys and sorrows and
experiences of life; such is, perhaps, one of the dearest wishes of the
soul. For such a union Love must lay the foundation, but patience and
gentle consideration and self-control must work unremittingly to perfect
the structure. At length, each lover comes to know the complexion of the
other's mind; the wants, bodily and mental; the needs; the regrets; the
satisfactions of the other, almost as his or her own--and without
prejudice in favor of self rather than in favor of the other; above all,
both parties come to know, in course of time, and after, perhaps, some
doubts and trials, that the great want, the great need, which holds them
together is not going to fade away into thin air, but is going to become
stronger and more indefeasible as the years go on. There falls a sweet, an
irresistible trust over their relation to each other, which consecrates,
as it were, the double life, making both feel that nothing can now divide;
and robbing each of all desire to remain when death has, indeed (or at
least in outer semblance) removed the other.
"So perfect and gracious a union--even if not always realized--is still, I
say, the bona fide desire of most of those who have ever thought about
such matters."
A HEAVEN ON EARTH
In such a union as the author quoted has here described men and women find
life's deepest and truest joys and satisfactions. In it there is solace
for every sorrow, balm for every wound, renewal of life for every
weariness, comfort for every affliction, a multiplication of every joy, a
doubling of every triumph, encouragement for every fond ambition, and an
inspiration for every struggle. Those who are thus mated and married have
found a true heaven on earth. But such a mating and such a marriage is
not, as many fondly suppose, based solely upon the incident of "falling in
love." If we have no other advice to give the young man or the young woman
than that which has so often been given, "let your heart decide," we
have, indeed, little to offer.
MARRIAGE A PRACTICAL PARTNERSHIP
The marriage relationship is not wholly, or even chiefly, a romantic and
ethereal social union far above and unaffected by material and practical
considerations. While this spiritual union is an essential part of every
true marriage, it cannot exist unless there is also a true union upon
intellectual and physical planes. Marriage is, in one sense, a business
partnership. In another sense, it is an intellectual companionship, and in
still another sense, it is a friendly, social relationship.
A man and a woman are, therefore, mated in the true sense of the word, not
alone by a mysterious and intangible spiritual identity, but by mutual
beliefs, mutual ideas and ideals, mutual or harmonious tastes, mutual
physical attractiveness, and mutual respect and admiration each for the
other's talents, disposition, aptitudes, and character in general. One of
the reasons why there are so many unhappy marriages is because a blind
instinct, which may be purely physical or purely intellectual or purely
psychical, which may be a mere passing fancy, which oftentimes is based
upon the flimsiest and shallowest possible knowledge of each other's
characteristics, is mistaken for love. Many marriages, of course, are
consummated without even the existence of an imagined love--marriages for
convenience, marriages because of pique, marriages arranged by parents or
others. When such a marriage is a happy one, it is, indeed, by virtue of
great good fortune, a happy accident.
KNOWLEDGE THE BASIS OF CHOICE
Since a true marriage, therefore, must encircle with its golden band and
harmonize all of the psychical, intellectual and physical qualities,
activities and interests of two people, it follows that it must be based
upon knowledge as well as intuition. He who would choose a mate must,
first of all, understand himself, so that he may know what qualities will
be most agreeable to him. This may seem unnecessary, but, unfortunately,
it is not. Any man who will compare his youthful tastes and judgment in
regard to women with his mature inclinations will see the truth.
Second, he ought to know before he reaches the point of falling in love,
the disposition and character of those to whom his fancy turns. When
propinquity and mere physical attraction have aroused the emotions of a
young couple, the ardor of their excitement so obscures observation and
judgment that any careful analysis of each other's characteristics is
impossible. Even if such an analysis were possible, one could not be
intelligently made by a mere observation of behavior and conversation,
even under the most advantageous circumstances. As a general rule, young
people associate together in their "company clothes and company manners."
Every possible endeavor is made to show forth that which is considered to
be most desirable and to conceal, so far as possible, that which may be
undesirable. Even traits and tendencies which do manifest themselves do so
under disguise, as it were, and their full seriousness is not recognized.
In fact, many a young man and young woman have found the very
characteristics which appeared most charming in a lover or sweetheart the
ugly rock upon which marital happiness was wrecked.
"CHARMS" WHICH PROVE DEADLY
For example, many girls admire rather fast young men. But few wives find
happiness with drunken, gambling, unfaithful husbands. Many young women
experience a delightful thrill of interest in the young man who is
inclined to be somewhat authoritative. But few wives submit with pleasure
to the exactions of a domineering husband. Some young women find a gay,
careless irresponsibility charming in a lover but bitterly resent having
to shoulder all the burdens of financing and maintaining a home.
In a similar way, some men admire dimpled, pouting girls, but they
cordially detest whimpering, whining wives. Most men are flattered by an
air of helpless dependence in a sweetheart, but they soon grow tired of a
wife who cannot think and act for herself and who is, perhaps, an
imaginary or real invalid.
These characteristics in both men and women may be mere affectations and
mannerisms, assumed for the purpose of imagined allurement and charm. Or
they may be bedded deep in the character. Only a scientific knowledge of
human nature will reveal the truth.
KNOWLEDGE IN MARITAL RELATIONS
No matter how truly mated a man and woman may be, life-long happiness in
the marriage relation depends upon mutual understanding. Many a noble ship
of matrimony has been wrecked hopelessly upon the jagged rocks of
misunderstanding. Character analysis opens the eyes, reveals tendencies
and motives and offers true knowledge as a guide to the making of one's
self truly lovable, and the finding and bringing out in the other of
lovable qualities.
An intelligent woman of thirty once said to us: "I could never get along
with my father. As soon as I began to have a mind of my own, he and I
clashed, notwithstanding the fact that I loved him and he idolized me.
After I had married and left home, my love for him frequently drew me back
under his roof for a visit. But before I had been there a week we had
somehow managed to have a bitter quarrel and separated in anger. After I
learned to apply the principles of character analysis, I returned home on
a visit and the first thing I did was to analyze father. For the first
time in my life I understood him. Since that time we have never clashed,
and my visits with him are a great joy to me as well as to him."
We have in our files a sheaf of letters from both men and women telling of
the regaining of a lost paradise through mutual knowledge and mutual
understanding.
THE SCIENCE OF CHARACTER ANALYSIS NOT A CURE-ALL
We do not offer the science of character analysis as a panacea. We have
already emphasized the fact that mere knowledge of one's true vocation is
not enough for an unqualified success in it. We do not believe that
character analysis alone will solve the age-long problem of capital and
labor, nor do we hold forth the promise that a scientific knowledge of
human nature will enable every individual who obtains it to be uniformly
successful in selling, advertising, public speaking legal practice, and
other forms of persuasion. The serious and intricate puzzles of social
life will find no golden key which unlocks them all in the science of
character analysis. The supreme problems of love, marriage, marital
relations, divorce, and family life are far beyond the limited scope of
character analysis for their complete solution. Human life; human
efficiency; human mental, moral, and physical development; human
civilization in all of its aspects, are a matter of slow evolution, with
many a slip backward. He is either self-deceived or a charlatan who claims
to have found that which will enable the race to arrive at perfection in a
single bound.
On the other hand, just so far as even one spark of true knowledge is a
light on the way, to the degree in which one little adjustment helps men
to harmonize with nature and her eternal forces, and in the measure in
which one solid step adds to the causeway which man is building out of the
mire of ignorance to the heights of wisdom--in so much is the science of
character analysis an aid to man and his striving toward perfection and
happiness.
THE END
APPENDIX
REQUIREMENTS OF THE PRINCIPAL VOCATIONS
NOTE.--In the following lists the principal physical, intellectual,
emotional and volitional qualifications needful for success in a number of
representative vocations are given. The list of vocations is general, not
detailed, and is by no means exhaustive. The qualifications suggested are
also somewhat general in their nature. The list, therefore, is a valuable
guide to the general vocation for which an individual may be fitted, but
should be supplemented with much more detailed and specific analysis in
order to determine his exact place in that vocation. We have used the
words "Activity" and "Inactivity" in listing physical requirements. These
refer to the man of bone and muscle, in the first case; to the physically
frail or the fat man, in the second.
ADVERTISING
Good Health
PHYSICAL Exuberant Vitality
Energy
Originality
Practical Judgment
Keen Observation
Appreciation of Form, Color, and Proportion
Resourcefulness
Mental Industry
INTELLECTUAL Foresight
Knowledge of Human Nature
Constructive Ability
Command of Language
Analytical Powers
Critical Faculties
Method, Orderliness
Sense of Humor
Optimism
Ambition
Sympathy
Friendliness
EMOTIONAL Courage
Love of Beauty
Honesty
Enthusiasm
Ideals
Decision
Initiative
VOLITIONAL Persistence
Thoroughness
Aggressiveness
Self-control
AGRICULTURE
Health
Energy
Endurance
PHYSICAL Skill
Strength
Activity
Medium or Medium Fine Texture
Elastic Consistency
Keen Observation
Practical Judgment
Analytical Ability
Accuracy
Foresight
INTELLECTUAL Method, Order, System
Constructive Ability
Mechanical Ability
Imitativeness
Memory
Mastery of Detail
Honesty--Prudence
Love of Nature
EMOTIONAL Love of Beauty, Optimism
Obedience
Dependableness
Teachableness
Industry, Perseverance
VOLITIONAL Thoroughness, Patience
Carefulness
ARCHITECTURE
Health
PHYSICAL Skill
Inactivity
Fine Texture
Keen Observation
Appreciation of Form, Color, Proportion, Line Distance
Constructive Ability
Mathematics
Memory
INTELLECTUAL Concentration, Language
Accuracy
Originality
System, Order, Plan, Method
Resourcefulness
Artistic Sense
Honesty
Love of Beauty
Enthusiasm, Friendliness
EMOTIONAL Courage
Ambition
Dependability
Prudence
Decision
Initiative
Persistence
VOLITIONAL Thoroughness
Carefulness
Patience
Executive Ability
ART
Health
PHYSICAL Skill
Nerve Control
Endurance
Keen Observation
Fine Appreciation of Form, Color, Proportion
Memory
Originality
INTELLECTUAL Concentration
Constructive Ability
Mental Industry
Mastery of Detail
Artistic Sense
Honesty
Love of Truth
EMOTIONAL Love of Beauty
Enthusiasm
Responsiveness
Courage
Industry
VOLITIONAL Perseverance
Capacity for Taking Pains
Patience
ATHLETICS
Health
Nerve Control
Vitality
PHYSICAL Endurance
Strength, Energy
Skill
Activity, Agility
Speed
Keen Observation, Quick Thought
Appreciation of Weight, Size, Distance, Location
Practical Judgment
INTELLECTUAL Foresight
Accuracy
Knowledge of Human Nature
Language
Honesty
Optimism
Ambition, Love of Applause
EMOTIONAL Enthusiasm
Loyalty, Obedience
Self Confidence
Poise
Self Control
Industry
Decision
Initiative
VOLITIONAL Aggressiveness
Co-operation
Perseverance
Patience
Carefulness
AUTHORSHIP
Health
PHYSICAL Endurance
Vigor
Alertness
Keen Observation, Philosophy
Reason, Judgment
Criticism, Memory
Language, Analysis
INTELLECTUAL Knowledge of Human Nature
Knowledge of Life
Originality, Constructiveness
Sense of Humor
Teachableness
Artistic Sense
Honesty
Optimism
Love of Truth
Enthusiasm
Strong Convictions
Impartiality
EMOTIONAL Love of Beauty
Courage (Not Easily Discouraged)
Ideals
Earnestness
Loyalty
Poise
Calmness
Industry, Perseverance
VOLITIONAL Accuracy, Patience
Capacity for Drudgery
CLERICAL WORK
Health
PHYSICAL Endurance
Inactivity
Medium Fine to Fine Texture
Keen Observation, Alertness, Quickness
Practical Judgment
Memory
Accuracy
INTELLECTUAL Imitativeness
Mastery of Detail
Concentration
System, Order, Method
Teachableness
Honesty
Prudence
EMOTIONAL Loyalty
Obedience
Dependableness
Contentment
Industry
Initiative
Thoroughness
VOLITIONAL Patience
Carefulness
Tactfulness
Economy
Punctuality
CONSTRUCTION
Health
Strength
PHYSICAL Activity
Energy
Skill
Endurance
Keen Observation, Alertness
Practical Judgment
Appreciation of Weight, Size, Distance
Constructive Ability
INTELLECTUAL Mathematics, Mechanical Sense
Knowledge of Human Nature
Memory, Accuracy
System, Order, Method, Plan
Imitativeness
Honesty
Courage
EMOTIONAL Prudence
Dependableness
Enthusiasm
Industry
Initiative
Resourcefulness
Persistence
VOLITIONAL Thoroughness
Aggressiveness
Patience
Carefulness
Executive Ability
Economy
EDUCATION
Health
PHYSICAL Good Appearance
Endurance
Inactivity
Fair to Keen Observation, Reason
Memory, Accuracy
Language, Knowledge of Human Nature
INTELLECTUAL Logic, Analysis
Criticism, Sense of Humor
Concentration
Order, System, Plan
Honesty
Truthfulness
Love of Children, Sympathy
EMOTIONAL Justice, Loyalty, Friendliness
Enthusiasm, Courage
Faith, Ideals
Contentment
Earnestness
Industry
Perseverance
Thoroughness
Patience
VOLITIONAL Tactfulness
Executive Ability
Self Control
Patience
Punctuality
ENGINEERING
Health
PHYSICAL Skill
Endurance
Activity
Keen Observation, Alertness
Originality, Resourcefulness
Constructive Ability
Concentration, Mathematics
INTELLECTUAL Mechanics, Practicality
Foresight, Analysis, Criticism, Exactitude
Mastery of Detail
Language, Accuracy
Order, System, Method, Plan
Inventiveness
Honesty
Enthusiasm
EMOTIONAL Courage
Calmness
Dependableness
Impartiality
Industry, Tactfulness
Initiative, Executive Ability
Thoroughness
VOLITIONAL Perseverance, Ambition
Aggressiveness, Economy
Carefulness
Patience
EXPLORATION
Health
Strength
PHYSICAL Vitality, Coarse Texture
Endurance
Activity
Skill
Keen Observation, Alertness, Quickness
Memory, Practicality
INTELLECTUAL Originality, Resourcefulness
Foresight, Knowledge of Human Nature
Accuracy
Honesty
Love of Nature
Courage
Friendliness
Prudence
EMOTIONAL Enthusiasm
Optimism
Obedience
Dependableness
Justice
Ambition
Industry
Initiative
Decision
VOLITIONAL Thoroughness
Patience
Carefulness
Tactfulness
Executive
Ability
FINANCIAL
Health
PHYSICAL Vitality
Endurance
Inactivity
Keen Observation, Alertness
Sound Practical Judgment
Financial Sense
Mathematics
INTELLECTUAL Memory, Accuracy
Foresight, Knowledge of Human Nature
Imitativeness
Order, System, Method, Plan
Organizing Ability
Honesty
Dependableness
Conservatism
Prudence
EMOTIONAL Constancy
Justice
Courage
Faith
Industry
Executive Ability
Initiative
Thoroughness
VOLITIONAL Patience
Carefulness
Tactfulness
Ambition
Economy
FISHING and HUNTING
Health
Endurance
Nerve Control
PHYSICAL Vitality
Skill
Strength
Activity
Keen Observation, Alertness, Quickness
INTELLECTUAL Practicality, Memory
Appreciation of Weight, Size and Distance
Accuracy, Resourcefulness
Courage
Love of Nature
EMOTIONAL Enthusiasm
Prudence
Love of Conquest
Decision, Initiative
VOLITIONAL Thoroughness, Patience
Self-control, Carefulness
FORESTRY
Health
Strength
PHYSICAL Endurance
Activity
Skill
Keen
Observation, Alertness, Quickness
Analysis, Criticism
INTELLECTUAL Concentration, Memory
Practicality, Accuracy
Initiativeness, Order, System, Method, Plan
Teachableness, Constructive Ability
Honesty
Love of Nature
Love of Beauty
EMOTIONAL Loyalty, Obedience
Dependableness
Enthusiasm, Love of Solitude
Optimism, Faith
Courage, Prudence
Industry
Decision
Initiative
Patience
VOLITIONAL Perseverance
Self-control
Carefulness
Executive Ability
Economy
HOTEL AND RESTAURANT
Health
PHYSICAL Vitality
Good Appearance
Inactivity
Keen Observation, Alertness
Keen Sense of Taste
Appreciation of Color, Form, Proportion, etc.
Practicality, Knowledge of Human Nature
INTELLECTUAL Financial Judgment
System, Order, Method, Plan
Cleanliness, Neatness
Memory, Language
Originality, Constructive Ability
Honesty
Prudence
Friendliness
Obedience
EMOTIONAL Optimism
Desire to Please
Cheerfulness
Sympathy
Justice
Courage
Industry
Tactfulness
Executive Ability
Economy
VOLITIONAL Initiative
Efficiency
Carefulness
Thoroughness
Patience
Self-control
INVENTION
Health
PHYSICAL Endurance
Skill
Keen
Observation, Alertness
Constructive Ability, Accuracy
INTELLECTUAL Originality, Resourcefulness
Concentration, Foresight
Practical Judgment Inventiveness
Honesty
Optimism
EMOTIONAL Courage
Enthusiasm
Faith
Ideals
Industry
Perseverance
Initiative
Thoroughness
VOLITIONAL Patience
Carefulness
Self-control
Ambition
Economy
JOURNALISM
Health
PHYSICAL Exuberant Vitality
Endurance
Activity
Keen Observation, Alertness
Knowledge of Human Nature
Memory, Language
INTELLECTUAL Sense of Humor
Concentration, Judgment
Foresight, Accuracy
Originality, Constructive Ability
Honesty
Courage
Sympathy
Love of Beauty
EMOTIONAL Enthusiasm
Self-Confidence
Friendliness
Love of People
Interest in People
Industry
Initiative
Decision
VOLITIONAL Aggressiveness
Tactfulness
Diplomacy
Ambition
LAW
Health
Vitality
PHYSICAL Endurance
Good Appearance
Observation, Alertness
Concentration, Practicality
Reason, Logic, Language
Memory, Foresight
INTELLECTUAL Knowledge of Human Nature
Accuracy, Originality
Resourcefulness
Sense of Humor
Order, System, Method, Plan
Honesty, Courage
Fighting Ability, Love of Conquest
Justice
EMOTIONAL Enthusiasm, Loyalty
Dependableness, Prudence
Optimism, Friendliness
Impartiality
Industry, Initiative
Persistence, Thoroughness
VOLITIONAL Carefulness, Patience
Tactfulness, Diplomacy
Ambition
MANUFACTURING
Health
Endurance
PHYSICAL Vitality
Activity
Skill
Keen Observation, Alertness
Practicality, Judgment
Mechanical Sense
Financial Judgment
INTELLECTUAL Foresight, Knowledge of Human Nature
Accuracy, Originality
Order, System, Method, Plan
Constructive Ability
Efficiency
Honesty, Courage
Justice, Loyalty, Co-operation
Prudence
Conservatism
EMOTIONAL Constancy
Love of Achievement
Dependableness
Optimism
Faith, Friendliness
Industry
Tactfulness
Initiative
Executive Ability
VOLITIONAL Thoroughness
Self-control
Patience
Ambition
Carefulness
Economy
MECHANICS
Health
Endurance
PHYSICAL Vitality
Activity
Skill
Keen Observation, Alertness
Practicality, Judgment
Mechanical Sense
Financial Judgment
INTELLECTUAL Foresight, Knowledge of Human Nature
Accuracy, Originality
Order, System, Method, Plan
Constructive Ability
Efficiency
Honesty, Courage
Justice, Loyalty, Co-operation
Prudence
Conservatism
EMOTIONAL Constancy
Love of Achievement
Dependableness
Optimism
Faith, Friendliness
Industry
Tactfulness
Initiative
Executive
Ability
VOLITIONAL Thoroughness
Self-control
Patience
Ambition
Carefulness
Economy
MEDICINE
Health
Endurance
Vitality
PHYSICAL Strength
Activity
Skill
Good Appearance
Keen Observation, Alertness
Criticism, Practicality, Accuracy
Common Sense
INTELLECTUAL Knowledge of Human Nature
Analysis, Logic, Language
Memory, Intuition
Imitativeness, Sense of Humor
Resourcefulness
Honesty, Courage, Sympathy
Love of People, Love of Helping
Liking for Human Bodies
EMOTIONAL Loyalty, Dependableness
Constancy, Optimism
Cheerfulness, Faith
Secretiveness, Prudence
Industry, Initiative Aggressiveness
VOLITIONAL Patience, Carefulness
Tactfulness, Diplomacy, Self-control
Calmness, Economy
MERCHANDISE
Health, Inactivity
Vitality
PHYSICAL Good Appearance
Endurance
Commercial Sense
Knowledge of Human Nature
Appreciation of Color, Form, Size
Proportion and Taste
INTELLECTUAL Memory, Practicality, Judgment
Financial Sense, Language
Foresight, Originality
Order, System, Method, Plan
Sense of Humor
Efficiency
Honesty, Justice, Kindness
Desire to Please, Friendliness
EMOTIONAL Prudence, Optimism, Cheerfulness
Enthusiasm, Self-confidence
Calmness in Emergencies, Service
Industry
Patience
Decision
Self-control
Persistence
VOLITIONAL Thoroughness
Aggressiveness
Tactfulness
Executive Ability
Ambition
Economy
MINING
Health
Strength
Energy
PHYSICAL Activity
Endurance
Skill
Coarse Texture
Keen Observation, Alertness
INTELLECTUAL Accuracy, Mathematics
Analysis, Practicality
Honesty
Courage
EMOTIONAL Prudence
Dependableness
Optimism
Industry
Decision
Initiative
VOLITIONAL Perseverance
Patience
Carefulness
Self-control
MINISTRY
Health
PHYSICAL Endurance
Vitality
Good Appearance
Thoughtfulness
Language
INTELLECTUAL Knowledge of Human Nature
Logic, Reason
Memory
Sense of Humor
Honesty, Love of Truth
Love of Humanity, Friendliness
Optimism, Cheerfulness
EMOTIONAL Hope, Faith, Courage
Contentment, Unselfishness, Sympathy
Loyalty, Enthusiasm
Earnestness
Initiative
Perseverance
VOLITIONAL Patience
Tactfulness
Self-control
Economy
MUSIC
Health
Endurance
PHYSICAL Good Appearance
Vitality
Skill
Sense of Rhythm
Sense of Tune
Knowledge of Human Nature
INTELLECTUAL Mathematics
Language
Accuracy
Originality
Love, Sympathy
Love of Beauty
Enthusiasm
EMOTIONAL Responsiveness
Courage
Ambition
Love of Applause
Industry
Perseverance
VOLITIONAL Patience
Tactfulness
Ambition
PERSONAL SERVICE
Health
PHYSICAL Neatness
Good Appearance
Endurance, Activity
Observation, Alertness
Knowledge of Human
Nature Memory, Practicality
INTELLECTUAL Foresight, Accuracy
Imitativeness
Order, System, Method, Plan
Judgment, Teachableness
Honesty, Respectfulness
Courtesy, Loyalty
EMOTIONAL Obedience, Dependableness
Prudence, Faith
Contentment, Friendliness
Desire to Please, Constancy
Industry
Patience
Perseverance
VOLITIONAL Carefulness
Self-control
Tactfulness
Economy
Punctuality
PHILOSOPHY
Health
PHYSICAL Vitality
Inactivity
Good Appearance
Reason, Logic, Analysis
Meditation, Reflection
Knowledge of Human Nature
INTELLECTUAL Memory, Originality
Order
Constructive Ability
Language
Sense of Humor
Honesty
Truthfulness
EMOTIONAL Love of Humanity
Calmness
Impartiality
Industry
VOLITIONAL Patience
Perseverance
Self-control
PLATFORM
Health
Vitality
Endurance
PHYSICAL Energy
Good Appearance
Good Voice
Good Enunciation
Memory, Logic
Language
Knowledge of Human Nature
INTELLECTUAL Foresight, Originality
Dramatic Sense
Constructive Ability
Sense of Humor
Honesty, Truthfulness
Courage, Enthusiasm
Friendliness, Love of People
EMOTIONAL Self-possession, Self-confidence
Enthusiasm, Sympathy
Faith, Optimism
Love of Applause
Ideals, Earnestness
Industry, Aggressiveness
VOLITIONAL Initiative, Diplomacy
Tact, Courtesy, Ambition
Patience, Self-control
POLITICS
Health
PHYSICAL Vitality
Endurance
Good Appearance
Keen Observation
Practical Judgment
Knowledge of Human Nature
INTELLECTUAL Memory of Names and Faces
Foresight
Constructive Ability
Sense of Humor
Language, Commercial Sense
Faithfulness to Promises
Courage, Justice
Loyalty, Obedience
EMOTIONAL Enthusiasm, Prudence
Love of Power, Faith
Optimism, Secretiveness
Love of Applause, Love of People
Friendliness
Industry, Aggressiveness
VOLITIONAL Initiative, Executive Ability
Ambition, Patience
Carefulness, Diplomacy, Courtesy, Tact
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
Health
Endurance
PHYSICAL Keen Eyesight
Good Hearing
Inactivity
Keen Observation, Criticism
Analysis, Memory
INTELLECTUAL Judgment, Accuracy, Concentration
Order, System, Method, Plan
Originality
Honesty, Truthfulness
Love of Nature, Curiosity
EMOTIONAL Dependableness, Constancy
Prudence, Contentment
Earnestness
Calmness, Impartiality
Industry
Patience
Perseverance
VOLITIONAL Initiative
Carefulness
Perseverance
Economy
SELLING
Health
Vitality
Endurance
PHYSICAL Good Appearance
Neatness
Good Voice
Good Enunciation
Abundant Energy
Keen Observation
Practical Judgment
Knowledge of Human Nature
Memory, Logic
INTELLECTUAL Language
Commercial Sense
Foresight, Originality
Order, System, Method, Plan
Constructive Ability Sense of Humor
Honesty, Truthfulness
Courage, Self-confidence
Love of People, Desire to Please
EMOTIONAL Sympathy, Loyalty
Justice, Dependableness
Enthusiasm, Faith Optimism, Cheerfulness
Ideals, Earnestness
Decision, Action, Industry
VOLITIONAL Perseverance, Aggressiveness
Patience, Self-control, Carefulness
Diplomacy, Tact, Courtesy, Ambition
SOCIAL SERVICE
Health
Vitality
PHYSICAL Endurance
Activity
Good Appearance
Knowledge of Human Nature
Language, Practical Judgment
INTELLECTUAL Order, System, Method, Plan
Memory
Sense of Humor
Organizing Ability
Love of Humanity
Friendliness
Honesty, Truthfulness
EMOTIONAL Sympathy, Justice
Loyalty, Courage
Faith, Optimism, Ideals
Contentment, Earnestness
Industry, Initiative
Persistence, Patience
VOLITIONAL Self-control, Diplomacy
Courtesy, Tact
Executive Ability
Economy
SURGERY
Health, Medium Fine Texture
Endurance
PHYSICAL Skill
Activity
Good Appearance
Keen Observation, Alertness
Practicality, Judgment
Memory, Concentration
Appreciation of Form, Distance, Location
INTELLECTUAL Foresight, Accuracy
Imitativeness
Order, System, Method, Plan
Constructive Ability
Knowledge of Human Nature
Resourcefulness
Honesty, Courage
Love of Humanity
Love of Healing
EMOTIONAL Prudence, Dependableness
Constancy, Self-confidence
Optimism, Cheerfulness
Faith, Hope, Friendliness
Calmness
Industry, Decision
VOLITIONAL Thoroughness, Carefulness
Tactfulness, Self-control
Economy
STAGE
Health
Endurance
Vitality, Energy
Good Appearance
PHYSICAL Good Voice
Good Enunciation
Gracefulness
Charm
Activity
Keen Observation, Alertness
Memory, Language
Concentration
INTELLECTUAL Judgment, Foresight
Knowledge of Human Nature
Dramatic Sense
Originality, Imitativeness
Sense of Humor
Responsiveness, Courage
Sympathy, Love of Humanity
Self-confidence, Love of Applause
EMOTIONAL Enthusiasm, Faith
Optimism, Cheerfulness
Ideals, Earnestness
Love of Travel and Excitement
Friendliness
Industry, Perseverance
Initiative, Thoroughness
VOLITIONAL Patience, Carefulness
Mastery of Detail, Diplomacy
Ambition
STATISTICS
Health
PHYSICAL Endurance
Inactivity
Keen Observation, Memory
Criticism, Analysis
Mathematics
INTELLECTUAL Concentration
Accuracy
Order, System, Method, Plan
Practicality
Honesty, Truthfulness
Curiosity, Dependableness
EMOTIONAL Constancy, Prudence
Contentment
Earnestness
Industry, Perseverance
VOLITIONAL Patience, Carefulness
Self-control
Economy
THEOLOGY
Health
PHYSICAL Vitality
Good Appearance
Inactivity
Thoughtfulness
Meditation, Memory
INTELLECTUAL Language
Knowledge of Human Nature
Imitativeness
Constructive Ability
Honesty, Truthfulness
Justice, Loyalty
EMOTIONAL Love of Humanity
Love of Study
Religion, Faith
Ideals, Contentment
Industry
VOLITIONAL Perseverance
Patience
Economy
TRANSPORTATION
Health
Endurance
Vitality
Activity
PHYSICAL Energy
Good Eyesight
Good Hearing
Skill
Quickness
Agility
Keen Observation, Practicality
Alertness, Judgment
Memory, Foresight
Financial Sense
INTELLECTUAL Accuracy, Originality
Order, System, Method, Plan
Constructive Ability
Knowledge of Human Nature
Teachableness, Organizing Ability
Honesty, Courage
Love of Travel, Desire to Please
EMOTIONAL Loyalty, Obedience
Dependableness
Prudence, Optimism
Industry, Persistence
VOLITIONAL Initiative, Executive
Ability Discipline, Ambition
Economy, Punctuality
The Job, the Man, the Boss
by
Katherine M.H. Blackford, M.D.
and
Arthur Newcomb
The book is _scientific_, because it is organized knowledge based upon
verified facts.
It is _practical_, because it has grown out of fifteen years' experience
in advising young men and young women in the choice of their vocations;
counseling employers in choosing, placing, handling and training employees;
investigating industrial and commercial institutions for the purpose of
professional advice upon efficiency in general and increasing the
efficiency of employees in particular; in the installation, operation, and
supervision of employment departments under the _Blackford Employment
Plan_.
It is _definite_, because it recounts in detail the operation of this
Plan, reproducing all forms and blanks used.
It is _clear_, because the story is simply told and illustrated with many
reproductions of photographs.
ARE YOU AN EMPLOYER?
You will find here, fully explained, the scientific basis of
employment--the fundamental principles upon which an efficient working
force is organized. These are not mere theories but are the same
principles upon which all successful employers and managers have built.
Here is a _plan_, too, fully tested in practice, and now in use by many
firms.
Every phase of the relationship between employer and employee is treated
from the standpoint of sound theory and successful practice. These include
_analysing_ the _job_ and the _man_, _choosing executives_, the _art_ of
_handling men_, and _educating employees_.
ARE YOU AN EMPLOYEE?
You want a reliable basis for the analysis of your job, yourself, and your
boss.
You want to know whether you are the man for your job--and, if not, why
not--and what is the remedy.
You want to know why you don't get along with your boss--if you don't--and
what is the _right kind of boss for you._
ARE YOU IN DOUBT ABOUT YOUR VOCATION?
You will find here much that will be helpful to you in solving the
problem.
ARE YOU A PARENT, A TEACHER, A SOCIAL WORKER?
This book analyzes clearly the _Vocational Problem_, and suggests a
practical and effective solution.
ARE YOU A STUDENT OF HUMAN NATURE?
The Job, The Man, The Boss contains _much new material_, the result of
recent research and experimentation, NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED. This throws
light upon some of the most important phases of the science of character
analysis.
"A timely book is this volume of the Newcombs. It has been waited for by
students of management, who have recognized the need of all possible help
in placing the right man in the right job. . . . It is so rich in
suggestion that mere reading, let alone study of the book, is highly
profitable and not without its conviction that the authors have more than
an academic knowledge of the selection and placing of men in work and that
gradually we shall be evolving a science in analyzing 'human capabilities
so far as anything exact is possible in this realm."--Iron Age, July 2,
1914.
There is something--perhaps many things--of vital importance to you in
this book.
Price, bound in cloth, postpaid, $1.75.
Blackford Publishers Inc. 50 East 42 St. New York
_The Science of_ _Character Analysis_ _By the Observational Method_
BY
KATHERINE M.H. BLACKFORD, M.D.
* * * * *
A complete course of 22 lessons.
Illustrated with hundreds of halftones from photographs.
Accompanied by charts.
Thousands of students and graduates testify to practical and monetary
benefits from use of knowledge and skill in analyzing character resulting
from study of this course.
The material in this course, together with Dr. Blackford's educational
service, is sufficient to make the student an expert judge of character.
Whether or not he becomes expert depends upon his natural ability and the
diligence with which he studies and practices. Certain it is that the
course will give any faithful student at least a better knowledge of his
fellow men.
Write for complete information.
* * * * *
Blackford Publishers Inc 50 East 42nd St. New York
[Illustration: Character Craft-The Character Analysis Game]
_The NEW Character Analysis Game_
Character Craft, prepared under the direction of Dr. Katherine M.H.
Blackford, consists of countless sections of heads, eyes, noses, mouths,
chins, etc., from which you can build anybody's picture, and by referring
to the keybook you'll see what characteristics accompany such features.
A character analysis party is a fascinating entertainment--the game is
helpful to students and constructive for children. Study and practice will
enable anybody to understand the characteristics of people they meet, and
form accurate impressions of their personalities.
Sections made of coated 8-ply bristol; packed in attractive, well-built
box, six 18 x 12 inches, with handsome cover lithographed in 8 colors.
Sent direct, charges prepaid, upon receipt of price, $2.00.
Blackford Publishers Inc. 50 East 42nd St. New York
*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "Analyzing Character" ***
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