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FORTY Witnesses
TO SUCCESS
TALKS
TO YOUNG MEN

CHSR.LES TOWWSfcND

THE

GIFT OF

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Cornell University Library

arV14706
Forty witnesses to success

3 1924 031 432 192

olin,anx

Cornell University
Library

The
tlie

original of

tliis

book

is in

Cornell University Library.

There are no known copyright

restrictions in

the United States on the use of the

text.

http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924031432192

FORTY WITNESSES
TO SUCCESS
TALKS TO YOUNG MEN

BASED UPON SIX HUNDRED ANSWERS IN EVIDENCE OBTAINED FROM FORTY STATESMEN, LAWYERS, MERCHANTS, BANKERS, MANUFACTURERS, JUDGES,
SCIENTISTS, AND INSTRUCTORS AS TO
THE CAUSES OF SUCCESS OR
FAILURE IN LIFE

BY

CHARLES TOWNSEND

NEW YORK
ANSON D. F. RANDOLPH AND
COMPANY (Inc.)
182

FIFTH AVENUE

Copyright,

Anson

D. F.

Randolph

n. o.

1S94,

PRESS OF
Jenkins' son,
YORK.

NEW

bv

& Company

(Inc.).

TO

mv
WHOSE INTEREST
I

tiJife

IS

AX INSPIRATION,

DEDICATE THESE WORDS.

NOTE.
The

gathering together of

and drawing them to a focus

either the

book world or

in

many mental rays

no new thing in

is

magazine

literature.

Itseemstobeacharacteristicof the century'send

for people to crave the opinions of

as converged

This

mode

upon some one

field

of literary treatment

ly not inaugurated

by the

many

of thought.

was certain-

pulpit, but there is

no reason why the pulpit should not

line

with the ideeu

minds,

fall

in

A casual conversation with

a seminary classmate. Rev. William S. Jerome,

not only reminded

a

me

of the

power that such

method would have with young men, but

furnished

me with more

than one valuable hint

for the evolution of the idea.

The

four lectures that constitute this

volume

are the resultant of such a

used in

my

evenings.

method as

pulpit for four consecutive

I

edly, for the

little

Sunday

use the word "resultant" advis-

testimony of the fact that they

were each listened to by an average of eight

(5)

NOTE.

hundred men, and most of them young men,

was a proof to me that

this collocation of

widely

gathered opinions was productive of " a force

which was the joint

forces,"

and

that

two or more

what Webster defines a

is

" resultant " to be.

of

effect

have reason to believe

that this resultant force was an inspiration to

many hundreds

of

young men

and

it

is

with

the earnest desire that the scope of that inspiration

are

may

be widened, that these four lectures

thrown into

men

this

form and given to young

at large.

For years the youth

of our

communities have

honored the ministry by giving careful heed to

our special discourses " to young people."

It

subtracts nothing from the dignity of our office

that

we should

occasionally add to our

own

words and our own thoughts the carefully expressed opinions of the laity upon the great,
burning, vital questions connected with getting

on

in life.

When
yers,

and

bankers, merchants, journalists, lawscientists consent to

to the young,

we need

become prophets

not wonder that multi-

tudes will attend upon their interpretations of

life's

meanings.

NOTE.
I

take this opportunity of thanking the

eminent leaders
swers to
for

me

my

in all

walks of

questions have

life

made

it

an-

possible

to address such cogent and significant

arguments to the young men of

tion.

forty-

whose

To them

belong the

many

this genera-

verbal and

written assurances of thankful appreciation that

have been addressed to me.

These lectures were prepared

the lips rather than the
for

prophecy rather than

for the use of

use of the press

print.

The

conse-

quent style needs therefore no further apology,

and only the additional confession that they

are given to the public just as they were originally delivered, barring the elimination here

and there

of

words and phrases solely adapted

to the uses and

demands

of public speech.

C. T.
Woodland Church Study^
Clgyeland, Ohio.

CONTENTS.
Yokes in Youth,
How TO Succeed,

53

How

88

13

TO Fail,

Religion and Business,

.112

I.

YOKES IN YOUTH.

It

is

good for a man that he bear the yoke in

his jo/,^. Lamentations

iii.

27.

YOKES IN YOUTH.
At the
it

is

beginning of this course of lectures,

right

and proper that

should

make a

confession of the exact motives that impelled

me

to this particular line of investigation and

compilation of
Society

men,
life

facts.

is filled

with a great army of young

enthusiastic, earnest

stretching

way out

young men who see

before them,

who know

that they are to have part and lot in the great

struggle of existence,

most of themselves

in

desire to

make the

the great battle, and

making mistake

they wish to

fatal errors of choice

they desire to

are fearful of

make no
make no

who

false starts

and

do upon the threshold

of

so,

standing as they

what they hope will

be success, and peering anxiously into the

untried and unfathomed future, they long for

some word that will be of material assistance

them some word that will be more than

to

a guess, more than a "perhaps."

(13)

YOKES IN YOUTH.

14

Ministers of the Gospel are accustomed to

men

army of young
God know that no safer

themselves to this

address

these

men

guide-posts can

of

be erected than those built

and hewed out of Bible timber; and so

uncommon
address

it is

no

thing for the ministry to especially

to the young,

itself

and

young men

in particular.

But

utter no

new thought, and make no

when I say that to

startling

confession

extent

large

books

rather

than dollars

ministers

than men,

they are

are
of

not

students

dogmas
to

of

rather

blamed

be

they have been called, educated, or-

for this;

dained to proclaim the privileges of a higher

and

celestial citizenship,

city

which hath foundations whose Maker and

Builder

is

God.

greatly changed,
ally taking

regard,

unto

and the reality of a

admit that the times have

that
itself

the ministry

is

new complexion

graduin this

that God's faithful pastors are forging

ahead into the front ranks of

the truth

still

civic leaders,

but

remains that with greater or less

verity, there runs a streak of impracticability

through the sacerdotal order, and

men would

rather follow our advice with respect to the

YOKES IN YOUTH.

way

best

of attaining celestial citizenship than

of avoiding business assignment.

This

not altogether true, because the type

is

of character that
tian pulpits

is

ners of

but

life

is

invariably held

in itself a

that the voice

think

of the

up

in Chris-

safeguard in

all

man-

goes without saying

it

layman

successful

is

young man who wants

succeed. And when I use that

peculiarly pleasant to a
to

know how

word
it

to

" succeed," I

am

not going to juggle with

in this course of lectures.

to undertake the

difficult

do not propose

and philosophical

task of portraying the success that goes about

with rags for raiment, and gets along on two

meals a day.

Neither will

go over the old

ground of demonstrating that a great deal of

what the world terms "success"

the veriest

have

all

failure.

I will

after

is,

all,

presuppose that you

that in mind, and are familiar with

that entire branch of thought.

We
and

look at things just as

will

we

see them,

we find them in life. We will

when a young man starts out, he

just as

admit that

wants to reach a goal that ninety-nine men out

of a

hundred regard as a successful

Time

is

too precious to spend

goal.

much

of

it

in

YOKES IN YOUTH.

l6

may

finding the success that

Young men

mediocrity.

become

leaders;

front ranks

and hundreds of the

will fail in that

them

finest

the shaking

front ranks

may

it

even

into assignment, pigeon-hole them,

send them to the

rear.

This

in itself is abso-

may

even have

no disgrace, and

lutely

them quite a ways

distribute

away from the very

drive

in

want to eventually

they want to stand in the

scores

men in the world

down of life will

away

nestle

the elements of rare virtue

know

in

it

man

whose very honesty made him an apparent failure.

But

in this course of lectures I

to deal with success, as

with getting ahead in

commonly

life

propose

interpreted

with attaining unto

leadership.

And

yet

might as well say now, that

am

not going to indulge myself or you in any vain

recipes for getting rich, or anything like that
I

prefer to leave that to gypsies

tellers.

What

make a

diagnosis of

shall

do

will

and fortune-

be to simply

men who have

bull's-eye in the target of

life.

struck the

I shall

be in the

main simply the mouthpiece of a large number

of such bull's-eye hitters

eloquence,

it

will

if

there

is

to be

any

be the eloquence of the story

YOKES
of their lives
it

there

if

IN YOUTH.
is

to be

any argument,

be the cold logic of the events of their

will

lives.

In preparation for

have taken

this, I

my lexi-

and homi-

cons, concordances, commentaries,

letic

books and for the time being thrown

them

aside.

But

have seized hold of men,

and because they were kindly and

have stood them up and read them

willing, I
like books.

Their story transcends any novel that could be

penned by the hand

of

man;

history

their

contains truths that are a whole encyclopedia

of character.

With

this introduction,

the spirit in which

you

will

understand

me

caused to come to

from the hand of the printer, the following

document
"

My Dear Sir

of our city,

many

For

of

conclusions which
respectfully

hope

the sake of the young

whom

will

men

be influenced by the

desire by this

means to

obtain,

for your kind co-operation in the

matter, and ask you to answer

all,

or such a portion as

you choose, of the accompanying questions.

" It is

coming

my

purpose to speak to young

winter,

and

this assistance

men during the

from you

the most practical and influential which

ploy.

What young men want and need

will

be

could em-

are

FACTS,

YOKES IN YOUTH.

and not any mere ministerial rhetoric or imagining for

;

this reason

The

turn to you for this help.

conclu-

drawn from the methods and habits

sions to be

men who have

instruction to those

I will not use

of

succeeded, furnish the best advice and

who

are about to enter active

life.

your name in connection with your

sponse, but will consider

and

re-

treat it as strictly confi-

dential.

" Earnestly

hoping and trusting that this plan

so appeal to you as to elicit a

response to the questions,

somewhat

free

will

and

full

remain,

" Respectfully yours,

"Charles Townsend,
" Pastor of the Woodland Ave.
Presbyterian Church."

And

then followed in this document a

questions designed to open

list

of

up to view the

mainsprings of success; questions which,

an-

if

swered, would throw a whole flood of electric

light

on the triumph of

life;

no

less

than

fif-

teen such questions were incorporated in this

circular

and while not an one could be deemed

impertinent, yet each one was deeply personal,

and touched

right

upon the very quick

Exactly what these questions were

in the

will

of

life.

appear

on-goings of these lectures.

As soon

as this

document reached me from

YOKES IN YOUTH.
the hands of the printer,
piled a long

very head

men

men who

the arts and sciences,

in

bench

judicial

men, the

men upon

the

whose

for-

totality of

mount up

tunes would

in

stood at the

men, professional men,

business

caused to be com-

most successful men

of the

list

the ranks of Cleveland

19

into the millions, and

the totality of whose brain power would keep

apace in

This

like degree.

was made up

list

these things solely

tion, color, politics

to this

of equally

East, until,

when

have noted, but

denomina-

list

were added by

prominent men

scanned

saw not only the

tion, I

with a view to

were not taken into account

Then

for a second.

me names

me

for

religion, creed,

it

at

its

the

in

comple-

classifications that I

saw added to

journalists, leading statesmen,

it

prominent

and learned

sci-

entists.

The

list

being thus complete, there remained

nothing for

me

to do but to address the docu-

ments to the men, enclose a stamped envelope

and await events.

for a reply, mail the same,

You
that

will share

had

stars in the

in

with

me

the matter

galaxy of

life

the great curiosity

whether these bright

would condescend to

;;

YOKES IN YOUTH.

20

upon the pulpit of the

Avenue Presbyterian Church

focus their shining

Woodland

worth their while

whether they would think

it

to share with hundreds of

young men with

before
I

them the

had not long to wait

within twenty-four

hours the responses began to come

they began to pour

less

life

secrets of their success.

in

until, in

than forty were heaped on

in

due time, no

my study

and since each document contained a

fifteen questions, a

then

desk

grist of

very slight arithmetic will

show you that we enter upon a

dissection and

an analysis of no less than six hundred affirma-

many

tions from

the leaders of society,

of

dealing with the great subject of

SUCCESS IN

Life.

That there were some who paid no attention

whatever to the document
piled as

and sent

it

in

question com-

was, and for the purpose that

as

it

was,

is

it

was,

commentary from which

you may each draw your own conclusions.

Yes, they began to
bers

come

in, in

great

num-

sometintes the sender would accompany

the filled-out document with a few extra and

suggestive words.

One

apologized for dictat-

ing his replies from a sick-bed to an

amanuen-

YOKES IN YOUTH.
sis

my

one thought that some of

drums

"

21
" conun-

were rather hard, but that he would

answer them to the best of his

ability

another

wrote as follows
"

Your plan appeals

to others.

shall

to

me and

hope

be amply repaid

if

will

it

my

an-

swers be the means of helping even one young

man

to a better

life.

believe that the masses

can only be reached in just such businesslike

ways

as this."

Another expressed himself

as follows

" I trust that

many expresforth to your men

you

will find these

sions of great value in holding

the paths of true succeae and broad influence in

business

life.

beg to add

my

early and con-

tinued interest in your church, and

in that part of our

own

city to

its

success

which you have

been called as pastor."

Another says
"

have no doubt you are pursuing the right

plan to arrive at FACTS."

Indeed, almost every document that came

back was found to contain

&t the

end some

foot-note expressive of approval at this

of helping

young men, and

outcome of the experiment.

method

of interest in the

YOKES IN YOUTH.

22

And now
thy with

that

my

you

are in touch

ideas and intentions with respect

we

to this course of four lectures,

to get

down
we

matter, as

and sympa-

will

proceed

whole

to the foundation of the

are forced to

by the nature and

character of the replies received, and face the

truth which seems to be undeniable, that the

writer of Lamentations

was

right

when, hun-

dreds and thousands of years ago, he

" It is

good for a man that he bear

the yoke in his youth."

do not think that the

imagined for a

youth was

moment

v/riter of

that

period has

young may not be

our text

the period

the especial period of

bearing of yokes.

each

said

of

for the

life

Youth, manhood, old age,

its

peculiar burdens.

The

able to understand or sym-

pathize with the cares and responsibilities of

those more advanced in

life,

but the passing of

each successive year will be a revelation that,

no matter what be

his circumstances, a

man

is

never free from some kind of a yoke, to the very

day

of his death.

But the text-idea seems to be

existence of a burden, a yoke,

is

this

that the

of peculiar

and

YOKES IN YOUTH.
intrinsic benefit to a

23

young man.

or other has a hand in

some way

It

making him abetter kind

of an individual.

There are two things connected with the

yoke-bearing youth that

with

one

the other

is

propose to deal

the matter of early environment,

is

the question of early educational

privileges.

Take,

first,

the matter of early environment

men who

only eight of the forty successful

have written to

me were

remainder were born

twenty-two
in

country

in

born

in cities; all the

the rural districts

in

the country (on farms), and ten

villages.

Their boyhood was passed largely in the

same surroundings; eighteen continued to

live

on the farm, three moved from farms into

vil-

lages, thirteen in

all,

and the eight

received an addition of only one

men was

the boyhood of these

in the

same environment

and when they began

cities, as

they did

in

the cities

so

we

see

largely passed

as their childhood

their

migration

due time,

average age of sixteen.

in
;

it

was

There seems to

be a tremendous significance

in this

ing majority of our successful

at

into

the

me

to

overwhelm-

men who were

YOKES

24
born

in the

in the

IN

YOUTH.

country and passing their boyhood

country.

It

entirely fair to

is

that this proportion of forty will

assume

hold good in

four hundred or four thousand.

What, then, are we to make out

Surely
cities

of

it?

we cannot say to the young men of the

" You have made a great mistake in

being born in a city

world

boys succeed

in this

city as fast as

you can

or cross-roads

only the country-born

so get out of the

head out

down

settle

for

some farm

there with the

vegetables and the cattle and the hay-fields,

and

in

due time you may become great."

No, we cannot say

place, there

country

life

is
;

no especial inherent virtue

and, second place,

were followed,
to be of

it

would be

any practical

of our successful

try

that, because, in the first

men

if

in

such advice

at too late a period

For the majority

use.

did not stay in the coun-

any longer than they were obliged to

shook the dust of the

fields

from

about as soon as they could

they

off their feet

at the

average

age of sixteen they became emigrants to the

cities.

But the points we can hold up to the young

men

are these:

The

thing that gave the coun-

YOKES IN YOUTH.
boyhood

try birth and

25

value was the

their

stern disciphne that such a Hfe afforded

show you
like

how
how

souls

them

like a

I will

on what that discipline was

later

drove the iron into the boyish

it
it

cut

them

diamond.

like emerj',

and polished

But the cutting, and the

rubbing, and the shaping, and the polishing

turned out the

The

men

of the age.

many

trouble with too

boys

city

is

that

they want to skip such preparation and yet be-

come

as

diamonds

they want to shine without

being polished, and cut without being ground.

I

have seen enough of young men

know
them
the

that although there

may

in cities to

not exist for

the same kind of hard environment that

life

and birth

country would face up

in the

to them, yet there do exist, often, just as real

disadvantages to overcome, just as genuine barriers

to burn

boy had

away

in a

city, as

any country

to contend with in rural districts.

The coming

generation

is

going to be

with great and successful men.

years from now,

it

may

occur to some pastor

to undertake just the same task that

performed here

when he

sits

and

down

if

filled

Perhaps, thirty

he does,

I feel

have

sure that

to look over the returns of

YOKES IN YOUTH.

26

his social census,

he

his correspondents

were born

in cities.

not believe that country birth

to " have the call "

But

success.

majority of

will find that a

upon the achievement

found to have borne the yoke

men

in their

all

of

the forty

who wrote

to

will

be

youth

in

Only two

the great majority of instances.

of

do

do believe that from now on to

the end of the world successful

men

always going

is

me

confessed

that their parents were well-to-do, and

that

they had no youth-yoke to bear.

Yes, the city boy
his

own

may have and

the overcoming of which

man

does have

peculiar deficiencies to overcome, and

of him.

It

is

going to make a

would even be a bad thing to

remove them from him or to have them

re-

moved except as the boy himself succeeds

getting them out of the way.

in

Abraham Linown boyhood how one

often think of the story

coln used to

day he and

down on
horse,

and

tell of his

his brother

were

plowing

corn

Kentucky farm, Abraham driving the

his brother holding the plow.

The

horse was a very lazy horse, but suddenly he

took

it

into his head to rush across the field at

such a speed that young Abraham, long-legged

YOKES IN YOUTH.
as he was, could hardly

When

keep up.

reached the other side of the

found an enormous chin

in

2/

fly

field,

Abraham

on the horse, and

the kindness of his heart knocked

his brother asked

ing

it

plied

off:

"To

they

him the reason

off

it

for his knock-

save him from suffering," re-

"Why,"

the young Lincoln.

said

his

made

brother, " that was the only thing that

him go."
It is so

with youngmen, whether theyare born

and raised

in the

country or in the city

need something that

up to their best speed

age of

life

young fellow

and no matter
finds himself,

to be putting forth his very best

The time

for

they are young.

they

order to get them

galls in

young men

at

what

he ought

eflforts.

to " go "

Abraham Lincoln

is

when

said that

the thing that saved this country was the coming forward of the
I

young men

to her rescue.

think of Napoleon Bonaparte appointed Gen-

eral-in-Chief

of the

army

was twenty-seven years

of Italy before he

of age

twenty-three

of

Newwhen he was

of Isaac

ton making his greatest discovery

George Washington, support-

ing himself by surveying, amid the greatest

physical hardships, at the age of sixteen; of

YOKES IN YOUTH.

28

Lincoln, managing a ferry across the

Abraham

Ohio, at the

mouth

of

Anderson Creek, when

he was but sixteen years old, and receiving six

dollars a

month

for

The

it.

any

difficulties of

young man's environment need never be

as

insurmountable barriers to his success, as

we

we go.
we would

will see

the further

At

sight,

first

say that the chief

disadvantage to birth in the country, especially

thirty or forty years ago,

would be found

in

the matter of exceedingly limited educational

advantages, barriers which do not exist to-day

with respect to boys

who

are city-born.

It is

therefore with a great degree of interest that

we

turn to an examination of the life-story of

men, to see what was their ex-

forty successful

Nothing seems more

perience in this respect.

prophetical of future failure than to see a

yoked up to the disadvantage of a

early education.
fessions of

my

And

we

will

its

its

We

whole

scope and value, will

hear what these

have had to say concerning

and

examine the con-

forty correspondents, the

question of education,

be revealed

as I

boy

deficient

its

men

quality, calibre,

bearing on the matter of success.

naturally go back,

first,

to their earliest

YOKES IN YOUTH.
advantages or disadvantages

29

their privileges,

or lack of them, in boyhood days.

Only
as being

very

speak of their early advantages

six

good

many

and

limited,

us a picture of

refer to

the

them

how

exactly

as being

majority give

great

limited

they

were.

Almost

all

them

of

started out with the re-

stricted privileges of the

common

or district

We people

school of thirty or forty years ago.

of to-day, quite often,

when we want

to have

a good time, not infrequently arrange travesties of

the old-fashioned school of that period

and on the

word

"

tickets of admission,

skule "

pronounce

and

we
it

and we dress the performers up

quated costumes of our father
as

good an imitation

as

ways

with a birch rod

of old

the

dren to-day never see

friends to

Our

rig

up

of the old-

him how

and we arm him

like of
;

the anti-

which our

chil-

and then we invite our

come and make merry.

travesty

mirthful

" skewl ";

and we

we can

fashioned pedagogue, and instruct

to act in the

in

spell the

is

but be

harmless and often genuinely

it

known

that with three or

four exceptions, that type of school was the

YOKES IN YOUTH.

30

intellectual nursing-place of

men

me

they have told

our

forty great

so.

" I think that there are few schools in

country now," says one man,

far better

period."

" but

than the schools of

One

Cleveland told

what are

my boyhood

of the foremost business

me

letter that

in his

the

men

as a

of

boy

he " never ciphered beyond the rule of three."

Another one gives us a picture of himself

for four years

he walked a distance of two and

meagre advantages

a half miles to obtain the

of his district school.

that as

as

sometimes think of

pass along our streets and see the

troops of children skipping merrily along over

the short distance between their

homes and

their schools.
It

seemed to me,

things,

thought upon these

and then thought upon the quality and

calibre of the
self,

as

men

to

whom

addressed my-

that not only was their youth

marked

by-

a probable deprivation of fine intellectual ad-

vantages, but that in

made up

some way they must have

for that loss

in

education counts heavy

later years

in all success,

because

and since

they succeeded something must have been done

the breach must have been

filled in

some way.

YOKES IN YOUTH.

And
tion

so

addressed to them

If deprived

in

all,

this

ques-

your youth of proper and

advantages

educational

adequate

what

by

means did you subsequently make up for

this

deprivation f

That
is

was not

shown by

far

wrong

in

my

assumption,

the fact that only three out of

no lack of early advantage.

forty confessed to

One

of those three gave as a reason for this,

that

he had been blessed with an educated

father

who gave him

siasm for study

says

" I

was so taught to use

parents, that

own

a part of his

enthu-

while another of the three

my

cannot say that

time by

my

ever lacked

for an advantage."

Parents,

mothers,

fathers,

it

our schools to-day are magnificent

public school system

as teachers,

that our

the glory of our age

is

managed by compe-

that in the main they are

tent, skillful,

true that

is

and consecrated men and women

but

yet

justify us in taking our

ask you

own hands

Does

this

off the brain-

lever of our children, and turning entirely over

to comparative strangers the whole burden of the

intellectual care

and stimulus of our children

No

we should

surely not

follow their course

YOKES IN YOUTH.

32

keep posted

in

what they are doing

much

they are reaping as

see that

as possible of the

great advantages of their schools

not that

we

can or should keep abreast of them, for while

we

learning to

are applying our old-fashioned

the maintenance of the family and the preservation

of fortune,

the but so recent graduates of our nur-

loins,

are

series;

going way ahead of

modern and
tion

'"

us in the
new-fangled " ways of calcula-

and study, so that when we sometimes

down with them

in

they, the children of our

to confidently help

sit

them out

an arithmetical puzzle, or algebraic laby-

rinth,
little

we

we and our children

group on the modern Tower of

are a

find that

Babel,

each failing to understand the language of the

other, or

The days
past

the ways of the other's methods.

of Rollo and

and yet

it

is

Grimke

much

not so

are

forever

the question

of the " how-ness," as the " what-for-edness."

Not

so

much methods

tion

is

for results, after all

how

to demonstrate a
"

as results
;

it is

and educa-

not so

much

theorem or solve a tan-

HOW WILL YOU

gled

equation, as

LIFE

YOUR TRAINED BRAIN

";

USE IN

and right here

the parents of to-day can follow in the

wake

of

YOKES IN YOUTH.

33

men from whom I quote

children how to use their time, and
a part of your own enthusiasm.
the two

With

this slight digression, I

the main thought

men

subsequently

teach your
give

them

come back

to

how did our thirty-seven

make up for the lack of ad:

vantage in their youth

and

think every one

of us finds an appeal here, for a great

and prac-

life is how to make up,

make up for what we have lost.
And we are confronted at once with the more

tical

question in every

how

to

or less hearty confession of six men, that, in

their opinion, they

quite catching up

have never succeeded

may

there

esty in this, and doubtless,

if

you knew who

men

they were, you would say that these six

unduly

depreciate

would be

themselves,

themselves did not say

to think that not a

But

so.

man

for early disadvantages

that

we

are

one
they

am

inclined

out of the entire forty

would think that he had

done so magnificently

no

fact, if

for

such a

in suspicion of

in

be undue mod-

in

entirely

made up

yet they have

all

the matter, after

all,

interested in

knowing what the

plan of their lives was, in this regard.

An

ex-leader in the

House

of Representa-

YOKES IN YOUTH.

34
tives,

who

present one of the foremost

at

is

lawyers in the East, although eighty-four years

old, says

''
:

have read instructive books at

half-hour during

every leisure

Many

the

of

" reading

men speak upon

" reading in spare

";

the very best books

";

"

point

" careful

'';

" reading

";

taking advantage of spare

by years of

days."

this

hours

study in evenings and on holidays

time

my

all

special

and technical study

and reading."

One man

said

line which gave

business

" I

me

was

read up

along the

Another made up by

in."

" close observation

first

the best knowledge of the

and care to associate with

Young

those better educated than myself."

men, what a wealth of suggestion there

is

in

make up,
if he wants to catch up, he had better make
his associates to be among minds and manners

this

thought

If

a fellow wants to

a grade higher than

that are

CATCH

UP, you must

own

his

REACH HIGH

to

a fellow

can never get higher by simply stepping along

on a dead level
hold

he

is

something

of

than he

{&,

ciates are

and

tJian

constrained

peg

pull ;

to

higher,

some

of

no better than you are

reach
better

your asso;

some

of

YOKES IN YOUTH.
them

are not as

they

will

good

you are

make you a
your

you, with

panions go

may make

they

of success

may

the great secret of success

from what

your com-

but the great rule

make the most

to

is

of

is

of yourself

to get

going to pull you down.

is

I
it's

object for a bit, and

hard for you

it

better man.

some

let

is,

man

better

ahead of you,

life

worth your while to

the point

not help you any.

than you will

tell

as

35

are climbing a mountain,

unyoked
If

you

and your foot gets

entangled in a creeper, you reach

down

into

your pocket, pull out your jackknife, and cut

That's often what a fellow has to do

it off.

with his companions,

" It

is

It is said that "

is

the world

knowledge
" places

But

keep himself

the

first

step the Devil takes

compass a young man's destruc-

to give

How many
in

to

rise higher.

the eyes of the public."

in

in seeking to
tion,

he wants to

young man

well for a

honorably

if

him a

fool for a

companion."

such companion-fools there are

How

they boast themselves in

of the world, of " straight-tips," of

about town," of " things to see "

their

knowledge

that ought to

go

is

a net spread for feet

in better directions.

YOKES IN YOUTH.

36

young man thinks that a good ideal

some fellow who makes a boast of Sabbath-

Many
is

breaking, or of being fast

cism

is

who

thinks scepti-

smart, and profanity a big accomplish-

ment.

wonder why some young

fellows

think that they add to their bigness by making themselves as

It

much

recorded that Lord

is

proud of

Here

friend."

Brooke was so

Sydney
own epitaph the words

his friendship with Sir Philip

that he chose for his

"

like devils as possible.

the body of Sir Philip Sydney's

lies

wish we could

all

make our

friend-

ship to be worth something like that to our

associates.

Another man
"

of

the forty

made up by

using common-sense with a purpose to suc-

ceed."

And

an honored judge on the bench,

whose decisions command universal

and whose learning

is

broadly admitted, not

feeling quite sure that he has fully

says that he

is still

and moral science.

made

up,

studying law, and mental

Yet

" sweet girl graduates "

me

respect,

have conversed with

who

gravely talked to

about their education being " finished."

note with a degree of interest, that out of

our forty men, only eight have taken a

full

YOKES IN YOUTH.
college

course,

college courses

and

three

part

in

37

others

followed

of these three,

was forced to leave by reason

one

of financial prob-

lems, but the other two adduced no reasons

and since they adduce none, we are forced to

the wave of

we are not old men)

exuberant human nature, then,

now, rising

in prankish billows,

see visions (though

of
as

and breaking

over the jagged rocks of some old pedagogues,

who, resenting the same, rose up

in wrath, as

pedagogues have a way of doing, and listening

eagerly for farewells, as too exuberant youth

have a way of sometimes uttering them.

In

other words, perhaps they were suspended.

Be

all this

our forty
I

as

men

it

may, seventy -five per

are not college

cent, of

men.

have no desire or intention to enter into a

discussion here concerning the relation of a

college education to success.
equal, every

young man ought

All things being

to go to college,

stay at college, get the most he can out of college, leave his airs

college,

and nonsense behind him

at

and come forth into the world and be

man.

But

said,

"all things being equal."

thousands of ambitious young

men

all

To

things

YOKES IN YOUTH.

38
are not equal

they can no more go to college

than they can take thought and add to their

What

stature.

of

them

Is

the lack of a col-

lege education going to narrow the scope of

their future possibilities

led to think of

my correspondents

the seventy-five per cent, of

who

am

are leaders in the world to-day, but

But that

never entered colleges as students.

to-day, to-day linked with the past

the future

who

is

how about

recent writer has well spoken

"

No

upon

this point

made

a business

man

college on earth ever

the knowledge acquired

in college has fitted thousands of

fessional success, but

it

men

for pro-

has also unfitted thou-

sands of others for a practical business career." *

say to

can

but

if

young men, go

to college

you cannot, do not think

ond that you

will fail for lack of

awake nights over

it.

if

you

for a sec-

You must

The more we

not

lie

see

and hear about colleges these days, the

this.

more may we imagine that a

will

fellow's

manhood

not suffer overmuch by a deprivation of a

strict college course.

month

is

The

record for the past

as follows

Edward Bok

in

the Cosmopolitan,

YOKES IN YOUTH.
At
were

39

Tuft's College in Medford, Mass.,

" stacked," e. g. their contents
,

rooms

were heaped

together in a pile on the centre of the

floor,

and

any and all things of value ruined by having water

and

oil

poured over them, causing damage to the

At

extent of hundreds of dollars.

Princeton, a

student was pounded to death with blows given

by boxing
fight

Yale

At New Haven,

gloves.

a prize

was given under the auspices of certain

Recently, Harvard students

students.

gave an

ovation

At

pugilist of the world.

woman was

champion

Corbett, the

to

Cornell, one colored

poisoned to death by the fumes of

chlorine gas, and several students nearly killed

by the same agent,

requisite

amount

A prominent

the providing of the

in

of college

business

me

had associated with

humor.

man

writes

"

who had

edge of the practical part of

who never saw

have

both kinds of young

men, collegiate and non-collegiate, and

confess that the ones

must

a better knowllife

were those

the inside of a college, and

whose feet never stood upon a campus."

Let no young man
bearable yoke about

being a college man.

his

feel

that he has an un-

neck because he lacks

Think of our

in

seventy-five

YOKES IN YOUTH.

40

who are leaders and yet hold no college

per cent,
diploma.
him,

If

it is

young

fellow has Success in

going to come to the surface whether

or not he ever kicked his heels on a campus-

Well has

fence.

it

college education,

been said
is

it

the

" It

not the

is

young man."

so

when I see a five-thousanddollar education thrown away on a five-hundreddollar young man.

often think of this

It

sometimes

God

away from

me

is

a good thing for the hand of

to gently but firmly lead a

Here

college.

wanted to study,

Was

graduate and become a doctor.

go on account of deaths

to

scarcity of

was luck dead

this

think

my
of

At

money.

reaHze

thought

me, but

against

pathway to the direction

which

at that

was born

maker might have

knew

of

time

for

and thus a

man was made, where

unable

family, and

in

the time,

a blessing of Providence in

it

fellovv

what a man writes

is

" Prepared for college

young

mechanics,

little,

but since

fair

business

only a third-rate

resulted,

to follow the course of Hfe

had
I

now

shaping

pill-

been allowed

had planned for

myself."

Yes,

we want

all

the education

we

can get.

YOKES IN YOUTH.
" If a fellow

empties his purse into his head,

no man can take

Well has the

from him."

it

Everett said

great

41

"

Education

is

a better

safeguard of Liberty than a standing army.

we

If

retrench the wages of the schoolmaster,

must

we

raise those of the recruiting sergeant."

But

if

you cannot get

as

much

of

it

as

you

want, or as the boy across the street gets, do

not

sit

down and

success and

think that he

you a

failure

is

he a

you sending arrows

bull's-eye,

going to be a

hitter of life's

from the

far

mark; he a five-thousand-dollar

fellow, just be-

cause his father has five thousand dollars to

put upon his education.

It

may

not be so

when the census is taken thirty years from

now you may be one of the correspondents,
;

may

he

be

encouraging

wife

his

to

take

boarders.

We

have already caught a glimpse of the

fact that

with the majority of

my

spondents there was deprivation

proper educational advantages
strange, therefore,

if

forty corre-

in
it

youth of

would be

another peep into their

early lives did not disclose other yokes being

borne by them

When

in their j'outh.

sent out

my

printed questions to

YOKES IN YOUTH.

42

men,

these

wondered

glamour or romance
there was

sun

much

but now,

know; and
know.

Some

early

if

do not wonder any more

of

going to

let

you young men

you think that you are having

a pretty hard time in

but

much

there was

if

their early days

rosy tint to the shining of their

I

am

to

life,

and perhaps you are

want you

to go back with

romances

of

my

me

into the

correspondents

then measure up your case with theirs

and

span

the yokes that were around their necks, and

then

say honestly whether,

your neck

is

comparison,

in

not circled by a dollar satin neck-

tie.

asked

my

correspondents whether,

boyhood, they worked to

or to support

work during

thirty-three,

their

assist their parents,

themselves.

seven out of the entire forty

to

in

their boyhood

There were only

who
;

did not have

of the remaining

twenty-one worked to

assist their

parents, seven supported themselves entirely,

five

did both

we

have, therefore, a total of

thirty-three out of our forty

hoods were given over to hard

Let us look
ers for a

at the

moment

men whose

boy-

toil.

age of these young work-

one of the most prominent

YOKES IN YOUTH.
makers of

scientific

writes that he

instruments in this country-

worked

he was seventeen,

until

and then entered a shop to learn

An

worked

pay

my

in

winter

seventeen

"At

summer on

the farm to help

schooling

from

fifteen

to

taught school in winter, to aid

my

schooling the rest of the year."

A veteran
says

his trade.

honored judge on the bench says

nine

own

43

teen,

" I

warhorse of the Republican party

worked on a farm

and

for the

next

until I

was

years

five

nine-

helped

through haying."

A prominent
work from

One
says

of
" I

my

merchant says

"

did a man's

fifteenth year."

the foremost editors of the

worked barefoot on a farm

East

until I

was thirteen years of age."

Note
myself
"

this record of five

after

men

" I supported

was sixteen years

Began supporting myself

at nine."

age."

of

" I sup-

ported myself from the age of fourteen."

was brought up to work, and

able tasks willingly."

to

do

all

" I

disagree-

"Worked summers from

twelve years of age until sixteen, and after that

constantly."
It is

noticeable that only one out of

all

these

44

YOKES IN YOUTH.

boy-workers makes mention of the

thirty- three
fact that

he enjoyed the work

all

non-committal upon that subject

way

difference either

to be congratulated

and yet worked,

it

that goes on with

it

great

many

their work,

But

he was

the rest did not,

its

duty, and does

That

it,

just be-

way

the

is

people in the world have to do

and

ism that has

if

makes no
it,

only bespeaks the heroism

must be done.

cause

work

and

it

he enjoyed

if

the rest are

after all

its

it is

a species of hero-

reward.

want to look a

little

years, these boyish

closer into these

work years

of our

great and successful men.

With seventeen

of them, this

work was farm

work, the hardest kind of work in the world,

at least

it

so seems to me.

plies of these

men and

Look

get a few

pictures out of them, portraying

was
for

like, little

at the re-

little

sketchy

what farm

word-pictures that

quote

I will

you

"'Haying, riding horse to the plow, and

vating corn and potatoes."
"

life

Farming, janitor

culti-

He became a judge.

work, teaming, sawing

wood, mail-carrier three miles and back,

He became a leading capitalist.

daily."

YOKES IN YOUTH.
wood,

sawing

"Gardening,

45
general

my

about the place, and helping in

store."

He became

work

father's

a leading merchant of

Cleveland.
"
ing,

Farming, chopping, clearing boards, ditch-

He

honored of
"

my father's

damming, and improving

farm."

upon the

sits

small

bench to-day,

judicial

men.

all

Lumbering and farming." This gentleman

can afford to confine his office hours to two

hours daily, at the present time.

And

so the story goes on

stores as clerks

seven entered

two or three were

diligent in

learning their trade at mechanical pursuits, and

are to-day leading manufacturers

one

tells

me

the story of his apprenticeship, earning thirty

dollars a year,

carrying about

he

all

is

more
New-Year addresses, and to-day

and about twenty

a leading Eastern editor.

I fail to see

an

the forty.

It

men

dollars

idle, shiftless

boyhood among

seems to be a good thing that

should bear the yoke

in

their youth.

There seems to be virtue in emery and grindthe rough diamond gets no beauty,
stones
;

and sends out no shining

wrapped up

in

cotton

in

being simply

young men waiting

YOKES IN YOUTH.

46

about for something

to turn up, are in

fine

danger of becoming turn-ups themselves;

if

they are waiting around to catch a glimpse of

some royal road

them

will land

to success,

in the front

short-cut that

ranks ahead

become the

others, they are apt to

up

some

of

shrivelled-

misguided ambition.

living skeletons of

defy you to draw any other conclusion from

out of the story of the forty
think of
at

it

Of

all

Boys,

lives.

these men, the average age

which they began entire self-support was

seventeen years and eight months

from parental help, started out

for themselves,

Cut loose

in

began the battle of

the world
single-

life

handed, at the average age of seventeen years

and

eight

mance.

months

It is a

It

all

reads

be the romance of the future?

in entirely

the same

have changed,

like

romance of the past

in

way

is

a roit

to

Perhaps not

times are changing,

some measure

but there

is

one thing, young men, to which there should

never come a change, and that

is,

the indom-

itable spirit of perseverance that should actuate

every young man.

That there may come a

inspiration to

you out

of the

little

bit

more

of

wonderful story

YOKES IN YOUTH.

am
a

giving you,

trifle

want

to pull aside the curtain

more.

At the age

of twenty-three, a subsequent

leader in the U. S.

was studying
gage on

One

House

his law,

his father's

of Representatives

and paying

house at the same time.

who was

age of seventeen

in a

clerking

his job

after

it

at the

country store, and

wanted the place badly," so he

up

mort-

off a

of the most prominent leaders in the

city of Cleveland,

"

47

writes,

and vValked nine miles to

his

who

threw

home

dark because he would not submit to

draw whiskey and give the same to men working for his employer.

Another man, when he was twenty, and

" thereafter for

many

years, supported a family

of six, consisting of mother, brother, and four

sis-

You will
notice that, whether in purposeful humor or not,
he specifies that period as one of " many years."
" Went into a bank at eighteen, and have
ters, until

the sisters were

remained there

in

all

married."

some capacity

for thirty-four

years since," writes another.

Another gentleman gives me an epitome

of

his forty-five years of continuous service in a

bank of which he

is

now

the president.

YOKES IN YOUTH.

48

Another man started out

in a large iron con-

cern at the age of seventeen, and

largest stockholder in the

same

is

now

the

he says that

he has never been helped except by loans from

friends,

upon every

dollar of

which he paid

interest.

these experiences and unravel

them

get at the core and centre and heart of

them

Take

all

put upon the

pathetic stories of

men

of

field

some

of our

most valued

supporting themselves from tender years

like thirteen, and, in

is

your microscope the

one instance,

What

ten.

going to be the result of your diagnosis?

That boyhood and youth

That

yoke?

will

it

no time

is

make no

you do before you are twenty ?

way

for the

difference

what

That, some

made up to you ?
Your manhood is going to

or other, things will be

No, young men

grow

right

up out

of

your boyhood,

surely as the character of the tree

grow up out

in

just

as

going to

of the nature of the thing planted.

Perseverance, courage,

mination

is

grit,

usefulness, deter-

youth are going to make the man

and vice versa.

I

fail

to read in the Bible that the prodigal

son ever became the head of the house.

I fail

YOKES IN YOUTH.

49

to read in nature that wild oats ever produce

good wheat
the forty

men

fail

romance of

to read in the

that a shiftless

boy ever made a

leader of society, or that a single one of our

forty boys ever failed to
I

become one.

know full well that there have been many

many young men, apparently just as deter-

boys,

mined, just as

self-sacrificing,

just as gritty,

who have

failed in the great race, the

combat

of

life

lives, I

might be able to give you the reason.

But

shall

and

if

great

had the story of their

never be able to

tell

you, for

would lack the courage to approach forty other

men and in cold blood

why they have become
of the

tery

ask them to

would vanish,

in

This

failures.

great mysteries of

most

tell
is

me
one

but the mys-

life,

cases,

if

we could be

permitted to honestly dissect the past of such

men.

Somewhere

there

is

the secret of

it,

though no eyes save God's can ever see it. But

I

want to analyze

success, I propose to address

myself to successful men.

you up by pointing you

Young man,

if

would rather

lift

up.

the prevailing sentiment that

occupying your mind to-night,

is

is

going to be

the determining character of your manhood

YOKES IN YOUTH.

50
in

the heat of your blood, you are to form in-

clinations

which you

in

will

afterward per-

severe through the power of habit.

of the kind of drafts

the

future,

says

one,

in

will

be paid

visits

That

is

the

thinks of his youth.

a grave and thinking of

occupant, wishes he had treated

life.

kind,

in

about thirty years after date.

man sometimes
its

you are now drawing upon

they

for

Beware

him

way many an

better

old

man

11.

HOW TO

SUCCEED.

51

I have fought a good

my

fight,

I have finished

course, T have kept the faith. 2

iv. 7.

52

TIMOTHY

HOW TO
I

PROPOSE

cess.

SUCCEED.

to deal with the subject of suc-

do not desire to handle

this subject

ethically, or philosophically, or rhetorically

I

propose to deal with

it

by aid

but

of the practical

me by

a personal canvass of the

lives of forty of the

most eminently success-

helps afforded

ful men in this

and other communities.

men have told

us something about their youth

and young-manhood

These

they told us of the

pri-

vations connected with their birth and early

environment; we saw from what they sprang;

how
all

that,

with very few exceptions, they were

country boys

we caught

glimpses of the

poverty that surrounded them in those days

of the inadequate education that

was

their lot,

and how they subsequently made up

for that

lack.

In other words,

we were permitted
(53)

to be-

HOW TO

54

SUCCEED.

hold the great and startling truth that

a young man to bear the yoke
This is an expression found

well for

youth.

and as such, we have

Bible,

of saying "
it

Amen

so or not.

successful

" to

But the

it,

Scriptural statement

had the habit

all

whether we

in maturity.

we were made

think that as

narrations

interesting

proof,
facts,

we not only

really felt

to

see

by a crown

we attended

going

learned a great

into

to

that

many new

and had our eyes opened to a good many

new revelations, but many of

us were impressed

with one thought that seemed to rear

right out of the
of

and

to us the truth of the

that a yoke in youth was followed

the

the

in

lives of forty great

men proved

is

it

in his

many

whole matter

of the statements

often set forth to-day

itself

the absurdity

and reproaches so

by the hired and paid

orators of the cause of labor as they array

themselves over against the cause of capital.

All of our successful

men were found

to be

graduates from the very ranks of labor themselves

we saw

plainly that the cradle of sub-

sequent success and power and influence was

not a cradle lined with velvet, but with horsehair

that

with

my

correspondents,

capital

How TO

SUCCEED.

55

was not hereditary, but acquired, and acquired

by years

and

of incessant toil

then, the

men who

forty

So

self-denial.

addressing us

are

during the course of these lectures, are not the

darlings

society

of

whose

was

as hardy, as full of toil

deprivation

spends

that

as

time

his

in

of

hair

infant

and bitterness, and

any man to-day who

endeavoring to mass the

toiling multitudes in array against the

of employers
I

and

ever

extenuation of capital injustice whenis

it

sought to be exerted against the

cause of labor and of production

even desire,

in these lectures, to

and cons of

financial, social disorder.

assume the following positions

there

full of

know

successful

young men

weigh the pros

simply

know

that

that this country of ours

men

to find out

to catechise

of to-day

cesses of the future

tained.

do not

such a thing in the world as legitimate

is

success

way

numbers

capitalists.

have no word, no syllable of defence to

offer in

of

was

men whose youth

curled on greenbacks, but

the

and

know

is

that hundreds

want to be the sucI

know

that the best

how to reach that goal is

men who have already at-

56

HOW

And so our
cess how to

question

attained

it.

teresting; for

TO SUCCEED.

obtain

it

think

we

the question of Suc-

how

men who

like to attain

nearly obtained

message

is

from

men

to

it

men who

there

there

thought

man who,

it

and

fought a good
I

fight, I

have kept the

but

an

for

final

itself

have finished

and

initial

words of a

and truest

faith ";

my

and the men are

we hear him say

triumph,

men who
;

with peculiar

so,

have turned to the

in the largest

who

or from

to listen.

one of God's great successes, Paul

of his

or

and yet the thing

through the book

all

who succeeded

in-

are there ; and they

" success " occurs

The word

it

or from

whom we want

rarity in the Bible,

is

it

probably some day obtain

are the

deeply

will find it

thought they were going to obtain

will

men have

forty

nothing to offer you

have

men who would

from

is

sense,

was

and

out

" I

my

have

course,

in that cry of

triumph, we find the essential and intrinsic

elements of
ish

all

true success

and to keep.

possible element of

wrapped up
ments

of

in

to fight

Can you think

of

modern success

any

to

that

is

one or more of those three

triumph,

fighting,

fin-

single,

finishing,

not
ele-

and

HOW TO
keiping ?

thing

and

think not

strings

we
I

and

on

and

on

be as the cords

fasten every thought, the

shall

form every

crystalliza-

through whose focussing power

shall analyze

ful life

the echoes of that

may they

shall

upon which

tion, the lens

may

keep going

Paul

through our minds

on which we

to hear again the

and often pathetic story of

forty successful lives,

of

5/

they combine every-

we proceed

so, as

great, romantic,

battle-cry

SUCCEED.

every phenomenon of success-

living.

have termed

How

this lecture: "

to Suc-

me that
perhaps that title is a misnomer. It may be
that I should have written it " How forty men
ceed."

The thought has

occurred to

have succeeded."

cannot, nor can any man,

give positive rules whereby,

if

you follow them,

an assured success can be guaranteed.

Suc-

cess depends upon the man and not upon the

rule;

we

find

no great

mills

the water of Niagara 'River that

run through sewers

but run

it

propelled
is

through great

tunnels and water-wheels, and you

power
city.

for giving life to the

by

diverted and

will get

the

machinery of a

Give to an imbecile a hundred dollars

for purposes of investment,

and we look for no

HOW

58

returns in

great

TO SUCCEED.

An

profit.

ignoramus can

take a fine steam-lathe and with

it

he will work

Intelligence and

out absurdities and failures.

consecration must be behind principles, how-

ever good
are the

rules,

however many.

Principles

backbone of character; but a backbone

must have some

and

sort of a foundation,

themselves are no good

if

ribs

they have to be tied

on.

So we continue to make our researches

into

these eminently successful lives, feeling

the time, and

all

find

be regarded
all

but

if

in

notice

if

it is

safe for
is

me

all

to

some kind

there for

am

them to

lives

not

sure that there

eat

is

flying

assume

of a tar-

forty birds are winging their

field,

forty

arrows

forty

that at that point there

one

will

the light of a cure-all or a save-

toward one point,

get

we

the same, that what

all

and what we deduce cannot and

way

to

something

and if the trend of certain

hits point-blank

upon success, then

pardon me if I say that a man

is

a fool

to persist

in taking any other course.

In

our

first

lecture,

when we considered

the question of youth and the bearing of hard

yokes

in

youth,

we were

necessarily forced to

look at the yoke of a crude and

insufificient

HOW TO

SUCCEED.

We

early education.

tions were the

59

saw that mental

almost universal rule

privain

the

men whom we were considering.

saw what these men subsequently did

lives of the

We
in

also

their determinations to

The

early disadvantages.

make up

for their

discussion of those

points naturally opened up the subject of education as a whole, and

drama

of

life.

its

part as played in the

do not desire to again touch

upon that ground, or even to

recapitulate the

deductions made.

But there was a further aspect of the subject

which was not touched upon, and

of education

which

is

vital to

man upon

life,

is,

demanded by

of education

so

the proper grasp of a young

and that

the amount and kind

success to-day.

put this question to the

and received forty

replies to

men
it

And

of success,
State,

from

amount and kind of educa-

your

experience, the

tion

you deem necessary and indispensable

the success

You

the young

of

young man

of yesterday, or the

years hence

wanted

not the

young man

of

young man twenty

but the young man of to-day.

ago, or the

thirty years

man of to-day.

notice the phraseology

will

to

my

correspondents to focus their

HOW

6o

TO SUCCEED.

experience upon the problems of

at

it

that will

whether

it

in school, or to share in

it

morning, as they go out into

be to prepare for

life

men Monday

be thrown right up at young

life,

the work-bench or counter.

hear what

First, let us

my

correspondents

say as to the amount of education.

plies are

unequivocal

Their

re-

" All that circumstances

will permit,

and the best that can be obtained."

" All

one can possibly

that

information

is

the

one

get.

The

usually

that

best

wins

success."
"

We

cannot be too well educated, though ex-

perience shows that very illiterate

have great business success."

and

as liberal

much

as possible," so writes

much

young man's success

one of the
in

are growing

testifies,

saying

most complete education

I

education
"

As

fore-

the country

as possible, for the conditions of a

year by year, owing to so

Another

An

as extensive as possible."

most polytechnic instructors

" as

"

men may

more

difficult

much competition."
" The very best and
possible."

need not take time to give any further

evidence from the letters

have received con-

cerning the general statement of the value of

HOW

TO SUCCEED.

an education, for the thing

but

when we come

is

it

6l

itself is

axiomatic

into the question of

the kind of education required, that

we

ap-

proach the domain of the practical and the

especially beneficial.
I
I

notice that these practical

men

with

whom

have been corresponding have a tendency to

draw the
business

line

between the professional and the

life.

man who

on the

represented his party for years

floor of the
" If life is to

House

of Representatives

be mercantile or mechan-

says

ical,

a common-school education will do

professional, the very highest

if

but

ediicatitjn

is

demanded."

A
"

prominent and wealthy merchant says

think the education that can be obtained

at our public schools quite sufficient to insure

success in most lines of business."

prominent

Eastern

banker

"A

says:

young man should have such an education

as can be obtained under our present public

school system."

present

one who

amount

is

member

of Congress says

"

To

fond of investigation, a very small

of education will do for a start, but

62

HOW TO

the average

young man should

SUCCEED.
at

least

go

through the High School."

leading manufacturer says

"

A business

man should have a thorough knowledge of

mathematics and grammar, and

all

else pos-

sible."

wholesale coal merchant, doing a business

of millions, says

"

Our

furnishes sufficient basis

and college

is

public school system

;

is

better,

good."

proportion of

large

academy

my

correspondents

echo the sentiments of the following gentle-

man, who has made a large fortune on the

"

Our common-school system of

for any young man unhe wishes to follow some one of the pro-

Great Lakes
to-day
less

good enough

is

fessions."

great majority of

my

correspondents pay

the highest tribute to the value and worth of

our entire public school system

encomiums be

true,

it

will well

pay

and
this

if

their

day and

generation to keep a most vigilant and watchful

eye upon the integrity of that magnificent

bulwark of our American privilege, the public

school

spotless

It

must be preserved

it

must be beyond the

stainless

and

taint of pol-

HOW TO
and the aroma

itics

should enter

SUCCEED.

of sectarianism

no

woman

to teach because of her faith,

it

man be debarred from it

The government and

or

63

creed.

because of his
control of this

educational system should be as far removed

from the contaminating touch of the

political

" heeler " or " boss," as the heavens are high

above the earth.

I

do not think that the

entire subject of the

bearing of education upon success can be better expressed than in the following

one who stands foremost

"

in the

words of

community

While some men have been very successful

with very
sults

education, the best average re-

little

are doubtless obtained

liberal

by means

of a

education with special preparation for

Practical experience

special callings.

accom-

panied with proper mental training brings better results than either alone."
It

would be impossible to obtain the opin-

ions of forty
life,

and have

every respect.

men
all

If

in different occupations in

those forty opinions agree in

they did so agree,

lose in our estimation of them.

we would

In this entire

subject of education, as treated in this manner,

I

do not

find

perfect unanimity of opinion

HOW TO

64

SUCCEED.

there are a few dissenting voices even from the

sentiments thus far shown

young man who

and

any

to

so,

him hardly more

sees before

than the possibility of obtaining the " Three

R's," concerning

which some of

my correspond-

ents speak of as being indispensable,

if

there

young man who sees before him the possibilities of only the most limited education, and
is

the prospect of having to earn his bread and

butter at the earliest possible day,

you the words

men

one

of

of Cleveland

"

of the

My

most successful

struggles along without

much

man
help,

begins to have his business early in

And
fail,

if

any young

or half

fail

me

observation leads

to think that the successful business

who
who

direct to

man

thinks he

in the future, just

is

is

he

and

life."

going to

because he

cannot see ahead of him the possibility of a

college education,

I call

attention to these per-

haps too radical words, written by the proprietor of one of the largest iron works in the East
"

Except

for professional

lege of to-day
in

is

life,

business and mechanical

not be

so, for

the average col-

harmful for practical success

the business

life.

This should

man cannot know

too much, and college training should be of

HOW TO
great assistance to

SUCCEED.

him

65

but because of

false

notions and theories that seem to be constant-

minds of college boys,

ly inculcated into the

should not want any boy of mine to attend

college, unless preparing for

some one

of the

professions."
I

do not altogether approve the

quence of the above argument

naturally deduce from

young

fellow

is

logical se-

one

virould

the thought that

it

if

going to enter one of the

learned professions, then

him

it

will

be

all

right for

to enter into college and soak in

poisons that college

life

may have

all

the

but as for

a business man, he must not be contaminated

I

my correspondent

hardly think, however, that

would endorse that

line of reasoning.

says

"

strict

application of his

But to return to what he

There are notable exceptions to

rule,

generally attributable,

home

influence of the

think,

this

to the

young man being strong

enough to counteract the

effect of the poisons

sure to be encountered in the air of college

life."

After
learned

we will all
instructor who wrote me,
all,

think

agree with a
saying:

"The

better the education, the better will be the real

How to

success attained

mean, not measured by the

standard only, but in the best and tru-

money

est sense,

a well-rounded

A most prominent
head,

SUCCEED.

it

life."

citizen hit the nail

seems to me, when he said

"

on the

Let the

young man get all the education he can, provided that when he is ready to begin the
practical part of

life,

he

ready to begin at

is

the bottom of the business which he proposes

to take

up."

Therein

lies

a great

the trouble with quite a good

They

graduates.

college

deal

of

many

of our

too

many

think,

of them, that as soon as they escape with a

diploma from some

to do

and

is

they have

college, that all

to go immediately out into the world

edit a metropolitan newspaper, or

become

the president of some vast system of railways,

or take immediate charge of

wholesale business

some enormous

they are inflated with the

thought that they ought to become judges of

the Supreme Court at once.

the theological student

who

But

notice that

thinks himself a

worthy successor to Talmage, generally gets

sifted

fellow

out to some country cross-roads, and the

who

pointers on

can give
life,

my

forty correspondents

gets faced up with

some day-

HOW TO

SUCCEED.

6/

The Lord knoweth

and He knoweth them that

book behind the counter.

them

that are His,

and

are their own,

another man's

He knoweth them

that are

and with surprising sameness

the divine eye beholds the college graduate

beginning, whether he wants to or not, some-

where around the

As

round of the ladder.

first

have said before,

Man

but the

it

it is

what the fellow proposes

get out of

And

it.

not the College,

not the education, but

is

to

do with

and to

it,

have been reminded of

when Moses descended from Mt.

the fact that

the law under his

Sinai, with the tables of

arm, he came upon the children of Israel wor-

shipping a hideous golden image

was wroth

for the thing

and Aaron,

people just took

cast

them

happened

lege,

to

You

calf."

it is

and Moses

in the simplicity of

his nature, excused himself

and he called Aaron to an account

fire,

come out
how it

see

the Man.

"

The

gold ornaments, and

off their

into the

by saying

,and behold, there

this calf, this

is

Too

it

is

golden

not the Col-

often good gold

is

poured into the University, and the product

is

ancient Israelitish gilt veal.

I

am

sure that as

we

leave the subject of

HOW TO

68

SUCCEED.

education at this point, and the bearings of

education upon success, and go on to an examination of certain positive and practical and

men

every-day qualities that our forty

had to do with their success

sure that

my

words

in

say have

life,

am

evoke the closest

will

at-

tention and be followed with great interest.

These men are successful nineteenth century

men and
;

We

this is a practical nineteenth century.

are not so

much concerned with

ments of success

in

the

we are with what gave

Abraham Lincoln. We

life

library are

to open, which came, and

ments of success

your

only

the

we

now about

are

must have come,

what do you
in

of

men, not books.

response to a question like this

experience,

as

life

are turning the pages

Consider the rich chapters

own

ele-

Abraham,

of

success to the

of a supremely interesting library,

volumes of that

the

in

From your

consider the

ele-

business, profession, or

calling?

The elements

of success

well

remember

that in that interesting stoiy, entitled " Three

Men

in

a Boat,

to

say nothing of the Dog,"

the hero of the story, found, or thought he found

it

necessary to go off for a prolonged outing be-

HOW TO

SUCCEED.

6g

cause he had been reading up on the subject

and had come to the conclusion

of his health,

that he was the victim of each and every dis-

ease concerning which he had been reading,

except one

known

in

he had them

all,

save a disease

England by the name

of " waiting-

maid's knee."
I

am

afraid that the various elements given

me by

our forty men as the secrets of their suc-

cess in

life will

man whom

of the

am

even

far
I

as given us

to be interested

by these men.
list

shall take

and

fortunately they are

subject to classification, and have been so

classified.

I shall

now give you,

in other

of the secrets of success that

given
or

fail

Yet

the various elements of success

read you the whole

all

diseases

have mentioned.

sure that you cannot

in the list of

all

outnumber the

two

me
;

words,

have been

that were expressed in just a word

many of them, of

course, were repeated

over and over again.

Ambition
Application
Attention
Agreeable manNERS

Appreciation of
privileges

Broad information

Character

HOW TO

70

Character discernment
Careful obser-

SUCCEED.

Giving value for

VALUE

Decision

Good luck
Good health
Good principles
Hard work
Honesty
Honest service

Determination

Hi(;h aim

Diligence

Industry
Integrity
Intelligence
Improving oppor-

vation.

Cute ability to
understand.
Capacity

Early hours

Economy
Energy
Earnestness
Education

Eternal
ance

vigil-

Firmness
Frugality
Favorable time
Favorable location

Good habits
Good judgment
Good handwriting

tunities

Knowledge of
men
Loyalty

Moral training
Method
Mastery of details

No speculation
Opportunity

Order
Perseverance
Promptness
Punctuality

how

to succeed.

71

Purpose
Poverty
Patience
Push

Self-confidence

Sobriety

Willingness to

Thoroughness
Tact
Temperance
Will-power
Pluck
Religious training Watchfulness
Whole-heartedness
Reliability

work

Sagacity

There, young men, are the qualities laid

down wherein and whereby we are to succeed
It is a marvellous list
the man who could
;

possess every one of those things ought to

succeed,

in

earth and in heaven

not believe that a single one of

spondents possessed them

near

them

they

all

It is
it is,

my

no, or anywhere

But the main point

all.

do

forty corre-

is,

that

possessed enough of them to succeed.

a marvellous

that

ceeded

all

But

it is

by

list

And

given us by

the

leaders

by our

wealthiest

men

by leaders

at the bar

the beauty of

men who have

suc-

by

our

of

society

most learned men

and

at business,

the professions and in the sciences.

ple minister

whose occupation

and meditation,

is

and

in

I,

a sim-

largely

books

have not evolved

this list

HOW TO

72

you out

for

of

my

SUCCEED.

inner consciousness, or

commentaries, or any such thing

comes to you from the

and

no, this

comes

it

from the rooms of colleges and from the

dicial

list

banks

inside offices of

and counting-houses

factories

my

ju-

bench, and from the legislative halls of

States and of the United States

from the editorial sanctums

For

newspapers.

great

of

reason

this

comes

it

hold

daily
it

up

before your attention.

Sixty-seven different qualifications for suc-

Do

cess.

they discourage you

make you tremble

think that

it's

no

Do

use,

cannot

the

man was

Of course you

never born

shake hands with them

But

all.

look them well over and see just

can

come

born in a

Some

if

that,

my

in

they are not

can never cultivate

who

could

propose to

how

near

them

of

we
are

can be had in no other way.

are an acquirement.

mentioned
them,

Some

to perfection.

man and

they

you can never acquire

them

these, or exercise

all

Do

they lead you to

Here are the things

opinion,

at all in

them

if

you lack

your nature, you

" Character discernment," or the ability to

read character in your fellow-men

" decision "

HOW TO

SUCCEED.

or " determination " of character

73
;

and akin to

these are " energy " or " earnestness."

man

and veers about

do not think that

if

by nature he

like a weather-cock, I

he can do any-

in after-life

Anoth-

thing better than simply imitate them.

er

is,

"

born into the world and the rudiments

is

of these things are not in him,

shifts

If

good judgment," or the

ability to

choose

the right and best thing, say nine times out of

ten.

men

If this exists in

born thing.

it

seems to be an

So, also, with " reliability."

only thing that will give that to a fellow,

lacks

it, is

a good, sound conversion.

ity"; "self-confidence";
things be acquired,

ment

of

them

not think there

is

rest assured that

if

"

in-

The
if

he

Sagac-

"tact"; can these

there

think not

is
;

no inborn
if

rudi-

a fellow does

anything in him, you can

the world

think differently, either.

is

not going to

If a fellow

does not

know by instinct when to do the proper thing,

er when to hold in suspicion a dangerous thing,
it he does not have it in him how to go to

work to get on the

right side of people

things and measures,

and

do not think he can be

taught.

But sum these apparently impossible acquire-

HOW

74

ments

up

all

are there

make

Is there

think not.

and there

we

how

many-

seven out of sixty-

are told enter into suc?

the others can be acquired,

not one of the other sixty that

cannot be acquired, even

I

them

of

list

anything to be afraid of here

If all

is

Just seven

seven things that

cess.

TO SUCCEED.

think that every young

if

you lack them

man

has a right to

look up, not down.

When

these forty

men wrote me

out of their

experience what they considered the essential

elements

in their

own

success,

very shrewd and significant

The honored and

gressman, to
ence, said

whom

received

some

replies.

venerable ex-U. S. Con-

have before made

" Intelligence

early hours at night.

refer-

and sobriety, with

The only road

to old age

and wealth leads directly over the bed."

Think

of this,

you young men, who think that

you can habitually spend

of the night that

half or three-quarters

you need wherein to gather

strength for the toil of the morrow, in social

dissipation, or

that

it

will not tell

It will, for a surety

age.

worse

still

and then imagine

on your work the next day.

;

it

will

reduce your aver-

HOW TO

SUCCEED.

75

Another man gives a high regard to punctuality

there are

How many

matters.

in trivial

who do not

think

it

people

a very important

thing to keep an engagement to a minute

who
late

think that
will

it

they are

if

much

not make

prominent

banker

minutes

five or ten

difference.

writes

young man who, by attention

me

"

The

to the interests

makes himself so important

of his employer,

that the employer cannot get along without

him,

making a great success

is

Another one

my

of

for himself."

correspondents

tells

me

that he did just that very thing, and as a result,

he says that he came

in

time to

own

the busi-

ness.

Some young men

a great deal of fault,

so

little

money

blame them

money
if

of

my

to spend

"

command.

do not

a comfortable thing to have

you may have

amen

" to

it

some

day,

the remark of one

correspondents, that " success demands

poverty enough
of

think, because they have

at their

it is

you can say

are inclined often to find

in early life to learn

the value

money."

Without comment,

you

want to go on and read

a few of the significant and valuable hints

HOW

76

some

that

given

me

of the

TO SUCCEED.
forty correspondents have

with respect to the secret of success.

" Strict attention

to business

no engaging

whose management

in outside enterprise

in

is

other hands."
" Fitting one's self to

sticking to

time
"

it.

well,

and

of the present

to specialties."

is

Take advantage

offer,

do one thing

The tendency

not

of opportunities as they

waiting for

such

as

may

never

come."

Here

is

testimony from a

man who began

at

the bench and ended by being a capitalist and

giving
"

employment

Thorough mastery

business
full

to hundreds

of

all

the details of the

constant appreciation, giving good,

value for payments received, and a

fair

equivalent for labor employed."

Here

is

another equally significant, and from

an equally significant
"
ful

man

A high standard of character, integrity, careand methodical attention to the duties

volved, courteous manners to

legible handwriting,

and an

all,

in-

good and

intelligent

and

thoughtful purpose to do the best service possible for one's employers."

HOW

Why

economy

not learned early,

all.

man speak

does another

cation in habits of
is

TO SUCCEED.

of " early edu-

Because

it

Yet how many young men there are who

think that a " hail fellow well met "

the type

is

of about the finest fellow in the world

I

if

not truly learned at

is

it

"

"JJ

wish we could

all

drink in the deep

signifi-

cance of the following words from one of the

men

foremost
" It

a calling

the Caller

elements

There

is

of the city of Cleveland

essential that a

is

of

true

is

man's employment be

bound

to provide the

when

success

he

calls."

no such success as that which comes

from committing our ways unto the Lord.

I find

a great deal of

common

words of a man who stands

at the

great business concern in the

essential to study

who have

head of a

East

" It

is

and learn principles from men

succeeded,

teachings of

sense in the

and not yielding to the

men who would

who would have succeeded

like to succeed, or

but for this thing or

that."

But you see

that

that

are doing in this investigation

ciples

from

men who have

a great deal of advice

upon

just

is
:

what we

studying prin-

succeeded

there

is

this point given in

;;

HOW TO

78
this

SUCCEED.

whom

world by mere theorists, some of

are found in the ranks of labor, and

are not

some who

but the people from

whom we want

men who have

shot a quiver-

to hear, are the

ing arrow right into the eye of the target

and we are listening to forty such.

You

bear in mind that the only rule

will

me

that guided

was the

rule of an

in

have read

that perhaps

endorse

yet

in

mailing

cared

or any such
list

so oc-

the responses, things

would not personally and

it is

ten to every

religion,

my

the matter of

casionally, I

correspondents

apparent success

nothing for politics or

thing

my

in selecting

only

man

fair

here

that

is

fully

we should

lis-

what such an one

says
"

My profession

the essential thing

being that of a monopolist,

is

to

know how

vantage of our bad laws.

success in

life

to take ad-

Generally speaking,

depends a great deal on chance,

but the chances are more in favor of the

who
I

man

puts his whole heart in his work."

think

we

will

challenge a part of that

statement, not because of piety, but because

thirty-eight other successful

no reference to chance

in

men have made

the matter of success

HOW TO

SUCCEED.

79

they do not seem to think that Chance had

anything to do with
piled

list

it

they gave us a com-

one

of sixty-seven virtues, but only

of them had anything to say of chance; on the

whole, therefore,
take the word

think

a wise thing to

it is

of the thirty-eight

men and

not

depend much on chance.

Young men, why

this
I

theme

it

is

that

to your attention

have brought

Why

is

it

have undertaken the great labor of communi-

cating with these various forty successful

It is that I

cess in

life.

that

you must meet

and told with

the average

have given you things

We are told,

face to face.

truth, that "

it is

more difficult

young man, unassisted by

or influential friends, to

now, than

men ?

may be a help to you in your sucYou cannot afford to pass these

matters over lightly

it

make

a success in

was years ago, and

grows out of the

fact, largely,

increasing rapidly,

and

for

capital
life

will,

it

doubt, be harder in the years to come.

is

that

no

This

that competition

large

capital

and

strong influence are used to secure business."

But

want to

without a

tell

cent in

you that

if

his pocket,

young man,

will

drink

and absorb these foregoing principles he

in

will

HOW TO

80

SUCCEED.

possess not only a large capital, but the best

kind of a capital.

poor brain and a poor

heart are a thousand-fold

more

drawback

of a

to a young man than a poor father.

It all depends upon the question whether a

young

fellow

wants to make a successful

MACHINE.

or a successful

If

MAN

a man, then you

must have these principles that go into man-

hood

if

a machine, then be content to be a

mere well-working automaton.

If

to get up, " study the needs of

that

just

is

above yours."

you want

the position

Every young man

ought to be an understudy of the man that

just

simply please

mand

life,

You

in business,

slip that belt

de-

can take your posi-

and make a

belt of

it,

around your neck, and have

run you as a machine, but

it

is

than

you must make an actual

for yourself.

tion in

and

You must do more

above him.

it

will

not be

pleasant or profitable in the long run.

whom I have before quoted, said

New York the demand for the right

Mr. Bok,
that

in

kind of young
ply.

begging
fill

men

is

far in excess of

the sup-

" Positions of trust are constantly

for the right kind of

them."

What

is

meant?

going

young men

to

Graduates of

HOW
teams

foot-ball

many of them
have

in

TO SUCCEED.

Not

though

necessarily,

are the right sort

them the

8l

but

root principles that

men who
we have

been discussing.

A manufacturer said
a

" If the right kind of

young man came along who could

us

tell

something about our business, do you think

we would let him slip through our fingers?'"

You may laugh at the thought of this; the idea
of

your being able to

your employer any-

tell

thing about his business

but a great

you could give him the batting record

Brouthers

you could

sleep

";

it

was that he

" put

of

of Dan.

him about

tell

why

three great battles of Corbett, and

and how

many

it

the

was

Mitchell to

you could chat with him by the hour

concerning the history and advantages of the

" flying

wedge

" in foot-ball

but

if

you would

study the table of markets as well as the column

of sports,

if

you knew something about the

wheat production

of

duction of Russia,

Germany, and the

if

oil

pro-

you would study the

theories of social science, these things

would

give you a better grasp on the position that

just

above you, than any knowledge of

ring, or oval records.

is

turf,


;;

HOW TO

82

KEEP ABREAST OF THE

In Other words,

SIBILITIES

SUCCEED.

OF YOUR POSITION.

the spirit of the thing that

New

cut out for you.

is

thoughts are born out of

ambition

Your

brains

full

nothing unless there are rounds

is

the ladder by which you

in

business

is

can climb up.

to have the material ready so

Remem-

as to put in those rounds yourselves.

ber that the

men

" occupying the

portant positions in

men

POS-

Enter into

men whose

most im-

to-day, are self-made

life

come to
The

chief education has

them from contact with the world."

time

when
made

may come,
for

it

by

their fathers

the world does not elect

self-elected

of

doubt

leaders

its

and there's a chance

our large buildings

running

"

The

they are

for you.

take

in

one

elevator has

the

jingling in

stairs."

my

brain

elevator has stopped running

better take the stairs."

waiting around for

Making no use

The

better

Somehow, the words kept

day;

"

it,

it

there's a chance

saw a sign displayed the other day,

stopped

all

but

and self-crowned

for every one,

I

twentieth century,

the

in

the social leaders will be born to

of

What

are

you doing?

something to turn up?

your time,

until an

opening

HOW TO

SUCCEED.

83

Relying on some one else to do for

occurs?

you what you ought

do

to

yourself?

for

Dresuning golden dreams for the future

my

The

boy, "

Ah,

elevator has stopped running

better take the stairs."

men have spoken

Forty

there was no elevator for

up

and

we

if

to

them

}ou to-night
;

they climbed

we must

are going to get up,

needs climb.

Forty men at the summit fought their way

up there from the bottom.

Forty

^^'hy, the

world of history sparkles with the names of

Columbus was the son of a weaver

Homer, of a small farmer Demosthenes, of a

such.

cutler

Franklin, of a tallow-chandler

speare, of a dealer in

a plowman

on Corsica

Robert

Shake-

Bums was

Napoleon was of an obscure family

John Jacob Astor sold apples on

the streets of

out his

wood

own

New York
store

A. T. Stewart swept

Cornelius Vanderbilt laid

the foundation of his vast fortune on a gift of

fifty dollars

Lincoln was a

rail-splitter,

Grant

was a tanner, Garfield was a tow-boy on the

canal.
It

has been said that cash cannot take the

place of character.

]\Iany

young men

find fault

HOW TO

84

with their hard times

SUCCEED.
was

it

an easy thing to

?
No I nearly drowned when
The best thing to do is to throw a
No man ever so
young man overboard.

swim

learn to
I

learned.

drowned that was worth saving, says Rev.

Madison C.
I

Peters.

think that

if

we

learn anything from the

story of the forty lives,

cess

is

easily

but they

all

made

worked

this.

it

is

this

men

these

succeeded,

worked hard from

But why not

their

we have the

young men, we have the

spirit of all

wish you success, but

that no suc-

all

If

earliest years.
spirits of

in the right

way, and

wish

it

wish
to

it

you

to

you

for the

right ends.
I will

not conclude this lecture with a

morals or of maxims

list

of

simply point you to

the men, and to their words.

I selected them
knew that they had succeeded but
not know what they would say. To me,
has come inspiration from their words

because
I

did

there

want

this inspiration to so take

hold of and

possess you, that each one of you

through lenses of

difificulty

may

look

and through them

see the outlines of successful lives.

The twentieth century is waitingforyou your

;

HOW TO

SUCCEED.

8S

hands are to be the ones to help erect her

pillars

may

those hands be pure

hearts behind

ends

may

and may the

Doric for strength.

pillars

themselves be Cor-

At

that time, most of

correspondents will be in their graves;

will

be

the

them be consecrated to great

inthian for symmetry, Ionic for delicacy,

you

first

alive, please

and

my
but

God, to catch up and

worthily wear their mantles,

if

grace be in you.

III.

HOW TO

86

FAIL.

Looking

BREWS

diligently, lest

xii. 15.

87

any man /a^Z HE-

HOW TO
There

will find

man

inborn in every

is

wish to succeed

he

FAIL.

an earnest

to reach the goal at which

power and influence

to be honor-

ed by the world and looked up to by men.

There are people

ment, business
eternal perdition

any

fear assign-

more than they

failure,
;

who

world

who guard

th^sir dollars

more pains than they guard

infinitely

But

souls.

in the

my purpose

parallels

just

between the

now

flesh

is

fear

with
their

not to draw

and the

spirit,

but to deal entirely with the subject of failure

as

it lies

wish

on

might be able to prepare a lecture

this subject derived

forty

that

them
But

this side of the grave.

men who have

I

from the testimony

failed.

But

cannot go to forty such

of

cannot do

men and

ask

to open their hearts and histories to me.

just as I

had as

lief

go to Prof. Sargeant,

professor of athletics in Harvard College, and

ask him

how
(88)

to steer clear of physical disabil-

HOW TO
just

ity,

had

as I

FAIL.

89

go to an eminent

as lief

statesman and ask him for a diagnosis of a pot-

house

politician, so

do

going to forty successful

myself free in

feel

men and

asking their

advice with respect to the things that lead to

Every young man before me ought to be

loss.

ablaze with the desire to get on in the world

men you want

shine in the firmament of

guided by no light that

fails

you want a

mental Goddess of Liberty erected

bor of your brain.

You want

to be flooded with

Very

well

good

in

to

to be

sort of

the har-

the environment

clear electric light.

have just this kind of illumina-

tion to bring you.

The

forty gentlemen

who have

so kindly

me upon

consented to correspond with

these

themes have already spoken to you, through

me, upon the general subject of success.
will

be evident to you, that

It

in a general line

of argument, the obverse of the general causes

of success will prove to be the general causes

Every mainspring

of failure.

mainspring of
other way.
of

failure

But

argument

in

am

of success

is

when wound around the

addition to that general line

glad to say that

better than that to offer you

have even

have a large

HOW TO

90

number of definite,

my

by

set forth

himself.

sent

me on

undeniable reasons

clear-cut,

correspondents, telling with

cogency and power just

start out in the

FAIL.

how

young man can

world and make the

least of

have taken the scores of answers

this point

and given them some

sort of a general classification,

doubt but that we

will all

and

have no

be impressed by the

deep significance of these replies.

Remember
old ladies
ministers

my

that

correspondents are not

that they are not superannuated

they

are

not

dealing

in

social

goody-goodies.

They

are not theoretical col-

lege professors,

more

familiar with the silver

question at Washington than with the silver

dollars in their

instructors are

own pockets. But our present

men who are standing in the

front ranks of the world to-day

most

of

them

are quoted with large figures in Bradstreet

do not say that

in the future

make assignment,

for the

what a day may bring forth

they

may

never

Lord only knows

;

but they are not

making assignment now and even if some of

them ever should, it would in no wise vitiate
;

the strength of their words, for they

made

at least

one assured success

all

have

in their lives

HOW

TO FAIL.

91

success which the future can never gain-

say.

Our

entire lecture will deal with the replies

received to

one

this

question

"

What,

in

your observation, are the chief causes of the

failure in life of business or professional men,

barring of course periods of national financial

depression ?
First, I

"

want to give you the collection

of

many

of

reasons that were assigned in brief

my

me

correspondents gave

reasons that were

expressed in a very few words.

ered them

together

all

in

one long

them may

in

other words of other statements

down

put them
of

replies

them,
a

list

the

and doubtless
just as they

men.

of

symptoms

here they are

list

some

are, repetitions
;

but

have

appeared in the

And

want you to look

have gath-

of

be,

we

as

them

at

in a socially sick

canvass

as simply

man.

So

causes of failures, expressed

briefly

Bad

habits

associates

suming of
rich too
dislike of

bad judgment

bad luck

carelessness of details
unjustifiable risks

fast

drinking

bad

constant as-

desire to

become

dishonest dealings

retrenchment; dislike to say

"no"

HOW TO

g2

FAIL.

disregard of the Golden

at the

proper time

Rule

drifting with the tide

of life

extravagance

envy

ciate one's surroundings

opportunities

And
them

gambling

";

incom-

jealousy.

list

of " lacks

study

";

carefully

of attention to business

of applica-

of ambition

of business

of adaptation

methods

of capital

of conservatism

attention to business
careful accounting
definite

purpose

of

of careful observation

of discipline in early

economy

one's calling

judgment
ments

of

of

industry

of

business engagements

of

of

of en-

of

of natural ability

of

of system.

of proper

purpose

promptness
;

of faith in

integrity

of pure principles

courtesy toward people

of perseverance

of

of

of business require-

manly character

of perseverance

life

of enterprise

of faithfulness

knowledge

of

of close

of confidence in self

discernment of character
ergy

of time in pur-

incompetent assistants

then comes a long

Lack
tion

away

" good-time

indolence

failure to appre-

failure to grasp one's

fooling

suit of a so-called

petency

expensive habits

frequent changes from one busi-

ness to another

inattention

in

of pluck

meeting

HOW

TO FAIL.

93

Then, too, other reasons beside the lack of

things were mentioned, such as

Late hours

living

beyond one's income

leaving too

much

of details

no inborn love

to one's employees

neglect

for one's calling

over-confidence in the stability of existing conditions

procrastination

Sabbath-breaking
in small vices

ance

speculative

selfishness

riages

trusting

self-indulgence

studying ease rather than

social demoralization

mania

vigil-

thoughtless mar-

your own work

to others

un-

unwillingness to pay the

desirable location

price of success

unwillingness to bear early

privations

waste

yielding too easily to dis-

couragement.

Young men,

this

is

of reasons for failure

can look into this

to

none

one, he

list

a highly significant

who

of these things."
is

When

furnished

there of us

is

and say

too perfect to

If

" I

there

list

who

answer up
is

such an

live.

take up the great mass of testimony

me by my

forty correspondents in

respect to reasons for failure, I not only find

this foregoing

when

I sit

mony,

long

list

of specific reasons, but

down to analyze and

I find

dissect this testi-

that there are certain things which

:
'

HOW TO

94

seem to weigh with

FAIL.

upon the

especial burden

hearts and minds of a great

many

my

of

corre-

spondents.

One of these things is the curse to a young

man of a lacking concentration of his energies.
As a highly prospered coal merchant says
" The rolling stone character is ever before
us."

Look

into

mentioned

your Bibles

there

But what,

graves.

stone" character?
to throw

lights

were

my

answers of

the rolling stones

those

after

all,

that

covered

"rolling

is

have some good side-

upon that from out of the

correspondents.

A statesman, whose

name

Atlantic to the Pacific, says

is

"

known from
Young men

by reason of associations which

distract

the
fail

men's

thoughts from what should be the main purpose of each particular

of a

thing in different words,

many

irons in the fire

sort of
there.' "

this

life."

The

president

prominent Cleveland bank puts the same

man

is

when he
the

'

"

Too

one thing

do

says

the one that surely 'gets

A leading merchant puts the matter in

shape

"

Taking up a business

of

which one

knows nothing, and changing from one

bust-

HOW TO

FAIL.

95

ness to another because of slight reverses."

man

In almost identical words with these, a

great social prominence and wealth says

many

cases

of

" In

think failure comes from not stick-

Too many changes

ing to one thing.

are

made."

Young men, you see from what these

men tell us that concentration means
tion into a central point

narrow space

it

gentlecollec-

compression into a

means the

state

of being

When

brought to a point (Webster).

the Di-

man tells us that we cannot serve God

and mammon, He means Concentration.
vine

These are days

keen competition

of

when " forty winks " may mean failure.

many arrows in the quiver may mean the
ing of the edges of them
in the fire

all

too

days

Too
blunt-

many

irons

may mean

a cool side to every one

ask you

During business hours,

of them.

where are

all

your thoughts

There

is

only

one business wherein they can afford to go

wool-gathering, and that

The

the wool business.

best endeavors are killed

diversion of thoughts
faithfully,
It

is,

by too much

trying to do one thing

and yet thinking of another thing.

has been written that a " young man's per-

HOW

96

TO FAIL.

sonal letters have no right to

And

address."

come to his office

young man is

will add, that a

treading dangerous territory

who

have

any other

delivered

his mail

But apart from

no proper place

come

will

business

sense

this, a

afraid to

is

man's business

place.

office is

By

for social visiting.

there

it

a weakness to the integrity of calm

thought.

think this

and a Representative

States Congress writes

mon

at

sense

far

is

me

common

is

United

of the

that " lack of com-

more disastrous than lack

of

book-learning."

Speaking upon the subject of

failure, I

find

that the treasurer of one of the largest corporations in the country hits a great big

when he

ing bass note,

comes from a

And

desire to

says

become

thump-

" Failure often

rich

too

fast."

a leading Eastern capitalist gives a

mentary on

this

thought when he says

the over-ambitious

man who

risks

com-

" Also

too much,

extends his time of credit too

far,

neglects to

pay cash, or

first

as agreed."

at

any rate to pay

There are ^ome things that

as

surely as

one of
simply,

them

who

is

day
is

will

this will

lead

speculation

to
;

lead to,

night

and

speculation

is

going to get the wool? You, or

HOW TO
the other fellow

happens that

And

FAIL.
I

97

notice that

not to gamble, not to speculate, but

Everybody knows

thing.

many

that so

their altar to the

He

America.
;

keep at

but the trouble

The Athenians had

Unknown God," and so has

a treacherous deity to wor-

long enough and you will

you may be fond

many

a safe

fellow.
"

is
it

this,

it is

think that they will be the

hundredth lucky

ship

so often

not only a moral and a spiritual thing

It is

is

it

the other fellow.

it is

fail

of indulging in " flyers," but

a man's " flyer " has

had waxen wings

that melt too soon, and the thing

becomes a

"tumbler."

You all know how our land is flooded over with

schemes for quickly getting rich how many
things there are that promise to give a man
;

riches for a few dollars;

out as bait

is

But we

cent.

pecially

if

and the thing held

a dividend at a large rate per

all

the bug

like to
is

be humbugged, es-

a gold one.

puts this thing very tersely

"

Know

lar for

this

that no

fifty cents,

man

unless

when he

will give
it

is

writer

says

you a

dol-

a counterfeit.

Gold mines never go begging for stockholders,

nor anything else that's good.

fine

spring

HOW TO

g8

chicken on your plate

men who

worth a whole flock of

is

Leave speculation alone to

geese on the wing.

the

FAIL.

can afford to lose money."

there are hundreds

But

young men who,

of

years to come, will have no

for

temptation to

speculate in railroad securities, western mortgages,

cotton futures, or silver holes

grain,

in the earth, for the simple reason that

not have

will

lators to " let

money enough
you

you

manipu-

for the

in."

Many a young man tries to add to his income by the pool-room and I know of no better
;

way

of coaxing failure to

come and

sit

on your

roof-tree than to frequent the pool-rooms of

our great

cities.

personally

know

of

many young men,

and some professional men whose

have

lives

been blighted by frequenting the pool-room.

You

see,

it

does not require

much money you

;

are not obliged to be a millionaire to speculate

a pool-room.

in

Off somewhere, a few fast

horses will be trotting a race,

horses there

mean the

fast

room, for " fast horses make

it is

men
fast

and the
in

fast

the pool-

men," though

shame that they should.

have visited some young fellows

in their

HOW TO
prison

FAIL.

who were brought

cells,

99
there

to get rich fast in the pool-room.

to surely
just

comb

fail,

Riley,

little

you want

James Whit-

of

like this

BIDES HIS TIME.

bides his time, and day by day

Faces defeat

And

poem

which runs

WHO
Who

by trying

just stick to that sort of thing

that

forget

If

full patiently,

a mirthful roundelay.
However poor his fortunes be,
lifts

He

will not fail in any qualm

Of poverty the paltry dime
It will grow golden in his palm.

Who
Who

bides his time.

bides his time

he tastes the sweet

Of honey in the saltest tear

And though he fares with slowest feet,
Joy runs to meet him drawing near

The birds are heralds of his cause,

And like a never-ending rhyme,
The roadsides bloom in his applause.

Who

bides his time.

Who bides

his time,

and fevers not

In the hot race that none achieves,

Shall wear cool-wreathen laurel, wrought

With crimson

berries in the leaves

And he shall reign a goodly king.

And sway his hand o'er every clime.
With peace

Who

writ on his signet ring,

bides his time.*

* " Old-Fashioned Roses," by James

Witcomb

Riley, p. 69.

HOW TO

100

We

see a

to get rich

some

of

man who
;

my

is

FAIL.

in too

much

of a hurry

things go too slow for him

correspondents

say " they

as

are

unwilHng to pay the price of success, which

price

next
as

is

to bear early

The next and

privations."

So what

natural step in failure

one of our most prominent and upright

judges says, " ambition to show for greater

moneyed

force,

in the

or mental, than they actually

In other words, the peacock's feathers

have."

jackdaw's

tail.

Many of my correspond-

ents speak of the same thing

means

one's

puts

it:

or, as

living

beyond

a prominent lake merchant

" Spreading out too much, and spending

more than one's income."

Nothing under

heaven save a miracle can prevent this sort of

thing from ending in a total smash-up.

spend two

To

when you only have one

means either a business
some day be lost, or gambling

dollars

dollar legitimately,
credit that will

to

make up

for things, or else

downright theft

and embezzlement.
Over-display

is

not only risky, but

it's in

bad

taste.

There are too many plush curtains down-

stairs,

and corn-husk mattresses

this

world of ours.

Too many

up-stairs, in

dollars spent

now
for club

fees,

and

Too many men

TO FAIL.

sail

who

trying to pass for wise,

in

means

over-display

under-concealment some day.

leave

the laundry.

for

shillings

reality are only half-wise

to

lOI

It is far better

with ballast and centre-board, than to

them behind and crowd on too much

you may not go so

dash, but

you

are

much

or cut so

fast,

more

sail

likely to get

of a

there

dry.
I

notice that a

good many of

my correspond-

ents speak of drink as a prolific cause of failure.

Some

call

some rum,

it

some

alcohol,

but they

all

call

whiskey,

it

mean the same thing

they mean the occasional or the frequent befuddling of the brain with liquor.
I

speak of this now, not as a moral

nor as a religious

mon-sense
that

it

leads to failure.

my

but simply as a com-

issue, since successful

I

men

would be a

time at any certain place

tell

me

fool to

if

knew

by remaining there long enough

would

spend
that

issue,

issue,

contract small-pox; with

means

to

me and

all

others, I

that

my profession

would be a

fool to

indulge in any sport that would in due time

tend to make

me

blind

young men who want

or

deaf.

Why

do

to get on in the world

HOW

I02
fool with

whiskey

TO FAIL.

Why

do they think that

they can dissipate one night and not

" It

the average the next day?

man cannot

true saying that a

is

fall

under

a rough but

drink whiskey

and be in business."
Then, too, another great enemy of business
success

is

so-called " society

thinks with

ment out

its

the society that

";

and takes

heels,

its

One hour of that

of a bottle.

nourish-

thing at

night breathes mildew over every three hours

of

work the next day

and those three hours

are either squinting toward success or failure.

Sleep

is

one of the most important ingredients

in the prescription for success;

"Sleep

is

only

nature's banking system of principal and inter-

Squander

est."

it

unworthily, and every time

lessen

your bank deposit, and have

you

do,

you

less

to

draw on

great lever in your hand

find

it

in a fresh

for success

and a clear

want to spike down

smash-up?

Do you want

for success.

brain.

Then

Do you

a tie across the rails for a

Then come

to

your daily work

with an aching brain, a muddled judgment,

and trembling nerves.

It will

only be a ques-

tion of time.

Now

turn again with renewed interest to

HOW
my

TO FAIL.

103

great budget of correspondence, to see

our forty

else

men have had

what

to say concerning

the matter of failure.

man who

sat

for

generation in the

House of Representatives wrote me

came

"

dence

in others."

through the world

ion

man

it

often
confi-

man who goes

holding every man in suspicI

despise a

who thinks with

that

from an unwise or unfortunate

the old cynic that " every

To

has his price."

trust

nobody

to

is

prove yourself eminently unworthy of trust

but a

man

does not need to be a simpleton in

order to be trustful

our judgment.

remarks that

judgment

And

we simply have

to use

man

a leading dry-goods

failure

often

comes from poor

from an inability to discern the

character of others.

Some have spoken upon

the matter of thrift

as a certain millionaire puts

it

" unwillingness

to economize on the start, hoping that

some

fortunate turn in affairs will bring fortune and

fame."
Others, realizing that this lesson

may be

over-learned, see a peculiar but a true reason

for failure, as a certain
" in

prominent man puts

a lack of ability to steer between

it,

the

HOW TO

I04

FAIL.

Scylla of spendthriftness and the Charybdis of

In other words, not to be too

miserliness."

stingy, or too generous.

This

a hard path to steer

is

man who sponges

despicable as the
all

no man

he can, and yields up nothing

not financially

And

fail,

after

but he will
all, it is

who gets
who saves
That man

give," but gives nothing himself.

other way.

so

leech, " give,

and hoards, and says with the

may

is

fail

not

in every

all

of

life

to " have."

But on the other hand, there

man

generous

the kind of

man

the over-

is

that will take

the shirt off his back to give to the poor

what

is

the use of

pneumonia by
middle course

it

in

after

it,

and dies

but

all, if

he catches

There

is

which we ought to

the safe

all

try and

steer.

Yet one

of

my correspondents seems to think

that city boys are in

upon the rock

no danger

of steering

This gentleman,

of miserliness.

the proprietor of a large iron industry, says

"

Much

habits

failure

of

comes from non-attention

saving,

necessity instilled

brought up

in

habits
into

that

the

the country

to

are usually of

minds of boys
and from

my

ex-

HOW

TO FAIL.

105

perience," he says, " such habits are almost impossible to teach the city-bred boys."

do not think that

as strongly as that

heroism

be

feo

;_

in a fellow's

but there

is

would have put

there

it

quite

a great deal of

is

being thrifty when he has

more

virtue in a fellow's

being thrifty when he thinks

it's

best to be.

Rusticity almost invariably enforces thrift

more often choose

in a city, a fellow can

but
for

himself whether he will be prodigal or miserly.

I

would

dislike

to think

teach thrift to a city boy.

think differently.

so

of

young men

it

No,

impossible to
I will

not think

think that hundreds

are learning and practicing this

lesson.

But there

one thing

is

sure,

and

think that

a leading capitalist hits the nail on the head

when he

says

"

Men

adapted to the work

am

fail

in

when they

are not

which they are occu-

a believer in the truth that every

pied

man

should be called to his work, as was Paul

though

comparatively few are called to the

same work as was Paul."

yet there
is

is

there not

around

until

True enough; and

a certain luxurious sound to that,

?

As
just

if all

young men could wait

the

thing for which they

HOW TO

Io6

FAIL.

Yet there

think themselves adapted turns up.

is

nothing more important to you than to try

and

find out the thing for

which you are the

best adapted.

Find out the thing you can best

and make

that thing the order of your Hfe.

do,

But

may

this

take

then

Shall

you be

some time

up

haps take you clean

to

it

meantime

in the

ing nothing, just hanging around

your

may

your majority

per-

what

idle, earn-

on

living

father, waiting for the revelation of

adaptation

By no means

my

of

line,

and

in

will

some given

due time you

see a vision and hear a voice

and voice

some-

correspondents

said about constantly reading along

and instructive

at

redeem the time

thing, study at something,

remember what some

work

an

will

and that vision

guide you on, and there

will

be

success rather than failure for you.

But the above pre-supposes some mental

ity

abil-

and shrewdness on the part of the young

man and
;

am reminded

that a correspondent

gives as one

reason

one's being "

born without

for

failure,

the

fact

of

ability, or brain to

acquire it."
It

looks to

me

as

though that were rather a

polite definition of a fool

one born without

HOW TO

FAIL.

ability, or brain to acquire

men

very few young

107

But there are

it.

who cannot do

these days

a great deal toward making up for early deficiencies

if

they want to

you remember how

much was

said

spondents

in the first lecture.

upon that point by

my

corre-

But you may put to me the conundrum

"

Can a

natural born fool ever

thing else

And

"

am

become any-

forced to give you

the honest and candid answer

No

"

think

that he will have to live and die as he was

that

you may ask

natural born fool

do

me

But you may press

born."

me

of

would

to

act

further than

tell

you how a

what he would

in order to insure failure to himself

and

his

business career.
I

am

glad that

that question on
that

am

not forced to answer

my own

responsibility

but

have an answer gathered from the wealth

of correspondence that

subject of failure.

back to the

first

So

all I

have had upon

have to do

if

this

to go

part of this lecture and recall

some things that were given

in failure

is

as sure elements

a man is a fool to let them

own make-up. But if he will

so,

enter into his

persist in being foolish,

if

he will

insist

on

in-

HOW TO

I08

FAIL.

viting failure, then here

go about

it

associates

forget the Golden Rule

" no,"

and

and

drift

methods

let

else will,

at his

own

discipline,

the world

valuation

him have a

and correct

busi-

if

fee-

he does, every-

man

largely takes a

him sneer

let

at

early

laugh at holding a definite purpose,

and think that economy

people

let

him think himself to be

incompetent, worthless

body

to

him gamble

let

indulge himself in laziness

ness

him

with the tide

lordly disdain for application

ble,

for

and keep bad

habits,

him drink and be dishonest, and

let him fear to say

let

way

the

is

Form bad

let

is

good

him think that there

for only
is

poor

no especial

value in possessing a manly character, and in

having everybody think well of him

go through the world

ings,

boor

best friends
difference

minutes

him

him think

to his

trial

that

it

own

makes no

he keeps his engagements ten

if

late

in society,
let

let

careless of people's feel-

let

him

procrastinate,

never do-

ing to-day what he can put off until to-morrow,

and never doing to-morrow what he can get

some one

else to

do

him drink and swear

let him forget or tram-

let

and break the Sabbath

ple on the laws of virtue

and purity

let

him

HOW
become

109

a prodigal son, and live in open sin,

somewhere and sometime there

trusting that
is

TO FAIL.

a stable with a fattening calf in

for him.

Let him lead that kind

follow that

these things
are the

kind of a program
?

The brand

marks of a

fool

of Cain

all

want

waiting
life,

and

What

are

No

is

It is

You

necessary.

choose just the opposite things

to.

they

yes, of a fool, because

not a single one of them

can

it

of a

if

merely a question of choice

merely a question of " looking diligently

any man

fail."

you
;

lest

IV-

RELIGION

AND

BUSINESS.

"And

showing mercy unto thousands of them

that love

me and

Exodus

xx.

keep

6.

JII

my commandments"

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

We

now

reach the fourth and

has been devoted to the

in this course that

trinsic subject of success in

Our

first

early discipline

acter of the subsequent

in-

life.

examination showed us the

youth and

ence of

final lecture

influ-

on the

char-

Our second

life.

lec-

ture dealt with the fundamental principles of

Our

success as such.

third

was a revelation

what would prove and produce

in the final discourse

now,

are naturally

and

logically

on

this

if,

for

of

and

theme, we

brought face to face

upon success

with the bearing of religion

and

failure

the success and general well-being

of

one, then for the multitude, for society at large.

During the course of these lectures we have

had forty of the best men

in

Any plaintiff

the witness-box.

forty such witnesses at his

any possible

We

suit at

now propose

finally

and
(112)

as

the

community

in

with a panel of

command would win

law in any possible court.

to hear

them once more, and

our purpose

is

to speak con-

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

II

cerning the value of the most valuable thing

in the world,

we

rejoice that

we

are to have

along these lines the testimony of judges,

sci-

merchants, statesmen, journalists, and

entists,

college professors.

You

readily believed these

men when they

spoke to you about the relative values of education for relative pursuits in

When

life.

they

testified

about the elements that would lead to

success,

you believed them

would nine times out

esied of the things that

of ten develop failure,

word

and now

upon THE

when they proph-

you have taken

their

ask you, as they shall speak

WORTH OF RELIGION

LIFE, that you give

them equally

IN

EVERY

fair

hearing

and endorsement.

Remember
ists

men

that these

or pastors

remember

that they are not

from theological seminaries

when

sent

questions

them

my

list

are not evangel-

remember

that

of fifteen printed

was absolutely ignorant concerning

the religious character of nine out of ten of

them, and hence did not send the questions to

men

selected with a view of obtaining favor-

able religious testimony.

If

sneered at religion, or given

these
it

men had

a secondary

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

14

place, or even

condemned

declare unto

it,

you, you would have received their testimony

in

And

your iiearing with utter impartiality.

though, even as
thing that

it is, I

may

shall give

not endorse every-

you from them, yet

honesty give you the entire bur-

will in perfect

den of their testimony, suppressing nothing.

have taken

sands of

"

mandments."
to explain to

and

as the basal idea of this lecture

And showing mercy unto thouthem that love me and keep my com-

these words

take them because they seem

me many

things.

do not believe, that

pledge, any guarantee, to

and prosperous,

rich
will

in

God

make

is

all

do not

say,

under any

His servants

the worldly sense

not say that the very best and most conse-

crated and purest Christian in the world has

any right to look up into the face

repeat the old question of Peter

have forsaken

all

God and

Behold, we
;

what

"

we have, therefore ?
The question of discipleship
not

of

and followed Thee

shall

is

"

"

in this world,

what we have," but what we are

not the big pocket-book, but the big heart

not the account-book free from bad debts, but
the heart free from bad

sins.

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

Nevertheless

II

on record as say-

desire to be

ing, that the indirect result of religion

often worldly prosperity

and why not

remember, perhaps, the long

list

is

very

You

of virtues

gave you in the lecture on success, virtues

my

which

forty correspondents told us were

the essential elements of success

religion inculcates most,

if

virtues, then religion

measure

for a large

is

not

if

lesser degree.

of those

Common

of success.

Many

all,

indirectly responsible

do the same thing, but

ality will

very well

irreligious

much
many

in

men,

yes,

wicked and humoral men, have become

and are becoming richer every day.

want you to tear from your minds,

mor-

rich,

But
as

you

would a tumor from your body, the thought

that they are

men

of true success.

Success not only implies a bank account

it

not only implies a large following of admir-

ers

and perhaps imitators

respect of

all

good men

but

it

it

implies the

implies the shed-

ding abroad of such an influence in the world

that the general average of

higher

it

Christlike

implies

the

good

will

be raised

development of the

image within, and supremely, the

bestowal of God's approval without.

These

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

Il6

things are elements in the best success

possess them,

one must

be in

the

to

line

of

And

God's love and God's commandments.

to those
are

who

more or

who

are standing in that line,

less blessed

with spiritual ancestry,

and who themselves look up

God and say, " Our Father,"

into the face of

to them comes

supremely the mercy of God, which mercy, being analyzed, will be found to possess within
itself

the hidden, brilliant thing called " suc-

cess."

Therefore the fundamental thought

And showing mercy unto thousands of them

me and keep my commandments."
And now that I may have your hearty agreement with me in all these propositions, I pro"

that love

pose to put

and

let

As

my forty men

them give

in their

into the witness-box

testimony.

their attorney, I shall call

they have not been coached by

not that kind of witnesses
kind of an attorney.
to give
I

me any

them up

me

neither

is

am

that

have not asked them

know now what they are going

when I asked them
it

they are

evidence favorable to

did not know,

First,

but

proper that

we

my

case.

to say, but
to say

it.

should find out

something about the witnesses themselves.

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

Who

are they

you know

11/

That you know already

their standing in the world of

you know

men

business, finance, letters, professions, arts

and

sciences,

What

and

manufacture.

in

But who are they

come

the worlds of

their leadership in

is

From what do they

?
What is
ancestry ? You cannot

the parent stock

the message of their

separate these things from character and from

any more than the dealer

success,
will

that of the

sire.

Listen

forty

parents

and

men means

I find

a total of eighty

that sixty-six of these par-

ents were professing Christians

Jewish

belief,

faith as are

and doubtless

we

in

ents, therefore, all

people.

And

respondent
parents,

who

in race-horses

separate the character of the colt from

devoted in their

made

par-

but twelve were religious

of those twelve, an

tells

were of

Of these eighty

ours.

honored

cor-

me there were two who were his

and who were devoted

never

But

as

Two

Christians, but

public confession of their faith.

look at our census returns again, and

note another interesting

sixty-six parents

fact.

who were

In that total of

professing Christians

(two other parents being loyal Jews and two

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

11

others undoubtedly Christian, though not professors),

we

find that the returns give the fol-

lowing division

which both

thirty instances in

parents were professors, and six instances in

which but one parent was a professor.

parent zvas invariably the mother
words, thirty-six of

In other

forty correspondents

mothers, and

had Christian

them had

my

That

thirty-eight

Only two

religious mothers.

ious mothers out of the forty

Oh, you mothers, who love your

sons,

and

and

croon over them

when they

are babies,

watch over their

cradles, as

they

for the

and

futures,

dreams paint out

futures

loins, will

wherein

world

when

caring

Does

tell

but

things
little

the sons of

and yet you out

for

mean nothing

it

God
to

and that seventy

religious parents
I tell

the

in

you now,

you that thirty-eight out

forty correspondents

Parents,

they,

them such

among men, honored, looked

to, successful in all

of Christ,

for

be the heroes of a coming gen-

eration, leaders

up

who watch

morning, and dream dreams for them,

in those

your

of

irrelig-

of

my

had a religious mother,

of these eighty parents

were

you, you take an awful respon-

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

II9

the future of your children

sibility for

you keep yourselves out

of Christ.

nothing of your own responsibility

own

loss

but

when

I will

say

of your

plead with you, in their stead,

be ye reconciled to God.
It

may

be that

many

God's presence now, because

them

to stay

one

little

God

is

happy

in

did not want

down here and grow up failures,

who themselves failed in

because of parents
love for God.

not only speak for the value of religious

ancestry, but

have shown you that value,

with a startling testimony that cannot be gain-

And

said.

the stand,
of

want now to put one witness on

a man who

men, and who stands

at the

manufacturing concern in the

head of a great

east.

piece of evidence to give that will

think.

He

says

"

numbers

controls large

He

has a

make you

My ancestors were

Luther-

ans from the Rhine, who, by reason of persecutions in Europe,

settled in

New York

came to

this

country and

State in 17 10.

And

from

the time that Bishop Asbury preached through

that section of the country in 1765, to this,

there has not been a break

man

of our ancestry

down

each and every

to the present has

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

I20

been a member of the Methodist Church.

at the graves of

have at different times stood

each ancestor of our line unto the eighth generation

generations

(three

thanked God for

ings

of

this

the Father

generation of those

Think

of

it

unbroken

" Truly,"

tian ancestry."

to

serve

and

line of Chris-

he adds, " the

are

who

living),

still

bless-

the thousandth

Him."

Eight generations of men,

who
commandments
direct descent,

God and

loved

in

kept His

Now with a knowledge of the ancestry of

my forty correspondents, I turn to the men
themselves

to see what they

are.

There are those who say that they do not

believe in infant baptism

or in any especial

giving of children to the Lord

that they will

leave the whole matter to be decided

children themselves
well say that

direction to the

that

you

will

when they grow

you believe

in giving

young sapling

in

by the

up.

As

no especial

your garden

leave the whole matter of direc-

tion to the tree itself to settle in afterlife.

Of

my

forty correspondents, thirty-five are

church-members ; only
to the contrary.

five declare

themselves

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

This

121

simply a wonderful proportion

is

a sharp two-edged sword

ancestry, the other into success.

and a half per

it

Eighty-seven

men

cent, of our forty successful

men by open

are religious

is

one edge cuts into

profession.

If

you

say that religion has no bearing for success in

throw you down the challenge of

life, I

this

remarkable proportion
I

do not say that

saints

flawless

enough

but

by

it,

am

" but I

am," says another,

it."

Another says

from boyhood
better for

"

me

you see there

than
is

but

no

it

"

for
I

I fear."

and have been for

But the Church and

done more

ings have

lay claim

" Yes," says one of them,

a Laodicean Christian,

forty years.

and

it

but they are not ashamed to

Yet even they themselves

so.

men have been

do say that they not only think

to no perfection.

"

of these

of religion to openly endorse

try to live

say

all

do not say that their characters are

me

its

than

surroundI

have

for

have been a Christian

fear that this has

been

has for the Church."

So

taint of self-righteous Phari-

saism with them.

But

notice running

mony upon

all

through the

testi-

the above point, a degree of great

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

122

joy and gratitude

these

in

men

they speak as

though they were proud of their allegiance to

" I

Christ.

have been a Christian

for sixty-six

Some

years," says a celebrated statesman.

of

them say that they have followed the Master

One

from the age of thirteen or fourteen.

been an elder

in

has

the Presbyterian Church for

Another man

twenty-five years.

of blessed re-

pute has been a Christian, so he writes me, for

seventy-three years

Think

of

it

He was

some

of

men whom

following Christ for a long time before

your grandparents were born

Now

come

think you

to these men,

accord the honor of believ-

will

ing implicitly in their statements, and

them the

clear-cut, point-blank question

ask

"Are

Christian Principles a help or a hindrance to

Business Success?"

To
replies

this

The

be able to

and three rather

which

you

find strong

go out

understood.

thirty-seven

to answer " yes."

to

emphatic

the affirmative,

qualified replies

time.

thirty-seven

received

in

in

will give

men seemed

enough words

in

in

due

not to

which

Their whole heart seemed

their

anxiety not to be mis-

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

on

give you a letter

will

23

received bearing

one subject

this

"My Dear

Sir:

had a little experience in my early Christian life

which I can never forget, and which is in line with
the inquiries you send.
" I called to talk with a man of our church upon
"

the subject of his personal duty to Christ. He met me

kindly, but said that in his business a man could not
make a success if he was a sincere Christian e. i;., the

methods of successful business prosecution could net

be truly Christlike either in word or in deed, because
the competition was too keen and too contentious.
" The opinion shocked me, and from that moment I
resolved that I would try to show him and others like
him, that a man can achieve a real success in business
and yet be a true and earnest lover of the Lord.
have lived long enough to know that this can be
done, and I am glad to be able to say that whatever
success has come to me, has been very largely because
I have tried to carry out the precepts of Christ, and
life

"

be a living witness for the truth."

This

You

is

the deposition of

can step down,

sir.

over this country

all

large fortune

my

first

Your name

witness.
is

known

you have amassed a

you have builded and deeded

over to trustees large educational institutions.

We

now know how you made your money.

now call a judge to the witness-stand. He

I will

says

" Christian principles are a great help."

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

124

now want

speak

House

the

of Representatives to

" Christian principles teach morality,

and give a

man

elevated notions in regard to

him from

himself and his duties, and save

ex-

pense and injurious associations."

Let Judaism give

its

testimony

should go hand in hand

life

its

" Religion

every walk of

in

ennobling influence

of incalculable

is

benefit."

put three bankers on the stand at

will

once

"

They

are a

most decided help

beget confidence and compel respect."

they
"

As

a rule Christian principles are indispensable

even bad

men

" In

recognize this."

my

opin-

ion always a help, never a hindrance."

" Christian

principles

are

undoubtedly a

help," says a scientist.

I

want two Unitarians to speak

nalist,

"

the other a capitalist.

Always helpful

The

one a joureditor says:

they are an inspiration for

the best, and a quickening power for laudable

ambition."

"

More

helpful

than otherwise,"

says the capitalist.

I call

that "
fort."

up another judge, and

hear him say

they are a help for courage and com-

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

"

The

applied,

12$

spirit of Christian principles, honestly-

always a help," says an ex-Congress-

is

man.
Listen for the three-second testimonies that

come
I

to

"

me

from men

over the room,

all

A help."

"

"

the very best."

up to them
But

this

as

"

An

The

excellent help

great help

if

man

lives

he should."

won't do

want something strong-

And

and yet these are strong.

put a

"

Unquestionably a help."

greatest possible help."

er,

whom

not take time to put upon the stand

will

man upon

the stand

so

now

who employs

thou-

sands of hands in his business, and stands

the front ranks of a great industry.
" I

He

in

says

would not dare to undertake business ex-

cept by the help of religious principles."

Here comes a voice from

"

Living a Christian

God

will bless

Him,

and

and having

assist all

those

faith that

who

trust in

will insure success."

A prominent
now

life

off the great lakes:

apostle of culture and art will

take the stand.

He

says

"Christian prin-

ciples are a necessity to true business success."

Oh, how these testimonies do pour

have not time to

tell

in

you who the witnesses

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

126
are

but just hear them talk

more than a help

ciples are

" Christian prin-

they are

God is the best

" They are a
we

if

am
"

help," says another, " because

and nerve that they give one,

did not take into account the prin-

Divine assistance

ciple of

of

business code ever published."

of the principle

even

posi-

The Word

tively essential to real success.

in business, in

which

a firm believer."

Too

true

says another man, " that

it,"

is

the fear of the Lord

is

the beginning of knowl-

edge."

Out

my

of

my

forty correspondents, or rather

forty witnesses,

them on the stand

mony
nently

propose to put three of

at this point,

do not altogether

fair

that

like

whose

testi-

still, it is

we should hear them,

emi-

for they

have been subpcened.

The

first

says

" Christian

principles

are

neither a help nor a hindrance."

This,

maintain,

is

an utter impossibility

the statement leaves no ground for any kind

of debate on that

if

he had said that they

were a hindrance, or a help, or somewhat of a

hindrance and somewhat of a help,
discuss the proposition

we might

but a thing that

is

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

12/

neither one thing nor the other, that neither

helps nor hinders, that

does not exist

exist

so

mony be
tain

is

absolutely neutral,

Christian principles, however,

will

appeal to you that the

stricken out.

believe

you

testi-

will sus-

me.

The next

witness says

" Christian principles

are a help in this part of the world

heard a Christian business

man

but

have

say that they

are not a help out in the far west."

This
will

is

a bit of hearsay

evidence, but

we

not be too particular, because we want to

get at the exact facts in the case at

I will

all

hazards.

take the ground that there are places in

the world, and there are occupations of certain

men

at

which and

in

which the application of

the principles of Christ will lead to apparent

failure.

Two

things are to be

remembered

you cannot run a mean business on pure

ciples,

prin-

you cannot expect Christian ethics to

help you out in an unworthy calling, any more

than you can expect to become a richly devel-

oped follower of Christ by living your Christian

life

according to the principles of the world.

Moreover, we are to hold this one truth right

up before our

eyes,

and not forget

it

e. g.,

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

128

mean

that success does not always

bonds.

stocks and

think that the forgetting of that

accounts for the remark of that western man.

The Lord always

pays, but, as one of

He

respondents says, "

that

He does

if

not,

cor-

does not always pay

money."

his debts in

my

But

He will

can assure you

always pay them

in

And so if a
principles may not be

something better than money.

man

says that Christian

a help out west,

things
fever

am

remember

and

believe

whether given

in

led to think of other

that quinine
it

the

is

swampy

or along the Congo, or in Ohio.

is

a specific for any

all-the-time specific.
principles.

If a certain

evil, it is

It is

Panama,

an all-round,

so with

Christian

they do good here, they can do

If

good anywhere on God's

earth.

salten things here, they will

Mississippi.

for

everglades of

Florida, or the poisonous districts of

thing

good

be good for a fever

will

If

do

If
it

they

will

west of the

they are a help here, they are

a help there.

The other
this to

you

witness of
"

As

whom

far as the

spoke, sdys

strictly personal

virtues like industry and sobriety are concerned

(and these are of course Christian teachings).

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

But

they are a help to business success.

much more

far as the

cerned, virtues

whose attainment

is,

such as dealing justly with

as

con-

difficult virtues are

my opin-

in

most important teaching

ion, the

29

of Christ,

men, shielding

all

the down-trodden from the oppressions of the

unjust and the wicked,

do not think that

they are an aid to business success.

been a profitable thing

rarely

for a

It

man

has

to de-

vote himself to overthrowing vested wrongs."

I

beg to

differ

with witness

with him root and branch.

will

differ

do not say that

every time you shield the down-trodden, or

deal justly with men,

down

you can put your hand

into your trousers-pocket

and

find a little

gold dollar put there by the hand of

I

will

not say that

but

I will

God

say that

no,

if

the

proposition of this witness were true, slavery

would be
to-day

existent in our national

still

I will

say that

economy

woman would

be the

oppressed creature to-day that she was a few

centuries ago

were
it,

true,

I will

say that

there would be at this

ated society,

ed world.

if

his proposition

and Christ had believed and taught

no

liberties,

moment no

regener-

no saved and ransom-

Every reform that has ever come,

RELIGION AKD BUSINESS.

I30

every shackle that has ever been stricken

off

from society, has been the outcome of a position just the opposite to that taken

honest correspondent.

least

him

I will

in the

world

I will

by

my

at

contradict

say that the most profitable thing

is

the overthrowing of any and

all

vested wrongs.

The

facts of Christian

direct proof of this.

Foreign Missions are a

Missions are based on

distinctively spiritual motives

and aims

the

conversion of souls and the lifting up of hearts

and intelligences are their end and aim.

it

But

has been proven by facts and figures, that

the cause of Christian Foreign Missions, by

opening up new countries, making new de-

mands

for trade, has

ble effect

had an almost

on the mercantile industries of

country and of England.

for

incalculathis

Millions of dollars,

example, have been expended in our land

for the nineteenth century

improvements and

demanded by Japan and Siam, and

these countries were opened up to our business
markets by the entering wedge of the Bible in
appliances

the hands of the Missionary.

And

so

take the more or less questionable

testimony of these three witnesses, and array

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

against

it

I3I

the great mass of evidence on the oth-

and

er side, the evidence of the thirty-seven,

claim that

But

this only

ther on.
is

made my

case.

pushes the entire matter

the ancestry of

If

my correspondents

so overwhelmingly Christian,

the

if

majority,

if

men them-

by such a

selves are professing Christians

mendous

fur-

tre-

their testimony as to the

value of Christian principles in business success

is

so almost entirely one way,

we

are forced to

take up as our concluding point, the vital question

which

put to them

"

In your opinion,

does the well-being of society depend in any great

degree upon the existence, work,

and endeavor of

the Christian church."

Now
there

is

bid you attend to their answers.

If

man who

has

a business or professional

never thought

it

worth while to openly support

want you

the church,

man who

a worker and a toiler,

is

to' listen

if

there

and has

is

fallen,

into the miserable habit of thinking that the

church

is

of no value to the masses of

people, I bid

you

listen

thinks the church

want you

to listen

is
;

if

there

is

working

a person

a jelly-fish sort of
if

there

is

profiting ten thousand times

a person

who

affair, I

who

is

more than you

"

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

132

think by the very existence in your midst of

the church, and yet are content to never
to

to ignore

it,

side, to

come

out of

it,

to

come

perhaps, on the other

it,

or,

it

frequently, get

you can

all

and yet contribute nothing to

support, getting

all

and giving nothing,

what

you to

listen to

to say.

Perhaps you

my

its

want

correspondents have

will consider

it

after this to willingly support the

a privilege

church by

some contribution every time you enter its

doors. " Does the well-being of society depend
in

any great degree upon the existence, work,

and endeavor of the Christian church

A well-known
how

scientist says

" I

do not see

society could hold together without the

cementing power of the Christian church.

know

that

if

any measures are to be concerted

men in this life, Christians

who can be relied upon for

for the welfare of

are the only ones

help and support."

A United

States Congressman says

" It un-

doubtedly does, because churches are organizations

where the

efforts of

many may be com-

bined and operated together."

One merchant says:

" If theChristian

churches

were blotted out, the world would retrograde."

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

A
"

Hebrew gentleman

prominent

Any

writes

church can and does aid materially

work

is

It is

not so

performed

much

in a conscientious

33

if its

manner.

a matter of faith or theory,

as of practice."
" In a large degree," says a
" take

have

me

the church out and what would you

left?
'

bank president

man, not a Christian, said to

would not

live

in

a town without a

church.'

prominent

capitalist says

ion, the welfare of society

solutely

is

" In

my

opin-

depends almost ab-

upon the church."

Another bank
" It

president, in a large city, says

the power of the Christian church in the

world that preserves society and the family."

One

of

your most prominent manufacturers

writes: " I

would not want to

live in

a country

where there were no churches."

A half dozen

prominent business men go on

record as follows
"

Without the church,

all

would be moral

confusion and chaos."

"

Who would want

to live for one year," says

another, " where there was no Christian church

The

school and church

make

society

what

it is.

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

134

Boasted morality would not exist long without

the Christian church."

Another says

" I think there

no organiza-

is

tion doing good, or trying to, except those

that are actuated

"

by the teachings

of Christ."

Society would go to wreck without the

Christian church," says another.

would become

" It

fearfully demoralized,"

declares another.

Listen

the brief but telling

to

responses

which that question brought out

" I certainly think

" Unquestionably."

"Yes,

gree."

decidedly."

sir."

"

it

does."

" Yes, in the highest de-

"Yes, most surely." "Most

Most emphatically

Unitarian, a

man who

journal in the East, says

answer,

ative

" Positively yes."

if

" I

yes."

edits a large daily

would make affirm-

equipped with a thousand

tongues."

An

honored judge says

"The

church

is

for

our benefit, and the world could not afford to

part with

it."

A prominent and wealthy manufacturer says

"
is

am

very decided in

greatly in

my opinion

that society

debt to the church"; and he

adds the significant words, " the value of the

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

church to society

much

is

IJS

underrated by

its

members, as well as by those who are not."

An
'

Ye

honored

capitalist writes

" Christ said,

are the salt of the earth.'

that true, sublime, and,

to see,

swer

'

prophetic

yes.'

as we

declaration,

In the face of
are beginning
I

can only an-

can have no other opinion.

you have to do

is

map

to take a

All

of the world,

own exupon how

or read a newspaper, or question your

perience.

And

depends solely

it all

nearly they manifest the spirit of Christ."

Another leader
Christian

church

of society writes

the

is

The

"

only safeguard

of

society."

One

of the

most prominent lumber-dealers

in another city says

ciety

must depend

"

The

well-being of so-

entirely

on the Christian

church, with Christ at

will
in

become

its

The world

head.

better, so far as Christ

is

manifest

the daily lives of His followers."

And

now, men and brethren, members of a

large jury that for so long has listened

patiently to me,

Upon

I shall

here rest

my

most

evidence.

the points of success and failure, envi-

ronment, education,

have given you the mass

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

136

from

of testimony gathered

clusion, I

of the

six

hundred an-

But

swers to pertinent questions.

at this con-

have led you up to the mountain-top

whole thing

and that mountain-top

is

the pinnacle of religious principles as applied

to business

life,

and their bearings upon success.

The testimony that

and
in

final case

have adduced in this fourth

would carry to a successful

any court of equity

You have

in the land.

been a fair-minded jury, and

issue

believe that

you

will give a verdict in behalf of righteousness.

There has been nothing more

significant than

the marvellous testimony given to-night concerning the worth to society and the bearing

upon success

will declare for

evidence.

and the

of Christian principles

Christian church.

me

do not believe that you

a forfeited case for lack of

believe that

have carried with

me

the conviction of every fair-minded one of you.

But you cannot shut your eyes to

this

ter at this point, saying merely, " It

been very interesting";

cannot

let

mat-

has

all

you go

with simply a mental endorsement of these

things,

may
If

no matter how sincere and hearty

it

be.

the things that you have heard from these

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

men

are true,

Christian
success,

life

Christian principles

if

are

and the

what these men say they are to

my

such a tremendous majority of

if

3/

correspondents and their parents are professing

Christians,

who

of

you can look

and

for success,

despise Christian principles and the Christian

church
of

eighty-seven and a half per cent,

If

my correspondents,

standing on the pinnacle

of success, are Christian

young man

men,

out of the equation of his

of future

life,

power and influence

Moreover,
things that

will

it

pay a

to think that he can toss Christ

will

and yet dream

say to you, that

we have heard

these

if

are true, then the

very best champion of the church should be the

workingman
of

yes, the toiling millions, the

brawn and muscle,

they should look to the

church as their very best friend

principles

men

upon which the qhurch

for

is

the

if

based are

principles that lead in their tendency to success,

if

so great a proportion of our forty

men

started from homes of poverty and boyhoods

of deprivation,
finally

and

in

company with

came to where they

Christ

are now, that fact

alone ought to show the workingman that the

church

is

for

him and not against him

for

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

138

him,

mean,

through the portals of

in that

pure principles, and the

life

Workingmen

the road to triumph.

lies

not say that the church

God

ing the Christ of

is
;

church

do

God's own hand has

;

but the

the attainment of broth-

is

no man

erhood and sonship

these things, and

in

if,

faultlessly interpret-

placed the treasure in earthen vessels

ideal of the

its

of its Founder,

fails

who

attains

the attaining of them,

there comes the element of earthly success, as

with so

many of my

that

is

it

your

in

lot

correspondents, then

better for

with the

you

in

say

every way, to cast

Man from

Nazareth. There

should be no conflict between labor and the

Capital of

Heaven

it is

terests to " seek peace

If

to your

and ensue

own

best in-

it."

the things that you have heard from

correspondents are true, and the church

they say

it

is

is

my

what

to the welfare of society, then

the State should hold the church in the pro-

foundest deference and respect.

If

the principles of pure religion are the

things that fundamentally are preserving us

from anarchy, maintaining our bulwarks

liberty,
its

and preserving society to the point

best average, then the State should

do

of
of
all

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

power to promote the best

in its

the church;

now

My

thought

speak

higher than denomination,

there are pure and holy prin-

ciples in the creeds of all

statesmanship must

not overlook the fact that society

by

and through

religion,

power

God unto

of

interests of

the broadest ecclesiastical sense.

rises

or even sect

religion

civil

permeated

is

is

kept by the

salvation.

am no

advocate of a union of Church and State

deed,

earnestly

I so

way,

public

first faint

for

as,

moneys

in-

indication of

view with

any hint that

example, the appropriation of

for sectarian institutions.

But the point

no

champion a separation of

the two, in a political sense, that

alarm the

39

say "the church"; and just

in

make

financial civic aid

along without that

lies

deeper.

thank

but

We

God we

want

can get

we want our

rulers

and magistrates to remember that the conscience of a nation, of this nation,

conscience

is

a religious

that millions of people have the

citizenship of heaven as well as the citizenship

of earth

and therefore, when

it

comes to

the legislation and the enforcement of laws,

we want

the drama to be played with the

heaven of God

for a

background.

hear about

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

I40

certain caterings to the " Irish " vote,

"German"

vote;

and the

hear about the fear of hurt-

ing the feelings of this class of men, and that

class of

about,
of

is

But what

men.

want to hear more

a catering to the vote that has back

a Christian conscience,

it

feelings that

and tenderness

of

have within them the emotions of

an expected Paradise.
the things which

If

we have heard

are true,

then the church, simply as a moral pillar of

be supported by every repu-

society, should

table person in the

support
ter

it

by

They should

community.

their personal presence,

whether they can believe

no mat-

doctrinal

its

all

teachings or not, and they should support

by
say

their

"amen"

Because

to
is

it

all its

against the encroachment of

;

it is

atll

a green

bulwark

kinds of civic

a splint bandage for broken morals,

and quinine

for

systems

the malaria of crime.

my

And why?

creed or not.

a saviour of society

branch cast into a bitter pool

evils

filtered

through with

You have

heard what

correspondents have said on this point.

religion

it

money, no matter whether they can

makes the community

un-Christian

man

says that he

livable,

if

If

an

would not dare

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

I4t

to live in a place where there was no church,

if

rehgion

is

what makes

possible for wives

it

and daughters to enjoy their present

and

if

liberties,

a lack of religion that plants the

is

it

saloon,

and peoples your prisons and peniten-

tiaries,

and that makes your taxation to be what

it is,

then

say to you, even though you are not

personally a Christian, or any kind of a professed believer, yet

tion of

you ought to make a

some church

knowing what

that interests you, and

aims

its

you ought

are,

sonally connect yourself with

tion,

selec-

and systematically

it

assist

tents of your pocket-book.

Of

as

it

all

to per-

an organiza-

with the conthe things in

the world, a church, no matter what be the flag

it

waves

in the

a church should be the very

last

thing

world to be crippled for lack of means,

or hindered in

money.

If

its

plans and aims for lack of

you only earn a

dollar a

week give

some percentage of whatever you earn to some

church where you are best pleased to attend.
If

the things which

then every

and love
Christ,

man

it,

who

we have heard

and do so by

is its

Christianity

is

are true,

should believe in the church

first

believing in

head and founder.

perfect,

though not a single

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

142

one of us who professes

living perfect lives.

it

are either perfect or

But our

ideals are abso-

lutely without flaw, because they are founded

upon the

and teachings of

life

about doing good.

heaven

Our

Him who

perfect and present grasp, but

pure as

are

ideals

in their entirety, they are

beyond our

who wants any

ideals that can be completely grasped

they would

fail

to allure us or

when

shadows

this little

flee

first

dawns

we

Him

as

over,

for us,

shall

He

and the

and we take

wondering look into the

fields of Paradise, that

then

and we know

life is

away, and the day-star, the bright

day-star of Eternity

our

day of

If so,

us up.

lift

But we serve a perfect Christ

that

went

be

like

We

is.

we

illimitable

will see Jesus

Him,

for

we

and

shall see

plead a perfect future, and

confess to an imperfect pilgrimage toward

but the Christ, whose

serve, has told us that

be cast about

the

are

and

it

whom we

His own perfection

us, like a

multitude of sins
ity

we

will

garment, covering a

and that garment

divine love that

came and

here, doing for us a sacrifice that

is

char-

suffered

we could

not

for

He

make.

We

shall

carry no

eternal

cross,

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

has carried

it

Our brows

for us.

with no eternal thorn-crown, for

one

for us.

many

be saved.

will bleed

He

has worn

There are no eternal rods

for the

He was

beaten

bended back of Memory,

with

I43

rods,

and

There

spit

we might

no eternal sepulchre

is

He

the penitent soul, for

for our sins in a

for

upon, that

rock-hewn tomb.

The whole world

is

resonant with the glad

acclaim of a risen Christ.

echo, faint, perhaps, but

would that some

true,

could sing a

Christ melody into every manly heart.

again the

Drama

of the Ages.

gelic choirs in the night

prostrate kings before the

inn.

This

is

see

Him

see

Chanting an-

sky of Bethlehem
stall of

the humble

the birth.

Quickly the scene

I

for

was dead and buried

in the

shifts,

and

in a

few years,

Temple, discoursing with the

doctors of the law.

Then
ministry

in the progress of time, I see the brief

;

but the ministry of what

Of a

great heart, burning with love for humanity

of a
sinful

sympathy that

man

or

lent a ready ear to every

woman, that brought strong men

in prostration at

His

feet,

in laughter to His arms.

and lisping children

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

144
I

see the wonderful care for the feelings of

who hated

those

turn from

it

sin

and yet knew not how to

see the miracle-worker attest-

by wondrous things out of

ing his Messiahship

the law of Nature, and equally wondrous things

out of the laws of God.
the hunger and
desert roads

man

thirst

see the self-sacrifice,

the loneliness of a misunderstood

for sympathy see the tears

the hunger

flowing

by the hands

mock

and,

sorrowing woe

at the

finally, I see

of malice

trial

down His cheeks

of the bereaved

of a

the weary marches over

Him

caught

and envy, the victim

and perjured testimony;

I see

the outrage of a purple robe and a reed sceptre

and a crown of thorns.

And

at last I see

His hands and

feet,

those

who

sat

thirst,

and watched

and the

Him

nothing to you as ye pass by

they took

Him

den tomb, and

nails

through

and the spear thrust

and the awful

side,

is it

Him, with the

there,
?

in

His

jeers of

and oh,

For though

Him in a garHe rose and in

down, and buried

three days

in

time ascended to His Father and your Father,

yet, for all that,

very soul,
victim,

He

and

still

for the

saving of your

hangs there, God's precious

midway between

earth and heaven, de-

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

I4S

spised and rejected of men, and environed

two thieves

He was

Who

despised and rejected by men.

men

were the

Jews, Greeks, Romans,

any

man who had heard His words and had

His deeds

by

companions.

for deatii

seen

but rejection knows no centuries

and there are many to-day who are adding

who

themselves to the company of those

the Saviour of

men

and thought then

many

these

lo,

if

you had

lived then,

you have been thinking,

you would have been

years,

number of those who said " CruHim." And you would have taken your

among
cify

as

reject

the

path beneath the feet of that victim on Golgotha, and sneered as you passed by.

who
put

do not believe, do crucify

Him

to an open shame.

let us reason together.

as

scarlet,

they

shall

Though they be

"

Him

For ye

daily,

and

Come, now, and

Though your

sins

be

be as white as snow.

red like crimson, they shall be

as wool."

There have been the proceedings of a court-

room

but while the principles of Christianity

have been up for

trial,

and you have heard the

witnesses testify as to their worth, the Christ

who gave them

has been

still

hanging on His

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

146

cross, lying in

His tomb, and rising from His

testimony of forty men.

In the

testimony of a great

the

no man can number,

tions,

we have the
other, we have

In the one case,

death, for you.

of

whom

multitude

kindreds, and na-

all

and tongues, and peoples.

The martyrs

Him at the stake, and the confessors

Him in the arena. Eighteen centuries

sing of
tell

of

speak of glad companionship

and the

in life,

The

sustaining wonders of the dying hour.

great feast

is

spread.

you to come

Lamb
may
you
Let

in

now

to share with

live

with

say, "

Him

beg

of

you and implore

to the marriage of the

Him your Time,

Not now

me show you

I will

to

wait until

ter's death.

and

came

Into the

am

what you wait

the sun, the moon, the stars, will

ual gloom, as there

that

life

to

you

But perhaps

your Eternity.

come

them

old."

across

a grad-

at the

Mas-

there comes a rain,

after the rain, not the blue heaven, but the

The hand

returning cloud.

gropes

its

way, and trembles.

out upon the busy

life,

reaches out and

The mind

well, for there is a

darkened glass

dow and behind

there

closed.

it

looks

but sees not clearly or

is

in the win-

a curtain, nearly

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

The man

upon

calls

his soul

and

within him, for melody, for song.

opening bud

in

fill

made

spring

with harmony

that

all

47
is

Once, an

whole heart

his

but now, he

upon

calls

the handmaids of Music, but they will not

come.
Sorrowfully he picks his way, and the trem-

hand takes quick

bling

affright

and

His hair is white

way.

soms snow.

And

like the tree

shall this old

with

rises

impotent defense because of fear that

is

in

which

the

blos-

man stumble

way up to the Great Captain and

now for the first time put on me
the whole armor of God"? No, it is too late
for that.
There is no use for it. The best
God can do for him is to hold him gently, tenand
say

falter his

" Lord,

derly, in a loving arm,

brow while the

silver cord

the golden bowl

But

and stroke

is

is

loosed for

him and

broken.

plead with you young

are strong.

his aching

men

because ye

Blue follows your rain

there

no trembling to the keepers of your house

curtained, darkened window.

Give this

this strength, this vision, this tightly

cord of

silver, yes,

is

no

light,

knotted

the golden bowl of those

hearts of yours that contain so

much

that

is

148

RELIGION AND BUSINESS.

manly and courageous and

beautiful,

give

these things to the service of the Christ of

Eden, of Calvary, of Paradise.

cifixion,

fruits of

Creation, Cru-

and Redemption demand the

your

lives.

first-

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