St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-02-07
Accuracy a Path to Wealth.

In this age of guess work it is refresh
ing to read an article on the following,
contributed to the Methodist by John
ID. Knox, of Topeka, Kansas, on the
importance of eXactness. The author
commences with the Importance OF ac-
curacy in the value of testimony, all de-
pendino on its eXactness, and proceeds
to saw: The professed end of logic is
TO teach men to think, to judge and rea-
son with precision and accuracy. 5.
Martin asks .'What makes the scholar?
Exactness What is most likely to Sc
cure success in the learned professions
Exactness. What raises men of various
callings to the highest position attaina-
bic by persons in their occupations Z
Exactness. What makes Il mans word
pass current as gold His known exact
ness. What. above all things, is essen
tial in the laboratory ? EXactness."
Mr.. Martin is right. Exactness, accu-
racv. perfection in all the work you un-
dertake will bring you sure reward:
And the record of Il noted man Is found
in these words "He became an hOnOra-
! bic man, successful merchant, and bank
PRESIDENT His splendid career COM
menced in backing boots well when Il
boy and he continued ''doing well' all
through life, whether backing boots or
managing finance. What he did he did
accurately, and, of course, it did not
have to be done over or improved or
mended, but always gave satisfaction
and secured commentator.
President futile, on Chow to Get
the Best Place. gives us this instance {:
Il saw young man in the office OF Il
western railway superintendent. He
was occupying Il position that four hun
bred boys in the city would have wished
| to get. 1t was honorable and lit paid
WE'LL besides being i'll the line of pro-
motion. How did he get it ? Not by
having II ich father, for he was the son
of labOrer. The secret was, his beau
tiful accuracy. He began us an errand
boy, and did his. work accurately. His
leisure time he used i'll perfecting his
writing and arithmetic. After while
he learned to telegraph. At each step
his employer commended his accuracy
and relied on what he did because he
was sure it was just right"
And it is thus with every occupation.
The accurate boy is the favored one
Those who employ men do not wish tG
be on the constant lookout, us though
they were rOgues OF fools. If Il carpen-
ter must stand at his journeyman's ell
bow to he sure his work is right, OF if d
cashier must run over his book keeper:
columns, he might as well do the work
himself as to employ another one to dc
it i'll that way ana it Is very certain
that the employer will get rid of sucl
an inaccurate workman us soon as pos
sIble.
1 knew such il young man. He had /;
good chance to do well, but he was sc
Inaccurate and unreliable that people
ere afraid TO trust him. If he wrote q
deed OF mortgage OF IL contract, he was
sure to leave out something or put il
something to make Ii an imperfect pa
per. He was a lawyer without bushes.
because he lacked the noble quality o
accuracy.
Just across the stIeet from him Wa:
another young lawyer, who was pro
verbal for accuracy. He was famOu,
for searching titles, and when he wrote
out the history of il title to Il piece o.
property, ii was taken for granted as
just so. His aim was absolute accuI acy
in every thing. If he copied Il convey
ance OF cited legal authority OF made
statement, he aimed to do it exactly
The consequence is, he is having a val
liable practice at the bar, and is univer
sally esteemed.
But" says some boy, "when | be
come IL man that is the way | shal
do. | mean to be very accurate" Per
haps so could tell better if knew
just how you do your work now. Their,
are several ways of getting Il lesson
One is to get it ''tOlerably WELL" which
does not cost much labor the other il
to get it taultlessly well, which costs
great deal OF labor. A boy can get ;
general idea of his lesson ''in jitfy :
but to get it accurately is very hard
and requires both time and industry. |
you, my boy, to-day are getting you
lesson in the slipshod way, you vii
grow up il slipshod man but if to-da,
your habit is to get every lesson will
, perfect accuracy, will warrant you will
! do that way when You become il man
How is it?
Millions of persons in the world ar
clamOring for work, and work is abun
dant; but they are careless, inaccurate
! unreliable, Enthusiastically. Shake OF
= your stupidity, idle one; get wild
awake and do your work well. Accu
: rate, perfect, for even dot or point ma
shelter you or turn you out of doors.
> To illustrate the Importance of accu
A racy and careful, honest work, take thi
y, instance of loss by bad penmanship
, ga decision was rendered by Judge Va
=, Brunt, of New York, which may be q
y interest to those who are careless i
>, preparing manuscript, and think any
- thing in the guise of hand writing vii
y, do that can either be deciphered G
= guessed at. 1t was Il suit brought to re
cover damages from il telegraph CON
lf pany for errors committed i'll transmit
10 ting message, by which the party 81
- ing had suffered pecuniary loss. On th
ar trial the original message, as write
N and handed to the operator, was otfere
ar i'll evidence, and was so illegibly wri
n ten that no two persons could agre
of from the marks submitted what it actI
g ally did contain. Whereupon the iude
o. instructed the jury that if people wrOt
a. their dispatches i'll such hand that tt
ne contents are uncertain, they have L
Nv right to recover damages from the di
q patcher because he failed to read it co
Iy rectly, and that if damages do resu
~ from such causes, the sender and n
% the company should bear the loss. TIL
nj was good common sense, which is Il
ho essence of common law
a Some persons take no care at all
H. anything they do, forgetting that t
"a Interests of others, as well as theI
est selves, depend upon the character
ere their work. 1t is not only matter
w. cents and dollars, but it is a matter
y morals.
ty,
ut The Rutland Congregational a