The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1883-05-24
Why Business Men Fail?

Let me give the readers of the Con-
gregationalist the benefit of the replies
that | have received from leading men
OF our country to the question, "What,
in your observation, have been the chief
causes Of the numerous failures in life of
business and professional men 2" Govern
or ST. John answers, ''Idleness, ntemper-
ance." Alexander II. Stevens, answers,
'Want Of punctualty, honesty and
TRUTH Hon. Darwin r. James, an
swers, "lncorrect views Of the great end
and aim of life. Men are not contented
to live plain lives Of integrity and up
rightness. They want to get ahead too
fast and are led into temptation"
President Bartlett of Dartmouth College
names as causes Of failure, "Lack of
principle, of fixed purpose, of persever-
ance." President Eliot Of Harvard re-
plies, ''Stupidity, laziness, rashness and
dishonesty DR.. Ii. Nj. Dexter Of the
Consregationallst answers, "W Want of
thoroughness of preparation. (2) Want
OF tixedness Of purpose. (0 Want of faith
in the inevitable triumph of right and
truth" Anthony Comstock's answers are,
''Unholy living and dishonest practices,
lust and intemperance, living beyond
ones means" Mr.. II. +. Simmons of the
American Tract Society replies, East
living, mental, spiritual and bodily, lack
of attention to the details of business.'
General 0. o. Howard answers in sub
stance, ''Breaking the divine laws Of the
body by vice; those Of the mind by over
work or idleness and those of the heart
ty making an idol of self" Prof. Homer
b. Sprague Of Boston answers, "Q) III
health. (2) Mistake in the choice of en-
ployment. (3) Lack of persistent and
protracted effort. az A low ideal, making
success to consist in personal aggrandize-
ment rather than i'll the training and
development Of Il pure and noble char
acter"
DR.. Lyman Abbott answers, "The
combined spirit of laziness and selt-con-
celt that makes man unwilling to do
anything, unless he can choose just what
he will do" Mr.. 4. ". Tennev of our
city replies, "Outside of intemperance,
failure to grasp and hold, scattering too
much. want of integrity and promptness,
unWillingness to achieve success 10y cam
ing it in the oldtashioned way" The
Attorney General of a neighboling State
replies, "Living beyond income and
specializing with borrowed funds. Tn
willingness to begin at the foot of the
ladder and work up. Young men want
to be masters at the start and assume to
know before they have learned" Another
answers IN the same line, "Desiring the
success that another man has without
beng willing to work as that man does
Giving money making a first place and
right doing a second place.
Judge Tourgee, author of "A Fools
Errand,' considers the most frequent
cause OF business collapse to be, 'ETrylng
to carry too big a load" As to others he
says, II don't know about Il professional
mans failing, if he works, keeps sober
and sleeps Ut h0Dle. LaWy ers ministers
and doctors live on the sins of the people
and OF course grow fat under reasonable
cXert!on, unless the competition is too
great. 1t requires real genius to fail in
either OF these walks Of life" Hon. Joseph
Medill, cXMayor of Chicago, answers,
''Llquor drinking, gambling, reckless
speculation, dishonesty, tricky conduct
cheating. idleness, Sinking hard work.
frivolous reading, lack of manhood in the
battle of life, failure to improve oppor-
tunities."
Among the causes of failure given by
my correspondents many may be clussi-
fed under the general fault of wavering
such as 'wavering purpose" ''non-stck-
totlveness,' "tailure to grasp and hold"
''scatterlng too much" "trying TO do too
many things, rather than sticking to the
one thing one knows most about" A
young man spends seven years in a
grocery store, and when he has lust
learned the business he concludes to 90
into dry goods. By failing to choose
that first, he has thrown away seven
years experience. Probably after learn
ing the dry goods business he will con
clude to become a watch maker, and so
at last become a jack all trades, good
at none. A prominent merchant says,
Nearly all failures in legitimate business
come from not serving an apprenticeship
to it," that is, from leaving a business
one knows for another which he does not
understand.
Another cause of failure is the dis
position to escape hard work and get
rich IN haste desiring the success
another man has without being willing
to work as that man does, and begin, as
he did, at the foot of the ladder. How
many who were in haste to be rich. to
reap without patient industry in sowing,
have learned the truth Of the old pro
verb, "The more haste, the worse speed !"
Great greediness to reap
Helps not the money heap.
Many others fail because they started
out with "a low and selfish idea of sue
cess" with false views of the great end
and aim Of life-as pleasure, show,
money leading manufacturer in
Philadelphia, who has lived 50 years in
that city, says, 81 never knew a man,
among all the business men whose lives
are failures, who gave his heart to God
IN his youth" THE Congregatonalst.