McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1885-01-01
WHY BUSINESS MEN FAIL.
The Reasons an Given by Leading
Men of Orr Country.
[Cor. United States Econoinist.I

Let me give your readers the benefit
of tie replies have received from lead
ing men Of our country to the question,
" hat. in your observation, have been
the chief causes of the numerous failures
in life of business and professional
menu
Governor st. John answers: ''Idleness,
intemperance." Alexander II. Stephens
answers: Want Of punctua!ity, honesty,
and truth Hon. Darwin Il. James
answers: Incorrect views of the great
end and aim of life. Men are
not contented to lives OF integrity
and uprightness. 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 perseverance. President
Eilot, Of Harvard, replies: stupidity,
a mess, rashness, and dishonesty"
Dr. Il. N. Dexter, of The Congregation
alst, answers: 81. Want OF thorough
ness Of preparation. 2. Want Of fixed
ness of purpose. 3. Want of faith in
lie inevitable triumph Of right and
truth.
Anthony Comstocks answers are:
''Unholy living and dishonest practices,
lust and intemperance, living beyond
ones means" Mr.. H. E. Simmons, of
the American Tract society, replies:
Fast living mental, spiritual and bod
lily; lack OF attention to the details OF
bus ness. Gen. 0 Howard answers in
substance: Breaking the divine laws
IF l,n l,x, IF l,n nd
by overwork and idleness, and those of
the heart by making an idol of self. F"
Professor Homer B. Sprague, of Boston,
answers: 81. III health. 2. Mistakes
in the choice of employment. 3. Lack
OF persistent and protracted effort. 4.
A low ideal, making success to consist
N personal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, rather than
in the training and deyelopement of
true and noble character.
DR.. Lyman Abbott answers: '"The
combined spirit of laZiness and self-con
ceit that makes man unwilling to do
anything unless he can choose just what
he will do" Mr.. A. W. Tenney, of
Brooklyn, replies: Outside of in
temperance, failure to grasp hold, scat
rering too much, want of integrity and
promptne5s, unwillingness to achieve
success by earning it il the old fashioned
way." The attorney general Of Il neigh
boring state replies: Giving beyond in
come, and specializing with borrowed
funds; unwillingness 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
ltarned" And another reason in the
same line: Desiring the success that
| another has, without being willing to
| work as that man does. Civ " money
M king first place and right-doing a
second place. "
,uuge Tourgee; author Of "a Fools
Errand," considers the frequent cause
Of business collapse to be: Trying to
AIRY too big load" AS to others,
| lie says; Il don't know about a profcs
sional mans failing, if he works, keeps
| soLer, and sleep at home. Lawyers,
ministers, and doctors live on the sins
of the people, and Of course, grow fat
under reasonable eXertion, unless the
| competition is too great. It requires
real genius to fail in either Of these
walks of life." Hon. Joseph Medill, ex-
mayor of Chicago, answers: Liquor
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 opportunities. "
Among the causes Of failure given by
my correspondents many may be CLASH
fed under the general fault OF wayering,
sucir as 'wavering purpose, "non-stick.
| to-it ness, failure to grasp and hold,
scattering too much, p" trying to do too
M ny things, rather than stick TO the
che thing one knows most about" a
young mn spends seven years in a gro
Gerry s5ora, and when he has just learned
the business he concludes to go into dry
| goods. BY failing to choose that first
lie has thrown away seven years expert
ence Prof ably, after learning the dry
goods business. he will conclude to be-
come matchmaker, and at last become
a ',5ack at ;:ll-trades," good ct none.
A from nent merchant says
Nearly all failures in legitimate bust
ne come from not serving an apprcn-
ticeship to it, that is, from leaving
bus ness one knows for another which he
does not understand.
Another cause of failure is the dispo-
sition to escape haSd 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 ct rich, to reap
". bout patient industry in sowing, have
| lelined the truth of the cid proverb.
''The more haste, the verse speed"
The Art of Short Stories.
london Saturday Review.]