Fergus County argus., 1886-10-07
why BUSINESS MEN FAIL.
The Reasons Given BY Leading BUSINESS "e'
Of the Country.

LET me give Your readers the beiiehl
- tho ,enli.. I have received from
leading men of our country 10 tif
Question. What. in your oh~erNa-
tious have been the chief causes oi
the number of failures of business and
Professional men? -,
Governor It. John answers: Idle
ness, intemperance." Alexander H. /
S,ephens answers: Want of punctu- !
alirv. honesty and truth. Hon. Oar !
win X. James answers: incorrect
views OF the great end and aim oi liie
Men are not contented To hve- oil m
teyrity and uprightness. They want
to get ahead too fast. and are ied
INTO tcmptation." President Bart
lett. of Dartmouth college. names
as causes of failure: Lack OF prln-
ciple, of fixed purpose. oi perseNere-
ancc." President Elliot. of Harvard.
REPLIES: stupidity, laziness. rash
ness, and dishonesty" DIR. IL. NJ.
NJ. Dexter. of the Congregationalist,
answers: Il. Want OF tborotighness
OF preparation. 2 Want OF tixe'ine,-
of purpose. 3. Want of faith in the
inevitable triumph of right and truth
ANTHONY Comstock's answers are:
"unholy living and dishonest practi-
ces. lust and imtemperance. living he
yond ones means" Mr.. II. T.. sim
mons. OF the American Tract society.
replies: Fast living. mental. spirit
ual and bodily; lack Of attention to
the details of business" Gen. -. %.
Howard answers IL substance:
breaking the divine laws OF the body
by vice. those of the mind by over
work and ilieness, and those of the
heart by makingan ilOlof sell. Pro
lessor Homer Il. Sprague, of Boston.
answers. II. III health. 2. Mistakes
in the choice oi employment. 3. Lack
of persistent and protracted effort.
I. 4 low ideal. making success to con
sist in personal aggrandlzement, rather
than in the training and development
of "A true and noble character.
DR.. Dyman Abbott answers: The
combined spirit OF laziness and sell
conceit that makes man unwilling
to do ANYTHING unless he can choose
inst what he will do" Mr.. A. W.
Tenny, of Brooklyn, replies ''Out side
of intemperance, failure to grasp hold,
scattering too much. want of integrity
and promptness. unwillingncss to
achieve success by earning it in the
old-fashioned way" The attorney
general of neighboring state replies
"I.iving beyond income. and specula-
ting with borrowed funds; unwilling
ness TO begin at the foot of the ladder
and work up. Young men want to bt
masters at the start, and assume to
know before they have learned And
another reason in the same line: de
string the success that another has
without being willing tn work as that
man does. "a;iving money-making 4
first place and risht-doins II secon,
place" ..
judge Tourgee, author of "A Fool,
Errand," considers the frequent caus'
of business collapse to be: "Tryin
to carry too big a load" AS to 9th
ers, lac says: IL don't know about ;
professional mans failing, if he works
keeps sober. and sleeps at home
Lawyers, ministers, and doctors liv
on the sins of the people, and OF cours
grow fat under reasonable exertioi
unless competition is too great. !
requires real genius to fail in either q
these walks of life" Hon JOsep
Medill. ex mayor of Chicago, answers
Liquor drinking, gambling, reckles
speculation, dishonesty, tricky cor
duct, cheating idleness, shirking har
work. frivolous reading, lack OF mar
hood in the battle OF life, failure L
improve opportunities
Among the causes OF failure given b
my correspondents many may h
classified under the general fault {
wavering such as ''wavering purpose.
"non-stick- -to-it-ness, '.iailure {
grasp and hold" scattering to
MUCH" irving to do too MANY thing,
rather than stick to the one thing on
knows most about" A young ma
spends seven years i'm grocery stor'
and when he has just learned the bus
ness he concludes to go into dry gOOd'
by failing to choose that first he ha
thrown away seven years experience
Probably, after learning the dry good
business, he will conclude to become
matchmaker, and at last become
'.jack-at- at-all-trades," good ut nom
4 prominent merchant says: "Nearl
all failures in legitimate business con
from not serving an apprenticeship I
it," that Is, from leaving u busines
one knows for another which he do,
not understand.
Another cause of failure is the di
position to escape hard work, and q
rich i'm haste-"desiring the success nj
other man has, without being williI
10 work rs that man does, and beg
as he did, at the foot of the ladder
How many who were in haste to z
rich, to reap without patient ind,lsti
in sowing, have learned the truth
the old prOverb: The more hast
the worse speed.