The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1903-12-18
Where Minutes Count.
by FRANKLIN MATTHEW'S.


of the greatest business buildings in the
world, so far rs money interests are con
ccrned, one day last month. a clerk
answered the call The head of the office
was informed that a fellow director in q
great corporation wished to speak with
him. The man who called was in Piiila
dclphia. Another director was in the
same New York building three floors be
low. Two other directors were in differ.
cnt buildings i'll Philadelphia. 1t was
necessary to hold a committee meeting
and none Of the directors could leave his
office. A leased telephone wire between
New York ard Philadelphia was put in
service. Quickly three men in philadcl.
phia and two in New York, each sitting
in his own office and each with tele-
phone receiver at his ear, held animport.
ant meeting Motions were made and
passed. and matter involving the ulti
mate disposal of millions of dollars had
been advanced on q serious stage in it,
career In the old way of holding such 4
meeting it would have cost the Philadel.
phia men or the New York men each al
least half day of time. A Chicago
business leader, who has branch houses
of his line of industry in every leading
city, walked down Fifth avenue from his
hotel toward Broadway the other morn
ing with friend. Apparently the Chicago
man had ample leisure, and was not
bothered in the least with business cares
He looked at his watch. The time was
1890 o clock. ITS just 9.3Oin Chicago,
he said to his friend. Come in here until
l read my mail and dictate the ans wcrs. It
The Chicago man dropped into one OF
his branch offices, called up his Secretary
il Chicago on a leased telephone wire
had every letter of Importance that re-
quired his personal attention read to him
dictated the answers and in twenty min.
utcs resumed his walk down town.
81 had to have that attended to before
Change opened" he said. 81 feel like
walking We can reach Wall Street in
half an hour or more. What do you
say"
The New Yorker agreed. On the way
down, while they were lodging an auto,
mobile, they were nearly run over by a
carriage containing two men. One of them
was foremost in financial affairs of a
certain kind. Hewas one who demanded
that his home life he not interrupted by
business carces. The moment he left his
house and stepped into his carriage his
business wIiirl began. The other man in
the carriage was private Secretary.
"Did you see who that was in that
carriage?" asked the New Yorker on
foot.
no" said the Chicago man. "Who
was he?''
why, that's Mr.. So-and-sC on his way
down town to his office He was too
busy to notice us. He had his Secretary
with him and he was debating importan!
letters and papers. Neither the Score
tary nor he looked up when the coach
man pulled up his horses. So-and-sc
went right on talking and the Secretary
went right on writing. That's how
know it was an important matter
That reminds me of the busiest plysi.
clan i'll Philadelphia when | lived there
ten years ago" said the Chicago man.
"IIe had every minute fthc day scheduled
beforehand for his work. He WAS es-
pccially strong in consultations. Every
patient who called to see him had the
time fixed in advance, with just so many
minutes set apart for looking him over.
The physician calculated to the second
just how 1ongit would take to get people
into his office and how long it would take
to get them out. He had his Secretary
calculate how long it would take his
carriage to reach a certain place, how
long lie would stay there, and the exact
minute hC would reach the next place,
and so on. He did his reading-for he
was always making addresses and writ.
ing papers, being a high official ofthe uni
vcrsitv therein his carriage. He dictated
his papers to his Secretary as he drove
from place to place, and he even went so far
rs to have his meals served sometimes in
his carraiage. He died comparatively
young; he burned out; he wasn't like us
because he never took any time for play,
never seemed to have any leisure, and
never did have any. That's where he
made his mistake. lie took advantage
of every labor. saving device in those
DAYS, but nc did it only to do all thS
more work Such plan is useless, unlcs:
it gives YOU time to play. to take a wall
rs if one had no work to do, Just as W.
are doing now"
Soon Wall Street was reached. III five
minutes the Chicago man was talking
again with his Secretary over the telc
phone. In a iitfy he learned how thu
market had opened, what quick change:
! in the business outlook had taken place
and he had sent word how to meet thcs'
changes so far as they affected his business
Half dozen times that day he did bust