The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-06-28
SAGE RAYS VACATIONS
Financier Opposes Them and
Discusses Systems Injustice.
SEES NOTHING LEGITIMATE IN IT

ed Business Methods-If There Is
Any Obligation, He Claims, 1t Is ON
Clerks Part = Believes, Change Of
Work Best RecuperatiOn.
During the Lightweight years of my
career l have not once taken a vaca-
ton, says Russell Sage in the indie
pendent.
A young man said to me the other
day, "Mr. Sage, would you not have
taken a vacation if you had worked
for some II else"
l replied that l would not.
I have never been an advocate of
When l was a boy the practice was not
in vogue. AS a matter Of fact, l was
SO glad to get a chance to learn bust
ness that the idea of asking my en-
ployer to make me a present of two
weeks of the time that belonged to him
because he had paid for it would nave
been preposterous. Besides, l was
eager to advance in business and
could not see how l could do this by
wasting valuable time.
Neither did any OF my youthful asso-
GATES take vacations, and | am sure
you will agree with me that the fact
did not retard their progress when
say that among them were Thurlow
Weed, the king maker; Horace Greeley,
Governor Seward and George Jones,
the founder Of the New York Times.
These men We're constantly at work,
and they were history makers.
l think the vacation habit" is the
outgrowth of abnormal or distorted
business methods. l fail to see any
thing legitimate in it.
Let us assume that an employer and
his clerk make an agreement to eX-
change just remuneration for reasona-
BILE services, and each n keeps his
part of the agreement. Are they not
then quits? If there is any obligation,
l think it is on the part of the clerk,
who avails of the credit, skill and Or
g%anization of the employer to learn a
business and advance himself along a
path which has already been prepared
for him. What right has he, then, to
demand or expect pay for two weeks
time for which he renders no equiva-
lent, not considering the serious in
convenience to which he often puts his
employer?
Suppose we were to reverse the con-
ventional order of things and instead
of the clerk demanding two weeks pay
gratis the employer should demand
two weeks work without pay as a con-
dition of retaining the clerk In his en-
ploy. What a tremendous howl would
go up!
1t may be urged that the clerk by
his vacation gains in health and vigor
and is thus enabled to render better
service to his employer. If this claim
were true, he would be justified in ask
ing for a vacation. In fact. he would
not have to do so, as his employer
would for his own gain and of his OWL
accord send him away thus to recu'
perate.
But is it not absurd to suppose thai
a man who car work for eleven and
half months cannot as we'll work the
whole year? Is it not equally absurd
to suppose that a man can in two
weeks recuperate from the wear ant
tear of a years work, if there be sucl
wear and tear? On the contrary,
have too often observed that men will
while on their vacations make inroad'
upon their vitality and purses that can
not be repaired in the following clever
months and two weeks.
Then, again, the loss of time, the dis
organization of business, that result
from the absence of a valuable maj
from his desk are difficult to repair
A man sometimes must spend week
catching up with work that has &C
cumulated while he was away for
fortnight.
If a man will only take an interest Il
his work, love it, he will not need any
thing else to recuperate him, and me-
who learn to love their work invariabl
succeed.
A man should work 'easy," be ece
nomical Of his time, conserve his force
and not worry. It's worry and nc
work that makes the hair gray.
The doctors may recommend a chang
of air for a man when he's sick, bu
why be sick? Sickness is an irrept
rable loss of time. If I had a thousan
tongues I'd preach Save time" wit
them all. It's infinitely more valuabI
than money.
We read of Gladstone, who got a
the re%cuperation he needed by simpl
changing his work. He didn't gu
work and go idling about. Time We
the most precious thing in the worl
for him, and by %availing of every mi
ute of it he practically did the VOL
of an army of men.
Roman Alphabet In Japan's SchOo
An important step in the progress
Japan is apparently about to be take
in the compulsory teaching OF the Il
man alphabet as well as a Romantic