The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1904-11-17
TIME TO BE DEvOT-
EDTO BUSINESS,

This 10 hard question because the
time the average man feels he must give
differs With different men, even 40 their
capacity for organizing and erseusing
difers. Here 10 one man buried beneath
a mass Of details. He thinks every little
petty item Of his business must come be-
fore him constantly. He Insists upon
spending his precious and valuable time
in doing the work that ought to be dele |
gated 10 a fifteen dollar week clerk. and
hence the days are not long enough, and
there are not enough Of them in the -ssk
to enable him to wade through the msss
Of petty, nerve-vesring details, that bsset
him ON every side. He sgmPaihiEes With
himself for being so hard rOrked, aud
cannot understand Why HE competitor up
the street seems to have 50 much tine to
take recreation, go on vacations, spend
the evenings with bis family. and enjoy
himself generally, while he himself 10 AZ
he often saws With groan. "a perfect
slave 10 business" Another thing he
cannot seem TO understand either 10, that
| in spite Of the fact that his composition
. does not seem to work nesr ns hard a. he
D. does. the competitor is forging ahead Al a
greater rate and doing a larger business
q every year than our friend who il work
ing 90 hard" IL takes some men long
! time TO learn the lesson that their husi-
4 meas can never succeed In magnitude their
p; own capacity for details 40 long ~ they
. insist in having them all pass through
4 their hands. Had Marshall Field insisted
on this years ago he would 10 day bc a
= country merchant, not a merchant prince.
= One man car ONLY do one msus work
aud when be reaches his limitations. ss
} hs il apt to vcrv soon because Of the de-
mauds Of a growing business, Why then
the business must stop growing, or h'
must come 10 a realizing tact that u h'
wants Il TO expand. be must Organize an'
execute, not try TO attend 10 every PETE.
. detail himself.
?. Marshall Field has In bis employ thous
ands OF men aud women. many Of Shou
would not even know him were they {
meet him on the areet or in the store
Let us say bis employees number 5000
that means 5000 details for him TO man
10 are "a addition 10 the thousand other lie
III taiis ia connection With = business run
- ming into millions annually. Well, doe
he manage them himself, Not a Bit OF !
e. He does not kuow anything about thea
be snd does not ~ant 10 ka0v.
luUsr aNNN fmlAuNtt afc cINNNrhANt
him hy about hfiy department msusger
and al the details Of these department
tor are II the hands Of these fifty men vii
&C., no~cr 60 act. ltis results, not detail
IA which interest Mr.. Field. Who il hire
Who is discharged, What salaries are pal
how, when aud where, goods bought ~
tee al what prices, these are matters each d
Ike partment manager must settle Tor himse
red Thesessare the things he IL paid for, the
things concern him much more than th
do HE employer. But at the end Of q
ing wear When the balance sheets are read
am then Mr.. Field is very much concerned
nv see whether ali the departments are pa
"a ing the profit they should on the basic
the smount invested in them aud th'
Any total expense account for the year, Yea
int ago We knew a hookkeeper Eho prid
two himself on the TACT that ID required tos
80. teen books to keep the accounts Of
arm he worked for, another position y
cor. so responsible he had TO uork nigl
a to to keep up. IL surprised him some~l
The When his successor reduced the numi
- 20 two, aud in spite Of an immense
crease Ia business, never seemed 20
le OF working hard. The difference vas
eriy same old thing, one man was loaded "
over details that choked him, the other q
the power TO 80 plan aud organize
NY werk that the natter OF detail never see
. my ed 20 annoy him.
the SO how much time q mau should give
N.s his business depends ON the mau, not
ming business.-loNA Trade journal.