Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-02-28

means. Business needs more than
muscle, money and mind to carry it
on, 1t needs morals also. Remove
moral responsibility from our business
conditions and they would crumble
like a house of cards. 1t
would be like building a brick wall
without cement of any kind. The
first gust Of wind would oyerturn 1t.
Applied to Banking.
Illustrate this by applying the prin-
ciple to banking. How would 1t help
the banking bushes of our city to
have 1t known that every employe IN
the institution from president and
cashier down to typewriter and errand
boy was a confirmed gambler. Would
you feel like entrusting your funds to
such keeping. Not bit Of 1t. You
would rather hide your money IN
bed tick or tuck it away In the toe OF q
stocking that to expose 1t to such
peril.
This same is true in a lesser degree
in every business. The most lawie sss
business OF the community must nave
in measure the protection of law.
Does it add to the confidence OF the
merchant to know that his confidential
clerk is gambling? But what right
has the merchant who votes Tor a
wide open policy to complain II ms
clerks take him at his word ana pat
ronize the places he endorses, and 40
it with his money when their own
gives out Must not those places
have money to run? 1t is not difficult
tc see where this thing leads.
am not (merely) theorizing In THIS
matter. How many cases have come
to public notice touching this very
thing in recent years How many more
have not been known outside the
confidential secrets of the house. II
someone would call the roll and en-
quire where is this confidential book
keeper, that bank clerk, the other
promising business employee, me
answer might be in Fort Madison, out
west, dear knows where, or 1t may De
a tramp or nearly so on our CITY
! streets. I tell you it is an awful prin-
ciple for business to soberlv indorse II
| is nothing less than suicidal, and we are
glad to find many business men are
waking up to the fact and getting their
visions clarified in the matter
Again 1t ought to be some concern
of a city to pay a little regard to it's
! manhood. know that may sound like
| the sentimental side of the case, but
let us understand that business must
depend upon sentiment. l would be
sorry to think that every clerk and
every employe OF every sort was only
a wooden man, only piece OF ma.
| chinery paid to do certain amount or
work and If that stunt" is done the
transaction ends there.
Manhood Counted for Something.
1t was not that view of their duties
that lifted Marshall Field and John
| HYar nj
princes might mention to their peer.
less place of power in the world OF
business. Manhood was supposed to
count for something. Can we do bust
ness with a low condition of manhood
such as must be the sort when all
moral principle is subtracted from it?
Yet it is the universal testimony that
when young men get going this down.
| ward course they are not much good
for business or for anything else.
have talked with business men who
were almost distracted about this fea-
ture. They see their clerks going
/ wrong. They detect them stealing
They observe them stunning their
duty by the hour while they are sit
ting at the gambling table. They are
annoyed by the debauch that follows
these things wherein their men in
i stead of reporting for duty are off on
drunk following a gambling diversion
or some other debauch. What car
they do? or course they can disre-
gard the claims OF their families. shut
out all sympathy and dismiss them or
! the spot. But If they do who will the!
1; put in their places? The next man is
liable to do the very same thing, anf
so business is in a perpetual Turmoil
But, even if they themselves were
; not directly affected by it, car
any right thts7hing business man vote
!, to put that sort of temptation in the
way of the young man who is IN
! measure under his moral supervision
What are the Chances?
}, What are the chances of a youns
!, man coming to this city fresh from the
!. farm or the country town where these
things are unknown? I have watched
this thing with heavy heart as I hav'
; seen the constant Decentralization o.
promising young men who have come
(, gious ideals, but who have beef
caught in this awful maelstrom o
, vice that is sucking so fearly down
wards, and l have been compelled t.
see one after another go down in tn,
struggle
i, But If the sons of your neighbor
do not have any claim upon you Wha
about your own sons. Is THIS SOrI o
/: thing wholesome for the youth il
the high school soon to enter the aren'
: of business? Talk about business
} What is your business? Is it to heal
, up few more dollars for your son
! / want to say that the best investmen
, you can make is not in dollars but il
manhood.
, In the fearful competitions Of mod
ern business life few thousands d
2 not count for anything by the side o
: capacity, manhood, ability, reliability
f Surely we have had object lesson
enough in our own city touching thi
: very matter. If it were not for bein
= personal l would call your attentio
to the promising scions of eminen
S Ottumwa families who started on
5 with everything that wealth, good will
s social standing good name in the cit
4 could afford them, and yet are toda
+ miserable failures, moral and financis
:, wrecks.
!, Others who have not reached tn
u bottom are headed that way. and onl
J need time for the completion of tn
Polapd o,l