Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-07-31
A NEW
RIP VAN WRINKLE
[Original.l

twenty years, the last forty. Waite
had gone to the mountains one summe
with party of young New York ban
clerks, had got separated from the ott
ers and had taken four decade nap.
Descending the mountain, he foote
1t to Catskill and was surprised t
come upon railway station. A trai
was pulling out, and he jumped ABOARD
The conductor on collecting his far
punched a printed slip and handed
to him.
whats this? asked Van Wrinkle.
Excess fare"
"What'll do with it?
The conductor passed on without re
ply, and a passenger explained tina
the slip was a check on the conducto
to guard against his stealing the far
collected. Van Wrinkle looked at hi
informant aghast.
"And the management makes spie
Of its conductors? And they submit
to such a system?"
Conductors and passengers are bot
the company's spies now"
a
'Is this want of trusting to individ
ual honor confined to railroads?"s
by no means. No one is trusted ex
cept the managers, and they are tryin,
to beat one another"
SIS there no standard Of honor?"
mo. Once merchant who failed
felt disgraced; now merchants fail IL
order to make money"
When Van Wrinkle reached New Yorl
he went to the banking house where hs
had been employed. 1t was now or
the ground floor of a thirty story sky
scraper. OF course he knew no one
there, or, rather, no one knew him
So he wrote note to the president
Richard Trimble, who had been a CLERK
with him forty years before and on the
camping trip at which he had disap.
peared. Van Wrinkle was shown into
the presidents private Office and re,
ceived with suspicion. Not daring It
give the Rip Van Wrinkle story, he said
he had gone to see the world. He
asked for position, and there being q
vacancy in department where large
sums were handled he was appointed.
The salary was $500 year.
Eight hundred a year for guarding
millions!' exclaimed Van Wrinkle.
"All that's changed, Walter We
don't need to rely on our employees
honesty now; we insure it."
ENSURE it?"
Yes. A company for a premium
takes the risk"
"And do you mean, friend Of my boy
hood. to insure me2"
'As president of the bank l can't
help doing so. It's rule made by the
directors"
Then IL come In here to work for
you / am at liberty to beat the bank II
canW
Certainly"
do you refrain from beating 1t be
cause OF your integrityy
sid be fool to beat it-illegally."
II see."
Sorry | can't do any better for you,
Walter. You should have stuck tc
business as have instead Of roaming
all over the world
Let me ask you one question, Dick"
GO ahead"
Are you an honest manT
Trimble put his lips to Van Wrinkles
ear and whispered: "Only in small
things, not In big ones; no petty lar.
ceny for me. This is between me and a
friend of my boyhood."
Its taken you years to learn to be
dishonest. I've learned 1t in one day.
see it's become the fashion"
"You might as well wear plug hat
made of beaver as to be honest-that
Is, what eve used to call honest"
Il see. When shall go to work.
Tomorrow, II you like"
When Van Wrinkle appeared at the
bank the next day he found a photo
grapher there. President Trimble came
out of his private Office and said:
You'll have to be photographed,
Walter"
"What for?"
''Oh, the rule is to have a photograph
OF all our employees. They're easier
caught II they light out with the funds
of the bank"
A sort Of rogues' galleryT
cts for those who become rogues.
Most concerns get their clerks together
occasionally and photograph them In
groups. Makes the boys feel their i'm
portance, and the concern has the gal
lery. But we don't stoop to that. We
take a picture Of every employee be-
fore he begins work"
lis there any more Of this sort of
thing to Learnt"
Eyes; one, You'll have two weeks
vacation during the year-two vaca-
tons Of one week each at six months
interval"
81 don't want any vacation. I lost
forty years by my last vacation"
But you must take your vacation"
"Why soT'
THAT we may have an opportunity
TO examine your accounts"
Poor dog Trusts dead IndeedP' re-
marked Van Wrinkle, with a sickly
smile.