Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-05-23
A NEW
RIP VAN WRINKLE

[Original.l
One morning Walter Van Wrinkle. a
lineal descendant of the great Rip,
awoke in the Catskills. The only diff
ference between the first and the last
Van Wrinkle was that the first slept
twenty years, the last forty. Walter
had gone to the mountains one summer
with u party of young New York bank
clerks, had got separated from the 9th
ers and had taken a four decade nap.
Descending the mountain, he footed
it to Catskill and was surprised to
come upon a railway station. A train
was pulling out, and he jumped aboard.
The conductor on collecting his fare
punched a printed slip and handed it
to him.
whats this" asked Van Wrinkle.
Excess fare"
"What'll l do with it?"
The conductor passed on without re-
ply, and a passenger explained that
the slip was a check on the conductor
to guard against his stealing the fare
collected. Van Wrinkle looked at his
informant aghast.
and the management makes spies
Of It's conductors? And they submit
to such a system?"
Conductors and passengers are both
the company's spies now"
Van Wrinkle gave q low whistle.
els this want of trusting to individ-
ual honor confined to railroads?"
"By no means. No one Is trusted ex-
cept the managers, and they are trying
to beat one another"
"Is there no standard of honor?"
"No. Once a merchant who failed
felt disgraced; nov merchants fail in
order to make money"
When Van Wrinkle reached New York
he went to the banking house where he
had been employed. 1t was now Oh
b ground floor of a thirty story sky
scraper. OF course he knew no n
there, or, rather, no n knew him.
So he wrote a note to the president,
Richard Trimble, who had been a clerk
with him forty years before and on the
peared. Van Wrinkle was shown into
the presidents private Office and re-
ceived with suspicion. Not daring t"
give the Rip Van Wrinkle story, he said
he had gone to see the world. He
asked for a position, and there being a
vacancy in a department where large
sums were handled he was appointed.
The salary was $500 a year.
"Night 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,"
eyes. A company for a premium
takes the risk"
"And do you mean, friend of my boy
hood, to insure me?"
"As president of the bank 1 can't
help doing so. It's a rule made by the
directors"
Then If l come in here to work for
you l am at liberty to beat the bank If
I canw
Certainly"
"Do you refrain from beating it be-
cause Of your integrity%
"I'd be a fool to beat i~t-illegally."
II see."
"Sorry l can't do any better for you,
Walter. You should have stuck to
business as l have instead of roaming
all over the world"
"Let me ask you one question. Dick"
eco ahead"
Are you an honest man."
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."
cts taken you years to learn to be
dishonest. I've learned it in one day. l
see it's become the fashion"
"You might as well wear a plug hat
made Of beaver as to be- honest-that
Is, what we used to call honest"
~ see. When shall I go to work"
Tomorrow, if 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 if they light out with the funds
Of the bank"
"a sort OF rogues' gallery?"
sits 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 gall
lery. But we don't stoop to that. We
take a picture Of every employee be-
fore he begins work." -.
els there any more of this sort Of
thing to learn"
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. L lost
forty years by my last vacation"
"But you must take your vacation"