The sun., 1909-11-17
The Secret OF Success.

Who in a whole nation of Industrious
citizens is so busy, so absorbed in
activities varied beyond description
as the Hon. HERBERT PARSONS? The
sun never sets, the night never restfully
descends upon the field Of his activities.
Between the things he desires to do and
the things that inexorable circumstances
compel him to do his labor is endless,
ceaseless. interminable.
There is a certain rhythmic swing to
this epic of labor OF the Hon. HERBERT.
however. Order breaks through chaos,
and system triumphs over confusion.
Thus on MONDAYS, Wednesdays and FRI
days Mr.. PARSONS occupies himself with
inspired attacks upon the Republican
party. the Republican party in Congress
and its base betrayals; the Republican
party in the State, with it's mephitic
Tammanv bargains, the Republican
party in the city, with it's ineffable base
ness, its indescribable turpitude, its in
defensible repugnauce for Republican
ticket framed by the Hon. HRRBFRT~
On Tuesdays. Thursdays and Satur-
days Mr.. PARSONS is even buster. These
are the days that are occupied. filed.
crowded with defences. irritating de-
mails, provoking explanations. time
wasting Qualifications. required from
him by the various circumstances OF his
own public career. The spotless area
OF his own silver white ar,nor strangely
acquires in public estimation certain
tn In tk<.
great hero who would lead in attack,
shine in the forefront of battle, grow
glorious in the history of assault, must
sit at home and issIle statements. This
is unfortunate. il is even outrageous:
but Mr.. PARSONS "a we'll as his fellow
citizens. recognizes the necessity, the
imperative necessity for such labors.
This brings us to Sunday. No day
of slothfulness, OF degraded self-indul-
gence is here for the Hon. HERBERT
PARSONS. On this day all that is left
TO him-he must improve the nation.
build up the Republic, raise public life
to the high level in which he moves
on Mondays, Wednesdays and FRIDAYS.
From the wealth Of Sundays we choose
one, the last. On that day Mr. PARSONS
formulated method Of procedure which
he communicated to our neighbor the
Times, a method of choosing cadets for
West Point. II is an admirably extended
method. We quote the following:
Before sppea ring for the examination each boy
must MI out a long application blank. which
covers everything about his bringing up and
tastes. No one who has ever that blank has
ever been able to suggest an additional question"
The same method, we may interject,
has contributed enormously TO the sue
cess Of the Hon. HERBERT in the selec-
ton of custom house employees. Some
OF the questions, even, are identical.
Thus in the matter of tastes. DO YOU
like sugar." ia answered with such an
enthusiastic appreciation by all appli-
cants. But the method Ia too extended,
too wide, to permit detailed examina-
ton. We pass to the conclusion withdue
apologies for haste:
Other ConEressmen, by less psinstakIng
methods. have secured candidates who have
ranked high al the academies. In the long run,
however my prac ical application Of the merit
system will mean higher percentage OF Generals
and Admirals from the Thirteenth Congressional
district Of New York than from any other dis.
irict with a method less thorough"
Generals and Admirals-of course
they are good things in their way, orna-
mental and even occasionally useful,
though hardly to those who appoint
them. But the method. Apply it to
the more important branch OF human
activity, the public service, and it gives
us that admirable custom house force,
the weighers and the examiners, the
public servants who have made New
York famous and added new lustre TO
the undying illumination shed by the
last Administration, a bracket lamp in
which was the Hon. HERBERT PARSONS.
We trust all the other well meaning but
uninspired Congressman of whom Mr..
PARSONS speaks 70 touchingly will read
with profit. Parental instruction per-
haps they have lacked, but the secret of