The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-11
BEING MY OWN
 BOSS" IS NOT EASY. Some Wise Contentious 0
 Uncle Bill ALL ARE DEPENDENT Says HIs Nephew Is Suffering From Great DeIusion-Declares That Every Man Must Take Orders
 From Somebody.
ALL ARE DEPENDEN I
grom the Boston Herald.

From the Boston Herald.
 ''My impatient nephew" said Uncle Bill, says that what he wants is to be his own boss; he's tired of working for other people He's tired of hearing the boss where he works say to him: Here, Jim, do this or do that or hurry up now,' or get move on,' or what's the matter with youY Don't go to sleep!
 Tt makes him tired, Jim says, to be bossed around, and he wants to be his own boss.
 Poor Jiml He doesn't know that mo- body ever Is his own boss in the sense that he means, so that he can't be ordered around. Never was greater delusion. Lots of people think that if they can get one step up or get business of their own, why then they'd be free, be their own boss; but goodness gracious. no man in the world ever gets so high up but what he still has a boss-somebody some thing over him.
 "Why, the earth itself that we live on tell Jim, has boss in the rest of the universe. Suppose the earth should some day get tired of being bossed around, the way Jim does, and say to itself:
 '' Pm sick of this turning around every " the same great circle besides year after year. Pm sick of having to do this same old grind day after day and year after year, being bossed around like this, and I'm going to be my own boss
 Suppose some day the impatient earth should try this, should try setting up on it's own account; why, In about one min ute and three-quarters the whole busi- ness would be going to goldinged ever lasting eternal smash, with us along with it. The fact is that there isn't anything or anybody but what has something or somebody over it or him. We can't, any of us, be our own boss in the sense that Jim is thinking of; that Is free to do what we like.
 You take, for instance Jin's boss. Jim seems to have an idea that his boss can do what he's a mind to; that he's the head of the whole outfit and free to do as he pleases; but heavens and earthl If Jim's boss has got the gumption l give him credit for he's got a hundred bosses. a boss in every customer that comes into the store. If Jims boss has the brains and common sense that he appears to have he treats every one of these cus- toners politely and squarely, puts up with the peculiarities of every one of them, whether he likes him or not serves every one of these hundred bosses to the very best of his ability just as Jim ought to serve his one boss.
 s'But his customers are not the only bosses Jims boss has by a long shot. Suppose Jims boss. like many another man, is doing business on insufficient cap ital. Then he has to borrow money to carry on his business: and every man that lends him is sure enough his boss, and he maybe a hard one.
 Suppose trade is dull and Jirns boss has to get out and hustle for business. Why, every man he meets is his boss, after fashion, and many of these bosses turn JinLs boss down in way that wouldn' tSpease Jim bit.
 ''Jim's boss may even find it hard some times to get together the money to pay his help Jim included on Saturday night. Humphl Jim wants to be his own bossi He thinks if he was he'd find life pleas anter. He doesn't know.
 ''The fact Is that no nan in the world Is ever his own boss completely; and it's a good thing for many of us that we can't be. Some of us, if i've could, would be idlers. loafers. tramps, shunting off all responsibility, doing as we pleased. Such may be restrained by the necessity of providing for others; we can't idle or loaf; but I Il Jim that you take the run of peopi , the great majority who work and VI 0 never think of doing any thing but V ork, and there is not one of them but as somebody over him, or a boss in the shape of the restraints of laws and customs.
 "No man can do as he pleases, no man can get so high but what he has some- thing or somebody over him. Stop and think of any man you know; there's some body over him, or he has to conform to some restraining power. This is so all the way up, clean to the top.
 "I suppose Jim would think that the President of the United States Is his own boss because he is the highest man in the land. But, good heavens, he has S0, 000OO0 bosses scattered all over the coun- try to say nothing about the few thou sands or few hundreds or few score who are near enough to him so that they can make him hear, and who are con tinualy hollering at him to do this or that or the othJ..
 "No; no man can ever be his own boss in the way that Jim is thinking about free to do as he pleases. One thing man can do, if he has got the stuff in him--he can by the exercise of self-con- trol boss himself; and the man who can do this is a big man; but l do suppose