Norwich bulletin., 1910-09-03
Everything Should Be Done the Right Way

written Specially for The Bulletin.)
One of the practical questions of
practical life which meets a man from
eleven 70 1eventy-leven times day is
ssxhether he shall DO his work the
easiest way or the best way. Its very
seldom that the same way is both
easiest and best at the same time.
Usually the thing can be done with
kick and a lick so that il will pass
muster for the time. Usually, on the
other hand II takes long. hard. Cruel
lnz work 70 do il right so that it will
stay done. For keeps" you Know.
No matter what your avocation, no
matter what the particular job in
hand. YOU have TO decide at the outset
which way you are going to do it.
Ensiest or best?
IL Isn't necessary that you should sit
down TO course OF deliberate and for
nal reasoning with yourself. Few Of
as do that In any Of our individual
affairs. E-lt you've got to make the
decision just the same. The chances
are that you've got yourself, by a long
life Of addiction to one or the other
way. 90 habituated to doing things in
that way that You just go right along
without any distinct knowledge that
you've made z choice. Nevertheless
you've made one; you make one every
time you take up naw task: you can't
help IL. and you've assumed the re-
Sponsibility for results which goes
with your freedom OF choice. Do you
ever stop 70 think OF that? OF your
burden Of responsibility?
They talk too much Of the delight in
being on5's own master; Of the luxury
OF freedom. ! think more of the bur
den or It. and the risks of it, and the
awe-breeding responsibilities Of it,
When I'm working for another man,
with his tools. on his land. under his
directions. and doing his work as he
says the outcome IN no way concerns
me That's his AFFAIR: mine is simply
20 obey orders. But when I am EN-
1oying" the liberty Of my own farm. all
the outcon1es thereof promptly become
OF very real Importance to me. and 1
must take on my shoulders the burden
II responsibility, and the risks of fail
ure. and the dread of loss. No. thank
YOU. freedom is a fine thing, a glorious
thing-for those who are fitted for it
and who find in the fierce joy OF bat
lie their ideal OF happiness. But il
doesn't impress me as a luxury" and
don't think it ought TO be talked
about as such.
Take this very matter ! began writ
ing s5out-thIs repeated daily question
OF choice between the right way and |
rhe easy way. We who are free TO |
choose-who do not follow the direc- |
must make that choice every time we |
turn our hands 10 a new work. and we |
cannot escape single one Of the con- |
peauences. no matter how hurriedly or |
pvcn urconsciously we may choose. |
Worse than that We must take our full !
share Of responsibility for the effects
our choice may have on others and on
TIRE world.
Don't misunderstanding me as trying to
pinirrize the beauty Of freedom. I /
Eersly want 70 make it clear that free
BON Itself IS never wholly free. It has
Z. bon ndsries one NAV not over leap.
md its No-Thoroushfsres through
which one NAV not pass The slave
rrafes IN the shackles Of servitude; the
worthy freeman IS no less firmly bound
hy the commands Of duty and honor
True. he is no longer driven under the
whip, but he is constra med forever by
he lash OF memorable natural law,
rom which neither rocks nor caverns
tzr hide him He can't get away from
himself nor from the results Of his
Tree action. What this world needs is
lcsS high-fslutin glorifcation Of free
Eonl. and more soiemnlv impressive
teaching Of its duties and burdens.
With every new lob we BEGIN we ex-
sreise our freedom Of choice as to
whether we shall do it easiest or best.
Feerns 10 me that the deplora BILE ten
tsncy OF the time in almost all direc-
lions. Is to seek out the easy way
rather than the right way Last June,
when my patch OF field beans called
for its last cultivation, I set my man
Hank az IL with Instructions to clean
" Up. thoroughly. no matter how slow
Il goes" He did so, for over half the
patch. Then q sudden demand from
another direction compelled me TO
countermand my orders. Hurry the
rest 81 II up" told him; "cut out the
big weeds and Just cover the quack
and small stun with your hoe" Well
we've just pulled those beans The
half he did right we're clean of weeds.
thrifty. full pOdded. evenly ripe-a
good crop: the half he scrimped labor
on were weedy as sin, often not half
grown, many immature and green. +
had my choice and made it: now I'm
taking the consequences. II makes no
difference that my choice was sim pIy
ono between two evils; that ! must
neglect one thing or another. and that
J chose 70 neglect the one Of seeming
" less Importance. That question
which thing really was OF less import
arce was another choice must make
and take responsibility for.
OF course, in this case. where only
few beans were involved. the choice
Des not one or very great Importance
but IL serves as an Illustration. Every
- and all day we're confronted with
- Necessity for making choice be-
-ween the easy way and the right way.
and the aggregate OF our decisions be-
comes something of very real import
s1ce- II We are ia the ha bit of turn
Ing, regularly. towards the easy way.
"a isn't going 10 be a great while before
we're going 70 lose our backbones and
degenerate into invertebrate slumpi-
ness.
The world is chuck full of people,
both men and women. who have been
o-ovEht ID doing the easy thing rather
than the right thing. and who are. in I
consequence. utterly unable to meet
difficulty or endure hardship. They
can't d. this and they can't do that; ;
AZ = Fountains 4 Elsewhere
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"h0RI