The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-05-17
ROUND THE WORLD TRAVEI
LETTER.
XX-Asia's Most Important Lesson
for the South.
III. II. -
(By Clarence Poe.)

pends upon the prosperity (and
therefore upon the efficiency of the
Average Man."
So l have argued for years. and in
season and out of season in The Pro-
gressive Farmer and in public ad-
dresses in five or six Southern States;
and the most impressive fact l have
discovered in all my travel through
tle Orient is the fundamental, world
wide importance of this too little ac-
cepted economic doctrine. 1t is the
biggest lesson the Old World has for
the New-the biggest and the most i'm
portant. VIII you follow me then.
Gentle Reader, a little more seriously
ana thoughtfully than usual, while
we consider together what l believe
to be the most notable message
shall carry back 70 my people at
home?
In part 1t is my old message-the
one with which you have perhaps
grown familiar III my speeches and
published articles. 1t is that YOU
prosper just in proportion TO the
prosperity of the masses of the peo-
pie with whom YOU deal. That if the
masses of the people are poor
and ignorant, every individual, every
interest, every industry, in the com
munity will feel and register
the pulling down power of
their backwardhess as inevitably
and as accurately as the
thermometer records the temperature
of the air:-the merchant will have
poorer trade, the doctor and lawyer
smaller fees, the railroad diminished
traffic, the bank smaller deposits. the
preacher and teacher smaller salaries.
and so ad infnitum. Every man
who through ignorance, lack of train
ing. or by reason Of any other hind
ering cause, is producing or earning
only half as much as he ought; his
inefficiency is making everybody else
in the community poorer In short.
your prosperity. no matter in what
business YOU engaged. depends
upon the prosperity of the average
man; the prosperity of the average
man depends upon his efficiency, his
efficiency depends upon intelligence
of a practical sort.
In this fashion l have written and
spoken heretofore. The Highest Eff
hciency for the Average Man: this
has been the keynote Of every address
in which | have sought to point out
the way to build up the South. But
what was before my powerful con-
victiOn has become intensified a hun
dred-fold by the ten thousand OBJ
ject lessons that have burned them
selves into my mind and memory
since | have been travelling in the
Orient.
We must expect, Of course. from
our axiom all who fat,cn upon the
ignorance Of others, those who make
merchandise Of other mems misfor-
tunes and "devour widows houses"
but to every man in any Wholesome,
helpful work it may be said: You
prosper just in proportion to the
prosperity of those with whom YOU
nave to do" In America, education.
democratic institutions, a proper or
of industry-these have
given the average man high degree
of efficiency and therefore q high de-
gree of prosperity as compared with
the lot of the average man in Asia or
Europe-a prosperity heightened and
enhanced. it is true, by the exploita-
ton of new continent, virgin re-
sources. but after all due mainly,
primarily, as we have said. to the
nigh degree of efficiency with which
the average man does his work.
And while there may be too much
hS" IN '"ur Cosmos" as Kiplngs
German said about the monkey. for
"S T." Iik" 10 admit it, the plain truth
IS that, no mater what our business
"" chiefly owe our prosperity not to
"Hr efforts lut to- the high standards
Intelligence, efficiency. and uros-
PoritH ON the part of the pcopIc ms a
whole. We live i'm better homes. cat
more wholesome food v,or Ittor