The Washington herald., 1912-08-11
fa.lN


and odds and ends are plentifully
present. although this desk Is daily used
and its ownss Ets long hours before It.
? Have you seen such desk? Have you not
oftent seen the kind, Of q man, with bagsy
kneed trousers. dusty necktie. unkempt
hands and greasy hair. who usually sits be-
fore such an one? Il he a lawyer? Perhaps,
but he belongs to no particular profession
or business. Just to the seedy clase Does
he have large oorrespondence7 No. If
such were desirable. and he ever had 1t. It
has dwindled. for this manager. no. this
owner of the bus4ness, is back number. No
manager could hold his Job long In this day
and generation II he was forever behind
with his work. unless he was accomplishing
such . volume that leniency would naturally
be extended.
Very likely an hour would more than suf-
hce for putting this desk In order. and per-
haps the waiting business could be DIS
patched in a half day. And yet the owner
does not take that sixty minutes to fnd out
just where he is standing. that half day TO
clear the decks and start out afresh. Month
in and month out there lies some little piece
OF business that ought to be got out Of the
way. some matter that ought to be cleared
w am AAS Inc AuSoA1iiic VIC
Of real debris has not grown less. The man
10 always behind. He cannot pull himself
together, or he does not bring himself up to
time. The desk Is only the open representa-
tive Of conditions IN his mind and through
out all his affairs. His mind is Uttered up and
slovenly; his affairs are down at the heel.
He hasn't any sense Of maintenance.
The great railroads have an engineer Of
urAl NJ nF ,sfr The
work of the former IL quite as important a.
the Other. In . sense It - much more 20.
The great manufacturing plants have car
penters. and mechanics, and handy men WHO
are constantly busy about the place Their
storerooms are constantly being overhauied
and stock taken. The main business Is maxi
ing. but supplementary to this is taking care
Of the machine that makes.
Self-Maintenance Important.
The sense of maintenance has not been very
well developed in our country. It's great :tn-
portance Is just beginning to be realized in
sections where deterioration 10 very rapid
deterioration Of both men and things.
A business requires most careful attention,
maintenance attention. no matter what It 10.
A woman who started without capital a dec
ade ago. and but the smallest equipment.
was In a few years making $4,000 a yea.
The real secret Of her success has been NAM
tenance. or upkeep. ltNFopid require a very
detailed account OF her business TO show
how she did II. but upkesp does not mean
10 just keep things going. but TO add improve
ments as often as they are seen to be neces-
sary. A man himself requires maintenance
attention. both Of body and mind. and sue
cessfL business men fully understand this.
1t is often the whole secret Of their success
This thing that has been characteristic Of
our roads has been Characteristic Of our
buildings. public and private, and Of many
promising Industries and enterprises Some
years ago a very clear headed person de-
clared convincingiy that 1t was an American
trait to build buildings for libraries and
schools aad museums. without providing one
cent for their maintenance. Colleges were
started without endowments and benevolent
institutions started with no money to run
them. Great public works were commenced
and never completed as they might have been
in time II the expensive foundations and
structures already In place had been kept
from going TO rack and ruin by q very small
upkeep expenditure. This sort OF thing be-
loneed TO the most wasteful period IN our ns-
tional development
Upkeep Business Essential.
1t has been twenty years now since a
great educational institution started, not
with buildings but an endowment some
thing to lDeep II going, but even when II got
some Of its particular buildings there was
not q cent given to keep them no. But now
II is considered a terribly behind times trick
to do things in this way. Business sense
forbids It. The realization Of the need OF car
ing for things material anc human, to keep
them from wasteful deterioration. IL grow
ing daily. Employers provide for the main
tenance of the health of their employees and
men and women are being instructed In self
care. 1t has been found to be the worst of
business policies to wear a man out IN q
few years. and send him into the crowd of
discards. 1t is a. bad for business a. for
the state.
But the employers efforts can 20 only 50
far, and what he does with one hand self
interest may make him undo with the other
The man worker himself must have q sense
Of mafntenanos. He must not give more Of
his strength and effort to his work than Is
coesistent with his own well being. Real
maintenance means keeping q little ahead
Of the game financially. physically, and IN
an possible waya This sometimes requires
more initiative than many men have, unless
they diligently cultivate the small native
gift.
You Do % many things to keep your
self nice" was recently said to person
who was succeeding. and ten years older
than q dragged out, pessimistic specimen
Of humanity who was already. as could be
plainly seen. a candidate for that place which
age, with run-0ownness. means. The words
were said aimost In blame. yet every condi-
bon. every fact in the lives Of the two tusti-
ded this keeping nice" And the one who
had not done % had the better start. The
keeping nice hae not been a part Of good
fortune. but of strong dissemination. how
ever Judged by the pessimistic. who always
Ind an excuse for q shortcoming Of their
own. aud envy those who gain what they
want. but Will not work or spend for
II there wers no other reason for keep
ng MICA there would be the privilege Of pos
Isssdng that unusual degree Of assurance
mon comss from feeling yourself well set
up. The new philosophy OF clothes is not
10 fun Of condsmnations as the old
me new philosophy Of health will eoon
Dsts6Nsh laws to uAls It criminal not to
nain4ain your health Pure food laws ere
,racficaliv such. Sanitary laws are the