The Washington herald., 1914-08-26
The Modern Ghost.
Dy EMORY j. HAYNES.

1
ny EMORY j. HAYNES.
Not the ghost that is said to haunt the old and
decaying country mansion. On every countryside
there is house with its reputation of visitation by
spooks. The villagers point it out and whisper of
old tragedies. The school children scoot by its
weatherbeaten 'front.' in the sunshine with fur
tive gances and creeping To be sure nobody
ever saw the ghost but everybody has heard tell
of it.
But our ghost stalks elsewhere. There are al
most miles of marble corridors and acres of floors
lin great building. Here work many hundreds of
employees and officers. The presidents Offices are
here, though he is not 81 much account 1t is the
ghost who is in control In every department there
are heads, to be sure. But none of these is much
more than a fgurehead. The ghost is over them
each. The ghost has name, it is THE Company"
THE corporation" some of the clerks call it. The
State incorporates business and thus forms an
impersona entity. 1t is this indescribable some
thing that the employees fear and work for, yet
could describe it.
The Interests of the company" the rights and
liabilities of the company" the future of the COM
pany," words that hint at their conscious
ness of this mpapable power the ghost that every
where in these and fitting specter along these
passageways. This is the thing that hires them and
keeps a-gong so that once week pay envelope
drops out to each of them
The unseen, Jealous unamiable something that is
always watching their efficiency and mayhap dis
charging a fellow or promoting some one or
raising ones pay. The grim old ghost does
all this a being that ever saw, yet
each half expects to run against lodging round the
corner any time, and nabbing him with long talons
for no reason that any one but the ghost himself
knows.
Nobody here ever tells lie. Certainly not for
the ghost shoulders all moral distinctions and obliga
tons. Whatever is done the company does it. not
the empoye. The employe neither saves nor loses
He do any and unmanly thing and not in
volve his own soul. He keeps his own soul out of
the business; generally leaves it home. And the
ghost is not a human soul. It, is an invisible entity
that has standing in the trade" and at the bank
that has name good or bad, among working people,
and counts among its assets that shadowy thing good
will" Of its locality and the region roundabout it.
This ghost never expects to pay its debts like
man. 1t borrows and borrows. 1t sells tomorrow.
But the employe must not count on tomorrow "Do
it now is the law to the empIoye. Likewise must
the employe pay his living bills. being a real man
and not ghost. How many millions piled on mil
lions the ghost has borrowed Its promises to pay
"fuctuate" they ought, being such thin stuff as
fogs are in valley.
To muster around a human captain, as men did
when George Washington showed them his face at
Valley Forge, that is inspiring. Every man of them
grew to be Washingtonians. A great human heart
can inspire whole nation OF coworkers, as Abraham
Lincoln did
In the woods there is something mighty comfort
ing in the reassuring voice OF the guide But work
ing for ghost is not inspiring Every is looking
forward to getting out. to retiring on pension
and escaping the tickle control of the ghost There
is no knowing where may be sent next The
wife urges that the clerk buy pretty cottage and
she will plant vine and flowers and the children
shall have small paradise But the poor fellow
dare not. The ghost might hear OF it and order
him to China.
Cnfeeling, harsh and cruel things are done in
indifference The business demands
it" That is, the ghost orders it. soaring as with
a hot iron goes blistering the heart of the
head of the department. "A conference is held the
decision is made to do an unkind thing. The group
Of men in conference look each other in the face
and are ashamed. being themselves good fellows
enough. Perhaps breaks the silence, exclaining
TOO bad! But We had to do it," The others hang
their heads and lay all the blame on the ghost