Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-06-22

OMAHA, June 20.-To the Editor OF
The Bee: Ebert Hubbard used to say,
Better not know 30 much as TO know
so much that ain't So J wish 20 extend
this with this: Better for your ma
terlal wellbeing not to know so much
when you are disposed TO allow others the
economic benefit Of your knowledge"
Your moral wellbeing Is another question.
am in a certain manufacturing bust
ness. A prospective customer came with
a Job OF work to be done. asiing II 1
could do it. I said. Yes, 1 can, but
don't want TO do H." Asked ne. "why
not?" Said I. Because know way
in which you can get that for nothing"
Then told MIN what knew. He thanked
me very cordially and got II.
Plainly, by knowing too much about
the business like the parrot, got it in
the neck.
should | have done this? Well, IL there
Is such a thing as business ethics as
distinct from any other ethics, should
have done IL For ethics is ethics what
ever the qualifying adjective. However,
1t is hardly the business practice.
In business practice. so far as immedi-
ate economic benefits 30. II one has too
strict a conception Of fair play. It is not
we'll for him to know too much. even
about his own business. Yet for him to
remain deliberately ignorant Of these
facts. on account of the economic effect
upon himself he also violates his con-
science
The fact Is that all disseminstors OF
knowledge receive the least returns II
indeed they do not actually lose what
they have. Some years ago the funny
papers ran a good series entitled, Pro-
fessor Nix" Why they discontinued,
give up. for they were really clever.
recall that one day he was wandering
alons and saw some boys trying to roll
heavy barrel toward a slide into base
ment. He said, "Ah. my little friends
let me show you vot II iss ven II ISIS a
scientific" SO he took a lever and pla-
cling a fuicrum under one end. showed
them how easy 1t was to pry under the
barrel and roll II with little effort. He
sent II spinning down the chute TO the
great delight of the boys. who took to
flight. Last scene of ell. however. was
when the workmen. who had just toll
somely succeeded In getting the heavy
barrel to the sidewalk, were using prof.
| Nix" as a street mop 'Ain't It the
truth" that a little knowledge IL a dan
/ gerous thing:
II Is the same II you have ideals All
| ideals are q disturbance to those who
seek TO profit by things as they are
Those who are profiting do not like tc
have their profits disturbed So resentfu
are they OF those who introduce ideals
into social or private life that they will
not hesitate utterly to ruin the business
of those who dare to disturb them II
is for this reason that the old idea ha6
II that those who have least OF earth
have most of skies This was the spir
ltual consolation for doing ones duty
give up here that you might hold OF
the-e
/ make no complaint against thi
seeming natural law. believe / cal
understand It, Natures God gives u
whatever we desire, but there r. a pric
that we must pay for It. We canno
gain even moral growth without earnlnI
that achievement We need not, how
ever. imagine that the satisfaction
postponed to the life in the skies" Tn
reward is here and now. The peace tina
comes from day to day in the knowledg
that one has done his best to be true
compensation quite enough. No materis
gain can take its place. / should neve
have felt satisfied to take my customer
money for a service which knew h
could get for nothing. Though he di
not know Il. / did. and that was quit
sufficient Though II may cost money I
hold 10 ideals. ] would not part wit
those poor ones have. mo. not fo
Venice"
So. whatever the cost. stick to you
} ideals. NAMELEss