The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-01-30
THE RICHMOND NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. JANUARY 80 1915

you are big and strong. hut you arc
going to be made TO observe the rules
OF the track and not get N anyoodys
way except as you can keep out OF
his way by having more vigor ana
skill than ne has.
Some men are going to get beaten
because they have not the brains: tney
have not the initiative; they have NOT
the skill: they have not the knowledge.
they have not the same capacity that
other men have. They will have TO
be employees; they will have TO be USED
whore they can be used. We do not
need to conceal from ourselves that
there are varities of capacity In the
world. Some men have heads. but they
are not particularly furnished. over
heard two men one day talking about
third man and one of them referred
to his head. Head the other said,
Head? That isn't n head; that's just
knot The Almighty put that there
to keep him from raveling out? Ana
we have to admit that there are such
persons Now liberty does not consist
in framing laws to put such men al
the front and say they have got to be
allowed TO keep pace with the rest; be-
cause that would hold the whole pro-
cess of civilization back. But II does
consist in saying no matter how feath-
erweight the other man is you must not
arbitrarily interfere with him: that
there must be an absolutely free field
and no favors to anybody.
Some Rules of the Game.
There are therefore. suppose.
certain rules of the game. will
mention what seem to me some OF
them. l have already mentioned one
of them by way of illustration. First
Of all is the rule of publicity. There
are a great many businesses in TINS
country that have fallen under sus-
picion because they were 80 secretive
when there was nothing to secrete
that was dshonorahle. The minute
] keep everything in my pocket ana
will not show anybody what is there
they conjecture what may be In my
pocket; whereas, II | turn my pockets
inside out the conjecture Is at any
rate dissipateed. There is no use in
inviting suspicion by secretiveness. III
business ia being honorably done
and successfully done you ought to
be pleased to turn 1t inside out and
let the people whom you are inviting
to invest in 1t see exactly how II is
done and with what results. Pub
Lefty which is required in sport Is
required in business. Let's see how
you are running the game,
Then in the secondp lace there Isl
O. full equivalent for the money you
receive, the full equivalent in SER
vice; not trying to skimp in the SER
vice In order TO increase profits above
a reasonable return, but trying to
make the profits proportional to the
satisfaction to the people you serve.
There isn't more soiid tounoation
for business than that, II you thor
oughly satisfy the people you are
serving you are welcome to their
money. They are not going TO grudge
it, because they will feel that they
are getting quid pro quo. they are
getting something such as was
promised them when their money was
asked OF them.
Came Requires Conscience.
Then, In the third place. this game
requires something more than ordi-
nary sports. IL requires certain KIND
of conscience In business, certain
feeling that we are. after all. in this
world because We are expected to make
good according to the standards of
the people we live with. That, after
all, gentlemen, Is the compulsion that
Is laid on all of us. l am aware OF be"
ing afraid of jail. l do not feel uneasy
when / pass penitentiary. but would
feel extremely uneasy IL | knew / had
done something which some Gne hon
orable friend of mine would condemn
If / passed before him. l would look
carefully at his eyes to see IL he sus-
pectcd anything, and would feel un-
happy until / had made a clean breast
OF II to him. That is what we are
afraid of and that Is what we ought
to he afraid of. We are sustained by
the moral Judgment of honorable men,
and there isn't anything else in this
would that ! knox OF that is worth
while. Now honors must hurt man
If he feels that they have been
achieved dishonorably. They then are
an arrow In his heart not a quickening
or tonic to his spirit In any respect.
If he feels that he has cheated the peo-
pie that trusted him then no matter
what fortune he piles up they never
can contribute to his peace OF mind for
a moment So ! say that the con-
science in business Is the motive spring
Of the whole thing; the pride Of do
ing the thing as it ought OF be done