The Detroit times., 1916-04-28
What Does a Man Earn?
~ Or. FRANK CRANE
Copyright. 1915. BY Frank Crane)

HoW Hlucn are your services WOftng
That is, how much money ought you to
get for what you do?
Everybody is rated. from the office boy
to the bank president. And yet every
once in a while something happens to
upset the whole scheme. And we realize
that money is most imperfect stand
ard.
II does not at all represent the value
of ones service to the community.
Nobody did more for the human race
than such workers as Homer, Socrates,
and Kant. And about all they got was
their keep. and not much of that.
There are faithful toilers right now,
smiths making useful things out of iron,
thinkers devising wonderful ideal plans
for human betterment. and they will
probably never enjoy higher wages than
enough for board and clothes.
Charlie Chaplin gets 100000 year,
for one year anyway. He is getting the
highest wages paid to any mortal and it
is for acting the fool.
He is worth it to his employers. He's
probably worth twice as much to them,
because people pay many times more
than that to see him kick ladies' in the
face.
II is hard to estimate the money value
of such a star as Geraldine Farrar. Her
wages are not only colossal. but every
move she makes means money. A per-
fumer will pay $25, 200 for the use of her
name. Farrar soap or Farrar corsets or
Farrar tonic would be worth as much.
Jess Willard after his last fight was
straightway engaged by a Snowman at
a salary of over 100000.
Is Prize-Fighter Willard worth twice
as much to mankind as the President of
the United States? Is charming Geral-
dine worth four times, and is slap-jack
Charlie worth over nine times as much to
us as Woodrow Wilson?
Nobody begrudges these celebrities
their gains. They come by them a deal
more honestly than one whose sole title
to a million dollars year is that his
lgreat-grandfather bought up lot of New
York City property and held on to it.
But the sensible conclusion of the
whole matter is that money is not the
object which an intelligent mind can
make its chief aim.
The worlds best work is not done for
money. There are college professors, de-
voted mothers. sklful craftsmen, and
conscientious politicians who are pour
ing real values into the race, for which
they receive a stipend wholly out Of pro-
portion to the Importance of their work.
Money making is game. Only few
can succeed in it. Getting famous
enough to draw hundred thousand d.
lars year is just as much gambling
proposition as finding gold mine in
Nevada
The big prizes in money go to the
lucky, not to the loyal, true, and efficient.
But being real success, being of gen.
uine service to humanity, making ones
life full and strong and happy, develop
ing great soul and noble character.
gathering a lot of real friends and gain
ing the sincere love of honest hearts
those things are not in any wise gam
bling.
The rules of real success are plain and
simple, old as philosophy and tried out
and proven again and again by human
lily. Even fool can understand them.
So don't be cynical. Don't talk about
the lucky getting all the good things out
of life. They don't.
The real prizes. of existence continue
to 60. as they always have gone, to those
who do their work conscientiously, who
adjust themselves wisely to events, who
Il love in loyalty, who submit to discipline,
and live in cheerful hope.
Money may depend upon luck, but hap
piness does not, nor contentment, nor
real triumph.
WHENCE THESE ABORIGINES?