The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-08-30

70HERE comes a time in the life of every man when he
looks back upon himself as another being-he seems
to have a fathers feeling for the boy that was. There
is a little incident in the writer's life that has stuck
< In my mind for years. which illustrates a point-and
! give it to you in order to get rid Of it, with a hope
that it may do you good. And have an idea that it is these
little items that make or mar our destiny. ! know that they
have formed or hammered into my soul a creed-based on
experience in the great Crucible of Life-without the aid of
sect, religion or system.
Fate had wiled it so, for she kicked me out at an early
sge..alone and unaided-and paid dearly for her learning
So, If speak of the little boy Of long ago with love and rev.
erence, ! do so as though he were not myself, but were some
dream figure of my imagination.
1t was in Los Angeles. l was a child-in years; a man
sixty Dollars; my cash capital wa. Six. I was selling g Adver.
tising-a Fifty Dollar Deal-Ten down and Ten a month.
That is, | was TRYING to sell Advertising!
To begin with, ! lied about my age to get the job had
feet, ! shifted my mind-and l had jumped clear across the
; eontinent-and the result in both TALK and ACTION was
Foolish Movements.
I was done for, that was all. Nothing was right-life
was all . great. big graft! I felt as though land every
other salesman l had ever met-was a "Con-man," and the
SOMETHING for the money. 1t didn't seem as though I had
ever srI heard ar. anyone pvt put up "a a.. .tr cSho proposition in ny. my life :;
and don't be SO particular HOW you gstn."
My only comfort was a burning hope that some day I
would wake up and find It al g bad dream ! couldn't bring
l had a soul, but l shook it, cursed it and smashed it, and it
wouldn't awaken. I felt sorry for the mon who bought my
propostion-and l knew that my talk was BUNK. l talked
too fast for 1t to be STRAIGHT. It was an ugly, unvarnished
lie, and ! cut my sELF-RESPECT every time l handed" a
canvass.
The proposition was crooked the world was crooked;
everything and everybody was CROOKED I had disap-
pointed MYSELF by not working and not Making Good 30
many times, and cut my self,respect so often by HYPNOTIC
MISREPRESENTATION, that was done for, all in-gone!
In a solemn conversation with MYSELF in the dead silence Of
my own room, l called things by their RIGHT NAME, ad-
mitted that all dishonesty was In the same class-whether
it was stealing, cheating, lyingI wasting my EMPLOYERS
or MY time. II was ALL crooked-not CARELESSNESS, but
plain CROOKEDNESS. No matter whether | was DOING the
other fellow or MYSELF could use no other than that ugly
word-CROOKED!
The fact that l was admitting this to MYSELK was the
first ray Of hope.
caught the trolley and went out to Glendora. ! worked
all day, sipshod and haphazzardly. | old-NOTHlNG At
six l made my way YEARLY into q typical California Chinese
restaurant, and had dinner, and soon after went back to the
trolley station. When ! arrived at the window, called for a
ticket, and reached In my pocket-MY MONEY WAS GONE!
Gold they carry In that country, and my last Five Dollars