The sun., 1918-08-06
Bargains.


4 railroad switch may seem
strange thing TO have meaning. But
it has one. nevertheless. The two
tracks come together in thin tongue
Of steel that narrows down almost TO
knife edge. For a little distance one
can hardly zee the difference in direc-
tim of the two lines. But the tracks
diverge further and further as they go
on, until at the other end they may
be hundreds OF miles apart. The
world is full Of differences Like that.
"A hair perhaps. divides the false
and the true" And yet the distinc-
iton may be as practically important
as 1t Is exact. Whether we like 1t
or not, we must all be forever split
ting hairs: and our success and happi-
ness and half the greatest things in
life depend upon splitting them &C
curately and correctly.
Take, for instance. the difference be-
tween a bargain and an exchange of
gifts. At glance that appears q dry
and useless question enough. Also the
two look practically very much alike.
But by this test they can always be
told apart: A bargain can he dis
appointing only where some one feels
that he has received less than fair
value. An exchange Of gifts can dis
appoint only where some one feels
that he has given too little The poor
bargain means not getting enough !:
the poor gift means not giving enough.
The one Is legltimately and properly
selfish, the other unselfsh by its very
nature
Very well: but why is this differ
ence so important: Simply because
no human relation or institution can
be run entirely upon the bargain prin-
ciple. Men shall not live by bargain
ing alone. Even in business, which Is
In great measure of course made up
OF bargains. the same truth holds.
| In every business enterprise we hear
great and increasing outcry for
Ideals. for loyalty, for enthusla SIN.
But these things mean giving. They
are part of the spirit which does not
| count the cost or check up the re-
turns. No business ever succeeded
without some one having put into It
not merely the value of what he got
back again but oil that he could do
or all that he could spare. A mans
work and his profits in It are at best
always an exchange OF gifts. lie
gives himself to 1t, and 1t gives him
his reward. A telephone has made
many men rich, but 1t was invented
for the sake OF inventlng II. The
Panama Canal was n success because
It was not built by profiteers.
Take another and more persona
case. In law marriage Is rega rded a.
n contract-that is, as a bargain be
tween the parties. And there ar'
some wild theorists who believe IL
extending this view beyond the llttle
corner Of matrlmony which alone con
Germs itself with law. But every hu
man being who has ever been married
knows from success or failure that .
bargain Is precisely the one thing tina
marriage cannot be. It Is humanity
impossible for woman and n mar
to live together on basis Of fair ex
change. A fair exchange Is no rob
berry, 1t is true. But 1t Is also tru,
that fair exchange Is no romance
The wife who thinks only of what |!
due to herself will receive precisel!
that. The husband who means to &c
what is fairly coming to him will ge
all that Is coming to him. No mai
ard woman ever have the same ide,
Of justice. But any pair may hav
the same idea of each other. More
over, no man deserves a good woman
and no woman deserves an honoraOl
man. That Is the first lesson of tn
honeymoon. The fortunate ones ar
those who continue to feel unworthy
For while neither can hope to Civ
enough the two gifts will renal
equal.
Or take patriotism. The philosc
piers of the French Revolution
worked out political theory whic
they called the Social Contract. TIL
| idea was that the individual and tn
State made bargain with each other
A man gave his nation certain Sci
vices and In return his nation wa
bound to give him certain privilege
: and projections. 1t was ali quite fai