The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1919-08-02
What Are You Worth?
Find Where You Fit, and You Will Find Your Value

There is fairy tale in the green-bOund book which
-our little boy will bring home from the Sunday school
library next Sunday. It tells about the king who starved
cl mountain Of gold.
Written to entertain and instruct the child makes
him think because it tells story with deep meaning
Children insinCtvey pass by uninteresng and unnsruc
tive things They are fascinated by stories which have
message.
They do not fully understand the message once but
he knowledge is stored in of the innumerabe little
rain cells for future use
picture in the green-bound book shows monarch !
dressed in medieval attire Mr. Comans drawing this
page depicts Of the Wall Street type The lesson is the
lame.
Everything is valuable only through relation other
hngs Gold is valuable because it is convenient medium
of exchange.
In the early days in Virginia the hogshead of tobacco
the substitute for money On the Russian seppes men
trade cattle for land for vehicles, or for wives.
In places right in the United States you will find
boy going to crossroads store to get eggs worth Of
Pepper
The millionaire on the desert island and the king on
he mountain Of gold auen in the precious metal would
exchange all their riches for square meal They have
earned lessons in real value They find that gold not
valuabe when the Megivng things which men exchange
for gold are beyond reach
Nations are but men multiplied Observe the passions
If the normal his likes his dskes his ideals and his
habits
ration. You viii find the nation has the passions
likes, dskes ideals and habits the Characters
lies operate slowly in the mass but less surely
The oiense that makes an American angry makes Amer
"a angry. What peases England pleases Engshman
In the war which has turned the world upside down
whole nations grew to have contempt for gold like that of
he millionaire the desert island They found that gold
would not buy guns and above ALL would not buy food
The old system Of valuation operated for few months
after the broke out before the lesson of actual values
fully understood Americans sold valuable goods for
gold and accumulated the greatest store of the metal any
nation ever possessed.
But soon we found that would rather have dyes and
potash than gold that would rather have Australian
WOOL South American beef Asatic hemp Spanish olive oil
and other foreign commodities which in peace times were
less attractive than gold.
America did not feel the pinch as badly as other ma
TONS scandinavian countries became disguised with
gold that they issued orders forbidding its admission
Toward the end Of the Siberia cast gold aside
measure of exchange paper and barered hides for
sugar wood for steel rails and talow for farming nipple
ments
What is true of the uselessness of gold in the money
bag Of Mr. OOman marooned millionaire is true of other
elements in everyday life.
Every is worth something Average all the people
Of the United States and you will find that theoretically
each worth about $1,000 That is during his lifetime he
adds that much to the total wealth of thenation.
That is only average 1t doesn't mean much |
Averages don't make progress for men or nations no
above or below average, there would be little
progress.
Alexander Graham Bell the inventor of the telephone
has added billions to national wealth. while the vagrant has
added nothing; indeed, he has subtracted.
may have in him the ability to add to what Bell
added but he may be placed in surroundings such that he
viii be potential vagrant The right may strike the
particular spark of genius in the bum and make him
valuable.
Are you your right place? Are you bag of dollars
On desert isle? Are you the hard gold sides of the
mountain on which the king starves?
Find your place. If you don't fit in at your present
job improve your mind and fit yourself for promotion to
more advantageous surroundings.