The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1920-11-04
WHY LIKE TO PLAY DEAD

and patching Mr.. Drier's excellent
work is a desire to put before country
publishers just the thought the writer
desired to carry and nothing more,
because this publication is for sug-
gestion, for inspiration, for helpful
ness and not for the reproduction of
good writing even though it be splen-
didly iteresting.
Following will be found "Why
Like to Play Dead" as ''The Amer
lean Press" would like to have it read
by country publishers.-Editor.
There is a business man in our
town who has many foolish notions.
when 1 was youngster in bust
ness" said this business man, 81 used
to take myself and my affairs too ser
iously. When I wanted anything done
right, used to tell myself 1 had to do
it myself. One day 1 was telling
friend what hard time had getting
work out of the way.
''How that man laughed at me!
g All you need to do went on my
friend, is to die once or twice a year,
or oftener if you cam
q Are you losing your mind?' I
asked
-" Never was more serious in my
life. Ever hear of Alexander the
Great?'
g 'Of coursep
And of Julius Caesar and Ma
poleon3'
3" What are you talking about?'
L Il TT
Morgan and lot of other big fell
lows? You are sure you heard of all
of them?'
g Yes, I've heard of them
q Pretty important fellows, were
mt they? Held important positions
in the world. Thought they were some
pumpkins and all that, Ell? Took
themselves mighty seriously and
snapped and snarled quite bit every
SO often, thus showing they had lost
their sense of humor. Get the idea?'
{" They died. he continued-'died
real dead--and right then and there
the world stopped. The work they
were doing when they were alive was
too important for other men to carry
on, so all their machinery collapsed
like sort of international one-horse
shay. Their employees starved and
the buildings they occupied became
the abode of rats and mice
1T is becoming clear l broke in.
&c OF course it is. You get the
idea. Those important fellows were
81 oil Ioo
world went on. Their big problems
the ones that kept them awake
nights and made them snap and snarl
and bark and bite and eat their own
hearts-were as if they had never
existed. Their business went on
some of them went on better than
they did when their big bosses were
i, alive.
y Just pretend to yourself that
you have died suddenly. Now ask
yourself, What will happen to my
business? If your business isn't pre-
pared for your death it isn't managed
properly
"I interrupted him. When my
business is older
''But he wouldn't let me get away
with it. Your job is to live one day
at time Now is the accepted time
Today, as wise old Emerson said, is
the best day in the year. Your jot
is to die right now
Here he said, poking me with
his finger, I've stabbed you and you
have dropped down. In moment
or so you'll be dead as any dead per.
son. You can't do thing about your
business. What will happen? Mind
now, you are dead. Being dead, tel
me what is likely to happen
81 did some quick thinking. The
important thing is saw that the bust
ness would go ahead. Not, perhaps
exactly in the way I would carry il
forward if I attended to all the de
tails personally, but it would &C
ahead strongly because it would b'
more than a one mans business.
saw that my big job was to lay GU
the policies and construct the frame
work for the other fellows to finish
Cup TO that point 1 had Away
thought of the business as mine.
was the boss. But when / was kille
by my friend and was forced to leav
the business behind, as all dead mel
must do, I saw that while l ownet
the business in the eyes of the bank
ers, the business was greater than
I saw that the business belonged t.
the world in general, but more part
icularly to thoe who were associate
with me.
''The 81 idea of business went on
of our place years ago. Now it
always We 1t hurts me every tim
I hear one of our men say 4 will d
this or that when speaking with
customer.
$50, my advice to my fellow bus
ness men is to commit suicide ever
little while. If they do the job hor
estlv and in a workman1ike mannel