Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-04-28
The Moral Factor IN Business
Problems IN America Today

Problems IN America Today
TT was a great captain of finance who
said the other day in discussing the in
sistent question, when will business
become normal?" that forecasts based on
only technical considerations are worth lit
tie. 'The rebirth of normal business" de-
clared Mr.. James S. Alexander, president of
the National Bank of Commerce in New
York, awaits a new attitude of man to-
ward his job The return of stability, both
economic and social, depends, in his judg-
ment, upon recognition by nations and by
individuals that reconstruction can come only
by hard work, that business can endure only
on a basis of sincere discharge of obliga-
tons whether they be in the form Of exc
cutive duties or days labor, and that
high sense of personal responsibility must
prevail in all tie relations of life
Mechanical efficiencies have multiplied so
rapidly and shortcuts to reform waxed so
popular of late years that it is sngularly
refreshing to hear an observant man OF al
fairs counseling in altogether different
direction. Not swifter machines, nor shreWd-
er experts, nor merely outward changes OF
any kind, but "a new attitude of man to-
ward his job" "a sincere discharge of obli-
CATION "a Ugh sense of personal RESPONSE
the basic business need of the day. The up
heavals and stresses Of history show how
supremely important are the moral structure
and moral forces Of human society. These
are taken for granted, or but lightly thought
Of, in fair and tranquil seasons, but in times
o fstrain and sharp reaction they determine
the difference between success and failure,
between survival and death. We find our
selves today in a state of affairs in a
state of mind not unlike that which has
followed great wars in centuries gone. De-
rzoralization seems inseparable from such
periods, when excitement has given place to
lassitude, exaltaton to petty sel1shness or
cynicism, and definite, all-masterful pro-
gram to vague ess and reimbursement. An
old order of things has passed, and a new
is yet stru sgling to be born. The grooves in
which men commonly move are twisted or
broken. Mere habit ceases to be a safe or
forward-leading path. Decisions calling for
fresh judgment and for keen working sense
of right and wrong must b made Steps re-
curing courage, confidence in ones fellows,
and a thoroughgoing devotio to justice must
be taken. These are all moral problems of,
the deepest sort and must be solved, if at
an in terms Of human character. Moreover
to the extent that they remain unsolved
economic and social conditions alike remain
unstable.
So it is that present-day conditions, the
natural consequence of World War, need
most of all "a sincere discharge of obliga-
tiosn," both national and individual The
United States of America owes certain obli-
cations to the international order and to HUI
mainly They are not yet paid, nor can they
be until our Government takes it's part in
the great common task of upholding Justice
and promoting goodwill Business suffers
today because we have been placed in the
unfortunate and un-American position of re-
fusing to assume our rightful obligations
under the treaty which ended the war, and
brought the immense problems of peace to
the fore. Those who have opposed our Join
Ing an international effort to conserve and
ADVANCE the worlds common interests, fan
they were counseling caution, but in
fact they were counseling folly and peril
And unless a wiser course is soon adopted
we shall learn through deeper and deeper
business depression how i'll advised is the ma
tion that seeks to live to itself alone.
Most important, however, is that province
Of obligations which each man controls for
himself. These, after all, are the concrete
realities, the flesh and blood, of the nations
moral life and of the worlds. 1t is millions
of individuals doing the days work we'll,
paying debts, shouldering duties, respecting
the rights of Oilers as well as asserting
their own, thinking not so much of gain as
of service, interested in worthwhile endeav-
or for its sake, remembering that for
every man beneath the stars there is a pur-
pose which he alone can fulfill-it is these
who have made America strong and hOnored,
it's these who will keep her prosperous
and brave. Theirs are the ranks, moreover,
from which must be drawn the steadying
forces for these days of transition and low
ered morale. Every man who lives cheerful
ly up to personal responsibility, whether his
sphere be little large, strengthens and
heartens business. He adds to the general
fund of confidence and of kindliness-and
Just there lies the largest neeC of replenish-
ment For if men can trust one another
through periods of business inactivity or de-
preston, if they are assured that obligations
will not be shirked undue advantages
taken, the chief factors of anxiety and panic
are eliminated Certainly this is true in a
land like ours, where the riches of nature
stretch unmpaired and the ways of oppOr-
tunity run fe and free. The basic resources
Of our agriculture. our industry. com
merce are as fertile and potent today as
ever before. Seed-time returns with as green
=a%promise as if no war had darkened the
world. and autumn will come with wOnted
bounties. 1t is chiefly HI man and largely
a moral problem that disturhs u.s. and hap.
PLY we can master it if we will.