Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-10-15


ure That cIerkly mind.
He was among those l met during
nv first years in New York. Like 50
many of the millions seeking to max E
their way. he was busy about his
affairs and. fortunately. with the
limitations OF the average man he
had the ambitions OF the average
man.
He was connected with one OF those
commercial agencies which inquire
into the standing of business men and
report their findings. for price. to
other business men. He was inter-
ested In his work and seemed salts
fled that in time he was certain to
achieve what was perhaps a fair
enough ambition. managership Of
some branch of the great concern he
was connected with and which might
have paid him SO much as nve or
six thousand a year.
The thing about him that interested
me, apart from a genial and pleasing
disposition. was that with all this
wealth of opportunity before him for
studying the human mind. its re-
Sources and resourcefulness. its in
hibitions and alterations. Its humor.
tragedy and general stiffness and
changefulness. he concerned himself
chiefly with the bare facts OF the diff
terent enterprises whose character
he was supposed to investigate.
Were they solvent" Could and did
they pay their bills: What was their
capital stock? How much cash did
they have on hand? Such was the
nature of the data he needed. and to
this largely he confined himself.
Nevertheless. he was at times
amused or astonished or made angry
.r self-r:ghteous by the tricks. the
secretiveness. the errors and down
right meanness of spirit of SO many
hs came in contact with. AS for him.
Self. he had the feeling that he was
q person of no little character: that
no was honest, straightforward: not
a. limited or worthless as some OF
these others. On this score, as on
some others. he was convinced that
he would succeed. II a man did as
he he should DO. if he were indus
tri ,us and honest and courteous and
a few more of those many things we
all know we ought to be. he was
bound to get along better than those
who did not. What, an honest. in
dustrious, careful. courteous man not
TO do better than those who were
none of these things? What non
sense. 1t must be so.
OF course. there were accidents and
ND
stole from one another, as he saw
we'll illustrated in his own labors:
and banks failed. And there were
trusts and combinations being formed
even then which did not seem to be
entirely in tune with the interests
of the average man. But even so.
All things considered. If the average
man followed the above rules he was
sure to fare better than the other
fellow. There was such thing as
approximate justice. Good did pre-
vail, in the main, and the wicked
were punished. as they should be.
He used to interest me a great deal
on that score, for he liked to argue
and speculate as to the lives of his
fellow-men and to laugh at their fol-
did not sway too far to the left Of
what he looked upon as the line Of
honor and fair dealing.
AS for love and marriage. he held
definite views about these also. Not
that he was unduly narrow or inclin-
ed to censure those whose lives had
not worked out as we'll as he hoped
his own would. but there was a fine
line Of tact somewhere In this mat
ter Of marriage which led to success
also. quite as qualities outlined above
led or should lead to success in mat
tiers moro material or practical.
One had to understand q little
something about women. One had
to be sure that when one went
accounting one selected a woman of
sense as well as charm, one who came
of good stock and hence would be
possessed Of good taste and good prin-
ciplea She need not be rich; she
might even be poor. So many women
were designing, or at least light and
Eighty. they could not help q serious
man to succeed II they would.
Everywhere, OF course, was the
worthy girl whom 1t was an honor to
marry, and 1t was one Of these he
was going to choose. But even with
ono such 1t was necessary to exer-
else care: she might be too narrow
and conventional, would not under
stand the world. perhaps be full Of
prejudices.
TN the course Of time. having be-
i come secretary to a certain some
body, he encountered in his own once
a girl who seemed to embody nearly
all Of the virtues and qualities which
no thought necessary. She was the
daughter Of very modestly circum-
stanced parents who dwelt in the
nearby suburb Of o., and a very
capable stenographer. She was really
pretty, but not very well informed: q
girl who appeared to be practical and
sensible, but still in leash to the
tenets and instructions Of her home.
her church and her family circle
three worlds which were as fixed and
definite and worthy As the most en-
thusiastio Of those who seek to main
tain the order and virtue Of the world
could have wished.
For instance. she was opposed to
the theater. dancing, night dining or
visiting In the city, as well a. any
thing that In her religious world
might be construed as dissertation OF
thu Sabbath. ! recall his describing
hap oarrov 1aa ynfs but hA hoD0A Ia