Evening star., 1922-12-10

More as Newsboy o,
RIMS Engine.
BY S. S. MARQUIS, D. D.
(Continued From Last Sunday,
CHAPTER vi.
MENTAL TRAITS AND cHARAC-
TERIsTICS.
CROSS section Of the mind OF
~ Henry Ford would reveal some
~ striking contrasts. There are
4 a in him mental attitudes which
mark him as a genius and there are
points below mental sea level. A
ness. Of wisdom and foolishness-a
mind the shadows in which are the
moro pronounced because of the pro-
found depths which lie between
MI. Ford has limitations which
stand out the more conspicuous1y be-
cause of the far reaches Of his mind
in other directions. He has alto
gether a most unusual mind-in some
respects the most remarkable mind /
have ever known. Call 1t Insight, in
tuition, vision. or what you please, he
has supernormal perceptive faculty
along certain lines in business affairs.
His mind does not move in logical
grooves 1t does not walk. 1t leaps.
1t Is not trained mind. 1t does
not know how to think consecutively.
and I doubt il it would do so II it
could. 1t cannot endure the pace
and bear the burden of logic. and it
cannot listen long to the man who
is reaching conclusions through ra-
tional processes. 1 have known him
frequently to cut in and give a man
state his case, and sometimes the de-
cision has had nothing whatever to
do with the case. Under such cir
cumstances there was no use trying
to get the real problem before him.
A later opportunity must be waited
for.
He does not reason to conclusions.
He jumps at them. A bad thing, un-
less the jump. as in his case. is as
rule moro unerring than the slow,
reasoned crawl of other minds. He
has told me that he learned early
in life ito grab the first hunch." His
first impulses, he insists, are, as a
rule. to be relied upon and acted
upon. He maintains that II he stops
to reason about them. to discuss them,
to seek advice regarding them, he
finds them trimmed. pared and filed
down until they fit into the conven-
tional ruts and there is nothing left
that is really worth doing.
CONCERNING matters in general. he
~ seems to enjoy a discussion, but
concerning matters pertaining to his
own business on which his mind is
made up-and it generally is-he
seems annoyed by opposing opinion.
Get out and send me an optimist," +"
he once said to an executive who was
venturing to question the wisdom Of
some policy decided upon. Il want
to talk to an optimist." And that
gives you another definition Of an
optimistic is the man who agrees
with you.
He has the courage of his convic-
tions, and I have never known him
to change his mind on an important
matter, once it was made up. Minds
that work intuitively, have observ-
ed, have a feeling Of finality in re-
gard to their decisions-the feminine
mind on occa sions. for example. 1t is
SO because it is so. And
there is an end to the matter. This
in my opinion, is the chief reason for
Ford executives. AS you know. the
rate is high. The Ford executive has
added to those two certainties in
life, taxes and death, a third-that is.
discharge. OF the man climbing up
in the Ford organization it may be
said that he hath but a short time
to live and is full of misery. He
cometh up and is cut down like a
flower. He never continueth for long
on the job. A judge Of national re-
pute once said to me: Il have a great
admiration for Henry Ford. but there
Is one thing about him that I regret
and can't understand. and that is his
inability to keep his executives and
old-time friends about him." The an
swer is: 1t is not a matter Of in
ability. but disability. He can't help
it. He is built that way.
It is my impression that in business
organizations men are hired as ex-
ecutives and paid. among other
things, for their judgment and ad-
vice. The greatest possible liberty
of thought and action is given an
executive in the Ford Motor Company
that can be given in a company that
is a one-man affair and is controlled
| by a single-track mind. Mr.. Ford's
favorite executive seems to be the
man who does not think, either from
choice or lack of ability, and does
what he is told to do regardless of
consequences. In addition to this,
have been told by those who enjoy
his special favor, one must maintain
an attitude toward the employees that
makes them fear and hate you. II
am the most fortunate man in, this
organization. because every one de-
spises me-" is the way one of them
put it to me. The theory seems to
be that because the employees dislike
you, you must be a whale of an ex-
ecutive. 1t is not every man that is
so constituted that he cares to pay
the price asked for a position Of this
kind. There are those who get more
pleasure in running a business Of
their own in a way that wins respect
and enables them to enjoy a few
friendships.