San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-03-28
Ideals and Efficiency
BY III. AGdington Bruce.

There are, of course, many causes
for incfficieney. But the more I pom
der the problem which inefficienci
presents the more | become convinced
that of all its causes the most fire.
quent is faulty attitude with regard
TO the meaning and purposes Of life.
To be efficient, it need hardly be
pointed out, involves earnest applica.
ton to whatever worh one undertakes.
Real thought, hard thought, must be
put into it; there must be sincere
and ardent desire TO do it 10 the best
of ones ability.
Necessarily this desire will be- lack
ing if ones life philosophy is a philo-
sophy of ease rather than effort. And
necessarily the thinking given to ones
work will be of an inferior sort it
the pleasure motive is dominant in
ones mind.
Indeed, there will then be present
positive distsste for work, as al
evil which may perhaps be inevitable
but which remains none the less an
evil. There will be no recognition of
the truth that work is given to man
as means both OF gaining creative
self-expression and of contributing to
the welfare and progress of the So
ciety Of which he is a part.
For that matter, your worker who
feels that the chief end of life is the
o of ral1 oil ~.
of his social responsible
ties. To render service for society
will be to him almost meaningless
phrase. AT all events he will not recog-
nize that il is duty incumbent on
lin as on everybody else.
SO be will go to work reluctantly
AND will attack work half-heartedly.
While he is working his thoughts will
BE- far afield. 1t will never occur 10
him to regard his work as offering OPP
portunity for something other than
the mere gaining of a livelihood and of
The means for gratifying the pleas
lre-craving that dominates him.
And can it for n moment be denied |
hat a pleasure-craving dominates
of workers today? Can it
,e denied that TO multitudes self-grati-
ication is the summum bonum, the
highest good?
One need look no furthr than this
o account for the inefficiency unmis-
akably in evidence in those multi
udes.
There is much talk nowadays of the
Importance OF wise vocational selac-
ion. of devising ways and means for
nabling men to select those occu-
'ations for which they are best adapt
d. There is much talk. too, of the
Importance Of vocational training. of |
ducating boys and girls with the spe-
ia] view of fitting them for the par
ocular occupations in which they will
{ employed.
Well. vocational training and voca-
ional selection are no doubt of real
Importance. No doubt not little in.
is due to failure to train for
pecific occupations and failure TO
elect the bcst-adapted workers for this
nd that occupation. Yet it is safe to
ay that no amount of vocational
raining and selection will insure eff
iency in the absence of that heart
elt interest in work. and eagerHess to
FORK born of n splendid idealism.
| am reminded of a saying by the
ate Samuel s. Curry. in his own field
worker Of the first order:
"No matter what a mans work NAV
c. if his ideal conception of it is
Nv. soon or late everything relating
o it will be degraded. Even vast
nowledge and perfect technical skill
annot compensate for the lack of a
Ugh ideal"
Copyright. 1924 by The Associated
Newspapers)