Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1923-08-23

Whenever | think of love and mar
riage think of Wray. That cIerkly
figure. That clerkly mind. He was
among those l met during my first
years In New York. Like so many of
the millions seeking to make their
way. he was busy about his affairs.
and, fortunately, with the limitations
OF the average man he had the ambi-
lions OF the average man. He was
connected with one Of those CONNER
cial agencies which inquire into the
standing Of business men and reDort
their findings. for a price, to other
business men. He was interested in
his work and seemed satisfied that In
time he was certain to achieve what
was perhaps fair enough ambition:
managership Of some branch of the
great concern he was connected with
and which might have paid him so
much as five or six thousand a year.
The thing about him that interested
me, apart from 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 inhi-
billions and alterations, It's humor,
tragedy and general stiffness and
changefulness, he concerned himself
chiefly with the bare facts Of the diff
ferent enterprises whose character he
was supposed to investigate. Were
they solvent? Could and did they nav
their bills? What was their capital
stockG 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
or self-rlghteous by the tricks. the Sc
cretiveness. the errors and downright
meanness of spirit Of so many he came
In contact with. AS for himself, he
had the feeling that he was person
Of no little character, that he was
honest, Straightforward, not as linn
tied or worthless as some of these
others. On this score, as on some
others. he was convinced that he
would succeed. If a man did as he
should do. If he We're industrious and
honest and courteous and 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, industrious. careful, cour-
seous man not do better than those
who are none of those things? What
nonsense. 1t must be so. OF course
there were accidents and sickness,
and men here and there stole from
one another, as he 5aw well illustrated
In his own labors; and banks failed.
And there were trusts and combina-
lions 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 a
thing as approximate justice. Good
did prevail, In the main. and the
wicked were punished.
AS for love and marriage, he held
definite views about these also. Not
that he was unduly narrow or In
,ciined to censure those whose lives
had not worked out as well as he
hoped his own would. but there was a
fine line of tact somewhere In this
matter of marriage which led 70 sue.
cess also. quite as the qualities cut
lined above led, or should lead, to sue
cess In matters more material or prac-
teal. One had to understand a little
something about women. One had Ia
be sure that when one went a-court.
ing one selected woman Of sense as
well as charm, one who came of good
stock and hence would be possessed OF
good taste and good principles. She
need not be rich; she might even be
poor. So many women were design
ing, or at least light and Eighty; they
could not help serious man to sue
coed II they would. Everywhere, Of
course, was the worthy girl whom Il
was an honor to marry, and 1t wal
one Of these he was going to choose