Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1923-04-02

Whenever | think of love and may,
riaSc think 0f Way. That clerhly
figure. That clerk;y mind. lie WAS
among those M; daring my nrs,
years i'm New York. Like 81 u:auy 0f
tho millions seeking tD make their
way, he was busy about his affairs.
and. fortunately. with the limitations
of the average Iryau ne had TIE ambj
tiuuS of the average man. lie WIS
connected with enc of those CONNER.
cial agencies which inquire irto the
standing of business men and report
their findings, for price, to othcr
his work and seemed satisfied hat In
tire he was certain to achieve what
WAS perhaps fair enough ambition:
mapdgerShip of some branch of the
great concern he was connected with
and which might have paid him So
much rs five or six thousand year.
The thing about him that interested
me, apart from Il genial and pleasing
disposition, was that with all this
. wealth If opportunity before him for
studying the human mind. its re-
sources and rcSOurcefulneSS, its inhi-
billions aud alterations, its humOr.
tragedy and general stiffness and
ChangefuncSS. 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 pay
their bills? What was their capital
stock? Hcw much cash did they have
on hand? Such was the nature
oS the data he needed, and to this,
largely, 10 confined himself.
Nevertheless. he was Mt times
amused or aSt0niShed or made angry
or Self-riGhtcous by the tricks. the Sc
CretivCnc>S. the errors and downright
meanneSS of spirit of so many he came
I'm 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. rs on some
others, he was convinced that he
would succeed. Ii u man did as he
should do If he We're industrious and
honest and courteous and q 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-
teous man not do better than those
who are none NJ those things? What
nonsense. II must he So. OF course
there were accidents and sickness.
and men here and there stole from
one another, rs he cav well Illustrated
i'm his own iaborS; and banks failed.
And there were trusts and combina.
tinns 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
~ the average man followed the above
rules he was sure TO fare better than
the other fellow. There was such q
thing rs approximate justice. Good
ulu pEeNNll. III VIC t""4"' NAu VIE
wicked we're punished.
As for love aud marriage. ne held
definite views about these also. Not
that he was unduly narrow or in,
clined 10 cenSure those whose lives
had not worked OUT as well Is he
hoped his own would. bur there was 4
fine line Of tact somewhere in ills
matter of marriage which led 20 sue
cess also. quite as the qualities out
lined above led, or should lead to sue
cess in matters more material or prac
teal. one had = understand 4 little