The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-06-07

cfAl leaders their faVorite motto. All though I well knew that MT. Baker had never written a sentence for pub .lfcation I went ahead and explained to him what 1 was doing and politely asked him if he wouldn't tell, for the benefit of others, what his guiding maxim had been all through his long life-he is eighty -four. I had a pleas ant surprise when I found in the mail, day or two later, a response from MT. Baker. Here is MT. Bakers favorite motto:
 'It can be done"
 Mir. Baker went further. He wrote that, in all his own activities, and they have been on colossal scale, he had set before himself this rule:
 If you are in doubt, give the bank the benefit of it,
 Tn other words, whenever there was any question as to whether the results @of any operation really belonged to q him personally or to his institution, he always decided in favor of the bank and it's stockholders. Perhaps this is the reason why the First National bank of New York has been able to pay 60 per cent dividends a year.
 It is interesting to note that E. H. Gary, the veteran head of the United States Steel corporation, long, long ago adopted exactly the same motto. At any moment the judge can press a but ston in his office and, To, there bursts forth, an illuminated letters the sign:
 Tt can be done"
 Seeing that George F. Baker has been able to rise to the very top of the banking world and Judge Gary to the highest position in the largest indus trial enterprise in the world, this Tt can be done" motto would appear to be good one for some of the rest of us to adopt.
 The Corn Products Refining company has attracted nationwide attention during recent years by phenomenal in crease in the value of it's securities Its success has been due mainly to one man, E. T. Bedford. it's go-getting, far seeing president who like MT Baker and Judge Gary, has enjoyed a very long life. MT. Bedfords favorite mot to is out of the ordinary. It is:
 Never object to or resent criticism "
 Incidentally, MT. Bedford had his share of it at certain stages of his career, while he was wrestling against tnordinate difficulties in his effort to create a successful enterprise out of what then was a struggling company
 Perhaps the two foremost shoe manu- lecturers in the world are Jackson Johnson, president of the International Shoe company, and George F. John son, president of the Endicott-Johnson company. Their pet notices will in terest many. Jackson Johnson's is: He who serves best profits most. {"
 George F. Johnson put down this ..'Be not weary in well doing, for in due season. if ye faint not. ye shall reaR," rR,. .. ....s.. .-....-
 Harvey D. Gibson. now president of the New York Trust company, at tAined conspicuous success at an un- usually early age. He began making his mark while still at college. few years after starting to sweep floors, in an express company's office, he rose to be the general manager of the com pany. When he e- switched to banking he started on little better than clerks salary and not as an executive. But he soon became president of the bank the Old Liberty National, New York. MT. Gibson early adopted this as his guiding rule: By words, acts, confi- dence and determination of responsi- piltttes to my immediate business as- sociates and convince them of the full importance of their executive positions ito see that they receive full credit for results of such responsibilities as- sumed."
 In Kalamazoo. Mich., there is one
 
 up a large and successful enterprise, but has won more than local fame as an extraordinarily active, public-spirit- ed citizen, namely, Jacob Kindleberger, president of the Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment company. Here is his mot to:
 Push"
 eff you can't push.
 Pull.
 If you can't pull, please get out of the way"
 - Few men have had a more romantic career than Will Hays, now ruler over the realm of the movies. What maxim has he hewn to all along his career ? = You will regard 1t, I think, as signifi- cant of the man. Here it is:
 Things do not happen in this world. They are brought about"
 once asked Coleman DuPont why he was investing so many millions in hotels. He instantly replied that it was because he had discovered a man who knew how to run hotels success fully, L. M. Boomer The Boomer chain has made hotel history. Mir. Boomers guiding maxim has been that good old copybook one: If at first you don't succeed. try, try again."
 Until the last two or three years relatively few people knew anything about the career of August Hecksher, father of the Hecksher Building, Fifth avenue. Most men have made fortunes in one line of endeavor. Mir. Hecksher has made millions in first one field and then another. Latterly he has been tremendously active in New York real estste-and in cultivating orange groves in Florida. There are only five words in Mir, Hecksher's pet motto "Presevere. You will win out!'' He did.
 For a railroad man. the following, sAfA- 1lII33;4 III;N