Evening star., 1924-05-18
BY ROGER w. BABsON.

1
| NE evening I was visiting
IL Thomas ]. Edison at his
N home in New Jersey. 1t was
| at the close of a long. hard
day during the panic OF lso''
when Mr.. Edison had oeen strug-
Cling with his employees on one sue
and his executives on the other. ne
was unable to keep his men en-
ployed as he desired. and they were
clamoring for work, while he was
cheering the sales force and urging
them to greater endeavors. After all
had gone I said:
Mr.. Edison, is the game worth the
powder? Is all this time and energy
which you are spending really worth
whiIe? To this he replied:
'Babson, it all depends on what is
success If success is the acquiring
of money, or power, or fame, tneh
the struggle is not worth Whlle, pe-
cause after you get these thinss Is you
find them to be merely empty shelis;
If, however, you are in a line OF
business which makes people happy,
and you get the vision OF making
people happy, then you are happy
yourself; and the game is worth the
What do you consider your great
est invention?" 1 then asked Mr.. Edi-
son.
He pondered awhile and then, talk
ing partly to himself and partly 10
me, he answered:
We'll, 1 am probably best known
by the phonograph. That perhaps
has been the best advertised, and II
has caused my name to become
household word. have perhaps
made the most money through the
growth of the moving picture indus-
try. Certain patents which l had IN
large amount of revenue. The stor-
age battery and various other things
have at times been hailed as my
greatest invention. However, do you
know that / consider the incandes-
cent light as my greatest invention,
although I never made much money
from it? The money in the incandes-
cent lamp business has been mace py
others. Still call it my greatest IN
vention because it has brought the
world so much happiness.
Convenience for Everybody.
Did you realize how as we sit here
tonight that incandescent lamp Is
being used? The President Of the
United States is sitting in his library
at the White House reading by my
lamp. The great premiers of Europe
are using it in the great capitals OF
their nations. Yet this does not in
terest me, but rather that this incan-
descent lamp is being used tonight In
all the great hospitals of the world;
, Operations which otherwise could
not be performed and lives which
otherwise would be lost are oelhs
The homes of millions and mliiions
, of housewives all over the land are
being made brighter and their llves
easier by this incandescent lamp.
not being enjoyed simply by the rich.
The hoboes and homeless, who are
walking the streets Of New YORK
Chicago, Philadelphia. New orleans
San Francisco, London, Berlin, faI,s,
great cities of China, India and
Egypt, are also. enjoying this IN
candescent lamp"
/ Although fundam entail economic
law is a great factor in determining
whether or not we are successful
we must not make the mistake OF
assuming wrong definition for
| success. Success is not land, money
. popularity. attention or even IN,
fuence. Succe 80 is that something
=, much more enjoyable than any OF
these things. Success is a spiritual
quality, an inward satisfaction
: which cannot be measured by ma
terial things.
Land. money, popularity, attention
conveyances. They are bridges BY
, which this something" under GER
tain conditions and to a limited ex-
tent. is made more easily attalnaoie
A bridge is necessary in order tc
carry trains from one bank of a river
amount of material things is neces-
sary to take one to the desired port
of success. However, if the bridge
is too heavily loaded it breaks down
and the train falls into the river
Thus, although the bridge can serve
| to disaster.
TIE Most Precious Thing.
This something is true hap
piness. 1t makes no difference how
much land or money, power or fame
person has, if one is not happy
then one is not successful. This is
the great message which the schools
and colleges need today. In addi-
ton to geometry, physics, French
German, etc, they certainly should
teach the meaning of true success
Instead, altogether too much stress
is placed on the mere conveyors of
success From the earliest days OF
arithmetic, when the boy is asked to
figure how much did the man nake?'
up through college days, he is un-
consciously taught that success is
material profit, whether or not 1t
| brings happiness. There never was
a more unsound and foolish doctrine.
The first thing that should be in
stilled into the youth today is the
truth about success.
| The UhoIa world ia a9trav this
subject. Almost every one is seek
ing profit" The easiest and quick
est way of obtaining and keeping
profits is thought to be success
Most of our troubles today are due
to this false notion OF course, in
order to keep possessions one must
obtain them in accordance with the
| laws of the land, but it is a great
mistake to think that so long as
possessions are obtained legally" it
ia unnecessary to consider the prob
lem further This very fact accounts
for much of our unhappiness. g
A great portion of the world is
now living by doing one another
washing-so to speak. One person
makes something for another tna1 rs
useless to either. All are crafty
| chasing profits about circle: AS a
result most business men me ,'11 rIdIy ~ a1e she
| taiI-he hated to hang on, but ne
dared not let go. If we all could
stop at once and begin over AGAIN =
all would be healthier, happier and
more prosperous For us suddenly to
caa az buying any one thing-or for
| one group to attempt a reform, how
| ever ia a much more difficult task.
one of the great circus organiza-
tions has been exhibiting a stunt OF
platform. The ponies. OF course, run
hort in a direction opposite from