Evening star., 1927-09-25
Effect on Business Has Several Important Factors

and the older lawyer We're the only
persons who really knew and under
stood what these estates were worth.
This young man had worked happily
and conscientiously while in associa-
ton with his older friend and semi
partner. Then the older lawyer sud
denly died, and to the young man was
left the task of managing the details
of these estates. of which no one but
himself now had even an inkling.
1t was Immediately after this that
his troubles began.
| surmiSed from what he did not
say what was the matter; he was
tempted to appropriate what he knew
would never he missed although he
could not consciously admit this temp
tation. Tnconsciously. however. some
thing knew it. and the nervousness.
lack of appetite and broken condition
were the efforts in the unconscious to
warn him against unworthy desires.
With the preCipitanCy of youth
would go about it more carefully in :
the light of my later experience
suddenly shot at him this question:
What is your temptation"
The rush Of rage that purpled his
face. the clenched fists and outbursts
Of abusive language told me l had hit
the nail on the head-as we'll as made
a violent enemy, not only of the pa
tient, but of the physician who had
brought him TO me. He stormed out
of my Office, would be damned II he
would ever pay his consultation fee,
abused his physician for ever bringing
him to such a shyster. Thus the mat
ter ended.
No. not quite. I learned the sequel
ten years later. when a certain other
patient came to consult me. This man
told me that he had been referred to
me by MIR. X" l had no recolIec-
ton of any Mr.. y.
"Well," said the patient, "he told
me to come to see you. Said he talked
with you ten years ago and you saved
his life and reputation"
When l looked up my records later
I discovered that Mr.. " was my
young lawyer. l had often wondered
what had happened to him; now /
knew.
He had not been failure. But how
previously near he had come to being
one. l had not allayed the conflict in
his mind, but / had bolstered up his
conscience to resist temptation by a
few minutes interlude in my examina-
ton of him when had discussed with
him his family, consisting of a wild
owed mother and two fine young sis
ters just about to be married. Where
as he had stressed what the break
down in his health might mean to
them, l had maneuvered to show what
the breakdown in his homer might
mean, and knew from the soberinE
effect of my few questions and state
ments that l was warm, for he had
a sincere, deep affection for these love
objects of his home. He could not
betray Them.
This, then, was an example of fail
ure averted because the early love OBJ
jects had been of the right sort. The
young mans mother had never silver.
| spooned him. The sisters had never
grated. They had kept their sel(-rS.
| spect by working themselves, and had
kept his respect for them. They had
given him a good conscience and no
| excuse for failure.
4 X ~
IN contrast to this young man, who
had affection from his family of
| the right, constructive sort, the world
| is cluttered up with mammals boys"
| who have been petted into failure
| Sometimes they are the only children
| or the only sons. Their misdeeds are
always forgiven; they learn to expect
! lenience, to make excuses. to shirk re.
| sponsibilities. They are kept in a pro-
| tected, infantile frame of mind. When
| they go into the business world they
expect this liberation to continue. II
the boss calls them down, they sulk;
he's an "old crouch" ''unreasonable";
the fellows who make good have Just
got there by pull: "no self-respecting
man would stand for it." When things
! r1-iuh
mammals boys won't play-that is.
they quit the job.
Extremes Of this case need a psv.
chiatrist to pull them out of the slough
| into which they have fallen. Emotion.
| ally they have never grown up. The
| future of the race demands that at
| adolescence the boy should shift his
| affections from their concentration on
| his mother and family and direct them
| toward a future mate, developing at
| the same time those qualities of in
| dependence and pugnaciousness which
| will cradle him to care for and protect
| a family.
| He must learn to. meet difficulties
standing up. not to make excuses and
| run away from them. His reactions,
! his methods Il getting what he wants.
| must be groWn-up, not infantile Oh.
viously the place for him to learn
| these things is at home. and the per.
/ son best fitted to teach him is his
mother. BY keeping him too closely
| under her. dOminat ton she is, meta.
phorically speaking. refusing to cut
! his curls. She is using the love prin-
! cinle to cripple him. rather than to
infuse him with energy
The normal mans choice OF love
objects after he has emancipated
| himself from his family is closely
| bound up with his success or failure
in business. for the bankruptcies
that may be traced to unhappy mar
riages are legion. This whole sub
| ject. however, properly belongs in d
discussion of the ia allure of marriage,
and cannot be touched upon here.