Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1946-07-31
Ford's Philosophy

ora nllOSOphy
Henry Ford At SO cNudcs the same
KIM OF philosophy that has char
actcrIZcd his uutglvingS on similar
anniversaries for many years. lie
processes 10 see the bright side of
everything and bcckons 10 youth II
take over i'll the opportunities that
await this rising generation.
Age mcllowS the outlook of many
individuals. as the wears pile un,
one sees more of the utilities of Iii.
ana acquires more genuine apprc-
citation and tolerance for his fellows
and their viewpoints. BY nature the
elderly person generally prefers 10
see the caimcr, more peaceful as
poets OF people and things. The dash
and fire OF youth. with the courage
10 dare neutrality-suspicious. and
drtcnsIvCly. depending upon the will
-has largely vanished by the time
one reaches the vantage point o;
decades. as Ford now has. More
over. III his particular position, he
can look back upon u life i'll which
the SumNum bonum OF success has
been achieved. ana which brought
nun long ago 10 the status uI
economic security and Sclf-SuffiCen-
y. and shruudrd him with all pro-
lection imaginable from the d!Scum-
tort" brought III by the sharp winds
OF adversely and the changing tides
of lime. Many another individual.
under like circumstances. would have
developed the same sort of philoS-
ophy which is today Henry Ford
himself.
This Is not tu say that Ford did
not have 10 fight hard nor that he
| reached his destination without
sacrifice and burning the midnight
oil. To be sure he did plenty of both
ind much more besides. And in
/ The process Of achieving he had has
| iuIi share of that rugged individual
| !sm which creates and produces. The
| difference Is that he passed that
stage some decades ago, and now. a.
| "3. stands upon the mountain peak
! at contemplation To survey all that
! has gone before and which he has
come through, despite the hard
knocks. the obstacles and the pro-
| b.Cms that had to be overcome and
| which have been overcome.
Youth. with all It's VIM and vIgnr.
| holds within It's hands the power tu
| cncUrIyCut the worlds ills. But. uu-
! fortunately. too large ii segment of
| youth Is contributing 10 the evils of
| the time instead of cndcavoring to
/ overcome and Danish them. II youth
! generally had the vision and per-
! spCctIyc today that fired Henry
Ford in his early days half a CEN
Jury and more ago. the cxaspera-
| tons which stimulate and inflamc
| this present era would not even
! exist. Millions of individuals would
be too intent upon ultimate obiec-
t!ves to take time out to try to de-
! Stroy the very sincwS which provide
| the ingredients for large success
| through utilization of unprecedented
opportunities which lie all around.
! The Ford industrial empire is "A
! monument to mass production. Its
! foundations were laid at a time
( whcr men with genius were allow
cd full play in developing their
| ideals. and when the profits they
| realized from their efforts were fed
back into the program as fuel TO.
! still mighticr achievements. instead
Of being siphoncd off into a gov
crnmcnt saturated with an army of
spcndcrs and theorists. whose philos-
ophy embodies theory of intef-
ference and Illustration. Henry
Ford's achievements never could
have been possible had he come up
on the scene at such a time as this.
Nor will similar success be the lot
OF those with ambition now who
must pillow through unsound ideol-
ogics of our day. and who. even
when they have struggled through
the woods. will find that they have
still made but little Roadway.
The bigncss that is Ford is not of
itself sin. morally or socially. Thi;
Kind of bigncss has served humanity.
even If IT has enriched the genius
that created il. And sometimes size
is essential 10 the rendering of such
service.