ELEMENTS OF FITNESS
In our study are two small pieces of clear white marble. Each of them is
decorated with a beautifully designed little flower in natural color. This
flower is depicted by the skillful inlaying of semi-precious stones. These
marbles came from Agra, India. They are samples of the handiwork which
makes the Taj Mahal one of the most beautiful structures in the world. In
the fitting of this inlay work the stones--some of them almost as hard as
diamonds--are cut and polished to nearly mathematical accuracy of size and
shape. But the more carefully and exactly these are made, the more badly
they fit and the worse failure is the whole design, unless the spaces
intended for them in the marble are likewise cut and prepared with nicety
and accuracy. In the selecting of a life work, similarly, the same care
must be taken in learning accurately the requirements of work--the exact
size and shape, as it were, of each vocation--as is spent upon learning
the exact qualifications of each individual. Both require common sense and
intelligent judgment.
We measure a man's height in centimeters or inches. Pounds and ounces or
grams and centigrams offer us exact standards of measuring his weight. But
there are no absolute standards for measuring the man himself, and
probably there never can be. Human values, therefore, can be standardized
only relatively. By the study of large groups we can, however, ascertain
approximately the average or normal. In this way, physical standards have
been set up as to pulse rate, temperature, respiration, etc. Chemical
analysis determines norms of blood composition, and microscopic
investigation determines the average number of blood corpuscles per cubic
centimeter. The Binet-Simon mental tests are based upon certain
approximate averages of intelligence and mental development established
in the same way. The Münsterberg associated-word test of intelligence and
other psychological experiments are among the efforts made to establish
such standards. These are valuable as far as they go and probably yield
all the information that their originators claim for them, which,
unfortunately, is not a great deal. By time and motion studies, we are
enabled to set up standards of efficiency that work out well in practice.
All these, however, still leave us in the dark as to the man himself--his
honesty, his loyalty, his highest and best values.
ELEMENTS OF THE VOCATIONAL PROBLEM
But, granted for the moment that we could devise and successfully apply
exact and accurate standards of measurement for human beings, our work
would be only partially done. Any mechanic knows that it is a sad waste of
time and pains to standardize tenons, with micrometer and emery paper, to
a thousandth of an inch, so long as the mortises are left unstandardized.
A valuable man makes an unusual record on the staff of some employer.
Other employers immediately begin to lay plans to entice him away.
Transferred to another organization, he may prove mediocre, or even
undesirable, in his services. Hiring "stars" away from other employers has
proved disastrous so many times that the practice is no longer common.
Many a flourishing and fruitful tree has been transplanted, only to wither
and die--a tragedy involving the tree itself and both orchards. Measured
by every known standard, a man thus enticed away may be close to 100 per
cent efficient, but the man is only one ingredient in the compound from
which results are expected. To know and to rate his aptitudes, abilities,
personality, and possibilities is of the highest importance, but these
cannot be rated except in relation to his work and to his environment.
These are the other two ingredients in the compound. It is quite obvious
that all standards for judging men--and for self-analysis--must vary with
relation to the work they are to do and the environment in which they are
placed.
The important factors of any vocation may be classified very broadly
under three heads, namely, nature, position, and requirements. Chart I
gives a classification of work, with a few suggestive subdivisions, under
each of these three general heads. The meanings of the subdivisions listed
under "Nature" and "Position" are clear.
CHART I
/Physical
|Mental
|Combination of Physical and Mental
|Professional
/Nature..........|Commercial
| |Industrial
| |Fine
| |Coarse
| |Light
| \Heavy, etc.
|
Work....| /Executive
|Position........|Subordinate
| \Staff
|
| /Physical
| |Moral
| |Intellectual
\Requirements....|Emotional
|Volitional
|Aptitudes
|Experience
\Training, etc.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
Work has its physical requirements as to size, build, strength, endurance,
freedom from tendencies to disease, agility, and inherent capacity for
manual and digital skill. It may also have certain requirements as to
eyesight, hearing, reaction time, muscular co-ordination, sense of touch,
and even, in some particular places, sense of smell and sense of taste.
Moral requirements may vary from those of a hired gunman to those of a
Y.M.C.A. secretary or a bank cashier.
INTELLECTUAL REQUIREMENTS
Intellectual requirements and requirements in aptitudes, experience, and
training vary, of course, with every kind of work, and almost with every
particular job. One most valuable division of people intellectually is as
to capacity of intellect. Some people have fine intellects, capable of
great accomplishments in the way of education and training. They are
particularly fitted for intellectual work; they have mental grasp; they
comprehend; they reason; they have good judgment; they learn easily; they
remember well. In every way their intellects are active, energetic,
capable. Other people have only moderate intellectual capacity. They
express themselves best in physical activity or in the direct, man-to-man
handling of others. Their few intellectual activities may be exceedingly
keen and accurate--or slow, dull, and vague. People with small
intellectual capacity sometimes have remarkable vigor and clearness of
mind in some one direction--such as finance, promotion, commerce; judgment
of people, horses, cattle, or other living beings; mechanics, invention,
music, art, poetry, or some other narrow specialty. Some intellects, in
other words, are simply incompetent--others, merely narrow.
People can also be divided, intellectually, into two other classes, the
theoretical and the practical. The man with a theoretical intellect is
thoughtful, meditative, reflective. His mind works slowly; it is
interested in philosophy, in theories, in abstractions, and is capable of
dealing with them. On the other hand, it is not particularly well
qualified for observing practical things, and for making a practical
application of the theories it learns so easily and in which it takes so
great an interest. This is the intellect of the philosopher, the dreamer,
the educator, the preacher, the writer, the reformer, the poet. This is
particularly the intellect of reason, of logic, of ideas and ideals.
Whether found amongst the world's leaders or in the lowliest walks of
life, its function is always that of dealing with theory, finding out
reasons, putting together logical arguments, teaching others and dealing
with abstractions. Oftentimes this type of intellect is so impractical
that its possessor never possesses anything else. Literature abounds in
the tragic tales of philosophers, poets, reformers, and dreamers who
starved beautifully and nobly. Every-day life sees thousands more
blundering along, either cursing their luck or wondering why Providence
withholds its material gifts from people so deserving as they.
Over against this is the practical, matter-of-fact, analytical
intellect--the intellect which demands facts and demands them quickly; the
intellect which is quick in its operations, impatient, keen, penetrating,
intolerant of mere theories and abstractions, not particularly strong in
reason and logic, but exceedingly keen and discriminating in regard to the
facts. This is the intellect which deals with things, with the material
universe, with laws and principles, based upon accurately determined
facts. This is the intellect of the preeminently practical man.
Some intellects are particularly fine in critical powers; some have
splendid financial ability; some are artistic and musical; some have
almost miraculous instinct in mechanical affairs; some are scientific;
others are mechanical; still others are inventive. There are many
intellects, of course, which combine two or more of these qualities, as,
for instance, an intellect blessed with both financial and organizing
ability. This is the intellect of the captain of industry, of the
multi-millionaire. Then there is the intellect which combines financial,
inventive, and organizing ability. This is the intellect of Edison, of
Westinghouse, of Curtis, of the Wright brothers, of Marconi, and of Cyrus
McCormick. Herbert Spencer was blessed with an intellect capable of both
philosophic and scientific thought, both theoretical and practical.
Spencer had also great organizing ability, but he devoted it to the
organizing of a system of philosophy based upon his scientific researches.
EMOTIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Emotional requirements are many and varied; even more numerous and of
greater variety than intellectual requirements, perhaps. Some vocations
require great courage, others not; some require a great deal of sympathy;
others demand a certain hardness and control of the sympathies. There are
vocations which require a keen sense of justice; others in which the
presence or absence of a sense of justice is not essential. And so, there
must be taken into consideration requirements for honor, for love, for
loyalty, for dependableness, for enthusiasm, for unselfishness, for
caution, for prudence, for religion, for faith, for hope, for optimism,
for cheerfulness, for contentment, for earnestness, and for reverence.
THE COMPLEXITY OF HONESTY
Honesty is laid down by all authorities on employment as absolutely
essential to success in any vocation, but there are many kinds of honesty
and many standards of honesty. As a matter of fact, each man has his own
standard of honesty. After all, it is, perhaps, not so much a question of
what a man's standards are as how well he lives up to them. We recall,
especially, the cases of two men associated together in business. One man
set his standards high. Intellectually, he knew the value of ethics in
conduct. He truly wished to make practical in his dealings the high
principles he admired. But his cupidity was strong and his will and
courage were weak, so he oftentimes argued himself, by specious casuistry,
into words and acts which were untruthful and dishonest. Oftentimes,
indeed, they came dangerously near to actual crimes against the laws of
the State. The other man had rather limited standards of honesty. His
motto was, "Let the buyer beware!" If those with whom he dealt were as
strong and intelligent as he, and he was clever enough to take advantage
of them, he regarded the spoils as rightfully his. It was all in the game.
"I don't squeal when they catch me napping," he said, "and why should I
look out for their interests?" But he never took advantage of the weak,
the ignorant, the inexperienced, or the too credulous. His word was as
good as gold. His principles were few and intensely practical, and he
would willingly lose thousands of dollars rather than violate one of
them.
Honesty is a complex virtue. It means, fundamentally, just and honorable
intentions. But it involves, also, knowledge of what is right, a keen and
discriminating sense of justice, a true sense of values, courage and
will-power to carry out honest intentions, and, finally, sufficient
earning power to meet all righteous obligations. Dishonest acts result far
more often from ignorance, warped sense of justice, inability to
appreciate values, cowardice, weak will, or incompetence, than from wrong
intent. Whether or not any individual is endowed with the necessary
honesty for success in any particular vocation is, therefore, a problem
which can be settled only by careful analysis of all its requirements. Law
and banking both require a high _degree_ of honesty, but the _kinds_ are
different.
THE HIGH QUALITY OF COURAGE
Next to honesty, perhaps, courage is most important. The individual who
lacks courage shows no initiative; he has no ability to fight his own
battles, to stand by his guns, to assert and maintain his convictions and
his rights. He is, therefore, always a misfit in any vocation where he is
required to take the initiative, to step out and assume responsibilities,
to guide and direct the work of others, to meet others in, competition, to
discipline others, to defend himself against the attack of others, to
defend the rights of those depending upon him as employees, or
stockholders, or partners. He may be excellently qualified as a research
worker, an experimenter, an administrator of affairs, a teacher, a writer,
a lecturer, an artist, or in almost any kind of work where initiative,
aggressiveness, and fighting ability are not prime essentials.
PRUDENCE
Almost as important in its bearing upon vocational fitness as honesty and
courage is prudence. This is the quality which causes men to bear
responsibility faithfully; it is that which makes effective in them a
sense of duty. It is the emotional quality which leads men to take
precautions, to provide against the future. It is that which prevents them
from recklessness in expenditure or speculation, from carelessness, from
irresponsibility. It is an absolutely essential quality wherever
dependability is required; where one is expected to assume and to carry
responsibility, to see that things are done accurately that necessities
are provided, that emergencies are prevented.
On the other hand, there are many vocations in which too great prudence,
too great caution, is a handicap instead of an advantage. The man who is
too cautious, who bears responsibility too heavily, is not fitted for
positions and vocations which involve a certain amount of personal danger.
He is also likely to be too conservative to enter upon vocations in which
a considerable element of speculation is involved. He is not disposed to
take chances; he is too apprehensive and too much given to anxiety to be
involved in any vocation where there is uncertainty as to outcome. Many
vocations also require a fine blending of prudence with a willingness to
take chances and a certain degree of recklessness.
THE ELEMENTS OF ENVIRONMENT
Such is any kind of work in which the results are not tangible and
immediately and constantly measurable. In our practice we meet many who
grow impatient, apprehensive, and even discouraged when knowledge of
success of their efforts is deferred--or is even problematical. These
people would far rather work in a subordinate position at a small salary,
_certain_ to be paid every pay day, than to make twice as much money on a
commission basis but not be certain just how much they would be paid on
pay day. Thus it is clear that a salesman on a commission basis must have
a dash of recklessness in him, and yet, if he is selling high priced goods
and wishes to build a permanent business, must be careful and prudent in
handling his trade.
The essential elements of environment and their subdivisions are shown in
Chart 2. A brief discussion of some of these may clarify the subject.
CHART 2
|Policy of House
| |Moral
| |Physical
|Standards.............< Commercial
| |Artistic
| |Etc.
|
| |In Place of Business
|Physical Surroundings.< In Locality
| |In Home
|
| |Personal Preference
|Management............<
| |Personality
|
| |Personal Preference
Environment...< Superior Executive....< Personality
| |Methods
|
| |In Business
|Associates............< In Locality
| |Socially
|
| |Hours of Labor
| |Periods of Rest
| |Temperature
| |Compensation
|Working Conditions....< Opportunities
| |Underground
| |Elevation
| |Danger
| |Etc.
POLICY AND STANDARDS
For a man faithfully and loyally to live up to and represent the policy of
the house is obviously necessary. But oftentimes it takes rather definite
characteristics to do this.
Every business institution has, or should have, its moral, commercial,
financial, artistic, and other standards with reference to personnel,
according to the character of the business and other important
considerations. And the man who contemplates work with any firm will
examine himself to see whether he can harmonize happily with these
standards. In like manner, every profession and art has its traditional
standards and ethics, which should be considered.
PHYSICAL SURROUNDINGS
In selecting his vocation, the wise man ascertains his fitness for its
physical surroundings. Some men cannot work permanently indoors,
underground, in a high altitude, in a hot or cold climate, in a damp or a
dry climate, in high or low artificial temperature, in the midst of noise
or dust or chemical fumes, or by artificial light, or in a locality where
certain social advantages do not exist or where satisfactory homes cannot
be rented or purchased. Some men are not fitted for city life; others are
not fitted for country life. All these and other facts should be taken
into consideration with reference to surroundings.
MANAGEMENT AND SUPERIORS
The management of every place has its personal preferences, not based on
efficiency. We once knew a manager who was so distressed by impediments of
speech that he could not endure persons with these peculiarities in his
organization, although their manner of speech had nothing to do with the
quality of their work. Every manager has some more or less marked
idiosyncrasies, and these must be known and studied by prospective
employees. The personality of the management and its effect upon the
worker under its direction and leadership are other important factors. The
manager who is a keen, positive driver will get good results with a
certain type of people in his organization, but only with a certain type.
The efficiency of every man in the organization is also conditioned very
largely upon the personal preferences, personality, and methods of his
immediate superior--his foreman, gang-boss, or chief. Certain types of men
harmonize and work well together. Other types are antagonistic and
discordant. By their very nature they cannot work in the harmony which is
essential to efficiency. In making choice of work, the man with good
judgment scrutinizes all these important elements.
ASSOCIATES AND SOCIAL ADVANTAGES
Every vocation has its social environment. There are fellow employees, or
professional associates, inevitable in the work itself; also the
particular class of society fixed by locality, income, or the standing of
the vocation.
This chart may seem, at first sight, to be complex. It must necessarily be
so, since it is arranged to cover all professions and trades and all
industrial and commercial positions, from the presidency of a corporation,
general managership of a railroad, sales management of a factory, or
cashiership of a bank, as well as less exalted jobs, down to those
requiring little, if anything, more than brute strength. Obviously, not
all of these facts need to be considered by every aspirant, but only those
which have a bearing upon his particular case. The tendency, however, is
to neglect important factors rather than to waste time over those which
are unimportant.
PERSONAL ELEMENTS OF THE PROBLEM
Having determined, in the manner indicated, the standards of work and of
the environment, the man is ready to examine himself to determine where he
fits. There are six headings under which he may classify the various items
of information needed in fitting himself to work and environment. These
are health, character, intelligence, disposition to industry, natural
aptitudes, and experience, as shown in Chart 3. This chart does not, of
course, present a complete and detailed list, but it is suggestive.[2] It
would not be true to say that any one of these is absolutely more
important than the other. They are all important. Their relative
importance may be determined by the vocation to be considered.
[Footnote 2: See more detailed lists in appendix.]
HEALTH
Consider the question of health. We include all a man's physical
attributes under health. The classification is somewhat arbitrary, but it
will be understood. A man must consider himself as to his size, as to his
strength, as to his endurance, as to his condition of body (which shows
habits), as to his predisposition to health, as to disease, as to his
moral health, as to his sobriety, as to his sanity, etc.
CHART 3
|Size
|Endurance
|Condition of Body In other words, what
Health........< Predispositions his physical value is for
|Morality a given work in a
|Sobriety given environment
|Sanity
|Etc.
|Honesty
|Truthfulness
|Loyalty
|Discretion and Prudence
Character.....< Enthusiasm
|Courage
|Steadfastness
|Dependability
|Etc., etc
|Ability to Learn
|Ability to Understand and Follow Instructions
|Judgment
|Memory
|Observation
Intelligence..< |Speaking
|Expression...<
| |Writing
|Imagination
|Reason
|Etc., etc.
|Energy
|Love of Work
Disposition to Industry < Willingness
|Perseverance
|Decision
|Etc., etc.
|Financial
|Commercial
|Mechanical
|Artistic
|Judicial
|Executive
|Selling
|Advertising
|Agriculture
Natural Aptitudes.......< Medical
|Educational
|Legal
|Engineering
|Floricultural
|Horticultural
|Stock Breeding
|Speed
|Accuracy
|Patience
|Attention to Detail
|Education
Experience..............< Training
|Previous Record
Without at least fair physical fitness for his work and for his
environment, no man can do efficient work in any position.
CHARACTER
The second element is character. A man may rate well in all the six
fundamentals with the exception of one, honesty, and he is not worth heat
and light and floor space, to say nothing of wages. Dishonest men do not
do honest work. The man who is deficient in honesty, in truthfulness, in
loyalty, is not really fit for any kind of work in a world where men are
interdependent--where the law of compensation is rigidly enforced. We
have chosen just a few qualities under the head of character: honesty,
truthfulness, loyalty, discretion, prudence, enthusiasm, courage,
steadfastness, and dependability. We might go on and on, adding
initiative, justice, kindness, good nature, courtesy, punctuality, etc.
INTELLIGENCE
The third criterion is intelligence. Intelligence, of course, relates to
mental ability--ability to learn and to understand and follow
instructions. Employers are slowly reaching the conclusion that
unintelligent labor is the most expensive kind of labor. The man who is
unintelligent cannot be taught. Employers cannot give him instructions and
feel absolutely sure that he understands them, or, even if he understands
them, that he will carry them out properly. Among the qualities which are
included under intelligence are judgment and memory, the powers of
observation, expression in speaking or in writing, imagination, reasoning
power, and all other qualities which are purely intellectual. Most
unintelligent people are merely mentally asleep. They need to awaken, to
be on the alert, really to take the trouble to think. Many people have
capacity for thought who do not use it.
INDUSTRY
The fourth element is disposition to industry. Some wag once said: "All
men are lazy, but some are lazier than others." It might sound better to
say that all men are industrious, but some men are more industrious than
others. There is such a quality of body and mind as the quality of
predisposition to action and industry. Industry is very largely dependent
upon energy. Energy depends upon oxygen. If one sits in a room that is
stuffy and not well ventilated, one soon becomes stupid, sleepy, and not
particularly acute mentally. In other words, he is partly starved for
oxygen. Now, let him go out into the open air and breathe plenty of oxygen
into his lungs. In a little while he raises his chest and brings up the
crown of his head and takes the positive physical attitude. He is more
energetic. He is eager for activity--for work. Some people are naturally
deficient in depth, activity, and quality of lung power. They do not
breathe in or use much oxygen, so they are lacking in energy. Such people
are not predisposed to industry. Love of work--love of the game that
causes a man to be interested in every phase of his work--is not, however,
wholly dependent upon energy. It is something in the very heart and fiber
of the man. Willingness to work, perseverance in work, and decision come
under disposition to industry.
[Illustration: _Photo by F. Gutekunst, Phila_.
FIG. 1. Jacob A. Riis, Journalist, Author and Philanthropist. A man of
unusual intellectual power, observation, reason, memory, logic, and
analysis, with high ideals, great love for humanity, especially the weak
and helpless; good powers of expression, sense of humor, courage, and
determination. Note large development of upper part of head; fairly well
developed brows; high dome over temples; height and width of forehead,
especially across center; full lips; well developed nose; strong chin; and
alert, poised, kindly expression.]
[Illustration: _Copyright by Underwood & Underwood. New York_.
FIG. 2. Dr. Booker T. Washington. Very ambitious, practical,
energetic, self-reliant, persistent, determined, capable of rule. Note
high head; high, sloping forehead, prominent at the brows; large nose,
high in the bridge; and long, straight upper lip.]
[Illustration: FIG. 3. James H. Collins, Author. A splendid example of
intellectual type with good bone and muscle. Has excellent balance of
mechanical and commercial understanding, keen judgment of men, practical
sense, and fine determination, with sentiment, sympathy, friendliness, and
faith. Note high, medium-wide head, especially high in center above
temples and wide and full through center of forehead; prominence of brows;
width between eyes; full, cleanly modeled lips; strong nose and chin; and
keen, pleasant, friendly, spirited expression.]
[Illustration: FIG. 4. H.G. Wells, Novelist and Economist. A man of
physically frail type, with natural mechanical leanings. Inventive,
creative, industrious, humanitarian. Because of his mechanical ability, he
uses his creativeness for constructing novels dealing with mechanical
invention. Because of his humanitarian instincts, he writes of social and
economic world problems. Note large upper portion of head, especially from
center of forehead to sides of head; also prominence of brows; large nose,
and long head.]
[Illustration: _Copyright American Press Association_.
FIG. 5. Mr. Henry Ford, Automobile Manufacturer and Philanthropist. Mr.
Ford is of the physically frail type, with a goodly admixture of the bony
and muscular element. His natural mechanical bent, therefore, took the
intellectual form of invention and organization. His sentiment,
responsiveness, sympathy, and idealism are shown by high, rather narrow
head, fine texture, height of head just above temples, and gentle, kindly,
genial expression.]
[Illustration: FIG. 6. Hugo de Vries, Botanist. An example of physically
frail type. Very careful, accurate, painstaking, and patient in mental
work. Also very thoughtful, mild in disposition, but determined and
persistent. Note large development of upper part of head; long, narrow
face; long nose; narrowness of head just above ears; slight squareness of
chin, and serious, thoughtful expression.]
[Illustration: _Copyright by B.F. McMann_
FIG. 7. Dr. Henry Van Dyke, United States Minister to Holland,
Author, Scholar, and Poet. A good example of physically frail type, with
slight tendency to bone and muscle. Refined, intellectual, sensitive,
responsive, optimistic, but well-balanced, poised, and keenly
discriminating. Dr. Van Dyke shows his tendency to physical activity in
his love for the out-of-doors. Note large development of upper portion of
head; slight squareness of jaw; height of head above temples, especially
in center; fine texture; excellent balance of features, and calm, poised,
thoughtful, but kindly expression.]
[Illustration: _Photo by American Press Association_.
FIG. 8. Dr. Beverly T. Galloway, Assistant Secretary of Agriculture.
Physically frail, but mentally very active. Said to be one of the greatest
living authorities on plant culture. Slight squareness of build indicates
tendency to interest in out-of-door matters, which, on account of large
development of mental qualities, he expresses in an intellectual way.]
NATURAL APTITUDE
The fifth criterion is natural aptitude. Everyone has observed that some
people are naturally commercial. We have seen a boy take a penny to
school, buy a slate pencil or a lead pencil with that penny, and trade
that for an old pocket knife, the knife for something else, and keep on
swapping until he had a gun, a set of chess, a bag of marbles, and several
other important boys' acquisitions, all from that one penny. Another boy
takes penny after penny to school and he never has anything to show for it
You know such boys--and grown people, too. Every individual has some such
aptitudes--either latent or developed, either mediocre or marked--and his
aptitudes fit him better for some one vocation than for any other.
EXPERIENCE
The sixth point to be considered is experience. One might be fitted for a
vocation with all of the five points that we have enumerated, and yet not
have either the education or the training for it. What shall he do?
Theoretically and ideally, every individual should be carefully and
thoroughly trained, from his earliest childhood, for the vocation for
which he is physically, mentally, and morally fitted. But this seldom
happens--and can happen but seldom so long as parents and teachers remain
ignorant of human nature and of work. A hard problem, then, confronts the
young man or young woman past school days and not trained for the right
calling. He or she must decide whether to compromise upon work as nearly
right as possible or to make the necessary sacrifices to obtain education,
training, and experience. There is much evidence in favor of choosing
either horn of the dilemma. A most successful manufacturer called upon us
recently. We told him that, with proper training, he would have been even
more successful and far better satisfied in the legal profession. "I know
you are right," he said. "I have always regretted that circumstances
prevented my taking a law course as a young man. However, I have an
extensive law library, do practically all the legal work for my firm, and
am often consulted on obscure legal points relative to the manufacturing
business by lawyers of some renown."
Abraham Lincoln, the farmhand and flatboatman, began the study of grammar
at twenty-two and of law still later. Elihu Burritt, "The Learned
Blacksmith," who lectured in both England and America, taught himself
languages and sciences while working eleven hours a day at the forge.
We enjoy the acquaintance of a woman physician of considerable prominence
who did not enter medical college until she was more than fifty years of
age. Henry George was a printer who studied economics after he was
twenty-seven years old. Frederick Douglass was a slave until he was
twenty-one, yet secured a liberal education, so that he became a noted
speaker and writer. The following from "Up from Slavery,"[3] by the late
Booker T. Washington, shows what can be done by even a poor black boy,
without money or influence, to win an education:
[Footnote 3: Doubleday, Page & Company, Garden City, New York.]
BOOKER T. WASHINGTON'S STORY
I determined when quite a small child that, if I accomplished nothing else
in life, I would in some way get enough education to enable me to read
common books and newspapers. Soon after we got settled in some manner in
our new cabin in West Virginia, I induced my mother to get hold of a book
for me. How or where she got it I do not know, but in some way she
procured an old copy of 'Webster's Blue-back Spelling-book,' which
contained the alphabet, followed by such meaningless words as 'ab,' 'ba,'
'ca,' and 'da.' I began at once to devour this book, and I think that it
was the first one I ever had in my hands. I had learned from somebody that
the way to begin to read was to learn the alphabet, so I tried in all the
ways I could think of to learn it--all, of course, without a teacher, for
I could find no one to teach me. At that time there was not a single
member of my race anywhere near us who could read, and I was too timid to
approach any of the white people. In some way, within a few weeks, I
mastered the greater portion of the alphabet. In all my efforts to learn
to read my mother shared fully my ambition and sympathized with me and
aided me in every way that she could. Though she was totally ignorant so
far as mere book knowledge was concerned, she had high ambitions for her
children, and a large fund of good hard common sense, which seemed to
enable her to meet and master every situation. If I have done anything in
life worth attention, I feel sure that I inherited the disposition from my
mother.
The opening of the school in the Kanawha Valley brought to me one of the
keenest disappointments that I ever experienced. I had been working in a
salt-furnace for several months, and my stepfather had discovered that I
had a financial value, and so, when the school opened, he decided that he
could not spare me from my work. This decision seemed to cloud my every
ambition. The disappointment was made all the more severe by reason of the
fact that my place of work was where I could see the happy children
passing to and from school morning and afternoon. Despite this
disappointment, however, I determined that I would learn something anyway.
I applied myself with greater earnestness than ever to the mastering of
what was in the blue-back speller.
My mother sympathized with me in my disappointment and sought to comfort
me in all the ways she could and to help me find a way to learn. After a
while I succeeded in making arrangements with the teacher to give me some
lessons at night, after the day's work was done. These night lessons were
so welcome that I think I learned more at night than the other children
did during the day. My own experiences in the night-school gave me faith
in the night-school idea, with which, in after years, I had to do both at
Hampton and Tuskegee. But my boyish heart was still set upon going to
day-school and I let no opportunity slip to push my case. Finally I won,
and was permitted to go to the school in the day for a few months, with
the understanding that I was to rise early in the morning and work in the
furnace till nine o'clock, and return immediately after school closed in
the afternoon for at least two hours more of work.
The schoolhouse was some distance from the furnace, and as I had to work
till nine o'clock, and the school opened at nine, I found myself in a
difficulty. School would always be begun before I reached it, and
sometimes my class had recited. To get around this difficulty I yielded to
a temptation for which most people, I suppose, will condemn me; but since
it is a fact, I might as well state it. I have great faith in the power
and influence of facts. It is seldom that anything is permanently gained
by holding back a fact. There was a large clock in a little office in the
furnace. This clock, of course, all the hundred or more workmen depended
upon to regulate their hours of beginning and ending the day's work. I got
the idea that the way for me to reach school on time was to move the hands
from half-past eight up to the nine o'clock mark. This I found myself
doing morning after morning, till the furnace 'boss' discovered that
something was wrong, and locked the clock in a case. I did not mean to
inconvenience anybody. I simply meant to reach that schoolhouse on time.
When, however, I found myself at the school for the first time, I also
found myself confronted with two other difficulties. In the first place, I
found that all of the other children wore hats or caps on their heads, and
I had neither hat nor cap. In fact, I do not remember that, up to the time
of going to school, I had ever worn any kind of covering upon my head, nor
do I recall that either I or anybody else had even thought anything about
the need of covering for my head. But, of course, when I saw how all the
other boys were dressed, I began to feel quite uncomfortable. As usual, I
put the case before my mother, and she explained to me that she had no
money with which to buy a 'store hat,' which was a rather new institution
at that time among the members of my race and was considered quite the
thing for young and old to own, but that she would find a way to help me
out of the difficulty. She accordingly got two pieces of 'homespun'
(jeans) and sewed them together, and I was soon the proud possessor of my
first cap.
My second difficulty was with regard to my name, or rather, a name. From
the time when I could remember anything I had been called simply 'Booker.'
Before going to school it had never occurred to me that it was needful or
appropriate to have an additional name. When I heard the school roll
called, I noticed that all of the children had at least two names, and
some of them indulged in what seemed to me the extravagance of having
three. I was in deep perplexity, because I knew the teacher would demand
of me at least two names, and I had only one. By the time the occasion
came for the enrolling of my name, an idea occurred to me which I thought
would make me equal to the situation; and so, when the teacher asked me
what my full name was, I calmly told him 'Booker Washington,' as if I had
been called by that name all my life; and by that name I have since been
known. Later in my life I found that my mother had given me the name of
'Booker Taliaferro' soon after I was born, but in some way that part of my
name seemed to disappear and for a long while was forgotten, but as soon
as I found out about it I revived it, and made my full name, 'Booker
Taliaferro Washington.' I think there are not many men in our country who
have had the privilege of naming themselves in the way that I have.
The time that I was permitted to attend school during the day was short,
and my attendance was irregular. It was not long before I had to stop
attending day-school altogether, and devote all of my time again to work.
I resorted to the night-school again. In fact, the greater part of the
education I secured in my boyhood was gathered through the night-school
after my day's work was done. I had difficulty often in securing a
satisfactory teacher. Sometimes, after I had secured someone to teach me
at night, I would find, much to my disappointment, that the teacher knew
but little more than I did. Often I would have to walk several miles at
night in order to recite my night-school lessons. There was never a time
in my youth, no matter how dark and discouraging the days might be, when
one resolve did not continually remain with me, and that was a
determination to secure an education at any cost....
After I had worked in the salt-furnace for some time, work was secured for
me in a coal mine, which was operated mainly for the purpose of securing
fuel for the salt-furnace.
In those days, and later, as a young man, I used to try to picture in my
imagination the feelings and ambitions of a white boy with absolutely no
limit placed upon his aspirations and activities. I used to envy the white
boy who had no obstacle placed in the way of his becoming a Congressman,
Governor, Bishop, or President by reason of the accident of his birth or
race. I used to picture the way that I would act under such circumstances;
how I would begin at the bottom and keep rising until I reached the
highest round of success.
One day, while at work in the coal mine, I happened to overhear two miners
talking about a great school for colored people somewhere in Virginia.
This was the first time that I had ever heard anything about any kind of
school or college that was more pretentious than the little colored school
in our town.
In the darkness of the mine I noiselessly crept as close as I could to the
two men talking. I heard one tell the other that not only was the school
established for the members of my race, but that opportunities were
provided by which poor but worthy students could work out all or a part of
the cost of board, and at the same time be taught some trade or industry.
As they went on describing the school, it seemed to me that it must be
the greatest place on earth, and not even Heaven presented more
attractions for me at that time than did the Hampton Normal and
Agricultural Institute of Virginia, about which these men were talking. I
resolved at once to go to that school, although I had no idea where it
was, or how many miles away, or how I was going to reach it; I remembered
only that I was on fire constantly with one ambition, and that was to go
to Hampton. This thought was with me day and night.
In the fall of 1872, I determined to make an effort to get there,
although, as I have stated, I had no definite idea of the direction in
which Hampton was, or of what it would cost to go there. I do not think
that anyone thoroughly sympathized with me in my ambition to go to
Hampton, unless it was my mother, and she was troubled with a grave fear
that I was starting out on a wild-goose chase. At any rate, I got only a
half-hearted consent from her that I might start. The small amount of
money that I had earned had been consumed by my step-father and the
remainder of the family, with the exception of a very few dollars, and so
I had very little with which to buy clothes and pay my traveling expenses.
Finally, the great day came and I started for Hampton. I had only a small,
cheap satchel that contained what few articles of clothing I could get. My
mother, at the time, was rather weak and broken in health. I hardly
expected to see her again, and thus our parting was all the more sad. She,
however, was very brave through it all. At that time there were no through
trains connecting that part of West Virginia with eastern Virginia. Trains
ran only a portion of the way, and the remainder of the distance was
traveled by stage-coaches.
The distance from Malden to Hampton is about five hundred miles. I had not
been away from home many hours before it began to grow painfully evident
that I did not have enough money to pay my fare to Hampton.
By walking, begging rides, both in wagons and in the cars, in some way,
after a number of days, I reached the city of Richmond, Virginia, about
eighty-two miles from Hampton. When I reached there, tired, hungry, and
dirty, it was late in the night. I had never been in a large city before,
and this rather added to my misery. When I reached Richmond I was
completely out of money. I had not a single acquaintance in the place,
and, being unused to city ways, I did not know where to go. I applied at
several places for lodging, but they all wanted money, and that was what I
did not have. Knowing nothing else better to do, I walked the streets. In
doing this I passed by many food-stands, where fried chicken and half-moon
apple pies were piled high and made to present a most tempting appearance.
At that time it seemed to me that I would have promised all that I
expected to possess in the future to have gotten hold of one of those
chicken legs or one of those pies. But I could not get either of these,
nor anything else to eat.
I must have walked the streets till after midnight. At last I became so
exhausted that I could walk no longer. I was tired; I was hungry; I was
everything but discouraged. Just about the time when I reached extreme
physical exhaustion, I came upon a portion of a street where the board
sidewalk was considerably elevated. I waited for a few minutes, till I was
sure that no passers-by could see me, and then crept under the sidewalk
and lay for the night upon the ground, with my satchel of clothing for a
pillow. Nearly all night I could hear the tramp of feet above my head. The
next morning I found myself somewhat refreshed, but I was extremely
hungry, because it had been a long time since I had had sufficient food.
As soon as it became light enough for me to see my surroundings I noticed
that I was near a large ship, and that this ship seemed to be unloading a
cargo of pig iron. I went at once to the vessel and asked the captain to
permit me to help unload the vessel in order to get money for food. The
captain, a white man, who seemed to be kind-hearted, consented. I worked
long enough to earn money for my breakfast, and it seems to me, as I
remember it now, to have been about the best breakfast that I have ever
eaten.
"My work pleased the captain so well that he told me if I desired, I
could continue working for a small amount per day. This I was very glad to
do. I continued working on this vessel for a number of days. After buying
food with the small wages I received there was not much left to add to the
amount I must get to pay my way to Hampton. In order to economize in every
way possible, so as to be sure to reach Hampton in a reasonable time, I
continued to sleep under the same sidewalk that gave me shelter the first
night I was in Richmond.
"When I had saved what I considered enough money with which to reach
Hampton, I thanked the captain of the vessel for his kindness and started
again. Without any unusual occurrence I reached Hampton, with a surplus of
exactly fifty cents with which to begin my education. To me it had been a
long, eventful journey, but the first sight of the large, three-story,
brick school building seemed to have rewarded me for all that I had
undergone in order to reach the place.
"It seemed to me to be the largest and most beautiful building I had ever
seen. The sight of it seemed to give me new life. I felt that a new kind
of existence had now begun--that life would now have a new meaning. I felt
that I had reached the promised land, and I resolved to let no obstacle
prevent me from putting forth the highest effort to fit myself to
accomplish the most good in the world.
"As soon as possible after reaching the grounds of the Hampton Institute,
I presented myself before the head teacher for assignment to a class.
Having been so long without proper food, a bath, and change of clothing, I
did not, of course, make a very favorable impression upon her, and I could
see at once that there were doubts in her mind about the wisdom of
admitting me as a student. I felt that I could hardly blame her if she got
the idea that I was a worthless loafer or tramp. For some time she did not
refuse to admit me; neither did she decide in my favor, and I continued to
linger about her, and to impress her in all the ways I could with my
worthiness. In the meantime, I saw her admitting other students, and that
added greatly to my discomfort, for I felt, deep down in my heart, that I
could do as well as they, if I could only get a chance to show her what
was in me.
"After some hours had passed, the head teacher said to me: 'The adjoining
recitation room needs sweeping. Take the broom and sweep it,'
"It occurred to me at once that here was my chance. Never did I receive an
order with more delight. I knew that I could sweep, for Mrs. Ruffner had
thoroughly taught me how to do that when I lived with her.
"_I_ swept the recitation room three times. Then I got a dusting cloth and
I dusted it four times. All the woodwork around the walls, every bench,
table, and desk, I went over four times with my dusting cloth. Besides,
every piece of furniture had been moved and every closet and corner of the
room had been thoroughly cleaned. I had the feeling that, in a large
measure, my future depended upon the impression I made upon the teacher in
the cleaning of that room. When I was through, I reported to the head
teacher. She was a Yankee woman, who knew just where to look for dirt. She
went into the room and inspected the floor and closets; then she took her
handkerchief and rubbed it on the woodwork, about the walls, and over the
table and benches. When she was unable to find one bit of dirt on the
floor, or a particle of dust on any of the furniture, she quietly
remarked: 'I guess you will do to enter this institution.'
"I was one of the happiest souls on earth. The sweeping of that room was
my college examination, and never did any youth pass an examination for
entrance into Harvard or Yale that gave him more genuine satisfaction. I
have passed several examinations since then, but I have always felt that
this was the best one I ever passed."
If Lincoln, Burritt, Booker T. Washington, and thousands of others, with
all their handicaps, could secure needed education for their life work,
why should any man remain in an uncongenial calling? There is danger that
we may give our boys and girls too much help; that life be made too easy
for them; that their moral backbones may grow flabby by reason of too
much support. Normal young people do not need aid and support. They need
guidance and direction--and the majority of them, either the sharp spur of
necessity or the relentless urge of an ambition which will not be denied.
Almost without exception we have found that the only difference between
genius or millionaire and dunce or tramp is a willingness to pay the
price.
THE PRICE OF SUCCESS
From an unknown author comes the all-important question to every seeker
for success:
"You want success. Are you willing to pay the price for it?
"How much discouragement can you stand?
"How much bruising can you take?
"How long can you hang on in the face of obstacles?
"Have you the grit to try to do what others have failed to do?
"Have you the nerve to attempt things that the average man would never
dream of tackling?
"Have you the persistence to keep on trying after repeated failures?
"Can you cut out luxuries? Can you do without things that others consider
necessities?
"Can you go up against skepticism, ridicule, friendly advice to quit,
without flinching?
"Can you keep your mind steadily on the single object you are pursuing,
resisting all temptations to divide your attention?
"Have you the patience to plan all the work you attempt; the energy to
wade through masses of detail; the accuracy to overlook no point, however
small, in planning or executing?
"Are you strong on the finish as well as quick at the start?
"Success is sold in the open market. You can buy it--I can buy it--any man
can buy it who is willing to pay the price for it."