'If you wish to have your business done, go; if not, send.' This is an
old maxim; and one which is no less true than old. Every young man, on
setting out in the world, should make it a rule, never to trust any
thing _of consequence_ to another, which he can, without too much
difficulty, perform himself.
1. Because, let a person have my interest ever so much at heart, I am
sure I regard it _more_ myself.
2. Nothing is more difficult than to know, in all cases, the characters
of those we confide in. How can we expect to understand the characters
of others, when we scarcely know our own? Which of us can know,
positively, that he shall never be guilty of another vice or weakness,
or yield to another temptation, and thus forfeit public confidence?
Who, then, will needlessly trust another, when he can hardly be sure of
himself?
3. No substitute we can employ, can _understand_ our business as well
as ourselves.
4. We can change our measures according to changing circumstances;
which gives us those opportunities of doing things in the best way, of
which another will not feel justified in availing himself.
As for dependants of every kind, it should ever be remembered that
their master's interest sometimes possesses only the second place in
their hearts. Self-love, with such, will be the ruling principle of
action; and no fidelity whatever will prevent a person from bestowing a
good deal of thought upon his own concerns. But this must, of
necessity, break in more or less upon his diligence in consulting the
interest of his employers. How men of business can venture, as they
sometimes do, to trust concerns of great importance, for half of every
week in the year, (which is half the whole year) to dependants, and
thus expect others to take care of their business, when they will not
be at the trouble of minding it themselves, is to me inconceivable! Nor
does the detection, from time to time, of fraud in such persons, seem
at all to diminish this practice.
There is a maxim among business people, 'never to do that for
themselves which they can pay another for doing.' This, though true to
a certain extent, is liable to abuse. If every body, without
discrimination, could be _safely_ trusted, the maxim might be _more_
just; since nothing is more obvious than that laborers are often at
hand, whose time can be bought for a much less sum of money than you
would yourself earn in the meantime. I have often known people make or
mend little pieces of furniture, implements of their occupations, &c.
to save expense, when they could have earned, at their labor during the
same time, twice the sum necessary to pay a trusty and excellent
workman for doing it.
But, as I have already observed, persons are not always at hand, in
whom you can confide; so that the certainty of having a thing done
right, is worth much more than the loss of a little time. Besides, God
has never said _how much_ we must do in this world. We are indeed to do
all we can, and at the same time do it well; but _how much that is_, we
must judge. He is not necessarily the most useful man who does even the
greatest amount of good;--but he who does the most good, attended with
the least evil.
But we should remember that what _others_ do, is not done by
_ourselves_. Still, an individual may often do many little things
without any hindrance to his main object. For example, I would not
thank a person to make or mend my pen, or shave me; because I can write
as much, or perform as much business of any kind, in a week or
month--probably more--if I stop to mend my pens, shave myself daily,
make fires, saw and split wood, &c. as if I do not. And the same is
true of a thousand other things.