Part 13

It is said that business is hard, and knows no yielding; that when a man promises to do a thing, he MUST do it whether he can or not. This is nonsense, business is like every other department of life, it hinges upon humane principles.

If, however, you have not established your credit, you must do so, and you must keep it up. You can not begin your credit by begging for delay the very first engagement you make to pay. That is always a bad beginning, in fact, it is no beginning at all.

Business men watch your progress, and if you have shown yourself capable, honorable, and prompt for a reasonable time, they are always ready to help you out in the time of adversity or bad luck.

It is policy to do this, and you may as well adopt the following idea also: “A man may be down today and up tomorrow. If he is down today and has credit of good repute, he will get up tomorrow through help extended to him. Otherwise he will be left where he falls.”

Stiffen Your Backbone and Keep on Climbing

The owner of a stiff backbone is not easily put down by adverse circumstances.

No man’s troubles overwhelm him unless he gives in to them weakly.

This is the experience of men since the world began: You must fight your way up and never look back to slipping places, for then you will surely stumble.

Worry is one of the symptoms of a weak backbone. Everybody should know that small stumbles are not killing matters to mourn over or worry about. You may have had in your own experience, many cases where your worries and anxieties proved nothing but phantoms. You think you will not survive until tomorrow, but you always see the sun shining the next day whatever befalls you today.

Things always come out as a rule much better than you expect, or dared hope.

If you have health and good friends to encourage you, why should you worry or fret over the things of life which are always small and insignificant?

Keep your eyes open and watch for another opportunity to wedge yourself back in, if you should happen to be crowded out of anything.

You must not think that every avenue to opportunity is sealed up against you because you do not find a wide open way to get in. Try a small way first, and keep on pushing and the road will widen. That is you must not weaken, if you do you will slide back and so be always climbing up and sliding down the hill.

Keep in the Race, Don’t Give Up

The Holy Bible tells you, and man’s experience has always demonstrated it, that “The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong.”

You are fearful that you will not win. Why? Is it not because you are looking backward instead of forward?

You have had much to contend with, let us say; very well, are you going to lie down now that you can see daylight ahead?

We are living in the present, acquiring strength for the future, the past is dead and should be buried. The man who looks back is useless for present needs.

Get away from the downtrodden notion, the servant idea, and be a man with an intelligent brain aspiring to higher things.

Every man is what he thinks himself to be, and if you have no aspirations beyond your present occupation, then you will remain in that occupation and nobody can pull you out of it.

On the contrary, a man who thinks he is fitted for some better occupation than the one he is engaged in, will soon find that other occupation; he will soon be his own master.

No man is kept out of a thing unless he wants to stay out. It is true there are sometimes many difficulties, and in the case of our Colored Americans, they have been appalling and discouraging. But the light is breaking, the black clouds are disappearing, and soon, if you keep in the race, you will find the land of sunshine and happiness.

Don’t give up the ship as long as there is a timber to float on.

Keep an Eye on the Future

It is quite true that we are living in the present but we do not stop with today or stand still. You know that the sun will rise tomorrow and that you will see it rise. That is, in all probability.

The sun of tomorrow and your rising are future events.

In the present you prepare for tomorrow and continue what you began on the yesterday. Otherwise you are standing still. No man can proceed if he must begin over again every tomorrow that comes to him in his life, he must have done something that can not be completed except in the future.

That gives him work to do, something at which he can make progress. You will be of more value tomorrow than you are today because you have advanced by experience—you have learned something, and so you will learn something every day and every tomorrow will find an improvement in you. Your time will be of more value, and your services command a higher price. You must work things around so that this will happen to you.

To every young man the future holds everything dear to him, his hopes are all centered on the future. In it he sees a home, a family, honor, fame perhaps, wealth possibly, comforts and a peaceful old age.

He may bring all these to pass but he must carry them always in his mind as things to be attained.

We may not know what the future has in store for us, but we can shape events, our lives and our doings so that we will know something of the future. When we say we do not know what the future will bring forth, we do not mean things of our own creation because we do know that much, but accidentals, and against those dangers we can provide by taking counsel and making provision to defeat them.

Produce Something and Increase Your Own Value to the World

The man who is a consumer only is of little use in this world. He is out of balance with energies and activities in the business or professional world.

The earth, the soil, is valuable only because it PRODUCES something that did not exist before. It creates in its way. The more it creates or produces, the more its value. When it produces nothing it is called a desert and is avoided for all useful purposes.

It is the same way with men; they must produce, make something, and the more things they make or produce, the higher their value, the greater their wage earning capacity, or income producing power.

Let the Colored American get into a business of his own; begin in a small way, but make something for others to buy or use.

To become a producer he must enter the manufacturing and commercial fields. He must grow up with his business of producing.

In this way he will establish an enterprise for his sons and daughters, and he will be able to sit in comfort beneath his own vine and fig tree.

Present “Opportunity” lies in taking advantage of present conditions, always remembering that as we progress we open up other and better opportunities that may be temporarily closed to us.

To get the means to do this, we must educate and work. The race has made wonderful progress in the field, the workshop, and in the professions, but it must reach out into commercial life, for the wherewith to carry out higher ideals.

We must cultivate the commercial instinct if we would master our own destinies.

We are all what we make of ourselves, and can not accuse another of spoiling the work.

STOP, LOOK, LISTEN!

At every cross road in the country there is a warning signal: “Look out for the Locomotive.” At every railroad crossing in every large city, there are bells rung, whistles blown, and even guards let down when a locomotive passes.

Policemen stand at corners to warn people to look out, etc.

Why all these precautions? Simply to prevent people from endangering their lives. Yet, there are lives lost every day from failure to heed the warning signals, and many persons are maimed and crippled for life from the same cause.

The impression seems to be that people do not know enough to take care of themselves, and that they are disposed to rush into danger heedlessly and imperil their lives.

The impression is based upon truth. People do not know how to take care of themselves, and therefore the law exercises a sort of guardianship over them. It is all very nice to feel that there is somebody caring for us and shielding us from our own stupidity. That is what it is—stupidity.

If men would only stop, look and listen, that is, keep their wits about them, there would be fewer accidents, fewer failures in business, and fewer failures to succeed at anything.

It is not the foolish, the ignorant, and the small child who incur risks that are fatal, but grown men, men of intelligence and even wisdom and sagacity who venture too far and are caught up by hidden or exposed dangers, and lose their lives.

It is almost suicide for any man to lose his life through his own carelessness and inattention to danger signals.

These warnings exist everywhere in every department of business, and in every occupation. A suit for heavy damages is no consolation to the man who throws his life away through carelessness.

BE EVERY MAN’S FRIEND

Every man with a grain of common sense prefers a friend to an enemy.

Not that a man need to have enemies, for if you make yourself a friend to every man, every man will be your friend and you will have no enemies.

There is much comfort and peace of mind, besides greater opportunities for succeeding in any occupation, if you possess that charming trait known as “friendship.”

Friendship is a valuable asset in character. There are always times during life when you need a friend, and you can always have one ready at hand if you are a friend to others.

We all know that a friend in need is a friend indeed, but do not bank upon what you are to gain by being a friend and persuading others to be your friend. That is mercenary, and not provocative of good feeling or self-satisfaction.

It is very proper to be friendly with every one from the standpoint of business, for then you gain friendship in a variety of pleasant ways.

There is always social intercourse to be considered. You want friends for that; indeed, if you have none, you are in a bad way, and apt to wander off into by-paths that are shady and disreputable. With a friend by your side you have a guide and adviser.

_Help Your Fellow Man_

You are not put here on earth for your own sole benefit. There are others with the same rights and privileges to enjoy the things of life as well as yourself. This is important to remember.

Now, if you help your fellow man to maintain his rights, do you not see that you are laying the foundation for help to maintain your own?

If you trample on any person you must expect to be trampled upon in your turn, and then away go your rights, and trouble ensues.

If you help your friends and neighbors in their need, you are opening the way to be a success in whatever you may undertake. Under such circumstances, men will swear by you, and if you cannot be helped by them—there being some things that are too deep to be aided, sorrow for instance—you will at least have their sympathy, good will and countenance in your undertakings.

Let all your dealings and intercourse with your fellow men be based upon mutuality. There is a proverb which may not be inappropriate, which says, “Molasses catches more flies than vinegar.” Of course, helping your neighbor out of his difficulties or even sympathizing with him in his sorrows or grief, is a sweetness to him and to you.

Every kind, every good act, has a reciprocal effect. It may not be done out of whole heartedness, and there may be a grain of selfishness in it, but the principle is there, and often repeated, it becomes a second nature to act like the Good Samaritan without hope of reward.

Nevertheless there is always a reward more or less substantial.

_Take Counsel of Your Best Friends_

It is as old as the hills that “Two heads are better than one.”

It is true that every man has two feet, two hands, two eyes, two ears, and so on, but only one head. Things do not seem to balance with only one thing, so to complete the balance it is the height of policy to have two heads. Why not?

But one of the two heads is that of your best friend who can advise you when your one head is apt to go astray in some important step or undertaking.

You may not follow the advice of your friend, but he may give you an idea that will save you from making mistakes leading to failure.

Solomon says: “Without counsel purposes are disappointed.”

But you must take counsel of your friends; not of the ungodly, or those who may take advantage of you to counsel you wrong for their own purpose.

It is to be hoped that you have friends, if not make some immediately, because you will always need them. Now, when you have a friend go to him and counsel with him, and stick to him closer than to a brother. You should not give all your ideas away or consult with everybody about your affairs. You should keep close mouthed about them, but when you are in doubt consult a friend. We repeat: consult a FRIEND, not one who calls himself your friend, and wants to borrow money, or use you for a purpose, but a real friend upon whom you can rely.

Such a counselor will not betray you, but will be your other head and study your needs and help you in your troubles.

The word “friend” is a high and noble word and possesses a meaning not common to other relations between man and man. Thus, Abraham was the “Friend of God.”

SELECT YOUR OWN COMPANY

“A man is known by the company he keeps.”

This is a proverbial saying and it is a true one.

You have only one life to live, and you must be as careful of that life as a man is of his gold.

Good companions help you on the upward path; evil companions drag you down. Men possess free will, but a misuse of it brings speedy punishment.

Opportunity meets you and asks: “Who are your companions?”

Not being able to deceive Opportunity, you tell the truth and answer: “Oh, I go around with the boys. We stand around the street corners; smoke cigarettes; hang around the billiard and pool rooms; play craps occasionally, and—”

But Opportunity does not wait to hear any more, it vanishes and keeps away from you, leaving you free to follow your own head.

It has come to be a test of quality made by every employer, to judge an applicant by the company he keeps.

“Tell me who your companions are and I will tell you who you are.”

There is no mind reading about this, it is common sense.

In these days when there is so much vice and crime; when men have become suspicious of their next door neighbor, a wise man is careful whom he trusts. If you associate with an element that is suspicious you can not complain if you are yourself suspected.

It is not necessary to go about with your hands folded in an attitude of prayer, or pretend to be overly virtuous and honest, all you need is to be a man, open and above board, and decent in your associations with others.

KEEP YOUR NERVE

Most of our troubles are imaginary, nine-tenths of them never coming to us as we expected. They are mostly matters of nerve weakness.

We start something during the day, and lay awake at night worrying for fear it may not turn out successfully. We brood over phantoms and scarecrows, for that is what most of our worries are.

If you have started anything right, and your conscience is at rest, why do you worry? There is no reason for it.

Or if you have used your best judgment and made your best effort to make your venture a success, go to rest, put your trust in God and you will sleep.

The man who loses his nerve in the middle of a railroad or any place where there is danger, comes to grief. The life on earth is a road full of pitfalls and unpleasant things, many of them as dangerous as a railroad train bearing down upon us.

If you keep your nerve, you simply get out of the way of the locomotive, or of the runaway horse, or the automobile, and keep on living.

So it is in your every-day transactions. Keep out of the way of things than may undo you. Step aside and let them pass by. Everything works for good in this world, what you do not accomplish some other man does, and it helps you because everything is along parallel lines.

Where a thing is unavoidable, or inevitable, why then it is foolish to worry, and shows poor control of your nerves.

Put your trust in God, follow the straight path, and stiffen up your nerves.

STUDY YOUR HEALTH

The ancients said that there can not be a healthy mind in an unhealthy body. And they established this rule for all to follow: “Keep your body healthy and your mind will be healthy.”

By a healthy mind is meant a calm, cool, clear, active brain that can act up to its full capacity without faltering, or falling down at trifles.

To have that sort of brain, you must preserve your bodily health.

One patent way to lose your bodily health is to acquire bad habits of any kind that you know are bad for you.

You have a headache in the morning, and no appetite. It does not require a Solomon to tell what ails you. You have been drinking, carousing, staying up late instead of going to bed and getting your necessary sleep.

You have eaten things that do not agree with you, and so you must see a doctor. Besides that, you are too sick to go to work.

All you have to go upon in this world are your health and your mind. It does not matter what you do for a living, you must keep your wits about you all the time, and you can not do this unless you keep your health.

The mind is so closely connected with the body that what affects one affects the other, favorably or unfavorably.

Eat proper food, something that you know by experience will agree with you. Take your accustomed sleep, and exercise your muscles to keep your nerves—those nerves that spread up into the brain—in full play and ready for emergencies.

A healthy man does not worry; he is an optimist and looks at the bright side of life. An unhealthy man is a pessimist and sees things through a dark cloud. He ends by running down at the heels, and ceases to possess any economical functions.

MAKING ONE HAND WASH THE OTHER

It is a good commercial and business maxim: “Make one hand wash the other.”

There are little delicate attentions shown men to induce them to do you a favor. It is not exactly doing to others as you would have others do to you, but you do something for a person in the expectation that he will do something for you. This is the origin of the saying.

Politeness, forbearance and social amenities are the rule in these days, and it is the best policy to assume that distinction even if you do not feel that way.

The propensity for making one hand wash the other is more apparent in commercial and trade transactions than in any other. It is in these occupations that the eye beholds dollars or doughnuts at the end of a string, and a gentle pulling in the way of attention and brotherly reciprocation will bring the dollars or doughnuts within reach.

Bears and dogs growl and get nasty whenever they feel like it regardless of consequences, for they live in the present entirely and nothing is of any importance to them on the morrow. They do not even know enough to lay in a supply of provisions for a rainy day. A squirrel will do that, but squirrels are not quarrelsome, they are friendly and gentle, they make one paw wash the other. Watch one of them grab for a nut, get it, and beg prettily for another.

We must provide for a rainy day, and if we are in business we must have friends and customers to fall back upon for shelter. Waiting until the rain sets in and then beginning, fails—it is then too late, at least for that day, but by beginning you will perhaps be ready for the next rainy day.

SUPERSTITION AND LUCK

More people are superstitious than are willing to admit the fact. From bygone ages to modern times, both high and low, rich and poor, educated and ignorant, have yielded to some curious vein of fancy that leads them to expect “luck” or success more readily if certain whimsical conditions are complied with. Who has not, at some time, felt the power of one or another of the odd ideas that seem to have such a firm hold on the mind of man? Laugh it off as we will, declare it nonsense as we know it to be, still there is the tendency to put an unreasoning half-belief in it.

Do we not all know those who are nervous with fear if salt is spilled; who would go without a meal rather than be one of thirteen at table; who never begin any important work on a Friday; who are careful to take their first sight of the new moon over their right shoulder instead of the left; who rejoice in the finding of a four-leaved clover?

“Luck” is a plant that grows from the seed. And the seed sown is the kind of thoughts we entertain; ideas about ourselves, about God, about our work, and about the rest of the world.

Thoughts can be chosen. If we think ourselves weak and inferior, we invite failure; because then the work that we do will not be our best, and will be surpassed in value by that of others.

If we think instead, “I can do this work better than it has ever been done before—and I will,” the seed will grow and bear fruit in results to ourselves and others.

GOOD AND BAD LUCK

Your success in life never depends upon the turn of a card or the dice. You can neither dream yourself into good luck, nor dream yourself out of bad luck.

Good luck keeps company only with industrious, thrifty and honorable people who have faith in themselves, faith in their fellow men, and faith in God.

Even then, luck will disappear like smoke in a wind unless you can also demonstrate that you possess wisdom, patience and courage.

What you think is good luck, may keep company with you for a short time, but will speedily desert you if you do not make good.

The dictionary says “Luck” means “that which happens a person; chance; accident; good fortune; success.”

In your luck you should keep away from the element of “chance” or “accident.” Let your luck depend upon your own efforts, and take things by the forelock and make them come your way. Things will happen you just as you intend they shall.

There is really no such thing as bad luck, for if a thing does not happen because of your mistakes, it is not bad luck but mistake.

Try as you may to reach a certain result, and failing, you say you had bad luck. You merely did not know how to succeed or went too far, or reached out for more than you could handle. That is not bad luck, it is mismanagement. You might have succeeded if you had managed properly.

Chance must be kept out of the way or you will flounder about in a swamp whose quicksands will engulf you sooner or later.

BE SLOW TO ANGER

The Scripture says: “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty.”

We are also advised not to let the sun go down on our wrath.

If we desire to succeed in any enterprise we must “possess our souls in patience.” In Luke XVI, 19, it is explained: “In your patience possess your souls.”

We are nowhere advised not to be angry, but to possess our souls in our anger. That is: Never let anger get the better of our control.

In Ephesians IV, 26, it is said: “Be ye angry and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath.”

This is the key to what is known as “temper.” It is the part of a wise man to control his temper. Not to have any temper at all is to be one whom Col. Roosevelt calls “a mollycoddle,” and such a person is truly weak and without any backbone.

But the anger or the temper which leads to violence is to be controlled absolutely. Those sudden gusts of passion lead to crime as sure as the sun rises and sets every day. And it is always personal violence, even to the extent of murder that is the result of giving way to such an emotion. No one ever becomes violently angry because he is not a good man.

If a man stands up in his manhood, and despises small things, he will be in a position to control his angry feelings no matter how much he may feel hurt by the acts of another.