12Bearnomaliceagainstanyone。
13Beequitableandjusttoallmen。
14Libertyandfreedombutnotlicense。
15Donotuntootherswhatyewouldnotthatothersshoulddountoyou。
Ihavejotteddowntheabovejustastheyoccurredtomewhilewriting。
Theycaneasilybeamplified,andbemadethebasisofanethicalinstructioninalltheschools。Inanycase,everynationshouldaimatthehigheststandardofmorals。
Co-educationintheUnitedStatesisnotsounpopularasinsomeothercountries,anditisincreasinginfavor。Inalltheprimaryschools,andinmostofthehighschools,boysandgirlsstudyinthesameclass-room,andgirlsareadmittedasstudentseveninsomecollegesanduniversities。
Thisprincipleofadmittingthefairsextoequaleducationalprivilegesisslowlybutsurelybeingrecognizedeverywhere。Insomeuniversitiestheauthoritieshavegonehalf-way;lecturesaregiventothegirlstudentsinseparaterooms,orseparatebuildings,orhalls,areprovidedforthegirlstudents。Withregardtotheteachingstaff,intheprimaryschoolsnearlyalltheteachersarewomen,andinthehighschoolstheirnumberisatleasthalf,ifnotmore。
Insomeoftheuniversitiesthereareladyprofessorsortutors。
Itgoeswithoutsayingthatgirlshavethenaturaltalentforlearningeverythingthatboyscanlearn。Theobjectionsraisedbytheopponentsofco-educationseemtorestchieflyuponthedangeroftheintellectualorphysicaloverstrainofgirlsduringadolescence,andupontheunequalrateofdevelopmentofboysandgirlsduringthesecondaryschoolperiod。Itisfurtherallegedthatinmixedschoolsthecurriculumissoprescribedthatthegirls'courseofstudyismoreorlessadaptedtothatoftheboys,withtheresultthatitcannothavetheartisticanddomesticcharacterwhichissuitableforthemajorityofgirls;butwhyshouldnotthecurriculumbearrangedinsuchawayastosuitbothsexes?Isitnotgoodforbothtolearnthesamesubjects?Thatwhichisgoodforaboytolearnisitnotequallyadvisableforagirltoknow,andviceversa?
Willnotsuchapolicycreatemutualsympathybetweenthesexes?
Theopponentsoftheco-educationpolicyassertthatitmakesthegirlsmasculine,andthatithasatendencytomaketheboysalittlefeminine。Itcannot,however,bedoubtedthatthesystemreducesthecostofeducation,suchastheduplicationoftheteachingstaff,laboratories,libraries,andotherequipment。
Itisobjectedthatthesystemhasdonemorethananythingelsetorobmarriageofitsattractions,bydivestingmanofmostofhisold-timeglamourandromance。Itisclaimedthatthisearlycontactwiththeothersex,onafootingofequality,andthemannerinwhichthemajorityofthegirlstudentsmorethanmaintaintheirintellectualstandingwiththeboys,hastendedtoproducethatcontemptofthemuch-vauntedsuperiorityofman,that,asarule,isreservedforthosepost-nuptialdiscoverieswhichmakemarriagesuchaninterestingventure。Buttheyforgetthatmarriagesarefrequentlycontractedinplaceswheregirlsandboysaretaughttogether,andwheretheyhavehadampleopportunitiesforknowingeachotherintimately,andthatexperienceprovesthatsuchmarriagesarehappyandlastingunions。
Itisinterestingtoobserve,however,thatasthenumberofeducationalinstitutionshasincreased,thenumberofunmarriedwomenhasbeencorrespondinglyaugmented。Itiseasytoexplainthisbythefactthatalargenumberofwomenearntheirownlivelihoodbygoingintobusinessandtheprofessions。Astheybecomemoreeducated,andareallowedtoparticipateinmanyofthesameprivilegesasmen,itisonlynaturalthattheyshouldshowtheirindependencebyremainingsingle。Thesamethingwouldoccurinanycountry,andwemayexpectalikestateofthingsinChinaasgreaterfacilitiesforinstructionareaffordedtowomen。Idonotfeelalarmedattheprospect;
indeed,IwouldwelcomeitifIcouldseemycountry-womenactingasindependentlyandasorderlyastheirAmericansisters。
Thegamesandsportssanctionedandencouragedinschoolsanduniversitiesareuseful,inthattheyafforddiversionofthepupils'mindsfromtheirschoolwork。Theyshouldnot,however,beindulgedininsuchawayastointerferewiththeirstudies。Take,asanexample,boatracing;severalmonthsofpreparationarenecessarybeforetheeventtakesplace,andduringagreatportionofthistimethestudentsdonotthinkmuchoftheirstudies;theyareallmadwithexcitement。Thecontestbetweenthetworivalpartiesisverykeen;
theyhavebutonethought,andthatistowintherace。Inthisway,atleastsoitseemstome,themainobjectofrecreationisentirelylostsightof;itbecomesnolongeranamusement,butlaborandwork。
Iamtoldthatthecoxswainandtheothermembersoftheboatracegenerallyhavetotakealongrestwhentheraceisover,whichclearlyshowsthattheyhavebeenoverworking。
Ifavorallinnocentgamesandsportswhichmeanrecreationanddiversion,butifitbethoughtthatwithoutacontestgameswouldlosetheirrelishandtheirfun,thenIwouldsuggestthattheaimshouldbetheexhibitionofaperfectbodyandabsolutehealth。Letthestudents,whentheycometotherecreationground,indulgeinanysporttheyplease,butmakethemfeelthatitis"badform"tooverstrain,ordoanythingwhich,eventemporarily,marstheperfectworkingoftheirphysicalorganisms。
Leteachstudentsotrainhimselfastobecomehealthyandstrongbothphysicallyandmentally,andtheonewho,throughreasonableandwholesomeexercises,isabletopresenthimselfinthemostperfecthealthshouldbeawardedthehighestprize。
Chapter6。AmericanBusinessMethodsIfIshouldbeaskedwhatismostessentialforthesuccessfulcarryingonofbusinessinAmericaIwouldsayadvertising。AbusinessmaninAmericawhointendstosucceedmustadvertiseinthedaily,weekly,andmonthlypapers,andalsohavebigpostersinthestreets。
Idonotbelieveanyup-to-datemerchantinAmericafailstodothis。
Everybookandmagazinecontainsmanyadvertisements;sometimesfullyhalfofabigmagazineiscoveredwithnoticesorpicturesofarticlesforsale。
Whereveryougotheinevitableposterconfrontsyou;andevenwhenyoulookoutofthewindowofthetrainyouseelargesign-boardsannouncingsomearticleoftrade。Thenewerthebrandthebiggerthepicture。
Ifwhenyougetintoastreet-caryoulookaroundyouwillseenothingbutadvertisementsofallkindsandsorts,andifyouansweranadvertisementyouwillkeeponreceivingnoticesofthematteraboutwhichyouinquired。
EvennowIreceivelettersurgingmetobuysomethingorotheraboutwhichIsentaletterofinquirywhenIwasinAmerica。
Atnight,ifyoustrollroundthetownyouwillbeamazedbytheingeniousandcleversignswhichthealertmindsofthetradespeoplehaveinvented,suchasrevolvingelectriclightsformingthenameoftheadvertiserwithdifferentcolors,orafigureorshapeofsomesortillustratinghiswares。Buteventhisisnotthoughtsufficient。
Circularsareoftensenttoeveryone,makingspecialoffers,settingforthforcefulreasonswhythecommodityadvertisedisindispensable。
Certainstoresmakeitapointtoannouncecheapsalesonceortwiceayear,withfrom10to25percent。reduction。Itshouldbenotedthatnotradesmanvoluntarilysellshisgoodsataloss,sothatifduringasalehecangiveasmuchas25percent。discountwecaneasilycalculatethepercentageofprofithegenerallymakes。
Therearecaseswheremenwhostartedaspettydealershave,afterafewyears,becomemillionaires。
ToshowtheimportanceofadvertisingIcitethewell-knownsanitarydrinkwhichisasubstituteforteaandcoffee,andwhichbyextensiveadvertisinginalmosteverypaperpublishedineverycountryhasnowbecomeafavoritebeverage。Theproprietorisnowamulti-millionaireandIamtoldthathespendsmorethanamilliondollarsayearinadvertising。
AnotherthinginseparablefromAmericanbusinessisthetelephone。
Atelephoneisapartofeverywell-appointedhouse,everypartner'sdeskisprovidedwithatelephone,throughwhichhetalkstohisclientsandtransactsbusinesswiththem。InallofficialdepartmentsinWashingtonscoresoftelephonesareprovided;eventhesecretaryofthedepartmentandthechiefofthebureaugiveordersbytelephone。
Itgoeswithoutsayingthatthismeansofcommunicationisalsofoundinthehomeofalmosteverywell-to-dofamily。
Theinventionofatelephoneisagreatblessingtomankind;
itenablesfriendstotalktoeachotheratadistancewithoutthetroubleofcalling。*Sweetheartscanexchangetheirsweetnothings,andevenproposalsofmarriagehavebeenmadeandacceptedthroughthetelephone。However,oneissubjectedtofrequentannoyancesfromwrongconnectionsattheCentralOffice,andsometimesgraveerrorsaremade。Once,throughaseriousblunder,oramischievousjoke,IlostadinnerinmyLegationinWashington。
Myvaletreceivedatelephonemessagefromaladyfriendinvitingmetodineatherhouse。Igladlyacceptedtheinvitation,andattheappointedtimedrovetoherhome,onlytofindthattherewasnodinner-partyon,andthatIshouldhavetogohungry——
*"Tocall"inthesenseof"tovisit"——A。R。L。,1996——
Withsometrades,inordertocreateanewmarket,commercialtravellersor"drummers"givetheirgoodsawayfornothing。
Experiencehasprovedthatwhattheyloseatthestarttheyrecoverinthecourseoftime,receivinginadditiontripleortenfoldmorebusinessthanthecostoftheoriginaloutlay。Thesecommercialagentstravelthroughallsectionsofthecountrytosolicitbusiness;
theycalluponthosewhocangivethemorders;theylookupthosewhoareengagedinsimilarbusinessestotheirown,and,iftheyareretailers,theyinvitetheirorders,oraskthemtobecomesub-agents。Thesegentlemenpracticallyliveonthetrains:
theyeat,sleep,anddotheirbusinesswhiletravelling。
Oneofthemtoldmethatinonemonthhehadcovered38,000miles,andthathehadnotbeenbacktohisfirmforthreemonths。
ThereisnodoubtthattheAmericanpeopleareactive,strenuousworkers。
Theywillwillinglygoanydistance,andundertakeanyjourney,howeverarduous,ifitpromisesbusiness;theyseemtobealwaysonthego,andtheyarepreparedtostartanywhereatamoment'snotice。
AnAmericanwhocalledonmeashorttimeagoinShanghaitoldmethatwhenhelefthishouseonemorningatNewYork,hehadnottheslightestnotionhewasgoingtoundertakealongjourneythatday;butthatwhenhegottohisofficehisbossaskedhimifhewouldgotoChinaonacertaincommission。
Heacceptedtheresponsibilityatonceandtelephonedtohiswifetopackuphisthings。TwohourslaterhewasonatrainboundforSanFranciscowhereheboardedasteamerforChina。
ThesamegentlemantoldmethatthistripwashissecondvisittoChinawithinafewmonths。
Americansalesmenarecleverandcapable,andwellknowhowtorecommendwhatevertheyhavetosell。Youwalkintoastorejusttolookaround;
theremaybenothingthatyouwant,buttheadroitmannerinwhichthesalesmantalks,andthewayinwhichheexplainsthegoodpointsofeveryarticleatwhichyoulook,makesitextremelydifficultforyoutoleavethestorewithoutmakingsomepurchases。SalesmenandcommercialtravellersintheUnitedStateshavecertainlylearnedtheartofspeaking。
Ionce,however,metaremarkableexceptiontothisruleinthepersonofanAmericangentlemanwhowassingularlylackingintact;
hewasinChinawiththeintentionofobtainingaconcession,andhehadnearlyaccomplishedhisobjectwhenhespoilteverythingbyhisbluntspeech。HesaidhehadnotcometoChinaforanyphilanthropicpurposes,butthathewasinthecountrytomakemoney。
WeallknowthattheaveragebusinessmanisneitheraPeabodynoraCarnegie,butitwasquiteunnecessaryforthisgentlemantoannouncethathissoleobjectwastomakemoneyoutoftheChinese。
UptoafewyearsagobusinessmeninAmerica,especiallycapitalists,hadscarcelyanyideaoftransactingbusinessinChina。
IwellrememberthedifficultyIhadinraisingarailwayloaninAmerica。
Itwasin1897。IhadreceivedpositiveinstructionsfrommygovernmenttoobtainabigloanforthepurposeofconstructingtheproposedrailwayfromHankowtoCanton。Iendeavoredtointerestwell-knownbankersandcapitalistsinNewYorkCitybutnoneofthemwouldconsidertheproposals。
Theyinvariablysaidthattheirmoneycouldbejustaseasily,andjustasprofitably,investedintheirowncountry,andwithbettersecurity,thanwasobtainableinChina。
Itwasonlyafternearlytwelvemonthsofhardwork,ofcarefulexplanationandmuchpersuasion,thatIsucceededinfindingacapitalistwhowaspreparedtodiscussthematterandmaketheloan。
Conditionshavenowchanged。AmericanbankersandothershavefoundthatinvestmentsinChinaarequitesafe。TheyhavesentagentstoChinatorepresenttheminthematterofabiginternationalloan,andtheyarenowjustasreadytolendmoneyinChinaasinEurope,andonthesameterms。InconjunctionwiththerepresentativesofsomelargeEuropeancapitaliststheyevenformedapowerfulsyndicateinChina,forthepurposeofarrangingloanstoresponsibleChineseinvestors。
Inthespringof1913,however,theywithdrewfromthesyndicate。
TheopportunitiestomakemoneyinAmericaaregreatandayoungmanwithonlyfairability,butanhonestpurpose,willalwaysgetsomethingtodo;andifheisindustriousandreadyforhardwork,ifhepossesscourageandperseverance,hewillmostsurelygoforwardandprobablyintimebecomeindependent。
Therearehundredsofmillionairesandmulti-millionairesinAmericawho,intheiryoungerdays,wereaspoorassparrowsinasnowstorm,butthroughperseverance,combinedwithindustriousandeconomicalhabitstheyhaveprosperedfarbeyondtheirownexpectations。
Theclevermethodstheyadoptinthecarryingonoftheirbusinesscannotbutarouseouradmiration,andChinesemerchantswoulddowelltosendsomeoftheirsonstoAmericatostudythevarioussystemspractisedthere。Butnonationoranyclassofpeopleisperfect,andthereisonemoney-makingdevicewhichseemstomenotquitesoundinprinciple。Toincreasethecapitalofacorporationnewsharesaresometimesissued,withoutacorrespondingincreaseintheactualcapital。Thesenewsharesmayrepresenthalf,orasmuchoftheactualcapitalashasbeenalreadysubscribed。
Suchacourseisusuallydefendedbytheclaimthatasthepropertyandfranchiseshaveincreasedinvaluesincetheformationofthecorporationtheincreaseofthestockisnecessaryinordertofairlyrepresenttheexistingcapital。Itissaidthatsomerailwaystockhasbeen"watered"inthiswaytoanalarmingextent,sothatagreatdealofitisfictitious,yetthoughitexistsonlyonpaperitranksastheequalofthegenuinestockwhenthedividendsarepaid。
Whetherornotsuchanactionreallyisjustifiable,orevenmoral,IleavetotheChristianclergyandtheirfollowerstodecide。
Thepromotersanddirectorsofsuchconcernshaveatleasthituponaveryclevermethodforbecomingrich,andifthesecuritiesoftheoriginalshareholdersarenotinjured,andtheholdersofthegenuineandthewateredstockcanshareequallywithoutendangeringtheinterestsofall,perhapssuchanactionmaybelessblamable,butitisanewkindofproceedingtoOrientals。
Imustnotomittomention,however,theconfidencewhichisplacedinthehonestyofthepeopleingeneral;forexample,youenteranomnibus,youwillfindthedriver,butnoconductortocollectthefare。
"Itisuptoyou"toputthefareintoabox,andifyoudonotpaynoonewillaskforit。Yeteveryfareispaid。Ihaveneverseenadishonestmanwhoomittedtopay。ThisisaremarkablefactwhichIhavenoticednowherebutinAmerica。Isupposeitisbecausethepeoplearenotpoor,andastheyarealwaysabletopaythefaretheydoso。Theyaretoohonesttocheat。Itiscertainlyagoodwaytoencouragepeopletobehonest,toputthemontheirhonorandthenrelyontheirownsenseofuprightness。
ThemostcurioussightIhaveeverseenwastheStockExchangeinNewYork。
Itisusedasamarketforthepurchaseandsaleofvariousarticles,buttherewerenogoodsexposedforsale。Isawagoodmanypeoplerunningabouttalking,yellingandhowling,andhadInotbeeninformedbeforehandwhattoexpectIshouldhavethoughtthatthemenweregettingready,intheirexcitement,forageneralallroundfight。
However,Ididnotseeanyexchangeofblows,andIdidnothearthatanybloodwasshed。
AnotherremarkablefeatureofthescenewasthatIdidnotseeasinglewomanthere;shewasconspicuousbyherabsence。
WhetherornottherulesoftheExchangeallowhertobecomeamemberIdonotknow;thatisaquestionforthewomansuffragiststoinvestigate,butIlearnedthatitisawealthyassociationconsistingof1,100members,andthattobecomeamemberonemustbeacitizenoftheUnitedStatesof21yearsofageormore。Thenumberofmembersislimited。
Personsobtainmembershipbyelection,orbythetransferofthemembershipofamemberwhohasresignedordied。
Anewmemberwhoisadmittedbytransferpaysaninitiationfeeof2,000golddollars,inadditiontoalargefeetothetransferrer,forhis"seatintheHouse"。Amembermaytransferhisseattohisson,iftheCommitteeoftheExchangeapprove,withoutchargingforit;
butinallcasesthetransferreepaystheabove-mentionedinitiationfeeof2,000golddollars。
Thepricesfortheseseatsvary,thefluctuationsbeingduetotheupwardordownwardtrendofthestockmarket。Withinrecentyearsthepricehasrisenconsiderably,andasmuchas95,000golddollarshasbeenpaidtothetransferrer。ThisismuchhigherthanthepriceusuallypaidbynewmembersinStockExchangesinEurope,yetwhenaseatbecomesvacantthereisnolackofpurchasers。
Itisclearthataseatinthe"House"isveryvaluabletotheholder。
Inthebuildingeachmemberhasastallallottedtohimwherehehasatelephoneforhisexclusiveuse;thisenableshimtocommunicateeverytransactiondoneintheExchangetohisbusinesshouse,andtokeepupconnectionswithhisconstituentsinothercities。
Whenoneofhisconstituents,sayinWashington,D。C。,desirestobuyacertainsecuritytheorderisconveyedtohimdirect,andexecutedwithoutdelay。Ihaveseenatransactionofthiskindexecutedintenminutes,thoughtherewasadistanceofseveralhundredmilesbetweenclientandbroker。Theamountofbusinesstransactedinthe"House"everydayisenormous,aggregatingmanymillionsofdollars。
NewYorkalsohasotherExchanges,wheredifferentarticlesofmerchandisearepurchasedandsold,suchascorn,coffee,cotton,etc。,andthevolumeofbusinesstransacteddailyinthat"EmpireCity"
mustbeimmense,andalmostbeyondcalculation。
OfcoursethereareExchangesinChicago,Boston,Cincinnati,St。Louis,Philadelphia,Baltimore,Washingtonandothercities,allconductedonsimilarlines,butthepricesarealwaysgovernedbythequotationsfromNewYork。Thisskilfulandsystematicwayofdoingbusinessisremarkable,andIaminclinedtobelievethatNewYorkisaheadofmanycitiesinSouthAmericaandinEurope。
NowonderthattheservicesofAmericansarerequiredbyothercountriesinindustrialandtechnicalconcerns。Someyearsago,whenIwasinMadrid,Inoticedthatthestreettram-carwasrunningaccordingtotheAmericansystem,anduponinquiryIwastolditwascontrolledbyanAmericansyndicate。
ThepursuitofwealthinAmericaisintense;itisapparenteverywhereandseemstobethechiefaimoftheAmericanpeople。
Becauseoftheireagernesstobecomerichassoonaspossibletheyareallinaconstanthurry。Youmayseepeopleinthestreetsalmostrunningtotheiroffices,atluncheontheydonotmasticatetheirfood,theyboltit,andinlessthantenminutesareontheirwaybacktotheirofficeagain。Everyoneisurgedonbythisspiritofhaste,andyoufrequentlyhearofsuddendeathswhichdoctorsattributetoheartfailure,orsomeothermalady,butwhichIsuspectarecausedbythecontinualrestlesshurryandworry。
Peoplewhoaresounnaturallyeagertogetrichnaturallysufferforit。
ItisthegeneralbeliefthatAmericansdonotliveaslongasEuropeans。
Theymakemoneyeasilyandtheirexpectationsarehigh。
IhaveknownmanyAmericanswho,inmyopinion,werewealthypeople,buttheythemselvesdidnotthinkso;infact,theysaidtheywerepoor。
OnceIaskedagentleman,whowasknowntobeworthhalfamillionofgolddollars,whetheritwasnottimeforhimtoretire。
Hepooh-poohedtheideaandsaidthathecouldnotaffordtogiveuphiswork。
Inreplytomyinquiriesheinformedmethathewouldnotcallamanwealthyunlessheshouldbepossessedofoneortwomillionsofdollars。
Withsuchextravagantideas,itisnowonderthatAmericansworksohard。
Igrantthataman'smissioninthisworldistoattainhappiness。
AccordingtoWebster,happinessis"thatstateofbeingwhichisattendedwithenjoyment,"butitiscurioustoobservewhatdifferentnotionspeoplehaveastowhathappinessis。
IknowanEnglishmaninChinawhobyhisskilfulbusinessmanagement,combinedwithgoodluck,hasamassedimmensewealth;infact,heisconsideredtherichestmanintheportwhereheresides。
Heisabachelor,overseventyyearsold,andleadsaverysimplelife。
Buthestillgoestohisofficeeveryday,andtoilsasifhehadtoworkforaliving。Beingtoldthatheshoulddiscontinuehisdrudgery,asathisdeathhewouldhavetoleavehislargefortunetorelativeswhowouldprobablysquanderit,hegaveananswerwhichischaracteristicoftheman。"Ilove,"hesaid,"accumulatingdollarsandbanknotes,andmyenjoymentisincountingthem;ifmyrelativeswhowillinheritmyfortune,takeasmuchpleasureinspendingitasIhavehadinmakingit,theywillbequitewelcometotheirjoy。"
Notmanypeople,Ifancy,willagreewiththeoldbachelor'sviewoflife。
Ioncesuggestedtoamulti-millionaireofNewYorkthatitwastimeforhimtoretirefromactivework,leavinghissonstocarryonhisbusiness。
Hetoldmethathewouldbeunhappywithoutworkandthatheenjoyedthedemandshisbusinessmadeonhimeachday。
Manyaman'slifehasbeenshortenedbyhisretiringfrombusiness。
Itisthemindratherthanthebodythatlives,andapartfromtheirbusinessthesemenhavenothoughtsandthereforenolife。Aman'sideaofhappinessisgreatlygovernedbyhispersonaltastes,andisinfluencedbyhisenvironment,hiseducationandtheclimate。
Theformwhichitistoassumemayvarywithpersonsofdifferenttastesandpositions,butitshouldnotbecarriedoutforhisownbenefitsolelyanditshouldnotbeinjurioustohishealthortohisintellectualandspiritualimprovement,norshoulditbedetrimentaltotheinterestsofotherpeople。
Chapter7。AmericanFreedomandEqualityWhenanOriental,who,throughouthislife,haslivedinhisowncountrywherethewillofhisSovereignissupreme,andthepersonallibertyofthesubjectunknown,firstsetsfootonthesoiloftheUnitedStates,hebreathesanatmosphereunlikeanythinghehaseverknown,andexperiencescurioussensationswhichareabsolutelynew。
Forthefirsttimeinhislifehefeelsthathecandowhateverhepleaseswithoutrestraint,andthathecantalkfreelytopeoplewithoutfear。