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.

181

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.

182

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.

If we could get angry with ourselves because we do not improve, that would be an anger worth cultivating. But so far as others are concerned, let your anger be mild and never reach the point of resentment, for that always leads to revenge which is a fatal emotion.

If others are the cause of anger to us, keep away from them, and if we must associate with them, keep cool and bide your opportunity.

183

PRACTICE LOGIC, COMMON SENSE AND TACT

When a man can give a good reason for what he does he practices logic. Not excuses for doing what he should not do, but REASONS why.

When he gives good reasons, and follows the universal practice of other men under the same circumstances, he practices common sense.

When he does things in a quiet, unobtrusive, and agreeable manner, so that other men are satisfied with his way, he practices tact.

These three qualities are badges of success among every nation and in every occupation, trade, or profession.

The business and professional resourcefulness of every man is not measured upon the quantity of his learning, or his high proficiency, but according to his ability to apply what he knows to the matter in hand.

A man may be able to measure the stars, and yet not be able to saw a board straight. Such a man may know much but he makes a poor carpenter.

A man should reason with himself as to the best way of doing anything, and then do it, giving good reasons for it.

Common sense is good judgment applied to the every day things of life, and tact is doing those things without disturbing others or by considering their feelings with as much care as you do your own.

To use a common expression: “You have got to worm things out of the world, but you must do it as gently as inserting a corkscrew in a stubborn cork.”

184

ENCOURAGE OTHERS

When you encourage others to go ahead with what they are doing, with a cheery word or a pleasant smile, you are laying up treasure for yourself. For the man you encourage will encourage you, and heaven knows we all need encouragement.

Many men stand on the verge of a precipice of indecision, not being able to decide whether they should draw back or fall over.

It is not help these men want so much as it is encouragement. They are able to help themselves but they haven’t the nerve, and you give them a word of cheer or encouragement, and they get right with themselves and their work.

If a man starts into business and you can trade with him, do so, and that will encourage him to go ahead and strive to be successful.

He may be a beginner at manufacturing something for the use of others. Tell him how his work or productions are well received, or take one yourself and use it even if you do not want it. You encourage him to go on, and by and by you may be in a position where you will need a little encouragement, then he will remember you.

It is customary for the unthinking to imagine that they must do something big or great in order to expect returns, but this is a mistake. We show our greatness in little things, because we know that many little things make up a great thing. The more small things we do the greater will be the accumulation in the end.

Do not patronize any man or he will repulse your approach; you must encourage, which is far different from patronizing. By assuming a patronizing air you assume a superiority which is disliked.

This is an age of small things that go to make up big things, and we must fall in with the conditions of the age in which we live and expect to do business.

185

HOW TO LEARN SELF-CONTROL

To master the feelings the head and the heart should work together.

All of our emotions may be said to come from the heart, and the latter is set in motion by the will power which is the head.

There are times when a man feels like “boiling over” as it is called, but policy and good judgment warn him to keep within bounds.

It is always our sentiments or feelings and emotions that need a curbing hand, our opinions can take care of themselves.

Where our feelings and our mind go together there is no trouble, for then duty and inclination go together. But where our feelings are not regulated and controlled, they become unstable and shifting. Like the winds that blow where they list and whither no man can tell, our lack of self-control may drive us to the most violent acts. We become the sport of chance desires and vagrant impulses.

Control is essential because from our ill-regulated acts much injustice and harm may be done, not only to ourselves but to others.

A man who stands above whim and caprice is a superior in strength to a man who permits his caprices to direct him.

What we call character has its emotions and passions, its affections and intense sympathies, but mastered and controlled into a whole of outward justice and fairness.

The true freeman fights himself free from blind feeling and impulse; he is a happy warrior and fights on a battlefield where his convictions and emotions are a unit.

The Martyrs possessed such self control that burning at the stake, or limbs torn by savage beast did not wring a note of pain from them. “But,” you say, “that was Divine strength.” Of course, and any one who desires the same Divine strength to aid him control his emotions, may have it for the asking.

186

DON’T BE A DREAMER

Waste no Time Dreaming of the Past

You are living in the present preparing for the future. The past is dead and you should let the past bury the past.

The man who dreams of the past and forgets his future, is like a man who rises in the morning not of today but of yesterday. He is going backward when his face is put in front pointing always forward.

Life is too short to be wasted in vain regrets for what has transpired in the past. Even yesterday is ancient history and best forgotten.

We have work to do in the present to perfect or accomplish something in the future; it is our time of grace, given us to grasp at opportunities as they come before us.

While you are lamenting an opportunity that escaped you yesterday, a better one comes along today and passes us unnoticed.

There is too much of this sort of sorrow experienced by the people of the earth, but when it comes to a man with an occupation, a business man or a young man getting ready for business, it is positively foolish and detrimental.

We know that it has been the practice of people in all times to fret and worry about the things of the past, for there are numerous sayings cautioning them against it. One of them is very appropriate: “Never cry over spilled milk.” It is gone and can not be restored.

Many persons may have what is called a “skeleton” in his closet, but it does not do him nor his friends any good service to keep rattling its bones continually.

If you have been very wrong in the past, repent and begin over again.

187

DON’T BE BASHFUL

There are many persons who stand in their own way to success by their timidity, or bashfulness.

Such people are too self-conscious, and betray their lack of self-confidence which is regarded as an evidence of ignorance, or at least, inability to perform the duties they aspire to impose upon themselves.

Every man is better acquainted with himself than anybody else, but when he relies upon the knowledge of others as superior to his own knowledge, he loses the respect of his fellows, and finally loses his own respect and becomes bashful in their presence.

You should cultivate courage and exhibit symptoms of self-confidence, for by that means you show others that you are willing to “dare” and venture a trial of your capacity.

If you are too timid and have no confidence in yourself, you must not expect others to take you except at your own valuation.

There is, however, such a thing as being over-confident and brazen, which is the extreme of timidity, and becomes boastfulness.

Men have a way of studying each other and judging from their own standpoint, and if they perceive any timidity or bashfulness, they judge against you as incompetent. On the other hand, they quickly see beneath the surface of boasting, and reach the same opinion.

Be self-confident, and gentlemanly about it, for so you will pull through any opportunity, besides making hosts of friends in a business and social way.

Look a man straight in the eye, but do not try to look him down.

188

DON’T BE UNDECIDED

A man who can not make up his mind to do or not to do a thing without a great deal of wobbling first one way and then another, is as bad as an unsafe wall in a building—everybody keeps off lest it fall and do some damage.

When a man has first carefully considered a project, or a certain line of action, and also taken the advice of his friends if the matter is important, he should decide one way or the other at once.

A wobbly man is weak-kneed, and not to be depended upon for any purpose.

If you have ever had dealings with that kind of a man you will understand how painful it is to wait for him to decide.

A man at a cross-roads hesitates and says: “Shall I go this way or that?” He hesitates, starts, returns, starts the other way, and finally goes the wrong way and falls into a hole.

It has passed into a proverb that, “He who hesitates is lost.”

Of course, there is reason and judgment to be observed in everything, for things should not be done at random, but when there are common sense, education, and good counsel to guide you, to hesitate then is to go wrong.

It should not take a man long to decide when there is a speculation presented him, and his decision should be obstinately against the speculation. There are too many good opportunities to succeed in ventures that are legitimate to touch speculation. It is in the legitimate field of operations that indecision is so often fatal.

There is another saying applicable to this subject: “Be sure you’re right, then go ahead.”

189

DON’T BE TOO BIG FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Most children must creep before they can walk. The reason is because they are not sure of their small limbs and try them before venturing to depend upon them.

When the child can walk he goes right ahead and walks all his life without fear or hesitation.

It is the same in every line of business. The business man must know just where he stands all the time, and he must begin small in order to learn how to rely upon himself.

You are looking for something big, large, something you think commensurate with your abilities. Well, then, let me tell you that you will never find anything to suit you. You are inflated with your ability, your importance, and fail to see the small things at your feet and within your reach that if put together will aggregate the very big thing you want.

You aim at the moon and feel bad because you do not hit it. While your aim may be perfectly good and correct, the object may be too far off for you to hit, or else you must work yourself within reach of it and then you will hit it.

Small beginnings have made every great man on earth. Out of the huts and squalid cabins of the world have issued men who have conquered the world of arms and commerce.

You have the advantage of them from an educational point of view, and think you must be saddled upon a fiery horse before you know whether you can ride a steady going one.

The millionaire was not a millionaire when he started, he was an obscure clerk in a dry goods store working for wages that you scorn. Reduce your size to something near the right one and you will see things differently and take what you can get cheerfully, biding your time to reach higher. Let your hat fit your head.

190

DON’T GET DISCOURAGED

One of the greatest causes for failure in life is discouragement. It seems to be an element in the life of every man to be up one day and down the next.

When a man gets up it is possible for him to stay up by hard work and persistence, but if he permits himself to go down below his balance he may consider himself altogether down-and-out.

Failure does not mean that you will not succeed, because struggle as we may we must meet failure and look it squarely in the face.

But be not afraid of it, take hold of it by the throat and compel it to work to your advantage.

The lessons learned during the struggle toward success, and the ups and downs of the road are valuable and stand for experience. When a driver has gone over a hard road once, he knows the rocky portions and can avoid them when going over it again.

It is human to make mistakes. In fact, it is a maxim: “It is human to err.”

Knowing this to be inevitable, why repine, or be discouraged?

Follow the example of the small child who falls and picks himself up over and over again. By and by, he can walk without falling down.

Remember this: Every dark cloud has a silver lining. You see the dark side, but if you make your way around to the other side you will see the sun shining.

Much of the discouragement is caused by undertaking more than we can accomplish. If that is the case, then by leaving off a little here and there we shall soon reduce our enterprise to a success that we can handle.

191

DON’T BE PREJUDICED

We sometimes dislike a man, or hate him, which is the same thing, because he possesses certain peculiarities of person or conduct which are different from ours, or has ideas that are different from those we favor.

The man may be a perfect stranger to us, and we may know nothing about his environments or conditions under which he lives, or the reasons why he differs from us—we hate him all the same and take the other side of the street rather than meet him face to face.

If we were to look into ourselves we might believe that this man we dislike, has many reasons for not liking us.

We show prejudice when we judge any man. “Judge not, lest ye be judged,” says Christ. You are not the judge of any man’s conduct, and to judge him entails slander, backbiting, and conspiracies to his undoing.

You throw mud at another man. Why? Is it not because you have some spots yourself and want to draw attention away from them?

You are afraid that if you boost the other man up you will lower yourself. Hence you unload upon him some of your objectionable qualities to lighten your load.

Every man who does this admits that the other man is better than he, and hopes by adding his faults to that other man, to reduce the level to somewhere near a balance. But experience demonstrates the contrary.

Even if a man should be as bad as you say he is, it is not your business to correct him. You can not extract the fangs of a rattlesnake by abusing him.

Look out for your own destinies and leave the judgment of your fellow man to the judgment seat of God, where it belongs.

192

DON’T BE SMALL MINDED

A broad, liberal-minded man is beloved by all, but a narrow, small minded man is an object of dislike.

You do not have to squander money to be considered broad minded, or be extravagant in your life and home. A man of that sort is drawing upon his future to use up in the present, and there is no greater folly than this.

In all your dealings with your fellow men, you must exhibit that trait of open mindedness that will draw men to you.

If you stick at trifles and refuse to concede a point to another he will avoid you in future dealings.

“Grab” is a good game, you say. Very well, “you shall not grab anything belonging to me,” and everybody says the same thing. So it will come to pass by and by that there will be nothing for you to grab.

Generosity within a man’s means is always a noble trait, and meets with the approbation of every man. But you must be wise in your generosity and not run into vain glory, or phariseeism—which is fancying that you are better than other men because you squander money. Others don’t think so, they call you “fool” behind your back.

A close-fisted, penurious man, a driver of hard bargains, is always a small man, and everybody is on the look out for a chance to beat him at his own game, and they generally do.

There are small men who will sell you large eggs by the pound, and small ones by the dozen. People find that out and go somewhere else to do their marketing.

In every hill of potatoes, there are some small ones—they did not grow with the others, and they are also cheaper than the others. In the human hill, the small men do not grow like the large ones, hence they are cheaper.

Do not be a small potato, be a large one and sell for more.

193

DON’T WASTE TIME

Time is not a thing to be wasted, for it is given you for the purpose of working out your destiny.

Time does not belong to you, it is a loan and sometime, perhaps before you are ready, the loan will be called in.

It is said that “Time is Money.” This is not to be understood as meaning dollars and cents, but as something valuable to you. A drink of water is not cash money, but it is valuable to a thirsty man.

The proverb “Waste not, want not,” is as applicable to time as it is to bread and meat, clothing or money.

Yet we are wasting time when we stick at trifles, embark in trivial things, or are connected with something not worth the trouble of exploiting.

A man who wastes his time soon acquires a reputation for being good for little else than small things, a trifling character, and his wages or salary is gauged upon his dawdling peculiarities.

Every man is considered as large as the things he does and no larger, and the time he steals—yes, steals from himself, he will try to steal from others.

It is not necessary to keep in constant motion, or always at work to save time, but idle things, trifling matters, idle words and silly things are a mere waste of time.

You must prepare for the time of need, the time of trouble, and generally look ahead of you, and you can do this only by not wasting your present time of action.

There will come a period when time shall be no more; when you will look back and sigh over wasted moments.

Take time to be cheerful, for amusement, for pleasure, of course. Such things are good for the soul and body, and the time is not wasted when they are reasonable and decent.

194

DON’T DECEIVE YOURSELF

The man who shuts his eyes deliberately and walks toward a deep hole into which he falls, is a fool and does not deserve sympathy or help.

But the man who deliberately deceives himself and uses false arguments to bolster up some bad habit, or shady dealing with his fellow men, is working dead against his conscience, and drifting down deep in the human scale. He is an object of contempt.

You get the better of a man by some trick and say to yourself: “Oh, he would have done the same thing to me.”

So you measure yourself by others? This is not an assertion of manhood, it is a slavish subjection to others mentally.

When a man goes wrong, or commits a wrong act, and deceives himself into the belief that he was right, he commits moral suicide, just the same as if he killed himself.

There is another point of view to this question: If you could deceive yourself and let it go at that, there might be no harm done except to your own self-respect, but in deceiving yourself you deceive others into the belief that you are honest and square. Whereas, you are a hypocrite.

Others will find you out very soon, and then you may as well shut up shop, for all the business and trust you will get.

A man who is square with himself will be true to everybody else. This makes for character, and character is all a man has on this earth; once lost it can never be regained. You see, there are too many people on earth to deal with. You are not the only one, and so your disappearance will not make even a small ripple.

Be a man among other men, and be true to yourself, for so you will gain the respect and good will of all.

195

DON’T HIDE YOUR FAULTS

Confession is good for the soul.

This does not mean that you are to go about and tell everybody what a bad man you are. If you do that, they will soon begin to believe you and keep away from you.

Where there is smoke there is always some kind of a fire.

When you are wrong, say so without hesitation. Nobody is perfect, and all men have their faults.

In the business world every man wants to know every other man, then it will be safe to do business with him. But you can not know another without knowing his faults.

Concealment of one’s frailties is dangerous, and leads to harm if you are found out, and you are always found out. You are a suspicious character, and sometimes suspicions are “as strong as proofs of Holy Writ.”

You chew cloves to hide the fact that you have taken a drink. Why do you not say that you take a drink occasionally if that is the fact, and not try to hide the odor of the drink behind cloves? Nobody is deceived, and you get the reputation of being a steady drinker, which may be far from the truth.

You apply for a job, and you are asked: “Do you drink?” Why not answer bravely: “No, sir, not as a rule. I do take a drink once in a while, but will not do so anymore.” Your probable employer says to himself: “I can trust this man because he does not hide his faults, but confesses them and intends to avoid them.”

It is so with other faults that will weigh against you if concealed and found out.

196

DON’T BE A PESSIMIST, BE AN OPTIMIST

A pessimist is a man who has a constant grievance against somebody or something.

He is forever standing in his own light, and thinks the whole world has picked him out to be the scapegoat for everything that is bad.

He says: “Everybody and everything is against me and I can not succeed. It’s no use trying.”

Before you give up to despair, friend, bear this in mind:

You say you have not the same opportunities every other man has.

You will not believe that if you stop to think a moment.

The average Colored American has ten times the opportunities his father had, and a hundred times the opportunities his grandfather possessed.

You are one of the average Colored Americans, perhaps. Well then, your grandfather had no opportunities at all. If he had one, he was not permitted to grasp it. Your father had more opportunities than his father, but opportunities were just beginning to show themselves.

You live in a far advanced age when the very air is full of opportunities, and yet you think you have none.

The reason why you are a pessimist is because you want to be. You think it is too much trouble to reach out and take the opportunities offered you, sometimes even forced upon you.

Instead of being a pessimist you ought to laugh and thank God that the bright side of life is always turned toward you, and you can see it by merely turning your eyes in its direction.

Keep your eyes open; laugh and the world will laugh with you; weep, and you weep alone.

197

DON’T BE A COWARD

It is cowardly to “dare” do a wrong thing when the right course would take real moral courage. It is cowardly to “dare” do a foolish thing to avoid being laughed at by “the other fellows.”

It is cowardly, and vulgar as well, for a girl to let herself be drawn into a silly flirtation, a course that cheapens her own womanly nature and makes her the toy of the moment, just because “the other girls do it.”

It is cowardly for a grocer to give short weight, put sand in his sugar or sell cheap substitutes for pure food, just because his competitors do.

It is cowardly for a lawyer, merchant or other business man to indulge in sharp practices because others in the same line of business have set the example.

It is cowardly for a woman to try to dress more extravagantly than her purse will permit, to keep pace with her neighbors. And here I am going to say something which will cause some eyes to open wide in astonishment—it is cowardly to deny one’s self or one’s family the reasonable comforts of life when they can be afforded. Some do go to this extreme just from the love of being considered “prudent.”

Don’t mind what the “other fellow” says, or thinks, in these matters that concern only yourself and those nearest and dearest. Live so as to make the very most and highest of the life God has given you,—and let the tongues wag as they will.

Why bless you, if folks couldn’t talk they would die—some of them. Let them talk and let yourself be free from care concerning what they say,—if you know you are acting from principle. Tastes differ. Yours is as apt to be right as your neighbor’s. Live your own life—only so it be a brave, true, sensible one—and let the other fellow live his.

198

DO NOT SPEAK EVIL OF ANY ONE

When you speak evil of another you assume the position of his judge and sentence him to punishment without a hearing.

“Judge not lest ye be judged.” That is the inhibition, which is a command inasmuch as it contains a threat of punishment.

When you speak evil of a man, you injure him if what you speak of him is not true and you make yourself a spreader of falsehood.

You also injure his reputation which is not in your keeping but is his property. You steal something from him that is his own and to which he has a right.

You blast a reputation heedlessly and without its being of any value to you. You shut it out for life from all that it holds dear and valuable. For what? Perhaps to gratify your lust for gossip.

You will not get off so easily as you think by ruining or attempting to ruin another’s reputation. You weaken yourself. The man you malign has friends that will stand by him, and they will become your enemies, not only in business but socially, and you will soon find yourself ostracized from respectable people and sent down to associate with other liars like yourself.

Even if what you say should prove to be true, who constituted you the judge? As already said, you must not judge.

One way of hurting a man is to misinterpret his acts. How do you know what a man’s motives are in any case? Every man looks into a mirror and sees himself, whence he interprets according to his own motives under the same circumstances. As it is commonly put: “A man generally judges another from himself.”

It is an unwise habit to fall into, and should be avoided lest others see us as we see others.

199

DO NOT NEGLECT YOUR PARENTS OR YOUR FAMILY

Every man is judged by his home life.

What kind of a son are you? In answering this question which will be asked to determine your character, the only answer possible to insure favorable consideration is “a good son.”

The home life of the nation and of the race is vital. If you are a home preserver or a home builder, your station in life is assured.

To sum up the requirements you should stand upon the platform open to the eyes of all men as a good son, faithful brother, kind father, helpful friend, and a good citizen. It is not difficult. Such virtues come to be a habit if practiced faithfully.

It is easier to be all these than to be vicious, and wrong with your parents, family, and relatives.

“Honor thy father and thy mother that the days may be long in the land which I will give thee.”

Something of a promise, is it not? It is a promise that has been strictly kept since the world began.

Your mother suffered for you; your father struggled for you, and you can not repay them with ingratitude. You may be higher than they, better educated, more of a social ornament, but you are theirs, and only the vain, foolish and wicked would neglect them.

It does not pay to treat them with contumely and scorn because they do not make the same fine appearance you do. There is no man or woman on this earth of higher social value to you than your parents.

If you are a man of family, remember that you are building up a posterity. You have fulfilled a noble mission, the greatest on earth. They owe you something, but the indebtedness is mutual, you owe them much.

200

Do Not Drink Alcohol Or Form Other Bad Habits

Drink is the curse of the age, and it has been truly said of it “A man is a fool who will put that in his mouth which will steal his brains.”

The habit of drinking intoxicating liquors is not a mere personal vice, it is public and affects every person belonging to or connected with you.

Looked at from a business standpoint, it is a destroyer of opportunity, and undermines the most brilliant prospects in life. It leads to moral and physical death.

If you hope to win you must not drink intoxicating liquors, it matters not whether you can stand them or not. They will get you finally, besides that, nobody wants a man who drinks.

Drink brings on other habits that are destructive of character and opportunity. A man who gambles will drink. Why? Because he knows he is doing something he should not do, and the drink hardens his conscience. The hardening process continues and he forms all sorts of bad habits. The more he forms the more reckless he becomes, then it is a case of “Good night” to everything decent and noble, or worth having.

There are few cures to bad habits. They become diseases in the course of time, and fatal diseases, besides encouraging other diseases by reducing the resisting power of the body.

There is a preventive to all bad habits, however, and only one—never take your first drink of intoxicating liquor; never gamble for a first stake; never taste the first dose of cocaine to know how it will affect you. In other words: never begin a bad habit and it can not become your master and crowd you out of the companionship of men.

201

Do Not Be a Spendthrift

The man who squanders his hard earned money is an enemy to himself.

By squandering money is meant expending it for something you do not need and which is of no value, use, or merit.

“A penny saved is a penny earned” is a well known saying, also “Take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves.”

Don’t imagine it looks big when a young man is with his companions and throws his money right and left. Does he gain their respect? Never. They look upon him as a fool and while they are willing to take advantage of his “liberality,” it will always be noticed that they never reciprocate. They are wiser than he.

It is not necessary to be a miser either, for that is the other extreme and equally as reprehensible.

No man should live on crusts and hoard away his money for some public administrator to find and spend in fees when he is dead.

Neither can a man waste his money and expect to have any left for the rainy day that always comes to every mortal. Such a man says when he is too old to earn money, and is kicked about from pillar to post without friends or companions: “If I had only saved my money when I was young, I might be a rich man now.” That is quite true, but you wasted your money and you have reached the end of your chapter in life.

What do you want money for anyway? You can live on bread and water. There is a great question in this idea. We have needs; we have rights to be observed, to marry, to be decent, to live in healthy places, raise a family and educate them. All these things make a man, an American citizen, and if you throw away the money to make you these things, then you can not become any of them. In that case you are—nothing. Do you aspire to be a nonentity?

202

DON’T BE A KICKER OR A KNOCKER

If a man keeps on complaining about things in general and particular, he will soon be thrown out of decent society.

Grievances and troubles come to every man in this world, and every man knows it without constantly repeating it. He has his own troubles, and does not care to be saddled with yours.

This is a good old earth if you would take off your blue spectacles and look at it with your own eyes.

Some men are so dissatisfied with things that there is no pleasing them, but if you attempt to take from them the things that do not satisfy or please, they set up a roar.

When there is a wrong to be righted, some right to be protected, it is well enough to complain, but there are numerous persons who go about complaining all the time. When it is not one thing it is another.

These persons are given the name of “kickers,” and when they keep it up they are deemed “chronic kickers.”

It is sometimes impossible to pass these people by, lest a really suffering brother human be denied help. But they become known, and should be avoided for the sake of one’s peace of mind.

The strong man will bear his troubles in silence, but the weak one whines about them and fancies they are the worst.

If you stop to consider how this earth would get along without you, and that it did without you a long time, perhaps you would quit kicking and give others a rest from your complaints.

A little kicking may be useful, but too much of it lands a man outside the reach of opportunity.

203

A GOOD WOMAN THE GLORY OF MAN

Man’s Best Friend and Counselor

When God created Adam, it was found that he had no helpmeet, so woman was created to be his companion.

St. Paul says: “The woman is the glory of man,” and still farther elaborating the idea of the helpmeet says: “Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.”

That is as much as saying that the man and the woman must stand side by side in this world as companions and helpmeets toward the glory of the Lord.

The Holy Scripture is full of allusions to good women. Thus: “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband,” 2 Prov. 12, 4. “Her price is above rubies,” Prov. 31, 10. “Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.”

As the mother of the Christ, woman, in the person of the Virgin Mary, has been put upon a high pedestal for a pattern and a model to all good women.

Her part in the world may be well explained by the words of the orator: “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.”

The greatest deference and respect is the due of every woman, since she is the mother of the race, and its guardian and protector when in the helpless period of infancy.

The most beautiful and unanswerable tribute to women is paid by King Lemuel in the words of the prophecy that his mother taught him. It is to be found in Proverbs 31, and includes the entire chapter of 31 verses.

204

EDUCATE YOUR CHILDREN

It can not be doubted that education is the father and mother of opportunity and success in life.

You may know this from your own deficiencies, therefore, give those belonging to you a chance at opportunity and success by educating them.

You bring helpless beings into the world; you see them growing up amid modern surroundings that demand education, and it can not be possible that you will permit them to become weeds in the human garden—useless incumbrances to be thrown out upon the garbage heap.

It is the right of your children to be educated to fit some sphere in life. They are yours, and look to you to aid them. Besides, whatever you do to educate your children must redound to your own advantage.

Some people are jealous because their children know more than their parents. If your mind runs that way you come within the condemnation:

“He that provideth not for those of his own household hath denied the faith; he is the companion of the destroyer.”

Think this over and let it sink into your mind.

Your children want things you did not have when you were a child, and therefore, if the things that were good enough for you are not good enough for your children, they must go without. You reason like a cheese that is full of blind mites.

We are progressing far beyond the dreams of your youth, and your children are tied to the car of progress. You must not only let them go along with it, but you must help them to keep up with the procession. They are confronted by opportunities, and you dare not blind their eyes to them. Education is the only thing that will keep their eyes wide open to the chances of life.

205

THE GOLDEN RULE, OR THE PRINCIPLE OF LIVE AND LET LIVE

Life is a natural right in all men, and it is inalienable.

“The Lord is not willing that any should perish.”

Under our constitutions and laws, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are the inalienable rights of all men.

No man has a right, under any sort of provocation to deprive another of his life, no more has another man any right to deprive us of life.

There is an eternal balance in this right to live, and an eternal duty on our part to let our fellow man live. But there are indirect ways of accomplishing another man’s death, and we are equally as guilty as if we were to deprive him of life directly.

A mark was set upon the murderer Cain lest any one finding him should kill him. The right to live may be extended over all men, the sinner as well as the saint, even the murderer is marked so that his right to live shall not be interfered with.

When a man is in the full tide of vigorous life, his impression is that he has more right to live than the weak, decrepit and useless, but there is no such difference—the right is conferred upon all.

We must look to it lest we so act as to deprive another of this right to live, for though we may not actually kill, we may interfere with his life in many ways. We wrong him in many ways; destroy his character; interfere with his existence in business, by slander, and often “drive another to the wall,” as it is said. But when we do that we are interfering with that man’s right to live, for the right is attached to everything that a man may do. I have a right to work, but you say, “Not unless you do as I say.” This is an invasion of his right to live.

Every man orders his life to suit himself, it is his life and no one may order it for him. The Golden Rule is here exemplified: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” It is a good and safe rule to follow always.

206

DON’T GO INTO PARTNERSHIP WITH “THE DEVIL”

It may be true, as many contend, that every man has a personal devil within him that goads him on to do the wrong things at the right time. Any person who has that sort of a devil can easily get rid of him by the use of a strong will and determination.

But outside of him, this “Devil” is quite an institution whose great aim seems to be to monopolize you and everybody else. The feature he displays is a willingness to go into partnership with you in your undertakings.

He will make suggestions to you that sound plausible and good, and his promises are lurid. But beware of him, he is working for himself and not you. He is extremely selfish and will grab all the profits, leaving you thrown out like an old shoe that is no longer fit to wear.

A suggestion of wrong, of crooked work, of something that will injure your fellow man, that will best him, and cause him to lose money, character, friends, or honesty, comes from this outside Devil who wants you for a partner.

In a partnership the partners are supposed to work together for the common interest, but with the Devil as a partner you do all the work and he takes the pot of gold.

If you are a sterling, upright man, and insist upon being so, you may and probably will be tempted to go into partnership with the Devil, but knowing him, you will flaunt his honied words and stick to your uprightness. By and by he will leave you and you will win your way and enjoy all the profits.

In baptism you renounce the world, the flesh and the Devil. The world ruins you, the flesh overcomes you, and the Devil gets you. This is the usual routine, so stand by your baptismal vows, they are wise.

207

HONESTY THE BEST POLICY

Honesty is a question of morals. The law demands that all men shall be honest, but the maxim says it is the “best policy” to be honest.

To succeed in business or in any affairs where others are concerned, it behooves a man to be open and above board with every one.

The truth is, that a dishonest man is not wanted in anything where there is responsibility, or where a loss may result through dishonesty.

If a man is honest with himself, it is probable that he will be honest with others. In this respect, honesty is like charity: “It begins at home, but does not end there.”

To be honest does not mean merely that a man is not to steal another man’s money, but does mean that every man should be given his due, whether in financial matters or in duty. The man who half does his work, watches for the clock to hasten toward closing time, or dawdles when haste is required, is not honest, however square he may be in money matters.

The trouble is, we limit all our morality to money, and imagine that if we handle money carefully and without loss to the owner, we are honest.

Even taking that broad view of the virtue, we are robbing a man when we shirk work, do it badly, or pretend we can do a thing we can not do in a proper manner and take his money for the doing of it.

To be honest truly, a man must be fair in everything that pertains to his fellows. A man who will deliberately lie will cheat.

To give every man a square deal is to be honest.

208

Do As You Would Be Done By

It is not an easy matter to do to others what you would they should do unto you, when they are not following this rule themselves.

When Christ enunciated the Golden Rule in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7, 12, he announced what is the law and the prophets.

“All things whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.”

It is good morals and also contains a masterful business proposition. The reason is, because it is a moral precept, and men are inextricably mixed with morals in all their transactions.

We can not be guided in our actions by what other men do, except in a general way, but every one must be dependent upon his own energies, and be responsible for his own acts.

If we were to do as other men do to us, sometimes, we should be apt to cause a breach of the peace or commit a murder. That is conceded. But the persistent observation of this rule will bring all men around in your favor.

There is reason and common sense to be observed, however, in the observance of every moral precept. Thus: “Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

This is good advice coming from the Great Master, but it is not interpreted as meaning that your cheeks shall be turned toward the smiter as long as he chooses to strike. There comes a time when the precept has been complied with, and then let the smiter beware, for a defense will be made.

We know what the Savior means in all His sayings. He inculcates peace if we have to fight for it. So it is well to be guarded in our too rigid observance of precepts, lest we fall into the contrary condition which would deprive us of our manhood.

“Be strong and quit yourselves like men.”

209

Keep in Touch With God

The wisest man that ever lived says: “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth.”

The basis of a moral life is the remembrance of thy Creator. With this in your memory you will be able to establish a moral character; without it you can not have a moral life.

Below the nature of every man, the foundation of his nature, the everlasting rock upon which it is built, is God. He can not be ignored in any act, in any transaction. You may attempt to blot Him out, or cover Him up out of the sight of your own intelligence, but He is there always. He is your Creator, and the more you are in touch with Him, the more responsive you are to His promptings, the higher your moral character.

The old Pagans had no morality because they hid God from their own hearts and understandings, and substituted gods of wood and stone.

They really worshipped themselves, for when a man casts out God there is nothing but himself to worship.

The fact is, when men desire to lead immoral lives, or commit violations of law of any kind, they begin by closing their eyes to God and forgetting their Creator, and they say: “There is no Hell.”

In these days it is impossible for a man to live without a knowledge of his Creator. His name is everywhere and stamped upon everything. This very knowledge makes it incumbent upon every man to keep in touch with his Creator, for it is the common sentiment of all mankind, and can not be ignored.

The observance of every moral precept is prompted by the Creator, who “wills not that men shall perish, but that they shall live.”

To turn away from Him is to lose moral character, to keep in touch with Him is to preserve it. We keep in touch with God by remembering Him.

210

Do Not Try to Succeed Without the Help of God

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Proverbs, 3, 5.

The Lord is a mighty power of strength to you, as He is to all mankind, and He invites you to make use of that strength. Human life is a poor and small thing without something to make it of great importance. That something is the Lord, and He is part of our lives, of every moment, and we can not drive Him out of it. Why? Because He created us, and will not permit one of His creations to be without help.

“Not a sparrow falleth” that He does not know it, and how much more are you of interest than the sparrow? “Every hair of your head is numbered.”

Some men imagine they can get along without the help of God, but they deceive themselves. When they are prosperous they forget Him, but when adversity comes, they turn to Him for succor. Are they ever refused help? Not if asked in the proper spirit. He helps you if you help yourself, and you can not voluntarily lie in a ditch and ask God to help you out. That would be presumption.

By making God a part of your daily lives, taking counsel from Him and leaning upon Him for good qualities, you will be surprised at your success. You do not have to be a bigot, or a ranter; show by your example what you are and upon whom you lean for support.

Do not be shamed to give the Lord as the cause of your success, the greatest men of the earth have always recognized His hand.

Believe in Him faithfully and fully.

To an Atheist who did not believe in God, Napoleon Bonaparte in the height of his power said: “You do not believe in God? Who made the stars?”

211

The More a Man Gains Wisdom the Nearer He Gets to God

St. Paul says: “Whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

There is a glory of man and a glory of God. The former is transient, but the latter is eternal, and is what all men should aim to see.

“All flesh is grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away.”

It is plain to every right thinking and reasoning man that we should seek that which is the best. We so act in all our business affairs, and why should we not do the same so far as our immortal souls are concerned?

The kingdom of God is His glory, and seeking that first, all other things will come to you.

In striving to attain to a sight of the glory of God, we are moving upward from every point of view. Compared with that glory, the man who seeks only the glory of man, is satisfied with tinsel instead of pure gold.

Do not imagine that because we are far away from the kingdom and glory of God, that it is not worth consideration. His glory is visible everywhere. In the rising sun; the flowers and plants; the winds and the rain; in the smallest animal, and particularly in man.

It can be cultivated, and imitated by using the intellect. The more a man learns the nearer he gets to the glory of God, and the better he will be prepared to finally reach it.

All men are moved and have their being in pursuance to a law of God who created all things for His own glory. You are intended to share in that glory, it is your heritage as a man.

212

Do Not Violate the Laws of Nature

To violate any law is reprehensible, and in most cases is punishable.

A man steals, and he is put in jail as a punishment for not letting another man’s property alone. It is his and you have no right to it, wherefore you are punished.

But when you violate a law of nature, you are inflicting an injury upon yourself such as no wise man will do.

All men were created for a special purpose, and every man who has reached the age of reason knows what that purpose is. It is a law of that man’s nature which he must obey or take the consequences.

It is a law established by God, the Creator, and can not be violated with the same impunity as the laws of man.

For instance: The legislature enacts a law forbidding you to steal. You steal, nevertheless, and you are punished as has been said, being sent to prison. But if you violate a law of God—or a law of nature, which is the same thing, you do not see any prison in sight and you imagine you are going to get off free from punishment. But wait a moment.

A man commits suicide or does other flagrant acts upon himself.

The suicide commits a murder, but if he murdered another he might have an opportunity to repent—to make his peace with God. But by putting an end to himself he cuts off his chance of repentance and appears before his Creator with the blood stains indelibly fixed upon his hands. He is a marked Cain, and he fixes his own punishment to begin immediately.

Any flagrant violation of the laws of nature are an insult to the majesty of the Creator who made all things perfect, and fixes sure punishment upon him who defaces His handiwork.

213

The Devil’s Work in the Home, in Society, in Business, in Politics, and in Every Walk of Life

THE THIEF

Misrepresentation, Lying, Stealing—Reputation Gone—The Soul Destroyed.

THE MURDERER

Temptation, Drunkenness, Murder—The Trial in Court, the Sentence of the Prisoner, a Life Term in the Penitentiary, or WORSE. After that ETERNAL DARKNESS.

THE SUICIDE

Dissipation, Gambling, Speculation With Other People’s Money—ALL IS LOST. Suicide.

THE PUBLIC PLUNDERER

Intimidation, Bulldozing, Brute Force, Vote Stealing, Ballot Box Stuffing, Bribery, Malfeasance in Office, Embezzlement of Public Funds—Impeachment, Political Death, Moral Debauchery, Disgrace—RUIN.

THE DESTROYER OF HOMES

Intemperance, Ignorance, Deception, Betrayal, Seduction, Adultery, Abortion, Race Suicide, Desertion, Divorce—DEATH.

214

DUNBAR HIGH SCHOOL, WASHINGTON, D. C. One of the finest school buildings for colored people. Recently erected at a cost of more than $500,000. The school is modernly equipped, has 50 teachers and nearly 800 students.

215