--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Babson, Roger W. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 26 number: 11 published: 1923-09 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Roger W. Babson, "The Essentials of Prosperity", *Improvement Era* 26, no. 11 (September 1923): 1019–1022.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera26011unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera26011unse start_page: 1019 end_page: 1022 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1923-09) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera26011unse publication_year: 1923 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1923, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # The Essentials of Prosperity The Essentials of Prosperity1 What They Are And Whence They Come By Roger W . Babson, President Babsoii Statistical Organization VII Boost the Other Fellow Just as our property is safe only as the other fellow's property is safe, just as our daughter is safe only as the other fellow's daughter is safe, so it also is true that in order to develop the human soul in other men, we have to give those men something. My little girl has a black cat; about once in four months this cat has kittens. Opposite our place is a man who has an Airedale dog. When that dog comes across the street and that cat has no kittens, the cat immediately "beats it" as fast as she can, with the dog after her. But when that dog comes across the street and that cat has the responsibility of some kittens, she immediately turns on the dog and the dog "beats it" with the cat after him. It is the same dog, the same cat, and the same back- yard; but in one instance the cat has no responsibilities and in the other case she has. Responsibilities develop faith, vision, courage, initiative, and other things that make the world go round. Just as our property is safe, only as the other fellow'3 property is safe; just as our daughter is safe; only as the other fellow's daughter is safe; so is it also true that, in order to develop the human soul in other men we have to give those men something. We must give them a chance. We must give them opportunity. We must give them a boost. All of us are simply storage batteries. We get out of life what we put into life. We care for others, not in accordance with what they do for us, but rather in accordance with what we have done for themj. I am quite often asked about investments. Well, there are times, about once in three or four years — during panics, when every one is scared to death — that I invest in stocks. There are other times when I advise the purchase of bonds. The fact is, however, that I have not made my money investing either in stocks or bonds. What money I have made has come from in- vesting in boys and girls, young men and young women. There is a common belief current to-day that only people *Copyright by Fleming H. Revell Company, New York. Reprinted by permission from Fundamentals of Prosperity, by Roger W;. Babson. 1020 IMPROVEMENT ERA with experience are worth while. But I say: Quit looking for the experienced salesman and trying to make a man out of him ; get a man*, and then make a salesman of him. I have a young man in my business who was delivering trunks for an express company twelve years ago. To-day he is my sales manager and has built our gross from $100,000 to $1,000,000. One of my best experts, a man who is sought for by the leading Chambers of Commerce all over the land, was a carpenter on my garage nine years ago. Another one of my experts, a man the demand for whose services I cannot supply, never acquired recognition until he was over forty-five years of age. I found him keeping hens at Wellesley Farms ! A young lady in my office to whom I pay $200 a week and who is worth, to me, $1,000 a week, I picked up at $4 a week twelve years ago. Such cases exist everywhere. You men yourselves know them. You look over your own organizations. Who are the men who are really doing things? Are they the men acquired ready-made from other concerns? No! They are the men that have been taken up and developed. These are the men that have made money for you and have created the business enter- prise of which you are the head. Yet when we have reached a point of prestige, and have a big business, we are tempted to say: "I haven't time to develop any more people, I have got to get them already made." This is a big mistake. * * * I beg my readers — those who have them — to get your fore- men together. Say to the partners or the officials of your con- cern: "Haven't we given too much thought to developing the structure? Aren't we piling too many stories one upon another with too little thought to the foundation?" Then go out and look over your plant and select a few people in each department to whom you will give a real opportunity. Start in to develop them and thereby strengthen the foundation of the business and the prosperity of the nation. VIII What Truly Counts The greatest resources in the world today are human resources, not re- sources of iron, copper and lumber. The great need of the hour is to strengthen this human foundation and you business men are the one group that can do it. When it comes to the sale of goods, the same principle applies. Eighty per cent, of our sales organizations are devoted to selling to ten per cent, of the population. We have for- gotten to consider whether or not goods are needed. We only cc-nsider whether or not they are being bought. We are for- THE ESSENTIALS OF PROSPERITY 1021 getting to establish new markets, but rather are scrambling over the markets already secured. Tremendous opportunities exist in developing new industries, in creating new communities, in relocating the center of production from one community to another community, to match up with the center of consump- tion. We have forgotten the latent power in the human soul, in the individual, in the community, in the different parts of the country. We have forgotten those human possibilities upon which all prosperity ultimately depends. I cannot perhaps emphasize this any more than by saying that the foundation of progress is spiritual, not material. The greatest resources of the world to-day are human resour- ces,— not resources of iron, copper and lumber. The great need of the hour is to strengthen this human foundation and revive in man a desire to produce and a joy in service. Business men ere the one group that can do it. They understand the emotions, understand the importance of the intangible things. They under- stand how to awaken in people new motives. So my appeal is not to wait too long to revive man and awaken the soul which is slumbering to-day. The nation is only a mass of individuals. The true pros- perity of a country depends upon the same qualities as the true prosperity of its people. As religion is necessary for the man, it is also necessary for the nation. As the soul of man needs to be developed, so also does the soul of the nation. * • * Let me tell one more personal incident. Not long ago I was at my Washington office spending the week. While there a little Western Union messenger girl came in to apply for a position. It was in the afternoon — about half-past five. I was struck with the intelligence of the girl's face and asked her two or three questions. She was tired. I asked her to sit down. I was astonished to hear her story. She had been born and brought up in the mountains of West Virginia, — many miles from civilization. Her father and mother died when she was four years old. She had been living with an old grandfather and brother. When I began to talk with her I found her to have a most remarkable acquaintance with Emerson, with Thoreau, with Bernard Shaw and with old East- ern writers. I said to her: "How is it that you are delivering telegrams in a khaki suit and a soldier cap?" She replied: "Because I could get nothing else to do. I lived down there in the mountains just as long as I could. I had to get to the city where I could express myself and develop 1022 IMPROVEMENT ERA my finer qualities. When I got to Washington there was nothing that I could do. They asked me if I could typewrite, but I had never seen a typewriter. Finally, after walking the streets for a while, I got a job as a Western Union messenger." I wrote Mrs. Babson and made arrangements to have the girl come to Wellesley and work for a few months with the Babson Organization. I saw in her certain qualities which if developed, should make her very useful to someone somewhere. She came to Wellesley. About a month after her arrival I was obliged to leave on a two months' trip and Mrs. Babson in- vited her up to dine the night before I left. I told her that T was going to speak while away on "America's Undeveloped Resources." After dinner she went to my desk and took her pen and scribbled these lines and said: "Perhaps during your talk on America's Greatest Un- developed Resources you will give those men a message from a Western Union girl." These are the lines she wrote. They are by Ella Wheeler Wilcox. I gave a beggar from my little store of wealth some gold : He spent the shining ore, and came again and yet again, Still cold and hungry, as before. I gave a thought — and through that thought of mine, He found himself, the man supreme, divine, Fed, clothed and crowned with blessing manifold; And now he begs no more. The mind of man is a wonderful thing, but unless the soul of man is awakened he must lack faith, power, originality, ambi- tion,— those vital elements which make a man a real producer. I do not say that you can awaken this force in every soul. If you are an employer, perhaps only a few of all your employees can be made to understand. But this much is certain,— in every man or woman in whom you can loose the power of this in- visible something, you will mobilize a force, not only for his or her good, but for the good and perhaps the very salvation of your own business. (To be continued) A Voice Said to Me Arise, for the days are passing, And you lie dreaming on, And others have buckled their armor, And forth to the fight have gone; A place in the ranks await you; Each one has some part to play; The past and the future are nothing The time for stern act is today. Murray, Utah. John T. Barrett.