Sympathy and Justice

(This delightful bit of business philosophy is heartity recornmencled for a careful reading to every reader of this journal. It was written by Mr. B. J. Williams, of San Franci:co, Director of Sales of The Paraffine Companies. It speaks in delightful terms a sentiment that all right thinking men will acquiesce in, and it suggrsts to tlre business world its greatest fundamental need. Nothirrg new is offered, simply a brave ruggestion from a business man of the need of that spirit that was in the Man of Galilee, in the business world today. A direct, unaffected, kindly, generous inter€st in his fellow man IS what the average business man most needs today. We are delighted to print this article.-The Publisher.)

This is the age of iron and steel, of invention and machinery. Our captains of industry have organized and launched indu.;trial enterprises of such magnitude as to almost stagger the comprehension. Our engineers have harnessed the forces of nature and have developed wonders of construction before lvhich man stands in arve. Our scientists have clelved in their laboratories and have, in a sense, laid bare the secrets of the Omnipotent. Our public school system. supplemented by our colleges and universities, have placed knowledge and education within reach of the humblest of our people. Our system of banking and credits enable us to transact business with the remotest parts of the earth. We have builded railroads across the continents. Our ships sail every sea and carry our products to all mankind. We traverse the length of our domain, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, between the rising and setting of the sun. We fill the air with voices and throw our messages across the illimitable spaces of the universe, reaching alike the homes of the lowly and the

Honest, sincere and extended efforts have been made to solve the problem of human relations. \Are have run the lamut of standarclization, efficiency, profit sharing, bo'nus systems, democratic control, Personnel Departments and what not, but our difficulties continne; owner and employee are at variance, manager and workman are antagonistic. What is the trouble and what is the remedy ?

In view of what has been attempted and what has been done, it would be the height of presumption for any individual to ofier a panacea, but it does seem to me that in rnost of our efforts we have lost sight of the commonest and most elemental facts of human nature, viz., its Humanness and this humanness of human nature is not confined to any class or groups of country. -It is a universal fact of life.

This human phase or feature of man's nature must be taken into account, and this applies equally to the men at the top and the men at the bottom-to the President or General Nlanager in relation to his Board of Directors, to Vice Presidents, Sales Managers, Superintendents, etc., in connection with their superiors, and right down the line to the humblest workman and his foremah.

Men need social contacts, they require mental stimulus, they must have syriipathy, and they demand justice, and the organization in industry whose management most nearly meets these universal human needs u'ill rank highest in production, in loyalty and general efficiency.

What is this quality in men that brings out the best in their fellows ? Thruout all the centuries it has existed. Sages and philosophers have dreamed of it, poets have sung of it, prophets have told of it, but no one has beeh able to name it, so that after all the years it remains an intangible, indefinable, but all powerful something without a name. Some call it one thing, some another. There is no common agreement as to 'ivhat it is, but there is unanimous agreement as to what it does. It is a sort of spiritual attunement. It makes men more g'enerous, more kindly, more unselfish, more rvilling to r,vork and servd and suffer if need be for each other. It gives men a clearer vision of opportunity anrl a cluiet, steady, consuming desire to aid his fellowmerr.

I have thought about it for years, have called it first by one name, then by antrther, finally I thought I had it. I called it sympathy and justice. Not sympathy or justice, or either one alone but both together, but alas, as I analyzed the thing itself, I found that the terms were inadequate. It was broader than sympathy and greater than justice. I then asked by friends to name it: One called it heart interest, others in turn, kindness, friendship, understanding, neighborliness, unselfishness, love, and a Brother Mason spoke of it as l\{asonic Light. All knew it but none could name it, for it is more than any of these, indeed, greater than all of them. or terms, to cohvey the idea, and I have chosen "sympathy" and "justice."

My first conscious contact with this nameless thing was on the day of my father's funeral, nearly fifty years ago. After we had laid his body away and had returned to our empty desolate home, boy-like I went out on the streets. I was approached by the bad boy of the village, who in modern parlance would be referred to as "hard-boiled," and without a word he slipped into my hand a large glass marble an inch and a half in diameter, something a boy would treasure highly. Not a word was spoken, but we both understood. I have that marble yet.

Extended observation and long experience have convinced me that these are two of the dominating factors afiecting the relations of men with each other, and mark you, there are two of them. Sympathy alone, be it ever so warm, is not enough, nor will justice itself, be i$ ever so exact, solve the problem. I have knowh men who were sympathy personified-who literally obeyed the Biblical injunction of "weeping with those rvho rvept and rejoicing with those who rejoiced," but lacking in a sense of justice, got nowhere. Again, I have knoln, and so have you, m€n with whom justice \\'as a fetich, who gave to all men their due so far as it was humanly possibie to determine, but it rvas cold and formal and lacked the warm heart throb that draws men to each other.

Now do not misunclerstand me. I am not referring to maudlin sentirnent-sob sister stuff-but to genuine human heart interest in the men associated with us; where, when a mah is ill or discouraged, or has trouble at home, rve let him know we care, and ofier such assistance as may be practicable and advisable.

Under our present industrial system rvhere operations are conducted on so gigantic a scale, it is impossible, of course, for the management to know and be in personal contact with each employee, but it is hot impossible for sympathy and justice to pernteate the entire organization, extending from the General Manager down to the newest

(Continued on Page 16)

Standing on the deck of a ferry boat crossing San Francisco Bay to Oakland a few days after the sinking of the Titanic, a group of men were discussing the events of the day, among them a wealthy man, the General Manager of a large manufacturing corporation. A poorly dressed individual approached the group and handed each of them a card on which was printed something like this-"Remember the Titanic. Prepare to meet thy God." The card was cheap, the composition and speliing were poor. The group shrugged their shoulders and thought "A religious crank." That is, all except the General Manager, lvho read the card carefully, then quietly beckoned the man to him' In the most gentlemanly and unobstrusive manner he pointed out some errors in the composition and spelling, and slipped him a piece of money with which to have a new lot printed.

The two incidents just mentioned will indicate how inadequa.te any of the terms used to describe this something of which we have been speaking. Similar incidents drawn from your own experience will undoubtedly occur to you' Inadequate as they may be, we yet must select some term,

Stock Sash

Hish Gndc lttocL and nLcd can oluf rpccidty.

All doorr rnedc mortbc and tcaoo"

(Continued from Page 15) and humblest workman. But again, mark you, if these qualities are not dominantly characteristic of the man or men at the top, they will not be much in evidence down the line.

If the chief executive shows genuine iirterest in and consideration for his associates r,vith lvhom he comes in contact, not only as to their work and their remunerating, but as to their personal and home interests, this will be reflected in the character and attitude of every man, rvith authority and responsibility in the direction of men.

But this feeling of interest must be genuine, for men are like children in this respect. A simulated interest that is not real will not pass muster, nor rvill an officious attitude be tolerated. It should be remernbered also, that these qualities do not come in packages as merchandise that can be bought and passed around. Thev must radiate from the heart.

I have in mind now trvo men and tr,r,o institutions that well serve as illustrations. One, the General Foreman or Superintendent of a factory employing three hu,ndred men, women, and children. During a dozen years of close as_ sociation rvith this man, I ner-er heard him speak a kind rvord to one of the employees; but always every direction was a command given in a snar,ing voice. Is it any r,von_ der that there rvas constant unrest, with frequent labor troubles at this plant ? Outside the factory this man rvas very decent, a companionable fellovv of tvarm heart and generous disposition, but he labored under the very great delusion, shared by many men in similar positions, that this was not only the best way, but the only way to control labor.

The other was a kindly whole-souled man, the General Manager of his company for trventy-five years, and directly in charge of production. It was his custom to walk through the plant every forenoon. He knerv almost every, man personally, and there were about three hundred of them. He knerv something of each family, its membership, its history, its ambitions, and its troubles. During his entire administration there rvas never a strike or labor trouble in that plant.

Out of my own experience I could cite case after casedozens, if not hundreds of them-showing the value of sympathy and justice and heart interest in dealing with men.

Men miss the mark in management in many cases because they lack this nameless quality, this something that draws men together and makes brothers of them all, and because in the case of the higher-ups they are so engrossed in making a financial success of their enterprises and have not yet learned that men are greater than things, and that there is no way of beating this great fact of life-human nature. The minor executives have all too frequently a wrong conception of their jobs, with sometimes an exaggerated sense of their orvn importance and a wrong notion of how to impress their associates with their authority. tsut this is not their orvn fault. They knorv nothing but the old methods, and the higher-ups have not on tt-re one hand set them a good example. nor on the other,,taken pains to'teaCh them the nerv and better rvay.

9fl) Fife Blds.

San Francisco Phone D.tg. 3415

WHITE PINE

SUGAR PINE

DOUGL.{S FIR

REDWOOD

If every man entrusted rvith the responsibility of management rvill cultivate this nameless something, will develop a closer human touch and a more sympathetic and just attitude torvard the men rvith rvhom he comes in contact, and rvill then pass tl-rese along to his entire organization, there r,vill be a great change in human relations and a revolution irr industry. This rvould necessitate no changes in present plans or methods, such as bonus systems, profit sharing. etc., bttt touched by this human spark every good plan u'ould be made better and a common grotlnd of understanding lvould be found for the solution of our many problems.

The making of money, or the piling up of lvealth should be an incident in business. The main purpose should be that of service in its broadest and best sense and the development of men. The men r,vho are longest remembered and whose memories are most highly reversed are not those rvho rnade the most money, but those whose hearts lvere gentle, rvhose sympathies u'ere broad, and who best served humanity, and the greatest man in our time was tlre immortal Lincoln.

New Planing Mill For Oakland

The Reese-Boorman l\{fg. Co. are constructing a nerv sash and door and p'aning mill plant at Oakland which will be ready for operation about April 1.. B. J. Boorman, president of the lloorman Lumber Company, Oakland, is the president of the new company.

Solving Problem

We sell anything in softwoods that the California dealer desires.

White Pine, Douglas Fir, Redwood, Cedar and Redwood Shingles, Split Redwood Posts, Ties and Stakes.

Out connections are the best, atd ue git)e the best possible seroice.