It's the Mode and the Manner That Counts

BY JACK DIONNE

Thirty dcrys cgo in this depcrtment I wrote on the subiecl oI "Men With Long Memories" And one oI my lrlends grcrsped the thought frour recrding thct editoricl that I wcs wcming men who crllow the present drcrstic lumber situqtion to mcrke them whcrt we ccll "uppity" crgcrinst possible repriscls in the dcrys to come.

Which in retrlity wcs c thought loreigm to my mentcrl crttitude in typing thct piece. As cr urctter of fttct whcrt I hcd right in the lront of my rrind wcrs the text I took iust cr lew dcrys cgo in mcking c business tcrlk, which text wcs: "Il you see cr lriend slipping cwcy lrom you, drop everything you cre doing crnd run crnd bring him bcclc becquse c lriend is one of the lew things in this world thcrt nobody ccn crfford to lose."

It hcs clwcrys been the purpoEe cnd prcrctice oI this iourncl to try cnd encourcge, cement, ctnd foster the lriendlieEt oI relctions between crll depcrrtmentg crnd brcnches oI the Iumber industry, leeling thct lumber hcs clwcrys hcrd enough troubles from without, crnd ccn ill qfford intemcl strile. To mqke ihe lumber lrcternity one big happy lcmily hcs been clwcys our editoricl policy.

And in these tirnes thct "try men's souls," it is doubly inportcrnt thcrt the wise men ol the industry strive lor beiter understanding cnd more tolercrnce cnd helpfulness within the industry itseU. For you knowIt isn't so much whcrt you do or scrl', As the WAY in which you do or scy it' For whai would the egg curount to, prcy, II the hen got up on the roost to lcry it.

I lrrow the problems oI the lumber mcnufccturer todcry; problems such cs he not only never encountered before, but never even &ecrmed of before. Likewise the dealer, qnd the wholesaler. All of them crre fcrirly overwhelrned with the enormity oI the things the wqr hcrs creqted with regcrd to this industry To ccll these trying times is cr mcrsterpiece oI understatement. But the difficulties thcrt surround us, mcke it qll the more vitcrl thct eqch lumbermcn strive with cll of the best that is in him to understcnd the situation" to cpprecicte thi fix the other lellow is in" cmd to meet thcrt other fellow in lriendly cnd understcrnding lcshion crs the swilt currenls sweep cround us.

Ncrturcrlly cnrd undoubtedly it is the duty oI the manulqcturers of lumber to deliver to the Governrnent every loot ol their product the Government wcrnts, and that without regcrd to the needs ol crnyone else. Nothing else counts but the Govemment needs in the winning oI this wqr. And I think every squcre shooting decrler leels the scme urcy cbout it. I hcve never heard c whisper otherwise.

But there is a wise w<ry crnd crn unwise wcy to do everything. I hcrve crlwcys lound thct when right-thinldng rnen meet it is seldom difficult to crrive ct cr proper understcnding. We ccn hccrdle the problems oI these times without memories thct rankle or accrrs thct throb, iI we all go ct it right. The millmcrn" lhe decrler, the wholescler-eqch hcs his serious problems. Yet I believe thcrt the present grect difficulties can in the mqin be surmounted without the loss ol lriendly leeling, if cll sides put their ccrds fcrirly on the tcble, look the other lellows squcrely in the eye, crnd seelc to replcrce c spirit of criticism with one oI helplulness.

The cvercrge lumbermqn who has been hecrd to "gripe" cbout business recently, is not necrrly so cnnoyed cbout WHAT the other lellow did or did not do qs he wcrs.crbout the WAY in which it was done. "Alwcys lecve them lcughing when you scy goodbye," wrote George M. Cohcn. Thct's cr mighty good piece oI crdvice to lumbermen right now. Let every mcn seek to so act that "Men With Long Memories" will hcrve memories kindly, as well cs long.