Fundamentals of Prosperity | Page 8

the human soul, to develop this
wonderful machine which each one of us has between his ears. Only as
this is developed can we solve our other problems. When we give as
much thought to the solution of the human problem as we give to the
solution of the steam problem or the electrical problem, we will have
no labour problem. We have gone daffy over things like steam,
electricity, water-power, buildings, railroads and ships, and we have
forgotten the human soul upon which all of these things depend and
from which all of these things originate.

VI

STUDY THE HUMAN SOUL
The first step is to give more thought and attention to people, to
establish more points of contact. Let us do humanly, individually, man
to man, what we are trying to do in a great big way.
I was visiting the home of a famous manufacturer recently and he took
me out to his farm. He showed me his cattle. Above the head of each
heifer and each cow was the pedigree. The most careful record was
kept of every animal. He had a blue-print in his library at home of
every one of those animals. Yet when we began later to talk about the
labour problem in his own plant and I asked him how many of his
people he knew personally, he told me,--I quote his words:
"Why, they are all alike to me, Mr. Babson. I don't know one from the
other."
Later in the evening--it was during the Christmas vacation--a young
fellow drove up to the house in a fancy automobile, came in and asked
for this manufacturer's only daughter in order to take her to a party. I
didn't like the looks of the fellow very well. After they had gone out, I
said to the father:
"Who is that chap?"
The father replied: "I don't know; some friend of Mary's."
The father had every one of his cows blue-printed, but he didn't know
the name of the man who came to get his daughter and who didn't
deliver her until two o'clock the next morning! That man was
neglecting the human soul, both in his factory and in his home.
* * * * *
I repeat that we have gone crazy over structures above ground. We are
absolutely forgetting the greatest of our resources,--the great spiritual
resource, upon which everything depends. How shall we develop these
resources?

Certainly we are not developing this great spiritual resource in the
public schools. The educational system was originally founded by the
Church to train the children in the fundamentals of righteousness.
Gradually, but constantly, we have drifted away from this goal and
to-day the purpose for which our schools were started has been almost
entirely lost. In some states it is now a criminal offence for a school
superintendent to ask a prospective school teacher what she believes or
whether she has any religion whatever! Under these conditions, is it
surprising that the spiritual resources of our children are lying dormant?
Much of the prosperity of this nation is due to the family prayers which
were once daily held in the homes of our fathers. To a very large extent
this custom has gone by. Whatever the arguments pro and con may be,
the fact nevertheless remains that such family prayers nurtured and
developed these spiritual resources to which the prosperity of the nation
is due. The custom of family prayers should be revived along with
many other good New England customs which some modern radicals
may ridicule, but to which they owe all that they possess.
The masses to-day are getting their real education from the daily
newspapers. Many of these newspapers have much good material, but
the great effort of the daily press is not to make producers, but rather to
make consumers. The policy of the daily press is not to get people to
serve, but rather to get them to buy. Not only is the larger portion of the
newspapers given up to advertising, but most of this advertising is of
non-essentials, if not of luxuries. With this advertising constantly
before the people of the country, it is but natural that the material things
should seem of greatest importance. To remedy this situation is a great
problem to-day facing the Christian business men of this country. What
shall we do about it?
The first step is to give more thought and attention to people, and to
establish more points of contact. Let us do humanly, individually, man
to man, what we are trying to do in a great big way. Another method to
develop this human resource is to give people responsibility. Moreover,
we must do so if the nation is to be truly prosperous.

VII
BOOST THE OTHER FELLOW
Just as