Upon great impulse one may commit an act foreign to his nature. However, in the long run of life, his deeds are an expression of his character, so closely are they related-"By his deeds ye shall know him." We base our estimate of character upon known performance; we catalogue the individual as good, bad, reliable, unstable, trustworthy, worthless. Thus man is evaluated; his worth to society is assessed. We judge what measure of reliance can be placed in him; how far he may be trusted; wherein lies his weakness, and wherein his greatest strength.

The secret of the remarkable progress of America in the first 100 years of constitutional government lies in the fact that her publicspirited men were striving to put the best into government, not to take the most out of it.

In the very nature of our Government, the responsibility for its social, economic, and political standards rests absolutely upon the character of its individual citizens. There can be no collective morality, integrity, honor, that is not the sum of the principles of the individuals of the community, State, or Nation. If the majority are mercenary, the character of the Nation will be ruthless. If the growing tendency to irreligious thought persists, the Nation will become irresponsible.

Desire is, perhaps, the greatest force in the determination of individual character. It overrules the handicaps of environment, poverty, and physical defects. It asks no favor of race, creed, or color. It has no determinate end. Its power is to ennoble or debase—“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."

The desire of our forefathers for education and religion, intensified with each succeeding generation by the ever-increasing facilities for intellectual development, has fixed the American character upon a high plane of moral worth and honorable attainment.

The desire for education is the moving spirit of present-day development in civilization. In its fulfillment lies the future welfare of all peoples. Nowhere is the desire for education more pronounced than in America. It is manifested in every walk of life, in every field of enterprise. It is the foundation of our prosperity, the Alladin's lamp that opens the door of opportunity to every citizen.

Knowledge is being extended with a rapidity and scope never before known in human history. By the magic of the facilities of modern communication, its voice is carried to the uttermost corners of the earth, challenging the present generation to newer and greater fields of adventure and achievement. The right to education is our heritage, established by our forefathers, guaranteed by the law of the land, enriched by our free institutions.

47817-27- 3

Religion and education are the foundation stones upon which is builded the character of the individual and the Nation. These are the two great energies which, joined with that force we call "will power," give to every individual the means for high attainment.

As you submit yourself to these impelling forces, resourcefulness and unconquerable energy take command. By their power you win self-mastery. The joy of work becomes a reality. Labor is dignified by the pride of accomplishment; obstacles and handicaps are but a challenge to greater effort. The spirit of "What is there in it," gives way to "I can and I will." Discipline becomes self-imposed, for only with discipline of body, mind, and soul can our energies be conserved, strengthened, and put to gainful employment. The new vision of life reveals the worth of simple living-that mind and hands may be better employed.

With all the magic of chemistry and the genius of invention, no way has been found to lengthen time by minute, hour, or day. Time says, "I am greater than you, yet willing to be your servant; use me to your gain or loss, your salvation or destruction." The choice is ever with the individual. The price of success is found in selfdiscipline, will power, sacrifice, and hard work.

Freedom to live as you will, to think as you will, to do as you will, to be what you will-within that freedom is your future.

What is the purpose of life? It is what we make of our daily tasks, our attitude to others, our sense of responsibility, our willingness to give full service, loyal cooperation; our faithfulness to each other, our reverence to God; the example we set to those younger and less favored, the interest taken in public affairs, the duties performed in proportion to the privileges enjoyed. In other words, "character," expressed in terms of unselfish devotion to ideals, embodying the daily performance of every task in the spirit of the Golden Rule.

COMMERCIAL CHARACTER

(1) Physical.-Napoleon asked Talleyrand, "What is America?" To which reply was made, "It is a body without bones." An American adds: "The bones have been developed, and they are bones of steel."

Possessed of a raw continent, millions of square miles in area, composed of boundless prairies, vast forests, mighty rivers, great plains, and rugged mountains, containing fertile soil, rich natural resources in minerals, timber, and water power, the American, lacking tools, supplies, and capital, was forced by the very nature of his task and environment to a life of hard labor, long hours of toil, frugal living, and self-dependence with attending hardships and dangers. Out of these combined conditions was developed a type of hardy pioneer unequaled in the history of mankind.

If, as Talleyrand said, America was in the beginning "A body without bones," they were quickly acquired through the bitterness of her colonial experiences. "Bones of steel" they are, as revealed in the stern discipline, uncompromising rectitude, dogged determination, and exceptional resourcefulness expressive of the American character.

In her commercial life America has stepped boldly forth to the great task set before her. Slowly at first, groping her way along great rivers and through deep forests, she began the work of conquering the wilderness, which won as the fruit of her enterprise, first, the full possession of this great domain, and then, for her 300 years of toil, the greatest treasure house among the nations of the earth.

Gaining strength and wisdom with succeeding years, America has builded achievement upon achievement. No enterprise has been too great for her aggressive spirit. Her dreams and visions have become realities by the force of her will and the magic of her creative ability.

Forced to work by the very necessity of finding the means of existence, accepting danger and hardship, privation and suffering as a part of the task, America gave herself to creating material wealth.

Ever willing to adopt new ideas, to develop and improve, to tear down and rebuild, to scrap the machine of yesterday for the improved equipment of to-day, opportunity was never neglected to find a better way to do a larger business.

Driven first by necessity, the joy of accomplishment became the spur to greater achievements. The way to comfort, to competency, to wealth was open and free to every citizen, limited alone by individual ability, courage, and determination. Out of great opportunity, with freedom to all, there has been bred a race of men and women of sterling character and outstanding independence.

(2) Ethical.-American business is based upon the character of its people. J. Pierpont Morgan used to say he banked more on a man's character than on his money. Character is the basis of confidence. Confidence is the basis of credit. Credit, above any other element, is the source of stability in commercial life. Our building industry, amounting to hundreds of millions annually, is dependent upon borrowed capital from the time of the first drafted plan to completion of each structure. Bonds are sold far in advance of the beginning of building operations, based upon anticipated income when completed. Sold by banks and brokers to a clientele, who in turn make their investment upon confidence in the selling agent.

America is a nation of corporations. Every enterprise of any consequence is incorporated. Founders or owners of a given business

invite employee and public to share the risk and the profit. The workingman as a shareholder is rapidly becoming a capitalist; in number they have increased to several million and their investments are assuming astonishing proportions. By this means, adjustments between capital and labor are becoming easier as differences arise. The employer in recognizing the employee as a fellowman and not as a commodity, opens the door to mutual understanding and square dealing.

As a stockholder, the employee feels the interest and responsibility of a partner. Greater attention is paid to the work, quality is improved, waste eliminated, and profits increased to the mutual advantage of all. The fact that labor is being less exploited and more fairly treated with each succeeding year is not only indicative of economic evolution but also a marked evidence of the high character common to our commercial life. One of the most encouraging signs of continued prosperity in America is the constantly growing tendency toward compromise and cooperation in the affairs of capital and labor, based upon mutual confidence, Such differences as are bound to arise are, as a rule, disposed of to the general good of all.

No class is permitted to dominate in America. Public opinion, which is always representative of public character, will not permit the assumption of power. Whether it be capital, labor, farmer, group, or section, public character in its dominant sense of fair dealing defeats the effort to acquire unfair advantage.

The Old World, looking upon the intense activity of this New World, seeing us ever engrossed in material affairs, with little time. for leisure, even making hard work of our play in our overanxiety to win at any game, whether it be work or play, has scoffed at our lack of art, literature, and culture and called us a nation of dollar chasers.

Our justification for our so-called gross materiality lies in the fact that we were a new nation-new in a wilderness to be conquered; new in a land without homes, towns, or cities, without schools or churches, without transportation or communication. Under these circumstances there was neither occasion nor opportunity to write music, paint pictures, or sculpture in marble. Our music was in the sweet, sonorous song of the mighty forests and the rushing streams; our pictures were painted daily in the mists of the morning and the waving fields of grain. Our monuments and memorials were carved from virgin forests, builded in great cities, in rambling farmhouses set in emerald fields. We were kept too busy providing the necessities of life to find time for the finer accomplishments.

Having worked hard and honestly during the young and developing years of our national life, we are now entering that period when

we have time to enjoy the just fruits of our toil. Whereas in the past we builded purely with a utilitarian point of view, witness the developing beauty of the present era, the threshold of an era of art and culture. Bridges are now builded not alone to provide means to cross a river but as lasting monuments, depicting the strength, the majesty, and the beauty of our truly wonderful country. As in the cases of bridges which span from shore to shore-from the era of materialism to that of art and culture-we also have a great and marked change in other building construction. Note the great monuments to God-the beautiful cathedrals; the extensive and wellkept parks, both local and national, filled with beautiful statues and memorials. Passing from the more material world to that of pure culture, witness the growth of our universities and centers of learning, our music and centers of art, and the great movement of priceless works of art brought to America by such patrons as Morgan, Widener, Huntington, and others. These priceless gems are going into public galleries and museums not for the exclusive pleasure of the wealthy few but for the enjoyment of all who appreciate and desire to share with the donors the pleasure and satisfaction of these masterpieces. These works of art on canvas, in stone, and in bronze are in turn acting as the incentive and stimulus for the development of an art and culture which with succeeding generations promises to become distinctively American.

Political character.-America in her political character is slowly, yet surely, winning the confidence of the nations. We have been generous and magnanimous. Right, not might, has prevailed in our dealings with others. Arbitration, not armament, has been our means of persuasion.

America is always ready to fulfill every obligation where human welfare is concerned. America is content to adjust all international questions within the principles of justice and equity, to engage in equal competition in selling her goods in the markets of the world. Her commercial treaties are written in terms of square dealing. Backed by the guaranty of American character, her obligations and her dollars are eagerly accepted at par wherever they may be offered. In measure of our success the nations of the earth will come to know and adopt for themselves the "blessings of liberty."

We do not need more material development; we need more spiritual development. We do not need more intellectual power; we need more moral power. We do not need more knowledge; we need more character. We do not need more government; we need more culture. We do not need more law; we need more religion. We do not need more of the things that are seen; we need more of the things that are unseen.-Calvin Coolidge.