Analyzing Character by Arthur Newcomb (best ereader for epub .txt) 📕

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WHY HE FAILED

It took only a few hours' investigation of the books to convince the capitalist that his mail-order business was hopelessly insolvent. It took expert accountants to find out why it was insolvent. The trouble was that the young manager had proceeded with only the vaguest and roughest kind of an estimate of cost, based, not upon facts, but mostly upon his own superb guesswork. New business had been brought in by reducing prices. "Low prices" had been one of the slogans of the young man's campaign, and he had cut under all of his competitors. On the other hand, there had been the slackest kind of management inside. Overhead expenses had mounted and mounted. The young man had been altogether too easy and generous in fixing salaries, granting promotions and increases, and in giving positions to those who applied. He was really a splendid young fellow, with a sympathetic heart and a generous hand, and it was very difficult for him to turn away anyone who could tell an artistic hard-luck story. Expensive equipment had been purchased which had far greater capacity than the needs of the business required; therefore, many machines and other fixtures had stood idle seventy-five per cent of the time, eating up money in interest charges, depreciation, space, light, heat, and other expenses. In addition to these out-and-out expenditures, there were dozens of little leaks in all the departments of the business, all busily draining away not only possible profits, but the working capital, and, finally, the limit of the concern's credit.

As a result of this kind of management, the final accounting showed the liabilities of the concern to be in the neighborhood of four hundred thousand dollars and its assets only about forty-five thousand. No one could be found to take the business, even as a gift, and assume its obligations. The owner himself had his capital so tightly involved in other ventures that he was unable to save this concern, and it was therefore sold under the hammer. The creditors received their little eleven cents on the dollar. The owner's capital investment was, of course, a total and complete loss.

This man made his mistake in placing a business in which there is a multitude of detail and a necessity for the closest possible scrutiny of every cent of expenditure—a business which must be done upon the smallest possible margin in order to be successful—in the hands of a man who could look only outward and forward and upward. The young man was, indeed, a splendid business getter. He was a natural-born advertiser, salesman, and promoter. His personality was forceful, pleasing, and magnetic. In his intentions and principles he was honest and highly honorable. He was keen, positive, quick in thought, quick in action, progressive, eager, buoyant; he had a splendid grasp of large affairs, principles, and generalities. But he had no mind for details; he rather scorned them. He was perfectly willing to leave the details to someone else, and even then did not care to hear any more about them himself. He never ought to have been placed in charge of a business involving such minute carefulness as the mail-order business. He was dangerous in any position of responsibility without a partner or an auditor and treasurer competent to look after the finances and all of the details of the accounting and administration. This young man's function was getting in the business, but he was not equipped by nature or by training to take care of the business after it came into the house or to administer the funds which came in with it. The capitalist would have known, if he had exercised one-half the care in choosing a general manager that he did in selecting a driving horse, that the young man was unfitted for the work he was expected to do.

A COMMON TYPE

He would have known that anyone as blonde in coloring and as round-headed as this young man was unfit for a position which required the minutest and most careful scrutiny of every detail of administration. He would also have noticed his wide-open, credulous, and generous eye; the narrowness of his head just behind the ears, indicating his inclination to side-step anything in the nature of a disagreeable contest or combat. The high dome of his head just above the temple and the turned up tip of his nose, both indicating extreme optimism; his very short fingers, indicating dislike of detail and the inability to handle it; his rather soft-elastic consistency of hand, showing inability to bear down hard and firm in cutting expenses and holding down salaries.

This young man's type is very common. We meet it constantly in business, and wherever we have met it, we have always found that, unless it was associated with a man of dark complexion, hard consistency, keen, shrewd eyes, the ability to fight and to stick, a sort of bull-dog tenacity, it simply ran away in over-optimistic ventures, dissipated its earnings, and ended in dismal failure.

Conical hands Fig. 57. Conical hands, with conical finger tips. Indicate refinement, responsiveness, sentiment, love of beauty in music and art, and an emotional nature. This hand, however, is not very practical, and is not the typical hand of the musical performer or creative artist. May be the hand of an actor or singer. Hands of Mrs. Flora E. Durand Fig. 58. Back and front view of hand of Mrs. Flora E. Durand, of Libertyville, Illinois, Pianiste and Pipe Organist. Mrs. Durand is a performer of unusual skill and artistic feeling. Note squareness of entire hand and of finger tips. Hands of financier and administrator Fig. 59. Back and front view of hands of financier and administrator. Very practical, matter-of-fact, and sensible; not particularly fond of detail, but can compel himself to do it. Note square hands and finger tips and moderately short fingers. Hands of mechanic and electrical engineer Fig. 60. Front and back view of hands of a mechanical and electrical engineer of some prominence. He is not only highly qualified, intellectually, for engineering work, but is a mechanic of great expertness and skill. All his work is beautifully finished and marvellously accurate. Note long, square hands and fingers. Long fingers Fig. 61. Long fingers, indicating a tendency to capacity for details. Narrow Head Fig. 62. An example of narrow head, indicating mildness of disposition—an inclination to win way and secure ends by intellect, tact, and diplomacy, rather than by direct conflict. Sir Henry Fowler Copyright Ernest H. Mills. Fig. 63. Sir Henry Fowler. A splendid example of fine, enduring physical balance with excellent intellectual equipment. Note large, long nose, ears, and chin; long, straight upper lip; long, rather lean lines of cheeks and face in general, flat-topped head; prominent brows, and square jaw, These are all typical indications of calmness, practical judgment, prudence, shrewdness, moderation, and, as a result, longevity. Reginald D. Barry Fig. 64. Reginald D. Barry, Engineer and Scientific Experimenter. Interested in mechanics and engineering in an almost purely intellectual manner. Ambitious, determined, optimistic. Note especially height and width of upper part of cranium, with slender lower face; also rounded dome above temples, and width and fulness back of upper corners of forehead. Colbert E. Lyon Fig. 65. Colbert E. Lyon. Note especially high dome of head above temples, indicating optimism, faith, hope, sympathy, generosity and humanitarian leanings. Note also fine texture, indicating love of beauty, refinement, and responsiveness. Practical judgment, energy and determination are shown by prominent brows; large, high nose; and strong chin; fine powers of expression by prominent eyes. Dr. V. Stefansson Fig. 66. Dr. V. Stefansson, Explorer. Of the active, restless, eager, pioneering type, capable of enduring hardship. Note square jaw, large nose, convex profile, blond color, high, wide cheekbones, strong chin, and coarse texture. High, Square head Fig. 67. High, square head, indicating conscientiousness, prudence, carefulness, dependability, and constancy. High, Round head Fig. 68. High, round head, indicating ambition, love of adventure, and a certain degree of recklessness, carelessness, and irresponsibility.

ROOSEVELT AND TAFT CONTRASTED

When Mr. Roosevelt was about to end his term as President of the United States in 1907, he and his more prudent advisors did not consider it good political judgment for him to seek at that time nomination for what would have been, in effect, a third term. He therefore began to cast about to find a successor who would carry out his policies. As President, he had inaugurated certain policies of administration which he regarded as being of the highest possible importance to the country, and to the world at large. We are not here discussing the common sense, wisdom, and statesmanship of those policies. The fact to which we are calling attention is that Mr. Roosevelt wished to use his influence as President and as the leader of his party to have placed in nomination, as his successor, a man upon whom he could rely to continue to administer the office of President according to the policies he himself had inaugurated.

Mr. Taft had long been a member of Mr. Roosevelt's cabinet and had also been a very close personal friend. As Governor of the Philippines, and as Secretary of War, he had made a splendid record and was considered to be one of the most loyal and able of the President's official family. Accordingly, he was selected by Mr. Roosevelt as his successor. In his campaign for election, and in his inaugural address, Mr. Taft repeatedly gave assurance to the voters that it was his intention to carry out the Roosevelt policies. There is practically no one, even those who disapprove most heartily of Mr. Taft's record in the Presidency, who thinks that he was anything but sincere and honest in making these promises to the voters.

HOW IT WORKED OUT

Now, without discussing for a moment Mr. Taft's administration as President from the standpoint of its true value to the country, or the actual quality of his statesmanship, there is no question in the mind of anyone that he signally failed to carry out the Roosevelt policies. In fact, he became the titular leader of that faction of the Republican party, before the end of his administration, most violently opposed to the Roosevelt policies. He has subscribed to and preached a totally different political doctrine from that of his former friend and chief ever since. This course of action may have been right; it may have been wrong; it may have been wise, or it may have been unwise. It may have been fully justified, or it may not have been justified. These are not questions which interest us here.

The point is that Mr. Roosevelt, in all good faith, and believing in the wisdom of his choice, selected Mr. Taft to carry out his policies in the government, and that Mr. Taft, no doubt with the best of intentions, failed to carry out those policies. The result was a split in the Republican party, the election of a Democratic President and Congress, and other far-reaching consequences, the full meaning of which we have not yet begun to see. They may be good; they may be unfortunate. That is not the question at issue. The question is, could Mr. Roosevelt, if he had had a scientific understanding of human nature, have foretold Mr. Taft's course of action?

INDICATIONS OF DIFFERENCES IN CHARACTER, IDEAS, IDEALS, AND ACTIONS

The Roosevelt policies were aggressive and bold, cutting across traditions, flinging down the gauntlet, and throwing defiance into the faces of powerful political and business interests. They assumed for the executive office at least all of the powers which, according to the Constitution, belong to it, working in harmony with a group of men who had interested themselves in