268 SELLINGLUMBER 



straightened out by means of the Association? That the Associa- 

 tion will answer any sensible and reasonable question about yellow 

 pine? If they do not know these things, tell them, and keep on 

 telling them ; and if you have a friend who knows them all, then 

 you had better sit at his feet and learn, for he is indeed an up-to- 

 date buyer, and a well informed man, and you should remember that 

 old Eastern adage, transposed to fit modern conditions, 



"He who knows, and knows that he knows, is wise! Follow 

 him." 



The quid pro quo governs all the relations of commercial life, 

 and if you do all these things and give the necessary extra time to 

 equip yourselves to handle these matters intelligently and well, you 

 must naturally know where you will come in. The more knowl- 

 edge you have about the commodity you have to sell, the better 

 equipped you are to sell it, and consequently you can increase your 

 . sales both as to quantity and quality. There is not a man sitting 



Knowledge before me here today who could not materially increase his indi- 



Mea ^ pe F." vidual compensation, if he were able to show an increase of 25 per 

 sonal Profit ... ,J r 



cent in his sales. Many of you aspire to better positions than you 



now hold. The man who gets the better position is the one who 

 fits himself for it before the job is ready. Most general sales 

 agents have graduated from the ranks of travelers. Many general 

 managers have evoluted from general sales agents, and quite a 

 number of presidents and owners have come from the rank and 

 file. 



But even if no material compensation came to you immediately, 

 there would be that inner feeling of self-satisfaction which comes 

 to a man when he enters into the ring of competition, and knows 

 that whatever angle the fight may take he is competent to hold his 

 own. He has achieved a dignified position among his fellowmen, 

 and can lie down at night with consciousness of duty well per- 

 formed. 



And lastly, if you buckle down to this work, and are able to 

 hold up your end of it, skillfully, untiringly and pleasantly, under 

 stress of all kinds, I can truly say to you, gentlemen, that you will 

 be worthy of that epitaph which some people claim Bret Harte wrote 

 on a friend of his: ^ 



"He did his damndest. Angels could do no more/' 



