The Psychology of the Business Man 285 



flight abroad are largely on the sheep-psychology principle of 

 "follow the leader." 



Some amusing examples of the conservatism of imitation, 

 — for the one is largely founded on the other, — occurred to me 

 with foreign tradesmen. Having evolved a pattern for a four- 

 in-hand tie which was of certain unusual aesthetic proportions 

 (for I was engaged, among other psychological experiments, in 

 some on the mean-proportional relation in aesthetics) and was 

 to be made so that, both ends and both sides could be used, I 

 took this pattern and description to the best furnishing firm in 

 Leipzig to get a dozen ties made up. After much considera- 

 tion and perplexity the proprietor confessed that this was too 

 new for his shop and that he would have to send the pattern 

 over to England, fi-om whence the ties finally came. Similarly 

 at the shirt makers my plan for a small bosom shirt, that 

 would be more comfortable and serviceable than a full sized 

 bosom-board the whole length under one's vest, was met with 

 the reply — "We never make them so." On my finally coaxing 

 them to try and ofifering to pay extra for their trouble, the 

 shirts were produced ; but to my sample had been added a tri- 

 angular piece over the opening between the shoulders. When 

 I objected that I saw^ no utility in this addition to my design 

 they only said — "We always make them so," and they could 

 not think of removing the appendage until I insisted that I. 

 could remove it in a moment with their scissors. Likewise m}' 

 English tailor insisted, tho to his loss and against my sug- 

 gestion, in sewing by hand, as was his custom, rather than by 

 machine the many yards of periphery around my long ulster 

 and cape overcoat. Tho our American business men are by no 

 means such blind followers of imitation, and tho there prob- 

 ably remains a relatively small circle of possible improvement*, 

 in business methods as comparejd with the wonderful progress 

 already made, yet imitation seems to be the overwhelming act- 

 ing principle in each man's own business, just as it is the aU 

 moi^t exclusive principle of his personal conduct. 



The minority method of getting new ideas to put into 

 practice is by reasoning. This is of course not always easy or 

 sure to separate from imitation and there is probably a min- 

 gled zone of their mutual action between each's preponderat- 

 ing or exclusive field. F5ut when a rental agent, e. g., who 

 takes charge of an old house which has long sought in vain a 



