Bevieic of Reviews. 113/13. 7///:; DIGNITY OF BUSINESS. 



79 



process must set in in the business com- 

 munity itself, and it is obvious that 

 when business comes to be regarded as 

 an illustrious career, drawing its recruits 

 from every class of the community, the 

 whole commercial prosperity of the 

 country must benefit. I am convinced 

 that adoption of the true idea of the 

 dignity of business with its unlimited 

 possibilities, based not on keen internal 

 competition, but rather on efforts to gain 

 the markets of the world, should show 

 to those who now shudder at the idea 

 of trade that in business there is the 

 greatest opportunity possible to play a 

 part in maintaining the Empire. Busi- 

 ness must not be regarded as the last 

 resort. 



The class which believes that they are 

 born to lead must lead in the vital 

 affairs of the nation or else relinquish 

 their claim to leadership — and who can 

 deny that business is a vital affair? It 

 must not be taken that I advocate that 

 everyone leaving the university or public 

 school should go into business. There 

 must be soldiers and sailors, there must 

 be clerg_\- and barristers, and bankers 

 and civil servants. 1 admit that the 

 more enlightened have ceased to attack 

 business as a career, but those who still 

 do so and ]X»int out the drawbacks of 

 undue competition and the lack of 

 gentlemanly feelings in business rela- 

 tions would do well to realise that the 

 blame lies with themselves rather than 

 with the business community ; they, 

 being more highly gifted, have deliber- 

 ately abstained from using their endow- 

 ments to raise the level of business deal- 

 in>gs to a refined and moral height 

 approaching their ideal. The business 

 community, on the other hand, will pro- 

 babl\- urg'e with a certain amount of 

 truth that recruits from those classes 

 who have not hitherto applied them- 

 selves to business will be of small value. 

 This, of course, is true only so long as 

 these regard business as a distasteful 

 occupation, and in offering themselves 

 as recruits do so with an air of exag- 

 gerated sacrifice. 



ACTIVE BRAINS NEEDED. 

 Business is business, and those who 

 wish for an opening must have sonic- 



thing to offer to make themselves worth 

 while. As a rule, the men who succeed 

 in entering the business world are those 

 who offer their services as an advantage 

 to the business man, while those who 

 fail are seeking employment on the 

 ground of advantage to themselves. 

 With training in the home, in the school, 

 and in the college, these difftculties will 

 disappear, but, as is natural, gradually. 

 Meanwhile the business community 

 needs fresh blood and active brains. 



It is necessary, therefore, that steps 

 should be taken to bring into organised 

 touch the two worlds — the university 

 and business. At present there is a lack 

 of contact and a lack of appreciation 

 either of needs or desires, while the hap- 

 hazard application from university stu- 

 dent to business man is only too apt to 

 result in nothing. As for the business 

 community seeking recruits from the 

 university, this practically does not take 

 place to-day. Experiments have been 

 made, but principalU' amongst the 

 waifs and strays from universities and 

 public schools who are almost unem- 

 ployable, excei:)t in the polite diversion 

 of private secretaryships. Such as come 

 from that class have drifted into com- 

 mercial careers late in life without 

 enthusiasm and with a perfecth' honest 

 but mistaken dislike for a business 

 career, which is fatal to success. 



AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 



What is needed is some common 

 meeting-ground which will co-ordinate 

 the desires of the rising generation and 

 the needs of the business community. 

 This should take the form of a central 

 bureau under the direction of an ad- 

 visory committee, formed of business 

 men and educational authorities, who 

 would gradually work out by practice 

 an ideal method of securing the best 

 embryo ability in our great scholastic 

 institutions, and enabling the various 

 branches of the business community to 

 use this new and available material to 

 the best advantage. From amongst the 

 business men on the advisory committee 

 there would he several ready week bv 

 week to interview applicants for busi- 

 ness openings, to advise them and to 

 hell) them. The needs of employers and 



