THE PUBLIC SERVANT 



In our haste to win what we think success, most of us take 

 the direct method and the short road. Putting the matter ex- 

 tremely, it is quicker to steal a fortune than to produce one. 

 It is quicker to get rich by sharp practices and unscrupulous 

 business methods than by friendly practices and honest meth- 

 ods. But we must realize more and more that, in a democracy 

 at any rate, the largest rewards will come to be given more 

 and more — rewards both of fortune and reputation — to those 

 who are the greatest servants of all. Therefore, he who would 

 succeed most largely must choose the indirect method himself, 

 serve his fellow men, and get his personal gain as a reward 

 instead of seeking to achieve it without rendering service, or 

 at least, without rendering as great a service as he can. 



The spread and continuance of this spirit of service will be 

 the best solution for the discontent and the excitement of our 

 day. Broadly speaking, the present conflict of ideas, the pres- 

 ent agitation in our country and others, the present attempts 

 made to substitute class domination for the general will, can 

 be cured permanently only by the adoption by all of us, or by 

 the majority of us, of the spirit of service as our ideal of life. 

 That adoption will be hastened in proportion as the public 

 gives a larger meed of recognition and reward to those who do 

 the largest service, whatever the line of their activity. If 

 democracy is to continue, it must more and more recognize the 

 spirit of service in its members. It must be ready to reward 

 that spirit of service with a generous recognition in those mat- 

 ters that are regarded as individual success, as well as in mat- 

 ters of reputation. The process of change will be long and 

 its accomplishment will be difficult, but until this spirit be- 

 comes the general spirit of the people, efforts of one class or 

 another to get domination over all are sure to continue. We 

 need an abiding faith in the ultimate triumph of righteousness. 

 That faith will be justified and strengthened in proportion as 

 the spirit of service spreads and receives recognition. For that 

 reason the recognition that we are giving our quiet, gentle 



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