TnK CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIIj B, 1011.
YANKEE AND BRITON IN BUSINESS
James H. Collins Compares The Two In An Interest
ing Article In Saturday Evening Post
TTIK GOOD POINTS OV EACH NOTEl 1IUMOKOUS ANECDOTES EX
lMiANATOKY OF D11TEIU3NT BUSINESS METHODS.
NE night, In tho smoking com
partment of a Pullman, travel
ing through a Western Btate,
n English tourist rang for tho por
ter and ordered a whlsky-and-soda.
"Sorry, boss, but you'll have to
wait 'bout an hour," said the colored
brother. "We's agoin' through a
prohibition belt."
The Briton became rather bitter
In his comments on teetotallsm and
ho Yankee idea of personal liberty;
and went on to scold steam heat
ing, American manners and other
outstanding features of what we
fondly imagine to bo our civilization.
Kobody took up the issue with him
until he began to criticise our woni
n. Then an elderly Westerner put
question:
"Young man, isn't this your first
Tlelt to tho United States?"
"Yes, it is," replied the critic;
"and I hope it will bo the last.'
"Well, I reckon I know how you
leel about it," said the Westerner.
"On this first trip you'll miss a
whole lot of things you're accustom
ed to at home. It was so tho first
time I went to England. I couldn't
keep warm, couldn't find a decent
fcarber shop, didn't like the weather,
r the ways, or the people. Your
ountry lacked so many conveniences
that I camo home and told folks you
trero in tho Middle Ages. When I
went hack a second time it was as
tonishing how many excellent things
nd ways I found that we hadn't
sot and it has been so on several
trips I've made since. Young man,
you come back to America again If
you have a chance and you'll begin
to see that wo have a lot of good
things in this country too."
Tiio Itelatiou of Precedent to Profit.
Tho first time an American busl
ess man goes to London either for
a vacation or to carry out some pro
ject he finds the town slow and an
tiquated. British business is often
transacted In dingy offices that might
mot be passed as sanitary cow stables
by one of our milk Inspectors. Sol
emn "clerks" explore huge old-fash-toned
ledgers under one wretched
gaslight and their boss sits In a
private office that is really a cell by
our standards, in keeping with the
prevalent British belief that business
Is a form of penal servitude, with
hard labor. There Is much secrecy
the Briton has a traditional belief
that the best business is the kind
that can be hidden. There Is much
gloom he complains of lack of
trade when, to the American's eye,
possibilities lie dormant all around.
The whole business fabric seems full
f inconsistency, inefficiency and cir
cumlocution on this first visit.
By-and-by the Yankee goes over
again or his project keeps him in
London long enough to enable him
to get below the more obvious sur
face differences. Then he finds
many methods and principles to ad
mire and adopt. The Britisher in
the cell-like private office held off
auspiciously tho first few times tho
American called upon him, but at
last they entered upon a few trans
actions and grow to know one anoth
ar. Presently the American got a
conception of the immense solidity
of British connections. The British
er In the "cell seemed pretty small po
tatoes when measured by our houses
at home, and the Yankee suspected
that there might be something crook
ed about his rating. In time, how
ever, he found that British commer
cial standing Is not gauged by the
oriental rugs of a private office, and
that toe pettiness and shabblness of
business quarters give no clue what
ever to magnitude. It developed
that tho Britisher In the cell had a
great warehouse down near the
Jocks and connections running back
two generations in Calcutta, Shang
hai and Yokohama. The American
began to grasp the worldwide scope
of British trade and to bring to
light the vast hidden machinery for
handling it.
The British business mind travels
in a curious rut. There is an old
tory about a Yankee in London who
aw a silk hat moving through tho
mud down the middle of Fleet
treet. Looking closer, he discover
ed there was the face of an English
man under It.
"Well, my friend," said tho Amer
ican, "you seem to bo in rather deep
out there."
"Deep!" was the Englishman's re
ply. "You may well say that I'm
on top of an omnibus."
The British business mind is In
even deeper. It travels in ways
worn by tho past. The American
business mind, still largely of the
first or second generation, operating
far from the older commercial com
munities and often innocent of in
ternational commercial customs, does
not easily grasp the underlying
tenses of British affairs, for there Is
o much nonsense on tho surface.
On tho day an American arrives in
London ho begins to encounter this
itrange factor the past. At home
there isn't any past. He has always
gone ahead in a direct line, by him
telf. If ho wanted to reach the con
sumer, and an old trade custom
Intervened, ho walked through it.
If he thought ho had a better way of
doing anything he was not at all dis
turbed by what others had done or
wero doing. But in London he
finds the past everywhere, thick as
mud, and deals with an English face
under a "topper," which assures
Iilm that It Is on top of an omnibus.
If the Yankee protests that this is a
roundabout way of doing business
the faco assures him that it is quite
regular, and that It has always been
done just that way, and that this is
the hat its father wore and good
enough for it.
An American construction engineer
was putting up a new office building
in London. At one corner of the
alto stood an old brick tenement. In
digging foundations Its wall was
slightly fractured. The engineer
had anticipated something of
the
sort.
"There; she's cracked," he said.
"Now I'll go direct to the owner, set
tle the damage man to man and save
time."
When the owner was asked to es
timate his damage, however, ho re
ferred the American to his estato
agent, saying:
"That's a matter of building and
very complicated, you know." I
couldnt put a price on It never did
such a thing in my life."
The estate agent, in turn drew a
long face.
"Damage to one of our buildings!
Oh, but I say, my dear fellow, that's
very complex very. We shall have
to refer you to the solicitor."
The solicitor also assumed aser
ious professional exprcssln.
".Matters of building are extreme
ly knotty. Must settle In regular
form, of course. Give me the name
of your solicitor."
So the engineer handed the case
over to his company's lawyer. The
two solicitors agreed that they would
be unsafe In proceeding farther with
a complex matter like building
without the advice of quantity sur
veyors. Each sde appointed its own
quantity surveyor; the latter experts
solemnly Inspected the crack and re
ported. Ultimately damages of two
hundred and fifty dollars were
awarded. This was more than the
engineer had expected to pay the
owner direct; so he lost nothing but
time. The owner 'got only seven
teen dollars the rest went for fees
and costs!
The American points out that such
procedure Is inconsistent. The Brit
isher admits it; but he says that is
the regular procedure. Tho thing
has always been done that way. He
would rather bo regular than right.
He thinks of precedent first and
profit afterward.
When a Board is No Board At All.
When our business routine is
wrong it is commonly in some detail
that has not yet been thought out
and provided for; but when the Brit
ish routine is wrong it is because
the established way does not happen
to be exactly consistent in this par
ticular case. Inconsistencies do not
worry John Bull at all. 'Much of the
enjoyment of his existence comes
from the abounding inconsistencies
of his social, political and commer
cial fabric. The British Board o
'irade, for instance, is not a board at
all and has virtually nothing to do
with trade, i'he Lords of the Treas
ury are not lords and have practical
ly no connection with the treasury,
apart from drawing their salaries.
When the Yankee hears of' such In
stances he protests: "How foolish!"
But the Britisher says: "How jolly
British!" Once upon a time, when
he was yound, perhaps he looked In
to a few such cases and found that
they had started so far back In the
past that nobody was to blame; now
no regards inconsistencies as purely
impersonal.
a new xorKer, establishing a
branch office in ondon, encountered
a thoroughly senseless trade custom
whereby he had to pay a commission
for no value rendered whatever.
When he protested, everybody said
It had alwajV been done that way.
Getting nowlS-e after a week of ob
jections, he p$d It In disgust. Next
month It came up again and he held
out two weeks. Everybody conced
ed that it might be unjust, but said
it had always been done, you know.
So he paid it once more. By-and-by
It Came up a third time.
"Teddy," ho said to his English
head clerk, " I want you to put on
your hat and find out who is re
sponsible for this practice. Every
body follows it and nobody knows
why. Don't come back till you run
it right to headquarters."
Teddy was gone most of that day.
"Well, have you ound the man
who started It?" asked tho boss when
he returned.
"Yes, sir that is, next to it, sir.
There's a difference of opinion. Some
says James tho First, sir, but they
mostly attribute It to Henry the
Eighth."
The Yankee in London will hard
ly be happy or get anywhere until he
adopts the British view of incon
sistencies. In a venerable London chophouse
a thorough Johnny Bull got Into a
dispute with a thoroughly British
waiter. Ho had eaten turbot and
had a second helping, which was
charged in the bill.
"But hero!" complained the cus
tomer. "Turbot Is the same price as
roast beef and you never charge for
a second cut of that. Why should
I pay for another helping of turbot?"
"Cawn't say, sir," said tho waiter.
"Rule of tho 'ouse. Wo'vo always
dono It, sir; and the 'ouse 'as been
'ere since 187."
Tho customer turned for sympathy
to an American at tho same table.
"It's not very consistent," agreed
the latter, who had had long expert
enco in England; "but you must ad
mit that it's very British. Really, I
think it's just these little inconsist
encies that give charm and character
to English life."
"Why, that's so! You're quite
right," agreed tho customer; and tho
suggestion so delighted him that he
paid at once. The reuectlon that
though a thing is inconsistent It is
also very British constantly leads
John Bull to pay much heavier Items
than a second helping of fish.
Tho Yankee business mind looks
forward and expects all good of tho
future. It believes conditions nro
going to be better this year than
they have ever been before and in
vites you to wait a while and watch
it grow. It has an optimism and a
willingness to make mistakes most
disquieting to staid London. The
British business mind, on the con
trary, habitually looks backward,
and tries to safe-guard against mis
takes by drawing on tho wisdom of
the fathers. That makes necessary
two unhealthy assumptions that
the fathers were better than our
selves and that we aro a fallen gen
eration. So tho British business
mind is pessimistic and expects little
of the future.
The chairman of a British joint
stock company can take a piece of
good news, such as a dividend, and
announce it so that It sounds like
a disaster. Ho will begin by re
minding the stockholders that their
company has never paid a dividend.
True, this year there is a dividend,
due to an unexpected fall In the
price of coal and a reduction in ex
penses. But the outlook for next
year is not promising; in fact, it is
gloomy very gloomy.
The Yankee business mind will
stand discounting. It is wisdom to
take twenty-five per cent, off its
proposition, thirty-three per cent, off
its expectations and a uat fifty off its
clothes. But, with the British busi
ness mind all the discounts have been
taken o f by Itself already; and It
Is often advisable to stick on a rea
sonable percentage, because it apolo
gizes for favorable conditions' and
hedges itself about with checks and
safeguards.
In a London house of moro than a
hundred years' standing there was a
confidential clerk who had been In
tho firm's employ fifty years. He
knew everything that had ever been
done In his time. The proprietor
consulted him in every important
matter; and tho old fellow would
say: "Don't do that, for we did the
same thing in 18G8 and so-and-so
Happened. The proprietor was al
ways satisfied to abide by such coun
sel, and in his time the business
never grew. When his son came in
to the management he consulted
the old clerk too; but, when tho lat
ter said that so-and-so would surely
happen If a certain thing were done,
the son went ahead and did it any
way, using the old chap's warning
as foreknowledge to guide him
through the consequences. The
house then expanded so greatly that
an optimistic Australian was made
manager. He immediately pensioned
the veteran to get him out of the
office.
"But it is very unwise to dispense
with his knowledge of past errors,"
was British comment.
"His knowledge is out of date,"
said the Australian. "What we want
now is a lot of brand-new mistakes
suited to tho present generation."
Under this policy the business has
nearly doubled.
The British business mind rather
lacks Imagination. A New York
sales manager got to thinking that
there must be money in toothpowder.
He went to a pharmaceutical house
and secured prices on a formula,
asked or quotations on tin boxes and
printing, figured out a complete ad
vertising and marketing campaign,
dovised means of getting capital and
spent several weeks developing his
scheme, even talking It over with
his wife. When the whole scheme
was in shape, however, he tore up all
tho plans and forgot It, because his
present work gave him plenty of op
portunity. The British business
mind would hardly let Imagination
lead it that far. It likes to deal with
actualities. Its basic quality is sta
bility. Where we develop novelties,
it sticks to staples; and whore we
seek new ways of marketing, it
sends goods through tlmeworn trade
channels. Our enterprises show
wonderful growth from year to year
if they last. The Briton's usually
last, but show little growth. When
these two different minds come to:
gether they strike sparks.
A young Englishman cot a job In
New York. At homo he had been
fond of economics. An eminent Bos
ton professor was to lecturo on an
economic subject. The Englishman
went to hear him, taking an armful
of hooks. As the argument unfold
ed he got his authorities ready and
at the close stood up and began ask
ing questions. In three minutes he
had the eminent Bostonian so wound
up that he protested he hadn't come
there to answer questions, but to
lecture. The Englishman thought
that very odd.
In another instance an English
man, who was manager of tho Lon
don branch of a large American
manufacturing company, came to the
United States to see principals. They
entertained him handsomely, but for
several days he could not get them
to discuss the affairs of the London
branch thoroughly. The matter was
referred to casually at lunch or on
the rear platform of a car going out
to the ball game. The London man
had plans for the expansion of his
branch, but a week passed before he
got a conference. Then tho presi
dent of tho company told him that
they maintained their London office
chiefly for tho prestige it gave them;
and the vice-president said they
could not enlarge that branch be
cause there was no profit at all on
goods sold In England. The British
er waited until they had finished.
Then he spread out some papers. He
said that probably Englishmen were
slow compared with Americans.
They were also sentimental in bus!
ness matters. They liked to stick to
one connection as long as possible.
And he himself would never give up
their London office, even in tho face
of better opportunities, until it was
absolutely necessary. If they
thought that tho London branch
made no profit, however, they were
mistaken. While he had been wait
ing, during the past week, he had
spent a good deal of time out in a
factory, had gono thoroughly Into tho
cost of making their goods, and
could show them that they not only
made a profit on London sales but
two distinct profits ono when the
stuff loft the factory and another
when it was sold on the other side.
Upon his thorough calculations they
gave him what he asked for.
Tho Yankee business mind is a
light-running, ball-bearing affair. It
assumes much, hopes everything, dis
regards the past, and Jumps quickly
from point to point. Tho British
business mind, on the other hand, is
very solid and serious, going con
scientiously through all tho valleys
and hollows and reaching the sum
mits only by the most thorough la
bor and calculation and often the
most gloomy. Both arrive at approxi
mately the samo results, however;
and as each becomes better known to
tho other through mutual dealings
It is more and more apparent that
each has good qualities that the oth
er needs.
Slaves of the Russian Passport.
A peasant leaves his home to seek
for work as n field laborer wherever
he can find work to do. nnd, like every
Itnsslau. mule nud female, he takes
his passport with him, which is quite
ns much a part of him as his soul Is.
It is always a half yearly passport,
which be must renew at the end of
six mouths, sending it home in a reg
istered letter to an offilcal nt his na
tive place nnd inclosing the legal, fee
and something over for the trouble.
Tho time of renewal draws near; the
workman pets n demand for a new
passport. Through official neglect or
other reason the passport falls to rome
In time. Tho honest workltigman,
who is earning his bread in the sweat
of his brow and by the prnctice per
haps of exceptional sobriety Is trying
to cam a pittance for his family, is
nrrested suddenly nnd sent home-
that is. is flung into n forwarding
prison, whence ho emerges to join a
convict party, which contain tho cream
of criminality, and Is made to suffer
torments before he gets home. When
ho nrrlves he gets his passport nnd is
n free ngent once more n loyal sub
ject. E. II. Lanin.
Fixing Up the Horse.
If you hud a highly Intelligent thor
oughbred horse to which you were
greatly attached, what would you do
for him In order to bring him to the
highest point of efficiency?
Would you teach him, nt great Incon
venience' and after many repetitious,
to smoke from ten to fifteen cigars a
day. and would you mix with his outs
nil the way from a pint to n quart of
alcohol? Would you re-enforce this by
overloading his stomach with highly
spiced food and add all the narcotics
that were lu the market, such as tea.
coffee, etc.? Would you keep him in
a heated stable without any fresh air,
make him sit up at all hours of the
night and permit all the veterinarians
in the neighborhood to hold consulta
tions nnd operate upon him ns often
as they needed the money?
And If you did nil this, what sort of
a race would you expect that horse to
win?-Life.
Ancient Football.
Philip Stubbes wrote lu 15S3 In his
book on "The Anatomic of Abuses:"
'Tor ns concerning football 1 pro
test unto you it may rather be called
a freendly klnde of fight than n play
of recreation; a bloody and numbering
practice than a felowly sporte of pas-
tyme. For dootb not every one lye in
waight for his Adverserie. seeking to
overthrow him and to plcke him on his
nose, though it be on hard stones, so
that by this meanes sometimes their
necks are broken, sometimes their
backs, sometimes their legs, sometimes
their arms, sometimes one part thrust
out of Joynt, sometimes another; some
times the noses gush out with blood,
sometimes their eyes start out fight;.
Ing. brawliug, contention, quarrel pick
ing, murther. homicide and great effu
sion of blood, as experience doyly
teachetb."
He Explains.
'Why do they rail Washington the
city of magnificent distances?"
'Because." answered the ofilce seek
er, "it Is sucn a long way oerween
what you go after nnd what you get."
-St. Paul Pioneer Press.
8mmmmmmKm);mmmtmfflt8tmi;i
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Roll of
HONOR
Attention is called to tne STRENGTH I
of the
Wayne County
The FINANCIER of New York
City lias published a ROLL Or
HONOR of the 11 ,470 Statu Iinnkf
and Trust Companies of United
States. In this list the WAYNE
COUNTY SAVINGS BANK
Stands 38th in the United States
Stands lOtli in Pennsylvania,
Stands FIRST in Wavr.e County.
Capital, Surplus, $527,342.88
Total ASSETS, $2,951,048.26
Honesdale, Pa., December 1. 1910.
j-ir--3--agrfr-Mn "So--Ce cjj m
THE FIRST YEARS IF 11 MUST
I
You can make provision for
your declining years by
savinga part of your earnings
Open an account with $1.00 or more at the
FARMERS and MECHANICS BANK
THE BANK FOR ALL CLASSES
C0K. MAIN AND 9th ST.
u a-i3 a& st 'ao atfc a
TO
ETTIGUE
G?it3ii-AmQrican Some
Men A Womrn. jouniHoLI,
1 1 wutiiaoin ,,,, ju ia..,ii.i.t ii
Feelfd. Ier.lfed er Heelied Tan. Don't Jedte all ellae
The GERMAN AMERICAN TREATMENT.
a. glrlftlr tt.lentllle Carablattlon tiel.eted Comblaad .at
I 5000 IMIereet Urn., to Belt each A every ladltldaaf
Ca.e, U roiltltalr the Only Our, no natter whatsoever
voor lllmeat or lllieaee raaf be, eaoeo er erlrla, no natter
who tailed. Write. Mate your Cane In ttrlet eonfldraee.
A flnrn (UAlt ANTKHII. AddrenOLD GERMAN
DOCTOR, l'oet Hox E8b0, I'MUJelphln,
W. C. SPRY
AUCTIONEER
HOLDS SALES ANYWHERE
IN STATE.
NOT1UK Is hereby given that an ap
plication will he made to the Gov
ernor of Pennsylvania on April 13,
1911, at 11 o'clock a. m., under the
Act of Assembly, entitled an Act to
provide for the Incorporation and
regulation of certain corporations,
approved April 29, 1874, and sup
plements thereto for the charter of
an Intended corporation to bo called
the Wallen-Paupack Power Com
pany, tho character and object of
which is tho storage, transportation
and furnishing of water with the
right to take rivulets and lands and
erect reservoirs for holding water
for manufacturing and other pur
poses, and for the creation, establish
ing, furnishing, transmission and us
ing of water power therefrom and
for these purposes to have, possess
and enjoy all the rights, benefits and
privieges of the said Act of Assem
bly and supplements thereto.
LAURENCE H. WATRES,
Solicitor.
Scranton, Pa. 22eoI3
A. O. BLAKE, t
pUCTIONEER & CATTLE DEALER
iou win inane money .
bybavliiu me. '
uKi.r, phone 9-u Bethany, Pa. t
if?-v8&x a k iia o aa-
8 THE LIST
HONESDALE, PA
gs w at!i an n s at-
hand Spray Pumps are