For, after all, the noble
was only what chance had made him; while the skilled artisan was what
he had made himself--a far more creditable thing, to my way of
thinking."
"And to mine!" agreed Theo.
"I am glad you feel that way," Mr. Croyden said, "because I am anxious
to have you view this industry not alone from its technical but from
its larger aspect. Did I not believe that I was doing something more
than just the humdrum task of making dishes I should speedily become
discouraged and decide my labor was not worth the strength I am
constantly putting into it. But every honorable industry is far more
than that. It is a monument to the men who conceived it and to those
who little by little developed the wonderful machinery that makes it
possible. Each perfect product it turns out voices the skill,
patience, and faithfulness of scores of workmen. More than that, an
industry is the weapon of the wage-earner--the means by which he and
his family are protected from want and unhappiness. Hence every
conscientious manufacturer performs a double service to mankind: he
gives to the world something that it needs, and he furnishes his
fellow-man with a means of livelihood.
Pages:
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225