Speaker 1: Thoroughness. Thoroughness consists in doing little things as though they
were the greatest things in the world. That the little
things of life are of primary importance is a truth
not generally understood, and the thought that little things can
be neglected, thrown aside, or slurred over is at the
root of that lack of thoroughness which is so common,
and which results in imperfect work and unhappy lives. When
one understands that the great things of the world and
of life consist of a combination of small things, and
that without this aggregation of small things, the great things
would be nonexistent, then he begins to pay careful attention
to those things which he formerly regarded as insignificant. He
thus acquires the quality of thoroughness and becomes a man
of usefulness and influence. For the possession or non possession
of this one quality may mean all the difference between
a life of peace and power and one of misery
and weakness. Every employer of labor knows how comparatively rare
this quality is, how difficult it is to find men
and women who will put thought and energy into their
work and do it completely and satisfactorily. Bad workmanship abounds.
Skill and excellence are acquired by few. Thoughtlessness, carelessness, and
laziness are such common vices that it should cease to
appear strange that, in spite of social reform, the ranks
of the unemployed should continue to swell. For those who
scamp their work to day will another day, in the
hour of deep necessity, look and ask for work. In vain.
The law of survival of the fittest is not based
on cruelty. It is based on justice. It is one
aspect of that divine equity which everywhere prevails. Vices be
and with many stripes. If it were not so, how
could virtue be developed. The thoughtless and lazy cannot take
precedence of, or stand equally with, the thoughtful and industrious.
A friend of mine tells me that his father gave
all his children the following piece of advice. Whatever your
future work may be, put your whole mind upon it,
and do it thoroughly. You need then have no fear
as to your welfare, for there are so many who
are careless and negligent that the service of the thorough
man are always in demand. I know those who have
for years tried, in almost Vain to secure competent workmanship.
In spheres which do not require exceptional skill, but which
call chiefly for forethought, energy, and conscientious care, they have
discharged one after another for negligence, laziness, incompetence, and persistent
breaches of duty, not to mention other vices which have
no bearing on this subject. Yet the vast army of
the unemployed continues to cry out against the laws, against society,
and against heaven. The cause of this common lack of
thoroughness is not far to seek. It lies in that
thirst for pleasure, which not only creates a distaste for
steady labor, but renders one incapable of doing the best
work and of properly fulfilling one's duty. A short time
ago a case came under my observation, one of many such,
of a poor woman who was given, at her earnest appeal,
a responsible and lucrative position. She had been at her
post only a few days when she began to talk
of the pleasure trips she was going to have now
she had come to that place. She was discharged at
the end of a month for negligence and incompetence. As
two objects cannot occupy the same space, at the same time,
so the mind that is occupied with pleasure cannot also
be concentrated upon the perfect performance of duty. Pleasure has
its own place and time, but its consideration should not
be allowed to enter the mind during those hours which
should be devoted to duty. Those who, while engaged in
their worldly task, are continually dwelling upon anticipated pleasures, cannot
do otherwise than bungle through their work or even neglect
it when their pleasure seems to be at stake. Thoroughness
is completeness, perfection. It means doing a thing so well
that there is nothing left to be desired. It means
doing one's work, if not better than any one else
can do it, at least not worse than the best
that others do. It means the exercise of much thought,
the putting forth of great energy, the persistent application of
the mind to its task, and the cultivation of patience, perseverance,
and a high sense of duty. An ancient teacher said,
if anything has to be done, let a man do it,
Let him attack it vigorously. And another teacher said, whatsoever
thy hand findeth to do do it with thy might.
He who lacks thoroughness in his worldly duties will also
lack the same quality and spiritual things. He will not
improve his character, He will be weak and half hearted
in his religion, and will not accomplish any good and
useful end. The man who keeps one eye on worldly
pleasure and the other on religion, and who thinks he
can have the advantage of both conditions, will not be
thorough either in his pleasure seeking or his religion, but
will make a sorry business of both. It is better
to be a whole, souled worldling than a half hearted religionist,
better to give the entire mind to a lower thing
than half of it to a higher. It is preferable
to be thorough, even if it be in a bad
or selfish direction, rather than inefficient and squeamish in good directions.
For thoroughness leads more rapidly to the development of character
and the acquisition of wisdom. It accelerates progress and unfoldment.
And while it leads the bad to something better, it
spurs the good to higher and ever higher heights of
usefulness and power.