Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
MUSIC TIRADE
VOL. LIV. No. 25.
A
Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman BUI at 373 Fourth Ave., New York, June 22,1912
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* 2 .OO PERVELAR!
F R I E N D of mine the other day propounded the question: "What is success?"
The question is not as easily answered as it would seem at the first blush, because many
people figure success as meaning the acquirement of everything desirable in the way of wealth.
Perhaps most of us have fallen into using the money yardstick to measure success in life.
Now, there are thousands—yes, millions—of men who succeed who are unknown to fame and whose
acquirement of this world's chattels is limited to minute parcels.
Walt Whitman, "the good, gray poet," never acquired money or never cared for it, and yet his fame
grows greater with the passing of the years.
Edgar Allan Poe ofttimes went hungry and yet he won a permanent niche in Fame's imperishable
temple, and so we could go on and name men whose gifts to the world have been immeasurably great and
whose success is unquestioned, yet they were ofttimes scantily clad as well as poorly fed; but, we of the
modern world say this man or that man was successful simply because he has acquired temporary posses-
sion of the great medium by which values are adjusted—money.
In fact, the modern world looks for conspicuous success through the adoption of modern methods,
with its consequent cash rewards.
Now, he in any line who succeeds—serves—that is a point which no one should overlook, for that
is just as true of him who wears the crown as of him who bravely bears his cross in the knowledge that
virtue is its own reward.
That man has won success who has faithfully upheld decency—morality—honor—who has won the
love of a good woman or a little child.
Life for him has spelled success.
Strange as it may seem to the unthinking, all that is desirable in the way of wealth, power or fame is
based actually or theoretically upon service to others, and it has been so from the beginning of time.
The heroes, many of whose deeds ensanguine the pages of history, were honored not because they
conquered nations and made themselves rulers, but because they won, in fact or in theory, the battles of
another nation or a people or party.
In fact, they served—and that is what success really is.
The world honors him who conquers whether by poetry, love, religion or art; but, to conquer you
must serve.
An achievement that does not give infinitely more than it takes is not real.
This principle applies undeviatingly to all trades and conditions—to all men, from the man who rules
the finances down to the man who cleans our streets.
While we render real service we may expect rewards and when we cease to be of use we deserve
to be replaced.
In other words, success is to serve.
Even a king when he ceases to be of use is replaced, and when a porter fails to perform his functions
satisfactorily he loses his job.
The bootblack when he fails to give a good shine loses his trade.
The merchant who fails to deliver values loses his patrons.
The manufacturer who fails to keep up with the trade procession loses his trade, and so on. Look
where we will in every trade and every profession, we will find that success in its truest sense means to
serve, and he who serves most faithfully achieves success.
Am I right ?