The Sunday Oregonian., November 16, 1919, Magazine Section, Page 3, Image 93

THE SUNDAY OREGOylAy. POR1XAXD. NOVEfBER 16, 1919.
" 3
WHAT IS THE HIGHEST GOAL OF A MAN'S LIFE?
Edward Bok Believes It's Service and Stops Working for tiimself at the Height
of His Career So He JMay Devote His Time to Play and Doing for Others
BY CHARLES W. DtTKH.
HOW many men that you know of
who have climbed to fame and
fortune at 50 years are willing
to step down and out of the saddle
this Bide of the three-quarter pole,
turn a flourishing business over to a
successor, say good-by forever to an
International clientele, cultivated for I
a quarter century, voluntarily give up
a bite fixed income and spend the re
mainder of their lives no, not in
luxurious loafing but In the utili
tarian role of serving humanity? Giv
ing the latter period of their lives and
the most of their accumulated for
tunes to making the world a better
place for the other fellows?
Not many, you say. The rank and
file of American business men are not
built that way, you add.
Was it any wonder then that the
world, particularly the world of busi
ness men, stopped short In its dizzy
course and stood stolid with amaze
ment a few days ago reading the an
nouncement that Edward Bok, editor
of the Ladies' Home Journal, a man
yet In the prime of a vigorous 58
years, would retire the first of the
year and devote the rest of his time
to "play," as he styles it?
All the world remembered on the
moment that Edward Bok is a level
headed Dutchman who emigrated to
this country from the Netherlands as
a. poor boy, knowing not a word of
English, started in life as an office
boy and elbowed his way to the top
of the heap by sheer grit and force of
character. It knew that this self
made man from the land where they
fight with dikes to conserve their
land was possessed of the Dutch sixth
sense of entering no woods except
where the way out was clearly re
vealed. And so folks generally tool
It for granted that Mr. Bok knew Just
exactly what he was doing.
But what was It all about, anyway?
Why should a man who had attained
such glittering success stop short Just
as he had reached the heights? What
motives actuate a man who will give
up a position of untold influence and
affluence, withdraw from an editorial
rostrum where he was addressing mil
lions of people every 30 days, forego
the emoluments of his high office and
retire altogether from the arena of
American business wherein he had
attained Buch golden favors? I'll say
all these thoughts were revolving
through my head on the autumn
morning I went out to Interview the
retiring editor in his home at Merlon,
a place he has made world famous
through his interest in the Merlon
Civio association. I happened to
know that within a few days after
announcing his retirement from the
Ladies' Home Journal Mr. Bok was
offered three sinecures, vis., a huge
salary to spend three days a week in
New York as advisory editor of a
leading American magazine, an offer
of one-half ownership and the edi
torship of a well-known newspaper,
or a controlling Interest in a promi
nent American ' weekly publication
with its editorship, all of which he
politely but firmly turned down.
Idealism, yon may surmise; only
Ideals of an extraordinarily meritori
ous nature would prompt a man to re
nounce materialism at the prime of
life and announce himself thenceforth
the aervitor of society. You are1
right; that's exactly what I found in
the mind and heart of Mr. Bok. But
let him tell it just as he explained It
to me after we were Seated comfort
ably In his study on the third floor of
his home, blazing logs crackling in
the fireplace, a vista of velvety green
lawns stretching away from the open
window fronting the editor's desk.
"Yes. It is idealism," he reflected
between puffs of a cigarette. "You
know, America Is a nation of Ideals.
We don't openly admit it, we don't
exactly realize It, but underneath all
we are a nation of Idealists. Very
young are we among all the nations
of the earth, and yet every war that
we have engaged in has been for an
Ideal."
With a touch of pride Mr. Bok
drew attention to the fact that his
suburban home town ' of Merlon,
known as the second richest town
ship in the country in point of mon
eyed population, Brookllne. of Boston,
leading, had sent 81 boys into the
service. And his eyes twinkled as he
pointed to a standing portrait of a
stalwart son In the uniform of a lieu
tenant of the navy alongside the pic
ture of another younger Bon who had
Just gone away to prep school. While
Mr. Bok decided some years ago to
give up "chasing the dollar" as he
styles it It was evident that the war
had only clinched his decision and
made him more determined than ever
to show by deeds his own interpreta
tion of the brotherhood of man.
"I'm six years behind my schedule
stow," am lied Mr. Bok. "I had in
tended to retire on my 60th birthday.
A number of circumstances, includ
ing the war and my work abroad,
prevented me from doing so. So I de
termined to round out 10 years as edi
tor of the Ladles' Home Journal. I'll
be through the first of January, and
then on. what a wonderful time I
shall have!"
But as he laughed In sheer delight
at the prospect, his face and form of
expression changed, and by quick
contrast he visualized in one dramatio
moment what the future holds tor
him. His eyes narrowed and his firm
Jaw set with a click that left no doubt
of its meaning.
"Think what 50 or 100 men of means
could do in Philadelphia. In New York
or any other city." he biased forth,
hammering the desk in front of him
with clenched fist. "Think what they
could do if they stopped off rolling
ud wealth while they yet have physl
cal strength and gave their time and
means to making the world a better
Place In which to live. It Is not
enough to give money. What is there
In simply writing checks? Any man
who has money can do that. Under
stand. I am not depreciating the giv
ing of money. But what I mean Is
the Klvlng of service. Men are lack
lng In the sense of obligation; they
owe the world something in return
for what they have got out of It. Let
them give not alone of their money,
hut of their services.
"Why am I retiring?" he went back
to my original question. "Because,
my dear fellow, the making of money
Is not all there is in me great aaven
ture of life. Ther is something more
than that. The whole thing narrows
flown, tQ tala question, uuca uiau
If--- wwMtiww--'i.' ' I ) V..mv..i.,.W..,m,..mmm,y.vm.mmmy mff. m , mm)li w.,WU,..lW.IH W SU In . SSJWWI I .Ilium , mmy ... . II. -.i 1
k --x.:-..w-;.w.;w:- ,.,.. , .r, ..w , . ...w.w. ..... : .v.. . .... . . ... . " .. .. .: J I
I'.: t- :-?l:r i,Vv 4 . "::"sM
"'ZS "I'll have slesty of work so long as I live, bnt Jost thlaJc of all tae fas I mm filir to have from now ur
! s V . VJ? - Ifr " l ...Tr; y..r
y v;r-i i ; v i M d
Z: " V - tf-V-I .--.;- .
rvw iQ Tr7TT7 v IH . . y - . . I -!r,
- IF ' t iT- rr- htr V ; cut : ; ; :
"Vv ' . i ''t hsJrr -V - ir"- '-r - !
-"x. ii f Mr Vr; ; - x.-
- f -x, ' ' Six . V"-v " J -
. , If - - JT-Js- i, jl ' - - V' 1 I H
Thrift la ssoney saatters Is saly su sntlat Is Mr. Bok's 47red. "A ma a sasst slss stars
aaentally,' he says. The averase bsslness Baas lets sstslda hrseses blew erei his.
He la afraid to retire because he woaldat kum what to to. Bat 11 he ess hs Is
the road that leads to a taller life) to service for ethers.'
Omly Idealises wsald srssast a aaaa ts reaoaaee saatertaltaat at the ansae of life aas aa
aoaaso hlnaseU theaeeferta the servitor of society.
want to give all his life over to the
making of money? Now, In the posi
tion I have left it Is true that there
is a chance of doing a vast amount
of good and making money at the
same time. I tried to do that and
whether I succeeded In the former Is
for others to Judge.
"Years ago I determined that when
I felt I could I would stop the dollar
chase and give others a chanoe. I
have seen too much ia my day of the
American business man hanging on
and hanging on until he is either no
tenser wanted or ia so worked out
that he cannot enjoy what hs has
earned. It Is pathetic to me, this
hanging on until a man cannot let
go. The public ia fickle and will leave
you Just as quickly as it comes to you.
It Is the wise mora who goes while
the going ts good. Too many publlo
men and women wear their welcome
out. They do a fine piece of work and
then, instesd of knowing when It is
done, they go on and spoil it by over
doing it, and undoing what they have
done."
"But all cannot amass the means to
enable them to stop," 1 interrupted.
"Oil, yes, they can," w&a the quick
rejoinder. "The man and women I
have in mind can If they watch their
steps. It Is a question of storing up
for the day that comes to all; of living
not within your means, bat of apply
ing ordinary thrift, and that's only
common sense applied to spending.
I never spent all roy income, even
when I was earning 110 a week. I
saved part of it, and as my Ineome In
creased 1 lnoreased the proportion of
saving. And there is the secret of
it."
But that's only one point In the Bok
creed.
"A eiaa must also- store mentally,".
hs continued. "Money Isn't of much
use to s man unless hs knows how to
use It. The trouble with the average
business man is that he gives all his
waking hours to his business and Its
problems. Bs lets no outslds breesei
blow over him. Bs has no time with
his family; so time to Interest him
self In the business of citizenship.
Be knows only one thing business
What's ths result? When the time
oomes when he might retire he cannot
do It because he has built up for him
self no outside interests. He has no
Inner resources, Jo la afraid to re
tire because he wouldn't know what
to do. Think of that in a world to
full of things to do as the present!"
"You wouldn't suffer that way."
interposed, remembering Mr. Bok's
civic associations. Ills work for the
Philadelphia orahestra, the Boy Scouts
of America, the countless educational.
musical and charitable activities with
which he is Identified. But Mr. Bok
was not to be sidetracked from hi
line of reasoning.
I know some men who say they
want To stay right in harness up to the
end." he continued "Well. It depends
on the man. 1 notice one thing, that
tna man wao saja tlxat generally la
ths man whs Is barren of everything
but his business. I do not think you
can lead a four-squared life along
that line of reasoning I believe in a
man working and working to the
limit, for that la natural to a man.
Be should bs constructive and he .
ahonld erect something lasting dur-
ng his lifetime I have no use for the
idler or ths shirker But work for
what and for whom? For himself, for
the dollar all his life? Not much."
When he warms up to his subject
Mr. Bok flashes an eye like a foot
ball player who has gathered la a
long punt and is criss-crossing back
over the field of play through the op
position. He was oat for a touchdown
this time all right
A man's first duty Is to bs a good
provider for his family." was the next
score. "He should work to the limit
to see that his family ia safely pro
vided for in case of his Incapacity or
if he paased away. (It is characteris
tic of Mr. Bok that he never uses ths
word dead or death and never per
mitted It In his magazine he doesn't
believe In death.) A man can't be a
good citizen until he ts first a good
husband and father And then then
oomes the add test He Is at two
crossroads Ono leads on ths sams
way hs has come more collars, more
power, more success He can't stop.
Just ons mors deal, he saya to ths
wife who urges him to slack up be
cause hs has enough. But that ons
deal leads on to more deala He Is a
Slavs to business And he ends up
by working himself out. He becomes
o to his family and a bore to
himself. And what good has he done?
Amasses a fortune? Yes, but what
good Is it to him? What good Is It to
his family?' They can only eat so
much and wear Just so many clothes.
And what has he done to ethers?
Given checks? Yes; but what good
does thst do a man?
"And the other road" I suggested.
"Why. It leads to the fuller life,"
came the answer. "It Is the road that
leads to service for others; that recog
nises that you are your brother's
keeper; that you have obligations to
your friends, your community and
your country; that life Is not all self;
that giving doesn't mean the giving
of money, but yourself; that the
money you have got from the publio
should go back to it to make the
world a bit better. But a man can't
do that simply by giving his money.
Hs must go along with his money.
He must give of himself. That takes
thought; It takes time; It calls for
freedom of movement. Where is a
man after all in the scheme of things
if he finds he has more money than
time? Time is Infinitely more pre
cious If he uses It right. And look
at the chances. Wae there ever a
time when so many opportunities for
service beckoned to a man to go out
and do something for his fellow men?
"Once out of the game, what is your
retired business man to dor I asked.
"How are you going to 'play, as you
put itr
"I don't care what he does," con
tinued Mr. Bok. "That depends upon
his tastes, his interests, so long as
he does for others and gives both his
time and himself to it. To retire from
an active Job after you feel that you
have done your duty by It doesn't
mean to loaf or Join the sons of rest.
It means a busy life, but a life filled
with an entire change of thought, of
different viewpoint. Where all a
mini thought has been centered on
himself now he turns and thinks of
others. What can I do, he asks, to
make myself worth while to the
other fellows?"
'Can't you do that and still stick In
the game?" I ventured.
No, came the lightning response.
"Not fully. Business is a big game.
demanding all or none. To be in busi
ness nowadays with its tremendous
and engrossing problems takes all
that a man has and can command. Hs
hasn't time for anything else."
'And the game Itself won't yoo
miss ltr
Just for a moment, hs smiled, and
then plunged on.
Yes, I suppose rll miss It. Ton
cannot undervalue the lure of the
game. I know the finest kind of men
who hang on when they ought to stop
not because of the money In it but
because of their love for the game it
self. It Is indeed a wonderful game.
full of fascination because it is so
full of problems and each one new.
But, after a while, unless a man is on
guard, business becomes a habit. And
who wants to be s slave to any habit?
A man should be bigger than any
habit. Don't quote me, mind you. as
belittling the value of money. I don't."
You propose now to get some Joy
out of your money? In other words,
you have a definite programme,
haven't you?" I persisted with repor
torlal lnquisltiveness.
Yes, I have a programme, and this
is It," he replied. "My programme.
broadly put, is this: Let a man di
vide his life into three periods. First,
the period of education; second, the
period of actual doing for himself and
hie family, and, third, the doing for
others. Having negotiated the first
two, L for myself, enter the third. As
to what I contemplate doing well, I
have many things in mind."
With a wave of the hand Mr. Bok
indicated correspondence piled high
on Ms desk. With the other hand he
Indicated an anteroom wherein a new
secretary ts to be installed.
Just think of all the fun I am ro-
tag to have from now on," he chuck
led. "You know, a man owes some
thing to himself. Hs has the right
to enjoy in a measure what he has
earned. Some of these fellows who
want to keep right on chaslnir the
dollar can't understand it at all. They
look at me and ask me if I am really
in earnest- They say, 'I never saw
you look so well why stop now?
Now, Isn't that funny? When is there
a better time to stop than when you
are weiir inese other lenows have
yet to learn the stopping point. The
European nas ana the American WI1L
What a pity they go right along un
til it is too late. Year by year the
mortality among business men due to
heart failure grows. The almighty
dollar is a stronger lure to them than
character. But, not for mine I'm
through w!t,h the grind. Work? Yes,
I'll have plenty of work so long as I
live, but think of It. eon, think of the
fun I'm going to have!"
The world is going to watch this
experiment of Mr. Bok's. Other busi
ness men have threatened to do it,
but, so far as you and I have been able
to see, nobody has coma across. But,
some fellows are thinking about it
Mr. Bok's stand has set them thinking.
Some of them are writing him letters;
others have volunteered the informa
tion they are thinking of following
suit. As Mr. Bok puts it. a la one of
Herbert Johnston's cartoons, "Come
on in, boys, the water's fine."
As to the Russian reds, the Amer
ican yellowa, et al., we have an un
canny notion that in the case of Ed
ward W Bok they will sit up and
take notice.
iCopyrlgnt, 1919. Publlo Ledser Co.)