PROFITING BY FAILUREIt may be of interest to you to know that the last position
I held in the coal business was that of assistant to the chief
counsel for one of the largest companies in the world. It is a
considerable jump from the position of common laborer in the
coal mines to that of assistant to the chief counsel-a jump
that I never could have made without the aid of this principle
of performing more work than I was paid to perform.
I wish I had the space in which to tell you of the scores
of times that this idea of performing more work than I was
paid to perform has helped me over rough spots.
Many have been the times that I have placed an employer
so deeply in my debt, through the aid of this principle, that
I got whatever I asked for, without hesitation or quibbling,
without complaint or hard feelings, and what is more impor-
tant, without the feeling that I was taking unfair advantage of
my employer.
I believe most earnestly that anything a man acquires from
his fellow man, without the full consent of the person from
whom it is acquired, will eventually burn a hole in his pocket,
or blister the palms of his hands, to say nothing of gnawing
at his conscience until his heart aches with regret.
As I said in the beginning, I am writing on the morning
of the eleventh of November, while the crowds are celebrating
the great victory. Therefore, it is but natural that I should
turn to the silence of my heart for some thought to pass on
to the world today-some thought that will help keep alive
in the minds of Americans the spirit of idealism for which
they have fought and in which they entered the world war.
I find nothing more appropriate than the philosophy
which I have related. To get this philosophy into the hearts
of those who need it, I shall publish a magazine to be called
Hill's Golden Rule.
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