COOPERATION 813they have not developed the habit of expressing themselves through
action.
You can pick out these unfortunates if you will begin to analyze
those with whom you come in contact each day. If you will talk. with
them you will observe that they have built up a false philosophy, such
as, "I am doing all I am paid to do, and I am getting by:'
Yes, they are "getting by," but that is all they are getting.
Some years ago, at a time when labor was scarce and wages were
unusually high, I observed scores of able-bodied men lying about in
the parks of Chicago, doing nothing. I became curious to know what
sort of an explanation they would offer for their conduct, so I went
out one afternoon and interviewed seven of them.
With the aid of a generous supply of cigars and cigarettes and
a little loose change, I bought myself into the confidence of those
whom I interviewed and thereby gained a rather intimate view of
their philosophy. All gave exactly the same reason for being there,
unemployed, saying, "The world will not give me a chance:'
Think of it-the world would not "give them a chance:'
Of course the world wouldn't give them a chance. It never gives
anyone a chance. Anyone who wants a chance may create it through
action, but if they wait for someone to hand it to them on a silver
platter, they will meet with disappointment.
I fear the excuse that the world does not give someone a chance is
quite prevalent, and I strongly suspect that it is one of the commonest
causes of poverty and failure.
The seventh man that I interviewed on that well-spent afternoon
was an unusually fine-looking specimen, physically. He was lying on
the ground asleep, with a newspaper over his face. When I lifted the
paper, he reached up, took it out of my hands, put it back over his
face, and went right on sleeping.
Then I used a little strategy by removing the paper from his face
and placing it behind me, where he could not get it. He then sat up