evidences, as a rule, thoroughness and ability in the man who secures it,
and because it supplies the ease of body and of mind which is essential to
the fullest and most effective putting forth of one's power; and the sane
man, even while he subordinates it to higher things, never entirely
ignores or neglects success. The possession of skill is to-day the
inexorable condition of securing this outward prosperity; and, as a rule,
the greater a man's skill the more enduring his success. But skill has
other and deeper uses and ends. Thoroughness and adequacy in the doing of
one's work are the evidences of the presence of a moral conception in the
worker's mind; they are the witnesses to the pressure of his conscience on
his work. Slovenly, careless, and indifferent work is dishonest and
untruthful; the man who is content to do less than the best he is capable
of doing for any kind of compensation--money, reputation, influence--is an
immoral man. He violates a fundamental law of life by accepting that which
he has not earned.

Skill in one's art, profession, or trade is conscience applied; it is
honesty, veracity, and fidelity using the eye, the voice, and the hand to
reveal what lies in the worker's purpose and spirit. To become an artist
in dealing with tools and materials is not a matter of choice or
privilege; it is a moral necessity; for a man's heart must be in his
skill, and a man's soul in his craftsmanship.




Chapter XIII

General Training