“CULTURE IS CONTACT WITH THE BEST THAT HAS BEEN SAID AND THOUGHT IN THE WORLD”

“CULTURE IS CONTACT WITH THE BEST THAT HAS BEEN SAID AND THOUGHT IN THE WORLD”

Outline:

1.     Distinction between culture and education.

2.     Culture is “sweetness and light”.

3.     A harmonious development of the whole personality.

4.     Reading the best books brings us under the influence of the most cultured minds.

5.     There is a lot of distinction between culture and education.

Culture must not be confused with education. To be cultured, a man must be educated; but not every educated man is cultured. A young man who  has got higher university education and has acquired a fair amount of accurate knowledge of various subjects is no doubt, well-educated; yet it may be that he has not a cultured mind.

Culture is a certain refinement of taste, enlargement of mind and mellowing of the whole personality. Mathew Arnold’s phrase for it was “sweetness and light”; meaning by “sweetness” appreciation for beauty in all its forms, and by “light” enlightened intelligence. He spoke of it as “a harmonious perfection, a perfection in which the characters of beauty and intelligence are both present”. He spoke too, of culture’s ideal of human perfection as “an inward spiritual activity, having for its characters increased sweetness, increased light, increased life, increased sympathy”. He described the opposite of culture as “intellectual mediocrity, vulgarity of manners, superficial spirit, lack of general intelligence”; and these are found sometimes in people supposed to be educated!

“Culture”, another writer has said, “means an all round and harmonious development of personality. We have a harmonious and perfected personality when all the faculties of man, intellectual, aesthetic, moral and religious, are adequately developed and refined, and none of these are made to starve”. It is also a continuous growth: “not a having and a resting, but a growing and becoming” as Arnold said: “it is study of harmonious perfection, perfection which consists in becoming something rather than in having something, in an inward condition of mind and spirit, not in outward circumstances”.

Mathew Arnold’s recipe for culture is “contact with the best that has been said and thought in the world”. Or as he has put it more fully: culture is “a pursuit of our total perfection by means of getting to know, on all the matters which most concern us, the best which has been thought and said in the world”. This will mean wide and thoughtful reading; for the best that has been thought and said in the world is enshrined for us in books, which are what Ruskin called them, “Kings’ Treasuries” of wisdom and knowledge. How can reading the best books give us culture? Because it brings us into close contact with the minds and souls of the cultured men who wrote them. As we read the best they thought and said, we enter into their thoughts and feelings-into their minds and hearts. We come under the purifying and uplifting influence of highly cultured personalities; and such close contact will result in our gaining something of their lofty culture.

LIFE INSURANCE

LIFE INSURANCE

Outline:

1.     The wisdom and duty of insuring one’s life.

2.     Life insurance explained.

3.     How life insurance companies can meet claims and make a profit.

Life insurance is a very useful method to provide for one’s own old age, or for one’s family in case of premature death. It is wise for everyone to insure his life; but it is certainly the duty of a married man who depends upon his daily work for his income. For if anything happens to him before he has been able to save enough to keep his family in comfort, those he loves best in the world may be left to starve.

How does the system of life insurance work? An insurance company, in return for certain monthly or yearly payments (called “premiums”) for a certain number of years, undertakes to pay you, at the end of the period fixed, a certain agreed upon sum of money, or to pay the same amount to your wife or family on your death, if that occurs before the term is up. For example a young man of, say, thirty years of age, can insure his life for Rs.10,,, to be paid to him when he is sixty years, old or to his family if he dies before he reaches that age. The bargain between him and the company looks, at first sight, something like a bet; for the length of his life and the date of his death are quite unknown. If he lives to be sixty, the company gains, because Rs.10,000; and the company will in the meantime have made a profit on the money by investing it. On the other hand, if he dies soon after he has taken out the policy, the company loses; for it has to pay his family Rs.10,000 while it has received only a few years premiums, perhaps only a few hundred rupees.

This being so, how can an insurance company carry on its business and make a profit? Because insurance business is based upon very careful mathematical calculations of the average number of yearly deaths in a certain population, and the average expectation of life at any give age. Of course no one knows how long any particular man will live or when he will die; but carefully collected statistics do show what percentage of the populations dies every year, and how long, on a fairly safe average can be struck; and the premiums to be paid in, and the policies to be paid out, can be so balanced over a period of years that the company can make a profit, and yet be able to meet all claims as they arise. 

METHOD IN WORK

METHOD IN WORK

Outline:

1.     Method in work necessary for accomplishing anything.

2.     Method in studies: lack of method spells failure.       

3.     Methodical study spells success.

Some people seem to be always busy, and yet never seem to accomplish anything. They are capable, and they really work hard, and yet they have little to show for all their work. Their failure is probably due to lack of method in their work. Method in work means a certain wise orderliness in doing the work. It is working according to some plan which experience has proved to be sound. It involves mapping out our time, taking things in their turn, finishing one job before we tackle another. As one writer well says; “The habit of method is essential to all who have much work to do, if they would get through it easily and with economy of time”. Now really satisfactory work can be accomplished in a haphazard way. Lack of method spells worry, overwork, waste of time, inefficiency, and often failure.

For a student, method in study is very important. Lazy students who take it easy in their first year at college, get hopelessly behind with their work, and at last have to take to feverish cramming as the examination approaches. As a result of this lack of methodical work from the start, they generally fail. On the other hand, there are over-eager and impatient students, who want to run before they have learnt to walk. Instead of doing each day’s work thoroughly as it comes, they rush on to the more advanced parts of their subjects, only muddling their minds for their pains.

The wise students will contact himself with thoroughly mastering each day’s work as it comes. A wise system of work, which I used to recommend to my own students, is this. Prepare for the next day’s lectures the night before, give your whole mind to the lectures in the class-room the following day; the same evening, before you turn to the lectures to be given tomorrow, revise the work done in the class-room in the morning. In preparing for the next day’s lectures, you begin to drive the nail in; in the class-room the nail in driven home; by your revisal of the lectures same evening, the nail is clinched. A student who works methodically in this way will master his subjects step by step. When the time for final preparation for the examination comes, his revision will consist simply of refreshing his memory about things already thoroughly learnt.

“A place for everything, and everything in its place,” and “time for every job, and every job at its right time” that is the methods. 

EXHIBITIONS

Outline:

1.     The first great international exhibition in 1851.

2.     Many great exhibitions since then.

3.     Such exhibitions promote friendly international feeling.

4.     A great aid to trade and commerce.

5.     Promote and make known new inventions for manufactures.

6.     Their educational value.

The first great international exhibition was held in London in 1851. Prince Albert the husband of Queen Victoria was the moving spirit in organizing it, and it was opened by the Queen herself in person. It was housed in a building made entirely of glass and iron, called the Crystal Palace. The exhibition was a great success and drew exhibits and people from all parts of the world. Some optimistic people saw in it the beginning of an era of international peace; for they could not believe that the nations that joined in promoting so grand a project could ever quarrel again. Their hopes, alas! were soon dashed; for only three years after, the Crimean war broke out.

Many great exhibitions have been held since then-in London, Paris, Vienna, Edinburgh, Manchester, Chicago, and other places. A great Empire Exhibition was held at Wembley in 1924; and in 1938 one of the biggest ever held was at Glasgow, and was visited by fourteen million people.   

Although exhibitions evidently cannot prevent war, they do undoubtedly help to promote friendly relations among nations. Exhibits are sent from all countries, and visitors come from all parts of organize together, and meet in friendly intercourse, as they do at such time, without getting more knowledge of and sympathy with, one another’s customs and ways of thinking.

Moreover exhibitions do much to spread trade and commerce. They bring together samples of the product of different countries, from which merchants can learn where they can buy and sell to the best advantage. Exhibitions are great advertising agencies.

Perhaps the object and use of such exhibitions is the promotion of manufactures, and encouragement of new inventions and improved methods. Manufacturers from all parts of the world can see at an exhibition all the latest machines, and methods and processes of manufacture. Prizes, also, are offered to stimulate inventions, and create a healthy rivalry in excellence of workmanship.

Exhibitions have also an educational value; for besides exhibits of the products of different countries, an exhibitions generally contains collections of pictures and works of art; curiosities of all kinds, and model village and streets representing the life and customs of different nations. School teachers take their classes to an exhibition to show and explain to them many things that cannot so well be learnt from books.

So exhibitions have done much to help trade and education, and promote the international spirit. 

SAVINGS BANKS: THEIR ADVANTAGES

SAVINGS BANKS: THEIR ADVANTAGES

Outline:

1.     The necessity of saving for old age.

2.     Saving means self-denial.

3.     How savings-banks help us to save.

4.     The need for system in spending in order to save.

“Did youth but know what age would crave,

Many a penny youth would save.”

This is the motto carve din stove above the entrance door of a Savings-Bank in Leeds. When we are young, it is hard to imagine what we shall feel like, and what we shall want, when we are old. But if we could, we should be careful, while we are able to work and earn money, to put something away for our old age. To save requires imagination; thrift means foresight.

Thrift also means self-denial. Our natural inclination is to satisfy our present wants and indulge every passing desire. People with unlimited incomes may afford to do this; but they are very few. The incomes of most of us are very limited and, unless we are very firm with ourselves, we shall spend all we earn as we get it. It takes a good deal of strength of will to deny ourselves things we badly want now, in order to save up for a rainy day.

Savings-banks are established to encourage us to provide for sickness and old age. They do this, first, by keeping our money safe for us. To keep large sums of money in the house is risky; but a bank is well-guarded, and will not lose our money. Secondly, it rewards us for saving by giving us interest on the money it borrows from us. If you keep Rs.1000 in a drawer, and do not touch it, it will be only Rs.100 at the end of ten years; but if you put it into a savings bank at 4 per cent, interest and leave it there, at the end of ten years it will have grown to about Rs.150. Lastly, if you keep your money in the house, you will be tempted to spend it. When you want something very much, it is so easy to go to your desk and take money out of your savings, promising yourself to put it back later. More often than not, you do not put it back; and your savings gradually disappear. But if your savings are in a bank, you will think twice before you draw any out. There is, too, a certain pride in watching your bank account grow; and this helps you to make still greater efforts to save more.

If you want to save, you must have some system in the management of your monthly income. First, buy the necessaries of life, such as food, clothing, fuel, shelter. Next, put away all you can spare as savings. Last, if there is anything over, you may spend something on luxuries. But always make sure of the savings first. 

CO-OPERATIVE CREDIT

CO-OPERATIVE CREDIT

Outline:

1.     The meaning of credit.

2.     The meaning of co-operation.

3.     The principle and object of a co-operative credit society.

4.     What Pakistani Co-operative Credit Societies are doing.

What is co-operative credit? Well let us first look at the meaning of these two words. What is “credit”? It means, literally, trust or belief; as one I say, “I do not give any credit to that rumor,” meaning, I do not believe. It means that same thing in business. To sell “on credit” means to sell on trust-that is, not for immediate payment will be made in the future. In a business sense, a man is said to “have credit” when he can be trusted to be able and willing to pay what he owes at the proper time. If you want a loan from a bank, you will not get it unless you “have credit”. The bank must be sure that you can and will repay the loan when the time due comes. Even then a bank will want some kind of security as well in the shape, either of property, or of the promise of another man that he will repay the loan if you do not.

Now a poor farmer has not as a rule, enough “credit” to get a loan from an ordinary bank. He may be an honest man; but he has not enough property to give the security the bank demand. The bank may know he is willing to repay the loan, but it is not sure that he will be able to pay. Here is where co-operation comes in. When ten men reap a field together they are “co-operating”. So a “co-operative credit society” is a mutual help society, the members of which join together to help one another.

The way they help one another is a co-operative credit society is by joining their single individual credits together, so that the united credit of the whole society may be sufficient to make it worthwhile for a bank to advance loans to the society. A bank will not do business with a single poor farmer; but it will do business with a united body of poor farmers. This is the principle of the co-operative credit societies which are doing so much in Pakistani to relieve Pakistan farmers from debt, and to supply them with capital to work their farm.

The Government passed the Co-operative Credit Societies Act 1904. Since then, village banks or co-operative credit societies have been established all over sub-continent. Immense good has been done. The burden of agricultural indebtedness has been lifted. Old debts to money-lenders have been paid off, and much land redeemed from mortgage. And, most off and much land redeemed from mortgage. And, most important of all, the people have been learning habits of thrift, punctuality, mutual self-help and hopeful industry. 

“THE DOGS BARK, BUT THE CARVAN GOES ON”

“THE DOGS BARK, BUT THE CARVAN GOES ON”

Outline:

1.     A picture.

2.     A Statesman who carries out a wise policy in spite of criticism.

3.     A lesson for us; a Scottish motto.

4.     When we should ignore talk and criticism.

Can you see the picture? The long line of stately camel marching with silent even pace along the road, one steadily following the other. As they pass through a village, the village dongs rush out barking and yelping. What a noise and hubbub! But the haughty camels march on unmoved, with their heads in the air, taking not the slightest notice of the yelping dogs might not be there at all. “The dogs bark, but the caravan goes on”.

This is said to have been a favorite proverb with Mr. Asquith, formerly Prime Minister of England. And you can imagine some great statesman working out some great scheme for his country’s good. He knows what he is aiming at, and has carefully made his plans; and has carefully made his plans’ and having once made up his mind, he goes steadily forward, carrying out his wise policy. But he is surrounded with critics, who attack his policy in the press, in public meetings, in Parliament. Some men would be upset by these attacks. They would hesitate, or become afraid to go on with their schemes, or lose their tempers and get angry with their noisy critics. But our statesman takes no notice of them. He lets them talk and criticize and abuse him as much as they like; he does not alter his plans but goes on steadily with them until he has carried out his policy successfully. “The dogs barks, but the caravan goes on.”

We ordinary people, too, many learn a lesson from the camels. A Scottish family has its motto: “They say! What say they? Let them say!” That is never mind what people say about you, so long as your conscience is clear. Professor Jowett of Oxford used to say; “Never explain yourself; never apologize; just go on, and let them howl.”

Of course a wise man will welcome criticism, and ever be willing to learn by it. A stupid, stubborn obstinacy in the face of criticism and advice is the attitude of a fool. But that is not what is meant here. What is mean is that when one is quite clear in one’s own mind as to the wisdom and rightness of a certain line of conduct, one must be brave enough to ignore ignorant criticism and face unreasonable opposition. And one must learn to do this calmly, good humouredly and without losing one’s temper. Let the dogs bark; you go on in the path you have chosen.  

COMMERCE AS A MEANS OF SPEARDING CIVILIZATION

COMMERCE AS A MEANS OF SPREADING CIVILIZATION

Outline:

1.     The spread of ancient Egyptian Egean civilization by commerce.

2.     The East India Company and India.

3.     The opening up of Africa and Japan.

4.     The evils connected with spread of civilization by trade.

5.     Missions, and sometimes conquest, less objectionable.

Civilization has been carried from one country to another by conquest and religious missions; but perhaps mostly by commerce. In ancient times, it was, probably, Egyptian traders that brought civilization flourished 2000 years before Christ. Probably, trade, through the Phenonicians carried that civilization to Greece, and to all the lands round the Mediterranean Sea. It was not only Roman arms, but also Roman commerce, that civilized many barbarian nations under Roman sway; later, it was not only the military power, but also the commerce of the Arabs that brought eastern civilization to many lands, and to Europe.

In more modern times, it was trade which led to Portuguese, the Dutch, the French and the English to India and the East. The English came at first to India simply as traders, and it was their East India Company that introduced western civilization into India, Burma, Ceylon and the East Indies.

The opening up of Africa in the 19^th Century was due mainly to these forces; missionary effort, represented by Livingstone and Maffat; exploration, represented by Henry Stanley; and commerce, represented by merchants who went to Africa to make money by trading with the natives. Big trading companies were formed by Cecil Rhodes and other; and their operations helped to familiarize the Africans with the civilization of Europe. An entrance for the western civilization into Japan, also was first found by commerce. America was the first western country to make a trade treaty with Japan; and European traders soon followed.

Civilization, whether it was Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Arabic, or modern European, has no doubt been blessing to the savage and backward races it has reached. But it has many times brought a cource with it when it has introduced to savages the vices as well as the culture of the more civilized races. And this is the chief drawback connected with the spread of civilization by commerce; for traders do not act from philanthropic motives, but go to foreign lands simply to make money.

This is why the spread of civilization by missionary effort, or even in some cases by conquest, has been better than the spread of civilization by trade. Zealous missionaries whether of Buddhism, Islam or Christianity, have had a more truly civilizing effect on savage races than traders. And when the ancient Roman subdued a barbarous race, and admitted them to Roman citizenship. They probably did them less harm than some unscrupulous traders would have done. 

COLLEGE MAGAZINE AND THEIR USES

COLLEGE MAGAZINE AND THEIR USES

Outline:

1.     A good college magazine:- (a) Encourages composition and authorship. (b) faster expertise corps (c) Keeps former students interested in the old college.  

2.     Necessity of careful editing.

Most colleges have their own magazines, edited by one of the students or a member of the staff, and made up of articles written mainly by the students themselves. They may be good, bad or indifferent: but a good college magazine may serve several useful purposes.

First a college magazine encourages the students to practice writing by affording opportunities to budding authors to see their compositions printed. A young man who will take little interest in doing a set of composition exercises in class, will put forth his best efforts when he knows that his composition will appear in print. It gives him a real thrill to see something that he was written appearing as an article in a printed magazine. To bring forth the best efforts, prizes are sometimes offered for the best articles.

Next, a college magazine, well edited, helps to foster what is called espirt decorps or college patriotism., It can be made to help the college students to realize that they are a united body, however diverse may be their individual tastes and occupations. It should, moreover, teach them to be proud of their college, loyal to its best interests, and anxious to uphold its best tradition.

The college magazine, further, may serve as a link between the present students and “the old boys” and help to keep the latter in touch with their old college. As farmer students reads the college news month by months, they will feel again something of old pride in their place where they got their education and their interest in it will be maintained. Sometimes it has been the college magazine that has led to the starting of an “old boys’ association”, which gives monetary help to the college. If a college has no magazine, these “old boys”, scattered about the country and absorbed in their own occupations, are liable to forget their college, and lose interest in its welfare.

To serve all these useful purposes well, a college magazine must be carefully edited. Too often such magazines do more harm than good, or are at best very poor productions, simply because the editor does not take his work seriously. The editor should raise the standard of the magazine by refusing all badly written contributions, and any that are silly, in bad taste, or objectionable on other grounds. Better no magazine at all than a worthless and silly production. 

IS GENERAL DISARMAMENT PRACTICABLE?

IS GENERAL DISARMAMENT PRACTICABLE?

Outline:

1.     The present armament race, and danger of war.

2.     Yet nobody wants to go to war.

3.     It is fear and distrust that is the cause of the armament race.

4.     Nothing will make general disarmament possible but a change of heart.

When the first Great War ended in 1918, all were agreed that such a disaster must never be allowed to fall on the world again. The League of Nations was, formed to prevent it; and in 1928 many nations signed the Kellogg Pact, solemnly promising never to resort to war to settle international disputes. Conferences were held to arrange a reduction of armaments, and even the abolishing of armaments together, England even set an example of partially disarming, at great risk to herself. But she was not followed by other nations; and the old, vicious arms race began again. How does the world stand today? Two wars are actually raging, one in the West and one in the East. The nations are once more armed to the teeth. Europe is again an armed camp; and only this year it was on the very brink of another world war.

And yet the curious thing is that nobody wants war. The crisis of September 1938 revealed that the people of all the nations concerned, of Germany and Italy as much as of England and France, were deadly against war. Even the most warlike national leaders protest they do not want to go to war; and robbery, whatever their motives, they are sincere in this. Yet the armament race goes on at an accelerated speed. Why?

The answer is Fear, mutual distrust, suspicion and fear. No nation wants to fight, nor means to attack; but each nation fears that the others do. So all must be prepared, and the mad race in armaments; and, in their turn, increasing armaments cause greater distrust and fear of one another. It is a vicious circle; fear drive nations to increase their armaments and the increase of armaments raises fear to panic. The very existence of huge armaments in the hands of nations with fear and distrust of one another in their hearts, must end in war.

Is there no way out of this desperate muddle? So long as nations and their governments distrust and fear on one another there is no way out. General disarmament is quite impracticable. To make anything like general disarmament possible, the only way to get rid of that mutual fear and distrust that is the root cause of the piling up of weapons of destruction. Nothing else will do it. All that is wanted is goodwill among nations-goodwill, understanding, tolerance, trust, cooperation, friendliness. It is change of heart on the part of all that we want. If that could be brought about, then there would be no meaning in big guns, bombing planes, huge navies, trained armies, poison gas, and all the diabolical weapons of modern scientific warfare. When that change of heart comes about, then and only then, will general disarmament be practicable. 

Manual Training

Manual Training

Outline:

1.     Meaning of manual training.

2.  The object of manual training is to make the movements of the hands automatic.

3.     For example, learning to type.

4.     This accomplished by constant practice.

5.     Manual training in social education.

The word “manual” comes from the Latin words for a “hand” manus. Manual works in hand work, and a manual worker is one who works with his hands. So manual training is “hand-training”, training a person to use his hands rightly in a particular kind of work.

Manual training consists mainly in constant practice, or the repeating over and over again of certain movements of the hands until they become what we call automatic. When we first begin to learn any manual work (such as carpentry, carving, spinning, weaving, typewriting, sewing, knitting, and so on), we have to think carefully of every movement, and do it with careful and conscious attention. And at that stage our hands are clumsy and awkward, and do not answer quickly to the orders of the brain. In consequence, the work is slow, and mistakes are many.

For example , watch a person learning to type. He has to remember where they key for each letter is on the machine and carefully pick it out, then strike it properly. Consequently he types very slowly; and sometimes his memory fails him and he gets confused and touches the wrong key. But constant practice teaches his hands to answer immediately to the direction of his brain, and he knows, without thinking, where each letter-key is, and his fingers find it promptly, accurately and without conscious direction. The work has become automatic, and the typist can type a letter correctly and at great speed.

All manual training must of course begin with careful instruction by precept and example. The learner has to know what his tools are for and how to handle them properly. But once this is learnt, the rest is all practice. In nothing more than in manual training is the old maxim true, “Practice makes perfect”. The workman must practice until he becomes dexterous, a word that comes from the Latin word dexter, the “right hand”. Dexterity means literally “right handedness”, and so comes to means manual skill, because people generally use their right hand for doing work rather than their left. 

Manual training of some sort should form a regular p[art of school education, which is generally too abstract and literary. Children should learn such crafts as carpentry, woodcarving, metal-work, knitting and sewing, as well as the three R’s-reading, writing and arithmetic. For manual work is also mental work, and trains the head as well as the hand. 

GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES

GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES

Outline:

1.     Hercules and the carter.

2.     Men who rose by self-help.

3.     William Quarrier, founder of Quarrier’s Homes.

(a)  His childhood of poverty. (b) His early vow. (c) His success in business. (d) The fulfillment of his vow.

Every child knows the old fable of the carter whose wagon stuck in the mud, and who prayed to Hercules, the god of strength, to get it out for him. Hercules answered the prayer with, “Put your own should to the wheel, man!” The carter took the advice, and he and his bullocks got the wagon out of the rut.

There are in real life many better illustrations of the truth of the saying, “God helps those who helps themselves.” There are many inspiring life-stories of men who by their own unaided efforts fought their way up from poverty and hardship to success and fame. It was their own pluck, patience, perseverance and industry that in the end made them the men they became.

Take the story of William Quarrier, the founder of a great orphanage near Glasgow, that has rescued thousands of poor orphan child and started them in life. William Quarrier was born in 1829. His father died when Willie was only a few months old, leaving his widow and three little children. Those were hard days of grinding poverty. Willie never went to school. At six he was earning a shilling a week at pin-making: and he was apprenticed to a shoemaker when he was only seven.

It was at the time that he made the great resolve of his life. One night he crept out of his poverty-stricken home, where the family had scarcely and food for thirty-six hours. He was too proud to beg; but as he stood by a lamppost, he wistfully hoped that some kind soul would see his poverty and help. But none did. In his childish bitterness he vowed that, when he was a man and had money of his own, he would help poor and hungry bairns.

He kept his vow. As a lad, he worked hard at his shoe-making, educating himself in his spare time. He became the support of the family. When he was twenty-three, he set up a business of his own. His business prospered. But his aim was not a to become a rich man, but to carry out his scheme for rescuing poor homeless children.

Quarrier was a deeply religious man, and he made his scheme a matter of prayer. He wanted £ 20,000 to start home for orphans. He made known his plan in the papers, and at once offers of money and help came in. He began by taking in three ragged bairns; but in a few years he had a home sheltering 200 homeless children. The work nearly 2,000 orphans, besides many other supplementary centers of become one of the wealthiest men in Glasgow; but he chose to devote his great business ability to higher ends.