THE DR. J. R. HOPKINS 
HELPER 
Dedicated to his men and co-Workers 
DR. J. R. HOPKINS ATLANTA, GA. 
ThE GEil^HAL LIBRARY THE UN!V2"3.VY OF GE0^ 
ATi-:r_":: 
PRINTED BY THK FOOTE ft DAVIES CO. 
ATLANTA. OAa 
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, In the office of the Librarian of Congress, 
at Washington, D. C., 
In the year 1908, 
by DR. J. R. HOPKIXS, Atlanta, Georgia. 
 
 Preface 
T O MY MEN AND Co-WORKERS: THE HELPER is the outcome of letters and lectures or talks to my men. I have reproduced the letters and lectures in THE HELPER and tried to help, encourage and cause action in each man, and produce some good thoughts and deeds in him. I have endeavored to write something worthy of the many good men I have and to whom I have dedicated it. 
I hope each may find in its pages some good lesson that indeed will be a helper. 
I know, away deep down in my heart, I want to help my men to make a success, and often have I studied day and night trying to think out a plan to help, to encourage and stimulate a man to action, to get him to see" the future as it should be with him, to get him to look often into the future one year, then five years ahead, and then let him say: "I will meet it and realize it, I will look and see it now." 
I hope THE HELPER will be worth reading more than once. I think if you read it often you will see and realize, in it, great good and profit to you. 
To any one who by accident or otherwise, 
7 
THE GENERAL LIBRARY 
THE uw*p,r; OF QEORG 
ii-ORG/A 
 
 reads THE HELPER and thinks and figures, and who would like to catch some point that would help or encourage him, be he rich or poor, learned or unlearned, I hope that he may be pleased and benefited. I want to say here and now, to all men that may come across THE HELPER Book, bear in mind and do not forget it, in justice to my literary friends, I say, THE HELPER is not a literary book in any way, does not claim in the least possible way to be a liter ary book, and I beg you not to figure on THE HELPER in that direction. You would do me great injustice, and also do yourself injustice and harm. I ask you to judge THE HELPER through and through, from beginning to end, on its merits. 
8 
 
 The Publishers Letter 
IN" presenting THE DB. J. R. HOPXINS HEUPER No. 1, we do so for the convenience of some salesmen and saleswomen who prefer to sell only one book. It has 336 pages and is beautifully illustrated. It is a forerunner of THE DR. J. R. HOPKINS HELPEB in three vol umes. This No. 1 HELPER is taken from the three volumes of 900 pages. Tou need the three volumes and can write to the publishing company for them. 
THE DR. J. R. HOPKINS HEUER No. 1 con sists of letters and lectures to his men, after 
9 
36712 
 
 years of study and work and studying men and business year after year. He found many a point in man and in business that he knows to be good, because he used them and proved them to himself. 
The J. R. Hopkins Publishing Co. sees the value of them for all classes, if they can come in contact with THE HELPER. The stimulant from THE HELPER will induce many to succeed in life: will show many the calling and busi ness suitable to them. It will enable the man who rents a house to see how he can own a home, and he who rents a farm, to see how he can own one. It will aid to lift man higher in business, and in his profession. It will cause him to think more, and to carry himself up in knowledge in his own estimation. When a man has a high estimation of himself, then indeed, he has won a good point in his own favor, and the man that has done that, has taken the first step on the ladder of success, and is in position to climb higher. It will help the reader to see and know if he is in the job or trade for which he is made and suited. It teaches man to own and to possess. It con demns wrong-doing, laziness, ignorance, etc. It encourages men and boys in living a pure 
10 
 
 and untarnished life in the fear of God and thereby making a success of life. It is a lifter to all mankind. We rely on THE HELPERS merits only to meet all it claims. 
Read THE HELPER No. 1 through and we do not doubt your opinion. That it is truly and indeed a helper, and good for mankind. 
Write us for the agency. THE J. R. HOPKINS PUBLISHING Co., Atlanta, Ga. 
11 
 
 Index. 
PAGE 
Introductory . . ................... 17 Leaving the Old Home (.Illustrated) .......... 26 Traveling Hellward (Illustrated) ........... 31 Was It Your Boy? (Illustrated) ............ 35 To the Man Without a Home .............. 40 A Fair Question (Illustrated) ............. 43 Your Motto ...................... 47 The Sale of Denmark the 2nd (Illustrated) ....... 48 How Are You Building? (Illustrated) ......... 58 The Black Cat (Illustrated) .............. 66 The Key ........................ 70 Mr. Manager ..................... 71 A Wish and a Prayer................. 74 Get In Tune (Illustrated) ............... 76 Everything That Wears Hair Is Not a Horse ...... 78 To Be a Success or To Be a Failure .......... 80 The Architect ..................... 82 Unions . . . ..................... 83 A $2,000.00 Hog (Illustrated) ............. 85 Repeating ....................... 87 You Dont Need Them (Illustrated) .......... 89 The Politician ..................... 90 To the Young Man Critic ............... 94 How Rev. Mr. Walker Missed Kis Calling (Illustrated) 96 Making a Dollar Grow ................ 103 Young Man: When You Marry ............ 106 Stick to Your Lodge and Unions (Illustrated) ..... 107 Mr. Father: Where Is Your Boy? ........... 108 Mr. Manufacturer, Do You Know ............ 109 Your Road ....................... 112 Do Yon Swear? .................... 118 Plain Man ....................... 119 The Drummeit (Illustrated) .............. 120 The Lion In You (Illustrated) ............ 128 To the Wage-Earner (Illustrated) .......... 133 The Dog Show (Illustrated) .............. 140 Superintendent and Sunday-School (Illustrated) . . . 143 House Rent Due (Illustrate!) ........... .148 Examination (Illustrated) ............... 151 Let Your Light Shine (Illustrated) .......... 156 Behind the Curtain .................. 162 Three Feet Make a Yard, Sixteen Ounces Make a Pound; 
What Does It Take to Make a Man? (Illustrated) . 164 Memory of the Past (Illustrated) ........... 166 Leaders of the Church (Illustrated) ......... 172 The Empty Cradle (Illustrated) ........... 177 Keep Out of Debt ................... 180 Mother: Hear Me .................. 181 I Feel As If I Am Wasting My Time On You ...... 182 
12 
 
 PAQK 
 
Have You Shackles About You? (Illustrated) . . . ...184 
 
Two Kinds of Fishing (Illustrated) . ... ... . . . . .188 
 
Your Boy Has Advantages .................. 189 
 
"Whose Shoes Do You Wear? . . . ....... ... . . . ...192 
 
"Working Rich Land (Illustrated) ........... 194 
 
Live a Life and Love a Life .............. 197 
 
Looking Alike ..................... 201 
 
Plying a Kite ..................... 204 
 
The Assayer ...................... 207 
 
The Mother Bird Said: "Go, Make Your Career" (Il 
 
lustrated) ..................... 210 
 
How Far Down Did You Go Figuring? ......... 213 
 
Add Up Your Boy ................... 215 
 
Read the Lesson of the Sow and Her Pigs (Illustrated) . 218 
 
What Is the First- Thing Birds Do When They Marry? . 219 
 
Did You Buy a Book? ................. 222 
 
The Teacher ...................... 225 
 
Listen: The First Error Is .............. 229 
 
Wanted: A Man to Fill a |10,000.00 Position ..... 231 
 
Boy, The 
 
Have Dumb 
 
You Found Your Place? .......... Animals (Illustrated) ........... 
 
232 235 
 
Training a Young Man ................ 236 
 
Studying THE HELPER (Illustrated) ........... 242 
 
The Bell Is Tolling For You .............. 247 
 
Who Once 
 
Is Tommie? Clerk Now 
 
(Illustrated) ............ Owner ............... 
 
250 269 
 
Have You Your Ticket Ready? (Illustrated) ..... 274 
 
Do You Figure .................... 291 
 
The Lost Saeep .................... 295 
 
Pay Your Doctor ................... 301 
 
From Poverty to Success (Illustrated) ........ 303 
 
The Monkey Show (Illustrated) ........... 305 
 
My Hunting Dog (Illustrated) ............ 309 
 
The Value of a Book (Illustrated) .......... 315 
 
Writing to Mother .................. 320 
 
Are You Striped? (Illustrated) ............ 325 
 
What Do The Clerks In Small Towns, Do At Night? 
 
(Illustrated) ................... 328 
 
Drop Me a Letter ................... 334 
 
I Am Before You, Judge Me .............. 385 
 
13 
 
  "8. T *a<I 
 
  TWENTY-FIVE years of handling men and money enable me to give you some advice and some points that will, if carried out, help you make a success in life and in business. 
Let me call your attention to this fact; most men neglect to select a calling, fail to choose a business, fail to enter into a calling or a busi ness as their lifes work. So they go on just as an ordinary laborer, drawing their weeks pay and not caring or thinking to build up their knowledge, not caring for the work, but only the pay they get. What a fearful mis take! 
Suppose you make up your mind to follow some one of the five special lines mentioned in THE HELPER. Not that either is better than some other lines that are not mentioned, but you need to decide and commence a lifes work, your work. I will give the head lines of the five kinds that I follow and you can consider them along with other lines of business that you figure on. The individual banking business or money broker, the mercantile business in its 
17 
 
 many distinct lines, the proprietary medicine business, or manufacture of chemicals for me dicinal use, the real estate and investment busi ness, the publishing business, in its different lines. In making a choice for yourself, it is not what you choose so much, as what you will do with it after choosing. But recollect, you must choose in keeping with yourself, with your qualities and capacity. You must love the work and study and know it in order to make a success. If you have in you the de sire and the elements and love for farming, you will be foolish to try to follow some other line. If you feel you are cut out for a lawyer or teacher, be one; and so on, get in your place and fill it. Any line or any profession that you fit is the one for you to choose and the best one for you. 
The Individual Banking Business or Money Broker. The work is a great educator. The work in this line is to handle a man and a dol lar, and there is nothing so big as man and nothing so hard to handle; and a dollar is hard to catch and to hold; but if you know how, you can handle both man and a dollar. Most every one borrows money at some time, and a great many borrow and get advances in 
18 
 
 money all through the better portion of their business career. It pays to lend money. It also pays to borrow money, if you know how to use it and how to pay it back promptly. Money is high or low, just as the supply and demand is; if plentiful, the interest rate is low; if scarce, it is high, and is still higher, if the security is worthless. The less security a person has, the higher he must pay to get it. Some people have neither property security nor moral security. When that is the case, they are not entitled to be trusted for a loan of money at any rate of interest. 
The Mercantile Business is good and there is nothing better. You handle the man and the dollar, and what the dollar will buy, goods, merchandise of all kinds and all grades, and the field is good and ripe for you or any man, who knows the business and can do it well. Many fail and many get rich in this line of business. 
The Real Estate and Investment Business. Great is this line of business. It is carried or in every clime, everywhere, wherever man dwells. It is high or low, according to popu lation. The more congested the population, the higher the price per front foot or per acre;, 
19 
 
 and very rarely the price ever falls in value, and when it does, it is usually for only a short time. The man who knows the business well and loves it need not fear his success; he can make it. Renting and loans often go directly in this line, and often fire insurance goes along under the class of Real Estate and Investment Business. Like all other lines, millions have been lost, by overstepping the bounds of good judgment and common sense, by taking too much risk and on too short a time. Those who have lost in this way, thought they could meet the payments, but the time was too quick and the opportunity was not ripe to make the risk. So the deal went back to the original owner, and the real estate man who took too great a risk, lost all he paid on the property and he fell through. 
Xow, I call your attention to the Proprie tary Medicine Business, or manufacture of chemicals for medicinal use. I will say, this line of business is by far the hardest of the five lines. I call your attention to the fact, that a preparation is difficult to formulate and make so as to fill the place you want it to fill, to make it so as not to hurt, but cure. It is made for the other fellow, not so much for the 
20 
 
 owner, the proprietor to use, but all good medicine men use their own medicine. Men often see a fortune in this line, they think; but few realize it. Probably one man out of a thousand makes a success and realizes a for tune in this line of business. 
The Publishing Business in its different lines and in the printing of books and maga zines, and newspaper business. The pub lisher is a man who is broad in his views, be cause he comes in contact with broad-minded men and women, men who write and think, men and women who study their work and their capacity for writing something that will catch the eyes and hearts of those who read and come in contact with what they have written. They write on many subjects, and about many countries. There are many in the writing line, this calling or business. Now dont you forget the Publisher comes in contact with some of the biggest fools on earth. He often finds a writer, who thinks there is nothing like what he has written and nothing so new and so good. Well, that is often the case and very often these same writers present writings that are not worth reading or pub lishing, nor are worth the paper on which they 
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 are printed. If you manage this business well, you can make it pay well. Some do it for profit, some do it for pleasure, some do it for the good of man. The world owes a very large debt to men and women of literary and scientific mind, a gratitude that they can never pay. What would you have done without your books and what to-day would you do without the newspapers, and magazines and books? 
In all lines, you will find men falling by the wayside, also you find them failing, dropping out, unable to fill the bill, unable to make a success, because they did not prepare well to make a success. 
 
 YOUNG MAN : Recollect that you are a man and that you can make a record as well as the horse that was trained daily by the trainer to make a saddle horse, or race horse, or a plow or buggy horse. You need to train yourself. You need only training and that is with you. Study, read, think and work and do, and you will accomplish what you want to do, what you seek to do. You believe and you know that God made you and gave you the same chance and the same sun and the same day and the same night, that he did your friend and your neighbor, and to those who did make a success and those who refused and made a failure. 
You say you have not made a success so far. Have you tried the thing that you are fitted for? You say you do not know what you are fitted for, what is in keeping with your ideas. Have you looked for the thing, and thought what would be best for you ? If not, the lack 
23 
 
 of success is your fault. It is up to you to look for it, to find it. 
^^^ 
The ways of the lazy man are hard, and his path is not the path of the good man, the in dustrious man. He does not own, he does not produce and accumulate. You never hear of his leading any enterprise to success. God gives him free air, and he manages to take it in, but when he speaks it out again, it is no good, and it suggests nothing. He receives all things that are free. Study and know if you are lazy. Success you need, and ought to possess, but if you are lazy, it will kiss you good-bye on sight. 
Man: I am talking as straight as I well can, this far off from you. I am in this book trying to point you to figuring, to thinking, to acting for your good. You will help me to do this, if you will read the book more than once. You can not get close to me, nor I to you, un- 
24 
 
 less you study it and read it, wishing to get help. The question, all through the book, is you and your success or your failure, and you are important and I hope you are interested in yourself enough to study and read the book. Do not do it for me, but for yourself. 
25 
 
 YOUNG man, when you leave your farm to go to the city, and you kiss your mother goodbye, recollect; you kiss the dearest object oh earth and one who will ever stand by you, whether your deeds be good or bad. She and only she, will excuse and forgive you for all your mean ness, if you have it in your soul. But rec ollect that while she will do so, it pains her heart so much that she almost dies with grief, when you do wrong. After you stay away and forget or neglect to write her, oh! how anxious she gets. She thinks you are sick or something has happened to you and that you will not tell her. She thinks you have forgotten her. In handling men, I often have 
26 
 
 the mother or father to write me and ask how their boy is doing; if he is well; that they have not heard from Tiim in some time. I answer, "he is well and I hope that he is studying and getting ready for lifes work and success." 
Young man, when you neglect yourmother, when you forget your mother, recollect you have turned your back on the best friend on earth, the only friend that would risk all for you and not complain; hear the words: not complain; and the only one that would forgive you without asking, "will you do it again?" She will not ask you to promise anything, but takes you in her arms and gives you a kiss, as no one else could or would do. Her great mother heart will give you forgiveness and without a promise, without any sacrifice; she will give the dear, sweet kiss and hug and cry aloud, "Oh! my boy, my boy." 
Write your mother often in life, and in youth and old age. Never, never, delay or for get, but write and tell her all, and the truth, the whole truth, withholding nothing, whether it be good or evil. I pledge my word so far as I know a mother and human nature, you will be safe and greatly benefited to confide in her all, all, let it be good or bad; tell mother all. 
* 27 
 
 If you live one hundred years, how can you repaj her for what she has done for you? 
Wont you make all you can out oi your self, for your dear mothers sake, and for the sake of the prayers that she, in your youth, sent up to God, that you would be a good man, and make a name worthy of him who said, "Let little children come unto me and forbid them not." 
f * s*j-f-^t^r & ^ ^^^l 
 
 I am writing you, man, as plainly as I can. I am trying to be plain, and put my thoughts down, so you can fully understand, and go along with ease with me, and recollect any good, I may say. May I be able to sow good seed in you, and may you cultivate it to your profit. 
You have found out that the subject in this book is you, and success; now if you are not satisfied with the subject, it is useless for you to read further, expecting to find some other subject. You will not, if you do not like it, lay THE HELPER down. If you and success will not mix together, then drop this book. A fool will not mix with this book, which was not made for him. 
You may be a slave to your faults, you may have but one big one. Do you know which one it is ? You have one or more; look it up, and see about it before it carries vou to ruin. 
 
 Young man, it is in you to make a success in life. You do it. THE HELPER knows you can and believes in you and expects you to win and succeed in whatever you undertake in life. There is nothing that can possibly interfere and keep you from winning, from doing right what you want tc do, what you want to gain in business, in profession, in trade. Shake hands with THE HELPER, young man, for your own success, and may you and THE HELPER meet often. Start out to write to THE HELPER when you win. 
Mr, Clerk, you can get your merchant to keep your earnings, your savings; or the savings bank will do so. Each will pay you four or five per cent. It is not so much the per cent, that you get, but it is the great lesson you learn, to save a little out of your weekly earn ings. It teaches you to have will power, when you undertake to lay up, and if you continue to do so, then you accumulate, and your will power grows and your cash grows. 
 
t/ 
 
S) ^^ * C^ 
 
 YOUNGr MAX: Which way are you headed? You look and see. Some men are hellward bound, going each day that way, that road. Have you stopped and examined the way you are traveling, the road in the day and the road at night ? Some young men would rather stop and hold up in the day, till night comes on and they go their night road. You know the road I am talking about. Some, who travel at night, remind me of the mink or opossum, who lie up in the daytime and go at night and their night work is bad and damaging. 
31 
 
 The mink and the opossum can destroy more chickens in one night, for the farmer, than he can raise and grow to eating size in six months. Some young men can do more harm to themselves in one night, by high liv ing and rowdyism, than they can rebuild in themselves in six months. He travels hellward at night and if he continues, he will soon be going hellward, not only at night, but in the day also. 
All I ask of you is to examine yourself and see how you are traveling. 
32 
 
 There are many young men with brain, wait ing for something to turn up. Young man, you are a fool. You can turn up something that will suit you, if you will. But if you wait for some one else to turn up something, it will not suit you and you will fail, if you tackle it. 
Read THE HELPER more than once. I do not wish you to misunderstand me. You will know my meaning better by reading more than once. Again, you must recollect that your mind, part of the time while you are reading, runs off and takes in something else and at that very moment you lose the point I wished you to catch. 
Give me your full attention, before you give yourfull opinion on THE HELPER. I am try ing to let you see yourself in a different light, and I hope the seeing will be realizing divi dends. May you be able to clip coupons yearly from THE HELPER, 
33 
 
 You know if you fail, when the calf is young, to give it proper food and nourishment, you will raise a stunted calf. So it is with a boy. If you fail to give proper food for the body and brain, you raise a runt, you stunt him in vouth. 
MR. MAX : Do you believe in knowledge or not? Do you believe in knowing something? Do you believe that a may with a cultivated brain has advantage over the man who has not a cultivated brain 1? Do you believe that it pays to know how to read and spell and to fig ure ? Do you believe it pays to read and keep up with what others are doing? Mr. Man, which had you rather put in the hands of your boy, a good book, or a sorry cow, or a plug horse ? Will you figure some on that proposi tion? You must recollect; we are figuring all along, as we travel down THE HELPERS road together. 
 
 MR. Father, was it your boy? He asked his father what must he do when he got there, what kind of job must he get. The father says, * Son, take anything you can get, so it is a job." The father had not trained him for any kind of a job, had not been teaching him on any land of position, and the son had not studied, and tried to find out 
35 
TH;I GC/.'SJiAL LIBRARY 
THE UN;,,": :;W OP GEORGIA 
ATHEPJS, GEORGIA 
 
 what kind of a position he could fill, or wanted. His father says, "Take anything," and so he goes up and down hunting a job, nothing spe cial, but a job. 
Father! Son! Hear me, and study, as you read, and it will not hurt you to read and re read. You failed to prepare or to study any one thing, to know any one thing; you went un prepared to look for a definite job, a definite position. Listen, father! You did better by your bird dog than you did for your son. When you went out into the field hunting birds, with a pup one year old, you told the pup you were going to train him to find birds. You took him out, and when the bird dog ran a rabbit, or hog, you said, "Come back, you fool, let that rabbit go. We are after birds, quail, not rabbits, not hogs," and the dog came back. Day after day you went out with him, and trained the dog for a job, for a call ing, for lifes work, and you did take great pains with him, and you did train him to hunt birds and to find them, and petted him, and patted him on the head, and said, "Good dog, you did well, you are all O. K.; you know what you can do, what you are good for, and T taught you, and taught you well; yon are my 
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 dog, now two years old, but we go in next month to the meet, to the bird hunt, and I count on your taking the blue ribbon." 
You did go, your dog did take the prize, and won the cup, and was written up in good daily papers, that told how the dog owned by Mr. So and So, took the prize. He was written up all over the country. What a valuable dog! I compliment the dog for his success, and for knowing well his calling, his job. 
Listen, father! You did more for your dog than you did for your son. Listen, son! You forgot yourself, and helped teach the dog a good life lesson, and neglected yourself. The dog is two years old; you are eighteen or twenty, or twenty-five, and you have been to school. I beg your pardon, Mr. Father, and young man. You asked my advice, what to do and you said you did not know what you could do, and you said you had not prepared for any thing definite; so I have written you this short letter, hoping you see and realize my point, and will not complain, and say I am rather hard in my letter to you. I have to be true and honest to you, and you now can study my letter and write me if I have drawn the line in favor of the dog too closely. Father, pre- 
37 
 
 pare the best you can, your next boy that you send from home. 
Young man, it is up to you to make a manand a success. What will your answer be ? 
TOTJXG MAX: Have you married yet? If not, why not? You marry early in life. Think about this now. It will pay to do so. You do not need anything more than good common sense, good backbone, good will power, good manners, good honesty, good hab its, good enthusiasm, good energy, good in dustry, good will to yourself and to mankind and then you can get a good wife and a suc cess in life. Marry early, if you can fill the bin 
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 Live a righteous life. By right doing and right thinking you will reap abundantly in this life, and the next to come. Do not be a pauper in love, in good deeds, in laughter, in joy, in peace. You can be rich in these. To own them, oh how rich! 
A diamond is small but valuable. Some books are small, but a diamond to the reader, valuable, rich in human nature, experience and in life. It is not the size, but what is in it. 
MY Co-WORKERS: DEAR SIRS : Do you want to do better in 
life ? Do you want to succeed ? Are you wil ling to study and work to bring about this end ? Do you want something ? Do you want knowl edge? Do you want a cultivated brain? I want to train you well in the business. I want you to be good business men. Are you wil ling ? Will you study and work to make such ? You count on me and I will count on you. Let me see you make your record. Success to you. 
39 
 
 r THE MAN WITHOUT A HOME: Men, I am writing and thinking of you to-day, you who have no home more particu 
 
larly, and I will try to talk to you. Will 
 
you let me? Wont you? Will you think 
 
and listen, and then add up? I want you to 
 
think of a home, if you have not one. I want 
 
you to find out all the advantages a home 
 
brings to a man and his family. I will not tell 
 
you many advantages. I only call attention, 
 
and then you go to figuring and thinking for 
 
yourself, and you will soon realize and know 
 
more. If you ever have a home, you will love 
 
your wife and babies better and your wife and 
 
children will love you more. 
 
Please do not say I am overdrawing the pic 
 
ture. Let me talk to you, now. Hear me! 
 
You will think more of yourself if you own 
 
your own home, yes, you will. Your neighbor 
 
will think more of you; the man you work for 
 
will think more of you, and your opinion will 
 
be worth more to him. You will satisfy your 
 
employer better, because you are a better satis 
 
fied man with a home, you are more perma 
 
nent, and the merchant, the factory man, the 
 
railroad manager, all know you are more per 
 
manent and less liable to quit or lose time frojn 
 
work. 
 
40 
 
 They know your mind can be more easily kept on your job. They know you have more at stake; they know you care more for laws af fecting the well-being of the business, the state and the United States. You will spend more time with wife and children, at home, if you own the house you live in, the land you live on. 
You can put improvements on it and every nail you drive in it is your nail and all the im provements are yours; all the fertilizer you put on the soil is yours, and all the enhance ment in value is yours. Think of it, all the beauty is your beauty, all the flowers that grow in the yard are yours, and they are more beautiful when you own them. 
You have known it often the case, rented property went up in value till the owner be came rich and the man who rented and paid the taxes and put the paint on the house, inside and out, and saw to the preserving of the place the renter has to do this, because in the price for rent all this is counted and what becomes of all these enhanced, increased values ? They go to the owner. The tenant, the renter did not get one cent; his wife did not get one cent, his children did not get one cent. 
My friend, no, you did not. You were not 
41 
 
 entitled to any of the enhancement and you did not receive any. Home, home, sweet home, how valuable you are! 
Dont you want a home? Yes! I know you do. "Wont you consider it, wont you figure on a home? Wont you, I ask, get you one some day? It may be a humble one, a small one, but it will be your own dear home, for you and for your wife and children. I leave the question with you, give it thought, give it your best thoughts. I feel sure you will. 
42 
 
 A COW can make a living and does do so. Do you beat the cow? If not, why not ? 
 
^ 
 
x7 ^ 
 
43 
 
 MR. MAX : As you read THE HELPER, will you place yourself in it and go along with me f I am in it. We will go through, hand in hand, studying and reading together, for our mutual good. Can you do it? Will you do it? Say you will. I will tote fair with you and I will stay with you, till we get through and to the end of THE HELPER. 
MR. CLERK, MR. COLLECTOR: DEAR SIR : Your letter received and I 
write to say I appreciate it, and am glad to see you so deeply interested in the work, and the work means you and your welfare. I am also truly glad that you are getting hold of the idea, that your interest is my interest and my interest ours. 
44 
 
 MB. MANAGER. DEAR SIR : Which will it be, success or fail 
ure? No man is a failure, who knows his job or business well, and follows it with an aim to do it well. He will be recognized by busi ness men and will be sought often by them. They need good, honest, true men. They are in demand all the time. 
Know your business well. Why not. Make a success. Why not? You can, will you? Others do. So can you, if you wish. Wont you try hard? Wont you do your best for one year, for 1907 ? I need you, if you know well your part. Will you talk to yourself about success and knowing the business and doing it well ? I hope you will make 1907 the best year of your life. Why not? You know you can. I know it. I want you to get hold of yourself and get a great move on yourself. If you will only want and want bad enough to work, to make a successful man and will prom ise yourself and keep your promise, then I am sure we will see and realize this to be your best year. Some will have the will power and the manhood to do this, others will be weak and careless and dont care and fail. I do wish you to take my advice and do your best 
45 
 
 and act your part. If you will, you will reap the reward laid up for you. I wish for you a prosperous and profitable year. 
Yours as ever for success. 
Are you a wage earner ? If so, I call atten tion to a letter in THE HELPER on that topic. Look for it and read it. I do not wish to write one, at this point, especially for you. I mean business, I mean you and you only. You and your calling are broad and cover a big field and are so important. Do you know it? Do you know you are very important ? I feel sure you do. I know it and that is why I now refer to you who are in that good class and valuable occupation. If I owe you or the proprietor an apology for making mention of the letter, then I most positively refuse. I do not see it in that wav. 
46 
 
 You are industrious or your are lazy. Put the sign on yourself. If you do not, others will, and it will read, "He is lazy." "He is industrious." Which sign will you write? 
Your motto, what is it ? Have you thought, have you figured it up ? Why live without an aim? Why not write your motto down and hang it up in your own soul as in your bed room? You will then have it close to you, in room or out of room, and that motto may make you, may save you. It may do you good; try it. What is your motto ? Name it and handle it as an honest man seeking an honest life and an honest aim. Your motto may concern a business, a profession. If so keep it before you. Your motto may be about having a home. If so, keep it ever before you and you will own a home. Your motto may be to quit an evil that is ruining you. If so, keep it before you and you will quit. 
47 
 
 W HEN horsemen get up a sale of good horses they give each horse his pedigree, tell what he can do, how wall he works, how fast he trots or runs, how many gaits he has and tell of his qualities and how good they are. You know how they talk of a horse, speak of his sire and dam, if they are any good, and go back to great-grandsire and what he did. 
Listen how the auctioneer talks about his horse. He says: "This horse is good enough for a show ring, a beautiful horse with lots of finish, marked well, with four white ankles and stripe in face, five years old, sixteen hands 
43 
 
 high; action is perfect, his name is Denmark II.; he carries high head and tail, and is thor oughly broken to harness and saddle. This horse is by the great show horse Denmark I. His record was 2-1. Look at his appearance, simply fine, a regular jim dandy. 
"He is for sale to the highest bidder. He is perfect and a beauty. Recollect he is guar anteed sound and will do what I say he will do. He is willing and a winner; he never tires when doing his work, trotting or to the buggy or under the saddle. You do not have to watch him all the time. No, no! He knows Ms business and does it. What will you give ? Two thousand I hear. It is a shame to offer such a low price. Bid up, give me a reasonable price. I am offered twenty-five hundred, I am offered three thousand. Come on boys! You know this kind is not offered every day. Three thousand, five hundred. Bid up! Four thou sand, five thousand; once, twice, and third and last call; sold at the low price of five thou sand dollars." 
Man, what is your pedigree? Is it good? Would you like to see it? What are your qualities ? Are they good and how many good ones? Name them. Are you clean and full 
49 
 
 weight? Can you go at 2-1? Can you fill the bill? Can you listen to the auctioneer? Can he say as much for you as he did for the horse ? Can you have some one to guar antee you, that you will do what you say? Eead over again about the horse and see if you can come up to him, and would you, if put up on the block, bring the price that Denmark II. brought? In all can dor, how is it with you ? Do you see my point ? Do you like my talk ? Do you like the auction eers? Look at the horse, Denmark II. He looks as though he would say, if he could talk, "Look at me. I can do, I have done what the auctioneer said. I am willing to do it now, I am proud of my record and I try each time to make it better. It took me several years to make it. I will better it before one year passes by. Watch Denmark II. When he comes into the ring, he shows in his face and every move ment that he loves his work, and has un bounded confidence in himself in winning the blue ribbon. His jockey has confidence in him; his owner has confidence and cheers him on to success. Do your work well and be true, honest and faithful, and you will be cheered on your lifes work, just the same as Den- 
50 
 
 mark II. I, with reluctance, but with a de sire that you may fully take in my idea, my point, if you please, ask this plain and simple question, and I want you to think over it, and read again the points and life of Denmark II. If you should ask the owner to hire to you Denmark II. by the day, lease him by the day to you for any one of his good qualities, any one of his gaits, saddle, harness or trotting it makes no difference what price per day would he ask you, provided he would hire him out? But so valuable a horse he wotild not hire out. He is too fine to hire out. What! Too valuable to rent out, to hire out ? Yes, sir. If you do such a thing, what would you charge me per day? Well, the owner would say: "If I would consent it would not be at $2 per day nor even $5 per day. I could not afford to hire him for such a low price. He is worth more." Man, what do you hire out per day for, or if in business for yourself, what are you making per day, on an average? Figure it up, and do it often, consider my thoughts. THE HELPEK makes them that you may figure. Dont sup pose for one moment that THE HELPER is off the road to success. Denmark H. made suc cess on this road, knowing how and doing well 
51 
 
 what he knew, sticking everlastingly at it, go ing up, climbing up day by day. 
What are you worth, what would you bring if put up on the block ? Could the auctioneer go over your record and your deeds, and do it with great energy and gladness ? Would he get sick and leave the stand, or sell at first offer and make no guarantee ? You will bring, at hire per day, what you are worth, what you prepare yourself to bring. 
Mr. Man, it is with pleasure THE HELPER calls attention to this lesson, if it will help you think. If you will accept it just as TH.. HELPER aims for you to do, wherein has THU HELPER overstepped its efforts to point the way to your value, to your daily life, to your success, that you may win, and crown your ef forts with success? You may feel bad over your record so far in life. If so, read again the horses record. It is good. Yet Denmark H. will not meet or compare with some other horses. If your record is better as a man than Denmarks II. is as a horse, then do not be ashamed of it, because no one will be ashamed of you, and they will point with pride to you and your good qualities, as they did for the horse. 
52 
 
 My friend, if it is in order for me to beg pardon, please tell me whose pardon to beg, that of Denmark II. or yours? THE HELPER thanks you for your patience and your atten tion. 
 
(/ 
 
s> ^^> ^ ( 
 
You are traveling the road to success and man making, in your county, in your state, in your town, in your city. Yes you are ; no mis take about this at your home, or you are travel ing the road of no success, no man making. Now you add up and make a man or you brand yourself, "No good," and get out of the com munity. I say, do one or the other and do it to-day. 
</ /-> ^ C^ 
 
63 
 
 Young man, are you still in your A B Cs, so far as knowing who you are and what you expect to make out of yourself, as to knowing some one thing well and following it? How old are you? 18, 25 or 30 years old and still in your A B Cs? At your rate how long be fore you can spell baker? Can you spell a home, a business, a profession, or a trade? Will you wake up? Will you think or not? Will you work and study? Will you read some each night? What excuse have you to make to yourself for not reading at night and thinking? Can you neglect yourself longer and face others, who are studying and prepar ing for success ? 
IS JS^i ^&^r^^-- -t ^ ^ f '^^ 
 
 Tune yourself up and be in tune and har mony with self, and you can do something that you will enjoy. 
Some may say, had I read THE HELPER be fore this, I would have made a success. My friend, do not try to get out of the way of sue- cess again. Dont dodge. Brace up; go meet success; it is not far away. 
What is a safe foundation in business? It is knowing how, it is knowledge, it is putting your ideas into action and your figures to bring them true. 
Do you think it will help you in business, in your feeling, in life, to go home at night drunk? Do you think it will do the wife any good or the children good? 
Never be guilty of asking more of a friend than you would be wining to do for him. 
66 
 
 MB. MANAGER: If I have said any word in THE HELPER that I have sent to you, to aid you to do well, to accomplish good, to enter and make a success in business, then I have not written you in vain. Some of you have read and kept my letters for fifteen or twenty years. I am glad they are still a help to you. I con sider it a high honor to know that you thought enough of them to keep and get some good out of them and to know that you now and then take them out and read them over again, after so many years have passed. 
It is a compliment of which I never thought myself worthy, nor did I ever expect any one to do so. I could hardly believe it. You often wrote me and told me so, but I could hardly realize it. May I still be able to write you and help you fight and win all along through life, and may I still be able to encourage you. Nothing pleases me more than to hear of your success, and your happiness. 
56 
L 
 
 The wind shows which way it is traveling. Let your works show which way you are trav eling. 
When you read any book, read it, having in view the finding in the book something good and you are expecting to find it, and look and watch for it. That is the way to hunt a squir rel or rabbit. Watch and look and expect to receive and you will receive. 
MEN: The day will come soon in your life, when 
you will say, that you do not know why you did act so foolishly as to neglect yourself in the way you did. Probably you are not training your boys, so that they will not neglect them selves in a similar manner. Why can not you now so live and teach that they can see the way clear to avoid the path you traveled? Train them while young to know certain things are wrong, and lead to wrong-doing, to a wrong life, and to failure. 
" /y 
57 
 
 MR. Briekmason, Mr. Carpenter, Mr. Builder of Homes for Others, have you one ? Why will you continue to build for the other fellow, and do without yourself? In all fairness and earnestness I ask why? What are your wages to-day, and what were they five, ten or fifteen years ago I You may say when you first started out, they were just one-half what they are now. If that is true, you did waste to your ability and you are still at it to your full capacity. 
Dont you think you had better get down to figuring and adding up your expenses and 
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 meditating on your life ? You promised long ago to accumulate and to build you a home. You could have built it at night easily. Your neighbors and tradesmen in some line would have gladly helped some night. You could have had small talks, something to eat, etc., to pay them for their assistance. My friend, you could have had a home, but you failed to develop the thought, the wanting of a home, and the way to it, and you are without one for yourself and your family. Read this again later on in life, and see what the answer will be then. Suppose you see your wife and read this, and see if the way does not open up to you. It will open up, if you read this often enough, take my word for it, if you are a good man and you have a good wife. 
Do you like THE HELPER? Dont you wish you and THE HELPER had met .<. ars ago? Well, let us see and figure for ^ne moment. Do you propose to give up any idea, any Godgiven ambition and all of it that was in you years ago, just because you made an error? My friend, all make errors in life and there is time for you now to correct an error. Will you do it? You know THE HELPER is correct and is right, you know it is talking directly 
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 to you and your family. Your wife and babies need a home just as much as others and it is just as valuable to them as to any one else. You know THE HELPEK is correct and you know it is putting this house and this home business mildly to you, yes, putting it easy, because you feel that it is true and abso lutely correct. You will do yourself and family great injustice by trying to prove your innocence or render any excuse whatsoever. I hope you will not mortify or lose your con science in either way, or sit down and cry and bemoan your error, or ease your conscience by making excuses and trying to justify your self. There is no excuse and dont for your sake and familys sake offer one. You will surely lie if you try, and dont you try to do it. THE HELPER has this to say to you and there are millions in your class that Gods sun has never shone on a better class of work men than the builders, is THE HELPERS judg ment. "When God built man He put his best part into his house the house the mans body, and the best part of man is his soul, and then his brain, and they are shut in by a home and are well cared for and well protected, and the structure is fine and good and beautiful. 
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 Wont you build another home to take care of this entire structure, this outward man, in caring for the mans body? A home for his body will help care for his soul and his brain and his all. Dont you want a house, a home of your own ? Dont you ? Dont you think it but justice to your own self, with family or no family? Have a place that you can call truly your own home in fact, in law and by rights, where no man can say "move out, I will need the house you are in," nor the rent man raises the rent, and you pay or you and your family go, and you obey, ab solutely obey. You pay more rent or you pack up, sick or well, and you move out. Listen! Can you say you have fought a good fight? Will you? My friend, Mr. Builder, does THE HELPER talk sense? Does THE HELPER get close to you and are you close to THE HELPER, or do you refuse to get close to THE HELPER? I am only talking to you and talking just as THE HELPER sees life and feels life. THE HELPER will close this letter to you now and its wish to you is, that some day not far away, you may build your own home for you and for yours. In saying good-bye, we will say, "If you do commence 
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 to prepare to build for yourself a home, will you drop THE HELPER a little letter, not as long as this one, but a short letter, telling him you have seen your error and you will have a home ? " I will look for the letter. I expect it, Ltell you. I will look for the letter. 
r.^- 
 
 If this HELPER was not a helper I would not ask you to read it, I would not give you the opportunity. I do not like a bashful man ; but I do like for a man, if he knows he has some thing good, to say so, and say it plainly, so that it will be heard and understood. I tell you now I know THE HELPER helped my men. They said so and I know it by the success that it helped them to make. I know, if good for my men, it is good for you, or for any man. Yes, it is good for anybody, and all classes, and professions. Do you think the agent or merchant who sells it would lie to you ? No, they would not. No, you know they would not, because to do so would mean fail ure. I am dealing with my work and my pro fession, handling men, and pointing out my experience and knowledge, that I stored away year after year. 
My experience and knowledge did me good, and it will do you good in business. 
^ /> 
63 
 
 MB. MANAGER : I note with great pleasure, a great increase in the efforts of my men as a whole. Most all my managers, collectors and clerks are doing better work than ever. While some have not increased business much, the business is in a more healthy state and is in a growing condition. Some few collectors and clerks have not waked up to the idea that they are working to build up themselves, their knowledge and their brains. They think they are working only for wages, for a dollar only. They will, I hope, soon learn better and real ize that they need brain, need to be good busi ness men and that the way to make one, is to work and study and know the business well, love and take interest in the work, not to wait to be told, but go ahead and do it. I do call on collectors and clerks to be managers. When I call, be ready; now is the time to get ready. I send this to all my managers, hoping all will watch their growth. May their har vest be good in the next sixty days. 
 
 Some men are like a rotten potato or a rot 
ten apple. Place one in a barrel and leave it there long enough and it will rot the whole 
barrel. Everything they touch or mingle 
with, they put a rotten speck or a spot on. 
They give out poison, hand out disease and are death to honesty, to truth, to manhood, to mak 
ing of a man. Watch with whom you go. Choose your associate and be sure he is sound 
in character. 
How about your enthusiasm? Is it good? Do you go at any and everything full of it? If not, why not? It takes it to pull through successfully. 
You say, if you had money you could make money. Who believes you when you say this? Not one man in fifty. 
When you spend a day idly and unprofitably, dont forget; you will never see it again. God gave you the day, and you failed to use it properly; you failed to get out of it that which was in it for you. He will not give you that day again. It is lost to you. 
 
 LOOK! See that young man tying that tin can to that black cats tail. Dont you see that black cat running, even before the boy gets it tied on well? But watch and see things happen. It is not necessary for THE HELPER to tell you what will be doing, when that boy turns that black cat loose. It will mean to that black cat hustling, getting away and going. Yon der she goes. Listen! Hear! Oh! It means business to that black cat. Did you ever in all your life see a cat and the tin can change so fast and so rapidly from the yard to the loft and then the stables and the horse lot and up into the fodder loft? Well, it is fun to the boy and hustling and getting there 
66 
 
 for the cat. Well, boys, that carries THE HELPER back to boy days, a good many years. THE HELPER thinks, if you will tie a tin can or fire crackers or some other thing that puts a hustle on to some young man, and touch them off, it might put a move on some young man, who will not study, will not look ahead and prepare for a business, for a profession, for a calling, for a trade, that it will put a move on some young man who will not move himself, who will not think and do. See him! He will not do his work well, will not learn well his place, will not study some little at night, will not read or try to see and meet lifes work, will not do what was intended for him to do. What is the matter with him ? Why will he not see and then move to suc cess, to his place in life ? May he see and act, may he want and want to-day, may he seek and find. Oh! young Juan, could you see your self and see how much was in you that you could accomplish, you would do, you would accomplish. THE HELPER is doing all it can to let you see yourself and your life, just ahead of you. If you will only look and act, you will succeed and all hell can not prevail against you. Success to you my young friend. 
67 
 
 Tie another tin can to another cat and she will go and then you go and win also. 
68 
 
 Listen to me! You would like to hold up old Father Time, who has rolled along, as you have grown older and wasted year after year. You failed to study, to read and think as you read; you failed to figure and ask who am I? What am I good for? What shall I be and when will I be it? Yes, you did fail to con sider, in the bygone days. 
No I Time will not stop or allow you to stop. No I You can not go over the same route again; you have lost probably two years, five years, ten years, and some, twenty years of your life, probably beyond a doubt, the best years of any years in your past life, and you may never pass as good years in the future, or you may{ have, before you, your best years "to pass through, yet to come. I hope so, if you will make the proper use of them. Be sure to pick out, of each one, all the good you can get by study, and work, and gather in the harvest. 
69 
 
 The Key 
TOUXG MAST: Have I gotten close to you? Have I said anything that you like or that you can get any good out of ? Do you see one point that you can utilize, that will aid you to see yourself, that will help you know and feel that there is in you untold wealth that you have never seen in your make-up before? Have I gone deep down in you, have I touched the spot, the key hole and handed you the key to open up and take a peep in at yourself and look at the wonderful things that you have in yourself, in your brain that has been lying still, uncultivated and rich in resources as the land on the great black belt in Texas or Illi nois? 
Walk in and out and open up the avenues in you, and a treat will be the result. Truly, man, havent you delayed long enough ? Dont you see as I do ? If so, I present you the key. 
 
 MR. MANAGER: 
THE bird and the rabbit has each its home. A dog that has no home is poor, thin, mangy and needs a home. A dog without a home some day will go astray. 
Do I help you think ? If so, I need not ask your pardon. You may think I am too hard or draw my words too closely. Oh, no! I am due you my best advice. I promised to help and aid you. Then do not say, I make com parisons. I only talk to you, and advise with you. 
I would not write, but I can not expect to see you often, and I want you to see and feel and know, you are the best thing God ever made. He said man was His best, and like unto Himself. You are His best creature, the very best thing He made. Then, I beg you to know it, I beg you to keep it good and make all out of yourself that you can and all that was intended for you to make. 
Do not neglect yourself, the best thing on earth. Take care of it, make it good as it is very valuable. Why not ? 
If you sow wheat, you reap wheat; if cot ton, you reap cotton; if goodness, goodness; if meanness, meanness. What you sow, you reap. 
71 
 
 If you put two plug horses together, you reap a plug colt; yes, a plug colt, not a racer, not a fast trotter. Note also the difference in price and value. 
If you put two plug persons together in marriage, what will you reap? A plug boy. What responsibilities before you! Will you bring forth a plug boy, or one with brain, with muscle, with honesty and industry and man hood? 
Name him now. You can have him be as you wish. I beg you, if a young man, figure on this closely. Like produces like. 
You catch my meaning, my point, con sider it. 
And to you who are married and who have a boy. I want to warn you and call attention to this point. Your boy is watching you, pat terning after you, and day by day he is grow ing like you. He thinks you a great and good father, and he is following your footsteps. He will do things as you do them. If you are hon est, he will know it and follow in your ways. If you are dishonest, he will be like you. If a drunkard or a liar, he will follow you. Can you expect him to follow some other man whom he does not know, or did not spring 
78 
 
 from ? No ! He will be just about as you are. Do you want Trim like you? 
Watch out ! Be careful ! Take stock of your self often and see that you do your duty to wards your boy, or you may land him in the wrong road in life and cause him to make a failure, because you planted and grew the wrong seed in your own household, and you reaped what you sowed. 
You may think I have gotten off the subject, how to make a success in life and business. No, I am not off the subject, nor out of the direct road to it. I will leave this point with your wife and with the boy, when he grows up to 
manhood. What you sow you will reap. Be careful 
how you cultivate. I wish you, as you go down the road of 
life, happiness and prosperity. 
 
JS 
 
s> ^ 
 
 A Wish and a Prayer. 
YOUNG man, when your father and mother wished and prayed, when you were in your little cradle, that you. would make a good man and a success in life, they wished and prayed for the best thing and the biggest thing that could come to you in this life and the life to come. If you follow and meet the prayer and the wish, you surely will be safe, here in business, here in life and here after. 
Have you answered the wish and prayer? Have you fulfilled it, have you met their ex pectation? If not, why not? What do you propose to do? Will you answer? THE HELPER wants your answer even if you refuse. THE HELPER wants to read it and see and feel your answer. If you say you refuse, if you say "Xo! I am not fulfilling the wish or the prayer of mother and father, made in my youth and in bloom and innocence and made with full heart and with all their love and af fection for me. With their own blood run ning through me each day I live, I am still standing still, looking and acting like a fool. It is my own fault; it is my own wasted time and errors and I am paying the penalty of my 
74 
 
 wasted nights more particularly. Yes, sir, I see my errors, I see my folly, I see my own trouble and the trouble and anxiety I have brought to my father and mother." Young man, you need not talk, you need not sigh, you need not make any excuse, THE HEIJPER says "Come and go with the same energy and the same hustle and enthusiasm you once had and you can and will meet and fill the demand on you; you can and will meet the wish of your father and mother, you can meet and fill the promise you made yourself long years ago to make a success and a man. Do it, start to-day and you can start to-day and promise yourself to do it and keep the promise and you will win, others did, so can you." 
/\^'i^^^-;^^r^**'&jt^s--~^*** _- 
 
 HOW are you and THE HELPER 
getting along 1? 
Are you on good terms ? 
Are you in harmony 
with each other? Do 
you like each other? 
Do you believe each 
other? Do you tell the 
truth, the naked truth, to each other? Will you trust each other? Are you friends to each other? What will your answer be, yes or no? Listen! Can you fiddle together? Can you play the same tune together? Have you tuned up, are all the strings in harmony? Let us fiddle together. Why not <? We will, if we are in tune with each other. O for our old-time fiddling, in harmony and in tune to gether. Get in tune. Our first tune will be truth; second tune, honesty; third will be love; fourth will be grit, pluck and enthusiasm, with success for bases, the drum beating in har- 
76 
 
 mony, but loud and fast. The fifth will be sweet home, our home, our own home. Sup pose we try it, and report later on as to how we succeed with the combination. See if we fiddle in harmony, with ourseK and each other. 
MR. FATHEK: Yourboy may be but ten or twelve years of age. Do you get any good out of THE HELPER as you read all along through its pages? If so, how about your boy ? Do you read it aloud to him or have him read it? Listen! Many a man who has made a fortune and suc cess out of his business or profession, read a book and received the inspiration and saw the light, through a good book and often one good particular piece, has led men to see themselves and know and hear the calling, and they pre pared for the job, trade, business or profes sion and made their success. 
 
 Everything That Wears Hair is Not a Horse 
YOUNG man, did you ever count up or think how often your proprietor has told you to close the door ? You may say, yes or no. You can say either, but only one or the other will be the truth. 
Did you keep count of the times you were late last month getting to your work? Did you notice yourself watching or listening for the clock to strike for the closing hour and did you see how quickly you could get out of the place of business ? 
Did you spend an hour at any time last month figuring and thinking when and how long before you would be a proprietor, an owner of a business? If not, why not? If not, suppose you figure, that is, if you ever want to own or possess. Dont figure at all, if you never expect to own or possess a busi ness or ever become a doer or a success. Do you believe every fellow who wears pants is a man? If so, dont figure, dont think, till you get back on the track. "No I No! It takes more than pants to count for a man. 
Everything that wears hair is not a horse. A polecat wears hair. Did you study and read a book last month ? Did you ? Did you 
78 
 
 decide to save any of your salary last month? Did you promise yourself that you would save some, did you promise yourself to do better in living a life and making a successful man? Lastly, do you wear breeches? If you do, is that any sign that you are a man? We are asking questions, you are doing the answering. May you answer according to your honesty and according to your capacity for telling the truth and nothing but the truth. I wish you success, I wish you soon to be a proprietor of the thing you most need and work to win. Do your best and see yourself grow in brain and in property. 
 
t/ 
 
 
 
 To Be a Success or To Be a Failure. 
TO be a success or to be a failure. Con sider the words, consider what it means to you, how big, how deep, how long, how important. You add it up. Did you ever add it up? Did you ever take your self into the private room, I say a private room, and turn on the light and sit down and talk with yourself alone, and ask yourself, what of lifes road? Successful road or the failure road ? Did you look away out into the future, down each road, and see how each looked and see what was on each roadside 1? If not, why not? If not, why delay looking? Look now. If you look, you will see something on each and in each that you mast come up with. The successful road has a business for you, a home for you and yours. It has success ful men and women to pass by and mingle with. The road is bright and shady and smooth; the fields on either side are beautiful and clean and their crops are clean and growing beauti fully, with cattle on the hills by the hundreds, droves of sheep and hogs in the green pastures, fat and slick and all looking prosperous. 
The road of failure is the opposite picture and a gloomy one. No home, no fields, no cat- 
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 tie, no horses, no sheep, no hogs, nor green pas tures, no bright future, no pleasure, no com fort. It is not the proper way to go, to travel. It is the popular way, I will admit, and many go that road. It is not made for you. Do not go it. You do not have to go that road. Most men count on never traveling that road, yet most men go it. Why is this? "Why can not men see and feel and know when they are in that road ? Why not ask often and talk often to yourself, and ask, what road am I in? Where is this road, I am in, leading me? What is ahead for me? 
You will find on either side as you go along down the unsuccessful road, men who once were in good condition, had means, had home; but something got the better of them, they failed to have will power, failed to control themselves. It may have been drink, gam bling, bad women or stealing, some bad habit. To go this road would be bad for you. You would not enjoy it, you could not; the jails are on this road, poverty is on this road. 
Pick out your road and travel it and let it be the successful road, and reap the beauties that are in it, for those who travel it. If at any 
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 time you fall by the wayside, pick yourself up and get in the road again. 
I hope you will travel down this successful road, in this year, and grow in brain, knowl edge and business. Make each day a better day, so that the next will be more easily made good and on and on may you grow and blossom and bloom in your daily life, and may success crown your every effort. 
Yours for the good road, the successful road. 
The Architect 
WHEX a man wants a fine house built, he gets him an architect to draw plans to build by and the builder follows the plans. Now, young man, you are the architect of yourself, and you make the plan to build by and you are building each day by your own plans. If you have made the plan faulty, great will be the fall of the struc ture which you have reared. Ask the builder 
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 of houses and he \vill tell you he has often failed because of the architects plans. They were wrong and he followed them. The archi tect made errors which the builder followed and the failure and fall of the home was com plete. 
Young man, look at your own plans. They are your plans for your life, for your business, for your profession. Are they good? Will they last through to the end ? Will they stand the storm, the competition I Can you win with the plans? Study and look and examine and may you, the architect, draw the plan well, and build up to it, thereby promoting your pleas ure, your happiness and your success. 
Unions 
THE HELPER believes in Unions. United we stand or singly and alone we fall. Form your wife and children into an organization and all join together and pledge to each other with all of your manhood 
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 and womanhood and childhood to build up yourselves in life and in success and in procuring a home and a business and pro fession and trade, for all and each one to unite and cement yourselves forever to gether to meet the end in view. Have a union that nothing can tear down or that can hinder any one of the family from meeting and mak ing their own success. Dont you, mother, agree fully with THE HELPER? THE HELPER feels sure you do, and with that end in view you organize your family solidly together and all pull together and work together and you will win the great fight you start out to win. THE HELPER will count on you and hopes soon to hear from some one of the family, stating about the union they have formed. Will you organize 1 If not, why not ? Do you like THE HELPER? If so, write and say you do; say that you have organized for your own good. 
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 SEE that fine looking hog! He stands high in his class, the hog class; he fills his bill, is a high priced hog, and is high, because he is valuable, rated at $2,000.00. You say he is fine or he would not bring that price. Yes, that is true. You can buy hogs that are as large and weigh just as much, for $25.00. 
Weight does not count much. You do not weigh, yourself and then add your value. No. No! your value is reckoned by what you can do and do well. Yes, so is a fine hogs value reckoned; by his style and makeup and his qualities. 
Yes, my friend, anything that is valuable will bring a good price. You talk to men en gaged in the raising of hogs and men who have made a fortune in the business and they will 
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 tell you about fine, valuable hogs and their value and their quality. They will tell you they would not be guilty of owning a sorry hog, a razor back, good rooter and runner. No, sir! "Running in horses is valuable but not so in hogs. 
Be valuable and good for some one thing and do that one thing well, or you will be put down side by side with the razor-back hog, cheap and not good and as one that will dam age the other fellow who tries to go with you or to associate with you. I only tell you a few short facts about the hog and you can draw your own lesson from it and apply it along just as you wish; but may you see some good in a good hog. Never be hoggish, be a man and be a good one. 
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 Repeating 
THERE is no harm, I hope, in saying more than once, that all men ought to be honest and true and that all should have something laid up for a rainy day, and for old age. Then do not complain if you see it more than once in THE HELPEK. You say a biscuit is good, and you eat it often. No harm in eating it or saying it is good. 
Now watch my point on you. If THE HELPER is good to read to-day and for you, it will be good for you to-morrow, and good for your children. Can you doubt it? Can you say I overdraw the biscuit or THE HELPER ? 
While I write in THE HELPER more partic ularly on my own lines of business, embracing more kinds than one, yet you can apply my letter to yourself in any line of work or busi ness or profession. Should you change and enter a different business or line of work, later on in life, for me or for yourself, you can be the owner. You can be the manager. You can be the foreman. You can be the clerk. You can be the office boy. You can be the head of any enterprise or profession, or you can be the humblest laborer. Place yourself where 
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 you belong in my letters, and I will try to help 
 
you all I can. 
 
__ 
 
LET me ask. you, when you read my let ters in THE HELPER, to do me as well as yourself, a favor. If after you have read THE HELPER and you were aided by it in any way to start you out, to get or pro cure you a home, a business or a profes sion, drop me a letter and tell me. I want to show the way and induce fifteen thou sand men to resfch a home, a business or a profession in twelve months. Mr. Reader, wont you be one? If so, then write me. I will promise to read your letter, and will an swer it, if I can spare the time; but if I do not write to you, I beg you in advance to excuse me, which I am sure you will do. 
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 YOUNG man, you know it is dangerous to tote a pistol or brass knucks. So many young men get into trouble by owning one or both. It is unnecessary to carry them; you do not need either in business, but they often hurt you and the business. Any good business man will advise you not to tote one. You can take their advice. Cut it out of youi foolish habit. Nowhere will it help you to success. 
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 The Politician 
YOU, man, did you ever consider for one hour that to-day was your day, and what you did to-day would count to help make to-morrow in your life, and did you for another hour wonder and then figure and then add up what to-morrow would be with you $ Surely you see where your figures would cut a figure with your own self, with your own to-morrow. 
What will you do with your own life to-mor row? What kind of medicine will you give to cure yourself, to-morrow, of ignorance and of errors and mishaps ? What kind of talks and thoughts and figures will you make to-morrow for yourself? 
Consider what you will plant in your field, if a farmer, to-morrow. You figure on what you will read or study if thinking in a school, or in science, or in law, or medicine. Think what you will make in manufacturing if in the manufacturing business. Think of what you will do next year, if you are in polities, if a good man announces that he will offer for the same office, your office. Yes, you do think of these things? 
Oh, if men in business would hustle like a 90 
 
 politician for his job! How they swing to the political teat! The young calf, holding to its mothers teat is a fool, is a suckling to the good politician that has had the teat that his friends gave to him to hold till they said "turn loose and let the other fellow draw out of it.* The fool thought that there had never been such a fellow as he sucking it before, and that, if he let it go, the country and his district would sink and go to hell so fast that no one could check the downfall. 
It is fine and refeshing to watch the good statesman. I say this for his relief and for his friend who follows in his footsteps. Oh, the tact these good politicians show in most cases! It is a mistake to turn them out, if you do not find the right man to take their places. But, if you wish to take his place and can show to his constituents that you are the big dog in your community, then get them to believe you are the only one and they will act the fool and put you in. Then you will soon learn you are the fool and laughing stock of your district. 
Young man, if your representative in office can do things and accomplish things and if he can induce the other representatives to vote for his man or this appropriation, his dis- 
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 tricts plan and necessities, and if he can get the other fellow to see it and vote for it, why on earth or in reason do you want to even con sider a change ? He does all you want him to do, he stands by you and your neighbors and friends and he knows how; he has learned how and you know it and he can do more for you than some mutton-headed fellow who will have to learn how. 
If your bookkeeper can keep your books and do it well do you want to turn him off and take another whom you do not know and have not tried, one who does not know your business and whom you will have to train and lose time to do so? 
Your preacher is a good man and a little soreheaded fellow wants him out and has been sowing seed of discontent for some six months or a year. He has no voice in church affairs; he fails to do his part, but he is talk ing and talking, and likely lying; but he does not seem to know it. Hear Tiim and the first thing you know some other fellow is following him. ~Le has caught him on his hook, before he saw or realized the bait, and the bait was jealousy, discontent, discord and confusion. The sorehead is raising a volcano to sink you 
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 and church and your own friends and family. Stop him now, stop him in time or you may catch the disease. He may be a rotten potato in the top of a barrel. If he stays there, he will rot with the same deadly venom the entire church or order in your own union of content ment and successful meetings. 
There is a time for all things and, when that time comes, act ; but not till then. Watch the man who wishes to disrupt your order, your church, your union, your family, your friends family. Watch as well as pray. Watch and act only after mature thought and good solid sense. Stand pat till you know it is time to turn a man out who is doing your work in whatever place he is. 
Watch and think and do the figuring before you make changes. Your man in capacity will do better if you say you are for him and sticking to him. Hold up his hand and heart and his backbone. They need your encourage ment and gladly receive it. Give it to them and then encourage yourself above all to do the proper thing yourself and for yourself. 
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 To THE YOTJXG MAX CRITIC : 
SAY, young man, did you ever repeat and eat the same kind of biscuits, your mother baked years ago, day after day? Did you eat the same kind of eggs that the same kind of hen laid years ago and were they good? 
Say, my friend, if you see the same kind of eggs in THE HELPER, the same kind of words in THE HELPER, the same kind of A B Cs in THE HELPER, dont make an ass of yourself and criticise THE HELPER for using the same words, the same ABC and say THE HELPER said that before. Yes! THE HELPER did say the same thing and spoke to you again and again and said to you: "Make a man and make it out of your own self and your own life;" and THE HELPER spelt the word man with the same ABC and called it "make a man out of yourself." Dont crit icise THE HELPER for that. Why act a fool? THE HELPER is not perfect, nor does THE 
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 HELPER write well, nor is THE HELPER a lit erary helper, but just a plain, old-fashioned helper and nothing less and nothing more. 
 
 MR. MANAGER: Let me tell you! Dont you see you are not prepared to fill the managers place? Dont you see and realize that you are not fitting the place ? You are made for some other business rather than the mercantile business. I advise you to study and try and find out what is your true calling. I will talk with you soon and try and Jielp you look over yourself, and through yourself, and see if you and I can lo cate what calling you are best fitted for, see what your nature seems to call for. At any rate, we will diagnose your case, if we can, and give the proper medicine, the proper advice. 
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 It will not do to go through life a misfit, go ing through a business or a profession not fitted for it. You do not wish to wear a suit of clothes four numbers too large. You can not afford to wear a pair of pants made for a man that had one leg long and one short. You know you would be criticized, laughed at and talked about. People would call you a regu lar ass, not able to judge or decide a common place thing, as choosing for yourself even a pair of pants. 
Just here, let me tell you about Rev. Mr. Walker, who was, as he thought, called to preach. I admit he heard a call, but the call was not intended for him. Yet, fool like, he accepted it without looking into the call, or examining himself. Had he truly examined himself honestly, and figured on himself closely, he would have known that he was not intended for the Rev. Mr. Walker from Camp Creek Valley, "that was called." If you will listen, I will tell you how Rev. Mr. Walker was called, and how he came to mistake his calling. 
One bright day Mr. Walker was riding on his filly across the country, ten miles away from home, going through a swamp or thick woodland and just across the cre^k lived a 
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 good farmer, who owned a fine jackass. The jack hears Mr. Walker and his filly going down the road leisurely. Mr. Walker had one of his thinking moods on, he was thinking of the Sunday of last month, when he had heard from the old church-house a great sermon, that a good and able minister had preached, and in the sermon he spoke of needing more preach ers, needing more traveling evangelists, that the field was ripe for it, and the laborers were few. He dwelt on this point and great was the interest and enthusiasm manifested on that occasion, and Mr. Walker was deeply moved. 
While Mr. Walker was meditating, I say, while he was thinking on the same line on which the great preacher had talked, he and his filly came near to this great stock farmers place. The jackass heard them coming down in the creek bottom, then all at once let into braying. It sounded like it came out of the tree tops, out of heaven, like He was calling, and it sounded, O, Walker, Walker, Walker, Walker, go preach, go preach, go preach, preach, preach, preach, whistle, whistle. 
So Mr. Walkei heard the call and accepted the call, and it is now Rev. Mr. Walker from Camp Creek Valley. A few years later Rev. 
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 Mr. Walker found out that the call was not meant for him. I relate this call in order to say to you, be careful and be sure you hear the proper voice and know the proper calling, Dont you be fooled again. Know what your calling is, and then you call yourself, and not let any one call you or any beast call you, be cause lifes road depends on the call, and who is doing the calling and how the place is filled. 
When you get into it and do your duty and love it, and follow it from your love of it, and desire to fill it well, you will make a man worthy of it. Whatever it may be, any calling is good if the man makes it good, if he honors the business or the profession he goes into. 
May your next place be your proper place and may you fit it and it fit you. 
Yours till I see vou. 
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 Mother, read to your boy often. That is the thing to do. He never will forget it, or fail to get good out of it. A mothers love! how good! how sweet! Nothing on earth like it. Keep it up, never change. Your boy may wan der, and go far away, far astray, yet he will not and can not forget his mother. 
 
It is up to you. Do you realize it is success or failure? Whatever your line or profes sion, your friends and your acquaintances ai ?. watching you. Some say you will come, others say you will not. It is up to you. 
To do or not to do; you are the doer, or you are a failure. 
 
See the Hog--Who Does it Favor? 
Here he is. Doesnt he favor some fellow you know ? There is his kind walking around on two legs. May the number grow less, by our not having anything to do with them. 
 
, 
 
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 FRIEND: Will you look for your place in THE HELPER? You can see yourself some where in the letters and you can and will be helped. Will you look ? 
The gold of life, if you have not found it, is buried within you, in your own self. Can you say, "Thank God! I have done my duty to wards self and neighbor, as I have seen it?" If not, better figure some more and think some more and ask: "What is the matter? Where am I and which way am I going and when and where will I land ?" These are not infrequent questions to the man of thought, to the man of study and meditation. Love thy neighbor, is an inspiration and it carries you the world around. It causes you to sleep well and see beyond this life of hustle with its cares and frets and fumes. 
You can get more contentment and pleasure and profit by loving your neighbor and feeling and acting good-will towards all men, than by any other known way of living. 
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 Hear me now! Do you know what your dog is good for? Do you know what you can de pend on the dogs doing? Can you tell what you are best fitted for? Will you say what you are good for? Do you know? Would you be embarrassed, should any one ask you what you knew best, and if you could do it well? Few men can answer this question fairly. They chew over the question, and try and get out of answering. I leave the ques tion with you. What can you do well? 
Man, now is the time to take a new hold on life, a new lease on yourself and the life that is set before you, for you to do as you please with. Reach up the ladder that leads up, step by step. Each round carries you higher. Take another hold, one more round. Do not let loose; do not come down lower. Onward! Success beckons you! Come on! Come on! 
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 Making a Dollar Grow. 
YOU say your wages last year were a dol lar per day .all through the year. How much to-day? Just the same. Well, sir, you did not make one dollar a day grow two dollars a day, did you ? 
Another man says his wages last year were $1.50 a day, and he says they are the same to day. No growing here. What is the trouble ? Another says he made $2.00 a day last year, and lost a good deal of time during the year on account of bad weather. What are you making now ? He says, making $4.00 a day. If so, you are making $2.00 a day grow $4.00 a day this year. Why do not you grow bigger? Some men make the dollar grow, why not you ? Ask this honestly to yourself. 
If you put a Berkshire pig or Poland China pig in a pen at one month old and feed him for twelve months he will grow, wont he? And no longer be called a pig, but a hog. Why? Because he grew. Where there was a pig last year, there he stands to-daj a hog. Well, you say: "That maj not be fair the way you put it." It is your fault, if you do not see the point. Let me put it another way, a different way; we are only figuring, you know. I love to figure, 
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 dont you I Oh, it helps to know how we are do ing and what we are making. You recollect at school the good teacher said, now boys, figure up, and you know he would give sums and ex amples in pigs and hogs, in cotton, corn, pota toes, and wheat. Now a chicken, I mean a hen, dont get mixed up. I say, if a hen layed one hundred eggs last year and this year one hundred and fifty eggs, she increased her business, her capacity for business. Now the poultry man who is posted will tell you I have not overdrawn on the hen. Where one hun dred eggs grew last year one hundred and fifty grew this year. Once more, man, hear me and figure along with me. You plant in the spring time one grain of corn, you work it well, in the fall you get an ear of corn with hundred fold, yea more, with wonderful increase, and it is usury, some might say. Not so. God in tended it to double and triple, and a great deal more. I will not tell you how much the in crease was. You count the grains on the ear of corn and look well at the cob and you will see that the cob backs me up. But you say you have not increased. Some say they have. Some have even grown backward. Man, wont you consider and figure along lifes road of 
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 man-making, growing from baby to boy and boy to young man, young man to middle-age and then the gathering in and storing up for old age. You can grow and cultivate and in crease your brain, your knowledge, and your capacity to make a dollar grow. 
Then let it be said of you, "well done, good and faithful man, enter the boat and cross over the river to the other shore," and the cur tain is rung down and all is over. Your days have been spent. 
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 YOTJXG MAN: When you marry, you and your wife are one and the same. If you are a good man and get a chance for a good woman, do not forget this. You are one and the same; your happiness is her happiness, your will her will, her happiness your happiness, her will your will, her home your home, your home her home. She is your only wife, legally and law fully or otherwise, your wife, till death do part you. 
There is no law, human or divine, that gives you any right to do otherwise, to have more wives than the one. You promised to be true to your wife and love and stick close and be true to her. Study this letter to you, my young friend. THE HELPER says study and think on this point and make no mistake. When you marry, there will be two lives in one, and the one will affect the other. Be careful how you live and act. Yours for study and for your one wife in name and in deed, when you get her. 
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 JticK to 
S TICK to your leaders in churches and lodges and in all orders and unions. When you find out they will not do to stick to, turn them out. When you elected them you promised to stick to and obey and stand by the order. Why not do it? Why not hold up their hands and do your part and enable the head men to do better by you and the order. If you, the members, will stand by the rulers, they can do better for you, you are a part of the trees branches. The tree can get along without some of its branches, but not without the head. The head 
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 must be the seat of life to an order or lodge or a union, whatever the body and branches may be. The head you are compelled to have and to a great extent must leave the entire structure to the head. So do you, my man and my friend, be loyal to the head, till you know that the head is not worthy of your help or support. 
MB. FATHER: Where is your boy? Is he away off yonder in a distant city or State *? Do you write him often ? If not, why not ? You may say you neglect it. You may say you are a very busy man. You may say, you do not write well. You may say, that you leave that for the mother to do. Mr. Father, write your boy. If not, do the next best thing, cut out of some book or magazine or paper, good short readable pieces and send them regularly to him. He will gladly read them and will be greatly benefited by the clippings. 
 
^ 
 
S) ^ ^ . C^ 
 
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 Do your work well and know it. You may, if you have the grit, own the same line of busi ness some day and you will need brain and knowledge to conduct it. 
Mr. Manufacturer, do you know that all. your men are working and making as much ast the price you are paying? Are you sure 1? Again you may have some big-mouthed man, or woman, that is talking, and threatening, and sowing seed of discontent, and making others dissatisfied, and keeping some of your help down, keeping them from climbing up higher to a managers job, to a boss position. The employees should ask people of that kind to leave the works at once, because they hinder and hurt everybody in the factory or in the mines. It is all O. K. to study what will help your conditions, and the conditions of factories or big works of any kind. It is proper for all to look to the betterment of the factory, as its interest is your interest. 
 
 Will you please turn back, and commence over? Commence at the first of THE HELPER, and read over again, and keep your mind on what you read. Dont half-read, half-way recollect. Dont put half of your mind on what I am saying. Do fairly with yourself this time. 
Do you dress well ? I do not mean extrava gantly, but in clothes that become you. It is just as cheap to do this, but you must know how. The average clerk can not tell you, be cause he has not studied his business, but you can ask a friend to point out the clerk in a good store, who will take pains with you and who knows how to fit and how to help you se lect; who can please you with style, and fit. Xever go about the shyster who thinks he knows, when you know he does not. Keep clean shirts, collars, and cuffs, and shoes shined up, and use plenty of soap and water. Dont go about unclean in personal appear ance. 
 
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^'s^^* " /2^&<^^c^ 
 
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 Be a good listener. It pays to hear the other fellow. 
Do you keep clean linen, collars, cuffs, shirt and your shoe;* shined? If not, you will pay more than its cost by neglecting to do so. Make no mistake on this. 
Do you keep your room clean and nice, with fresh air through it day and night? If not, do so. 
Cheer me up I need it. I am on a hard job, trying to get your sympathy and your undi vided attention. 
Who is doing your thinking for you? You say you are doing it. If you are, why not think loud and often. Let it be known, by your acts, by your works. Do not just say you do your own thinking. 
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 Your Road 
D EAR SIRS: I have written this let ter to each one of my men and coworkers ; and I hope I may be able to say to you some word of encourage ment and give even one good point, if not more, that will help you fight out your business career with ease, and kindle and renew in your soul a spark that will blaze and burn, till it burns into a living fire of beautiful success. 
Day by day you are building your own road that you are traveling. It is your road. Build it well. 
I compliment you, with all my soul, for what 3Tou have accomplished so fai in business and in life. I appreciate it. I expected it. I knew you could do it as well as you have done, and I now write you to look back at the past and then look at the future and compare it with the present; do it and do it more than once. 
You know me and I know you. We can do more; we can do better and we will do better. You are not grown, you are not at the top. The ladder is there waiting for you to step up higher. Do it! Do it! You can! I know you can! I say, doit! You have taken my advice before; you can now. I say go up now, take 
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 advantage of opportunity. Why not? Do it. I beg you to do it. You can make a living; yes, you can. A jaybird does it and so can you; but you are a man, the best thing, the best creature God ever made. 
Will you stop and think and look ahead? You can climb up higher, you must climb higher, or you will not do your duty to yourself. You can, you must; I want you to. Your friends and family may doubt it. I do not. I am at the stake with you. They expect me to teach and train you, because I do others, and I say without hesitation, I can teach a man how to make a man, how to make a successful business man and a successful life and I stand up with you for them to say, "Look at Hopkins and his man there. He can not do what he is undertaking and make a man out of him. He lies." I can. I have trained others, I will you. My name, my experience, my honor, is at stake. I say I can, I say I will, if you will let me. I beg you to let me. I am not talking about my business nor myself, but about you and me. We stand or we fall to gether. 
When I tell any bonding company in these United States, that you have been with me and 
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 have given me satisfaction and done your duty, they will at once bond you for any job. And it is often, that my men have to refer to me, and the company asks me of my men, who enter another business. I say, when I can say it: Bond him. He is honest. He is true. He will work and will not steal. You are safe to give him a bond for any business. They do it and I can say for all whom I have asked them to bond: They have never written back to me and said they regretted it or that the men rec ommended by me stole and they had to pay their bond. 
It is impossible for a man to live to himself, to rely on his best friends or ever get entirely out of their sight or reach. So we can not, we do not live to ourselves. Tour acts affect you, they affect others, not only now, but in the future. So be careful how you act, how you live, what you say and do in your daily life. 
So many think they are not known or cared for, and that they will never be heard of. This is not true. You will have to refer to your work and with whom, to your friends and where they live, if you ever succeed in life, and you should so live that you can do so with out fear of what they may say, and that you 
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 can count on your former employer to stand by you and recommend you and say, "He is all O.K. and will do and stand by what he says.* 
Again I call your attention to this point; you are being watched by some one all the time. Tour ways are known and you yourself are being considered all the time and will be in the future. The average man who does not think of himself, thinks he is not considered by others, thinks no one is looking at him or knows anything of his work or life. Dont be a fool. They are watching you. Some are say ing, you will never succeed, will never stick and make a man at anything. Some other man, woman, father, mother, wife or sweetheart is saying: "He will make a man, he will suc ceed, in business and in life. Hopkins said, when he hired him, he would do so; and ha will do so, and the person, whoever he is, man or woman, that says he will not, lies and the truth is not in them. They want to keep him from it. They have no encouraging word for you, they want you to fail. I say tell them, as I do, that they are robbers and are trying to take your ambition, your hopes and your man hood. 
I say in conclusion and I beg pardon for so 
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 long a letter, I say that this life is a good one and made for you and for me. I say we can own our own homes, to make them sweet and beautiful and happy for our wives, our own babies. I say we are entitled to it because we work for it and earn it by study and work and right living; and I say, "all hell can not pre vail against you or me, if we do right." 
When God made man, he pronounced him the best thing he ever made and I know it is true. I know I am one of them, and I know you are one of them. I know you have your faults, and I know my faults are big and many; but still I am to be a man and one of the best things God ever made; and so help me, I will do my part by myself and by my men. I will tell them to come on up higher and will expect them to do it, and will see, as I have each year for the last 25 years, seen men climb ing up higher in manhood and in standing with themselves and their friends and in financial success. 
I will close. But recollect, if you make a man, you must do it yourself. Your father and mother did all they could. They taught you, they begged you, they often prayed for you in the day and in the night, that you would make 
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 a good man and an honest man and a truthful man and a successful man. Do your part. Do your duty and the prayers of your father and mother will come true to you. 
I beg you to think and consider as you godown lifes road and promise yourself, you will make your own career and your own record, and I promise you, I will help you, and I pray that when the record is made and called ouf, neither you nor I may be ashamed of it. 
I am as ever, your friend and well wisher. 
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 Do You Swear? You say you can not quit swearing. Prom ise yourself that you will quit for one day, and succeed. If you fail, promise yourself as soon as you get up next morning that you will not swear to-day, then follow up the promise, till you win; When you win, thank yourself, and if you will, treat yourself to something val uable, because you won in one day a fight. You won a great victory over yourself with your self. Next morning you promise again that you will not swear that day. Recollect, let the promise be for one day only, and day by day you keep up the promise, and the fight, and for at least thirty days, promise and fight, before you make a promise for longer than a day at a time. Dont forget; one day at a time and win or lose, keep up the promise, as soon as you get out of bed each morning. If you will not do this, then you lie to yourself, if you say you want to quit, if you say you are sorry you take the name of God in vain. 
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 Plain Man 
MEN, I am writing you to-day plainly, you are plain men, and you know I am a plain man, you come from plain stock, I came from plain stock. I love plain people, because I am one of the same, and T can not respect a man, if he fails to recognize his plain father and mother. When you see a man of this kind, and they are many, get away from him and have nothing to do with him. 
Honesty in the breast of plain men is the same honesty in the rich or man of high posi tion. The sun and the moon and stars shine on each alike, the rain falls on each alike and there is no difference, no partiality. I am counting on your getting some points, that will help you after you read carefully, and I hope you will study my ideas. You may not see just as I do all through my letters, THE HELPER, but that is all O. K. Keep the good and use it to your help, to your good. 
 
<x 
 
/, ^^ ^ C^ 
 
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 M E. DRUMMER : How are you and your business? How are sales and col lections ? and how are you prepared to handle your line of goods 1 Are your sales good and collections good ? 
Mr. Drummer, I need not mention the line you handle, whether one line of goods or an other line. You are a drummer, a salesman. Are you satisfied with your line? How long have you been in that line, or do you change so 
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 often that it cuts no figure with you just so you are going from one town and then to an other, talking, gassing and eating, and holding on to your job? Do you love your job? If so, you should be able to do well and make a fine success. If you do not love your job, what is the matter 1? Are you sure it is not your fault and mot that of the job? How is your conduct? Your character? Is it extra good? Do you know how to present your line of goods to a good merchant ? Do you know what other agents or drummers are doing, and how they are succeeding? 
What is the outlook if you change to some other line? Have you saved up money after working so long and hard? If not, why havent you? Is it your fault, or whose fault, with your brain and experience? Dont you think you should have done better ? Look into yourself, and your life, and now consider. Now is the accepted time. The now is the only day you have a right to claim. You have looked to the future long enough, and you have failed to meet your expectations. 
You are a good talker, good salesman, and clever and well-met man, a good man; but that has not bought you a home, has it ? That has 
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 not saved up money enough to enter business for yourself, has it ? "No, you answer. Are you sure you know ho~w to economize ? Do you do it? If not, why not? Suppose you had done so, where would you be to-day? With wife and babies? Or, if single, at home hav ing a better time than on the railroad, or at some hotel, telling and listening to tales of woe and ups and downs of a drummers life, or that of an agent or salesman, if you so mind to call birn. 
Dont you believe that you have gotten up your own and home expenses too high for the amount of wages you get, or the amount of commission you make ? You know most men have them too big, and that frightens them so that they are afraid to enter business with the small money that they have to put in business. 
"Well, you no doubt agree with THE HELPER. What will j^ou do about it? Will some one put you into a big business ? They have not, so far, and you have had plenty of time for them to have done so, if they had wanted to have taken the risk on you. Dont leave me yet, I am not through. How often have you prom ised to go into business; promised yourself that each year you would quit, and failed to 
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 quit traveling and staying away from home? You could not and did not handle yourself. Could not ? "Why ? Because you fooled your self so often before. 
You often said you would save some, and you did not keep the promise. Havent you seen and sold goods to many a man that started on only a few hundred dollars in business? Most men start that way, and THE HELPER knows you have seen and sold to that class. They may be rich to-day, but it is the start that you need. Baches come in due time to the man with qualities, good ones, and a drummer knows good things. 
Mr. Drummer, do you see a true, economical, prudent man in you and in your business ways, and see success coming your way? Are you sure this is a knowing talk, no false alarm, no false promises, but cold facts ? Do you see in you a way for good and big success? If not, talk to yourself about it, and get down to do ing business for your own self, so you can rely on what you tell yourself. Most men lie to themselves, till they will not believe them selves. Do you belong to that class? 
Save up and make a success. Starve some now, rather than die a pauper. Will you read 
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 all along between the lines? I have written you already too long a letter. There are so many of you and you are a high-class man, fine talker, and fine judge of men, love to sleep on a good bed, and eat good food, and can get it, and can beat any two-legged animal on earth getting it. You belong to a class of hustlers, a class that can go and get there, and I often wonder why you do not, as a class, get there for your individual use and profit. Listen! Hear THE HELPER to-day! 
Read THE HELPER closely and carefully, and may you be able to find a starting point for self, a place to land for self and family. You are due it to yourself, and I want you to figure for self some. You have often and long fig ured for others, and 3Tou are due yourself some figures. I warn you, it must be done often, and for some time, or you will not accomplish your end. My last word! Hear me! Recol lect, when you get old, you will be laid upon the shelf without a pension, and dont you for get it, and if you forever ride the railroad and open the sample case till that day conies on you, dont say THE HELPER did not warn you; did not advise you to prepare for self and old age. Stand by your house and goods, and die 
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 or do your honest best for them, and die game, if you die poor. 
My best wishes go with you. 
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 MR. MAXAGER: DEAR Sm: I want the managers to write me 
and tell me which is the best way for a man ager to do with business, and with collectors and clerks, and how to build up and succeed. In other words, the best way to handle business and the best way to train and make good col lectors and clerks, and managers out of the collectors and clerks. All are to give their best ideas and suggestions. This will help you and will help me. I will get a point here and there, one from you and one from some one else, and it will greatly help you., and you need not be at all backward about it. Do it as if you are glad to do it and glad to have the opportunity to do it. I know it will help you. That is why I ask you to do it. 
Any time inside of the next ten days will do. Then let the answer come along with a report. You save the envelope and the stamp by so do ing. This point is to teach and train you in economy. Not for the sake of a stamp, but a lesson. Little by little you learn, little by little you save. T send this to all managers and they will appreciate my motive. I wish you a pros perous year for 1907. May you do well. May it be your best year. My desire is for all to 
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 do well. My regards and good wishes to you and all my men in your city. 
MY MEN: If I had notified you that I would be here on this day, to give a banquet, and have a good time, you could not have for gotten the date; but to give you a talk on busi ness that leads to the way for you to have a banquet some day for self or friends, you dont like that idea, because it takes work to make success in business, and you prefer to be poor rather than think, and work. I hope you do not think that making of a man did not mean you as well as other good men. 
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 T HF; lion is said to be the king of the for ests, and other animals give him the right of way. The lion is a native of Africa and Asia. The long and heavy mane you sometimes see in the menagerie, you sel dom find on them in their wild state. They seem to grow a better mane in captivity while in the cage. It is also claimed that the lion is not so eager to kill man as is usually claimed, but they are more likely to do so when old and after once tasting the blood of man. They 
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 seem more ferocious after that and are very dangerous. They are more dangerous at night. It is seldom they attack man in the daytime. They roam at night and seek their prey and often go to the camps, where men have oxen, horses, sheep and hogs, and kill and eat them in sight of the camp-fires. They are no respecter of man or animals. They feed and destroy just to satisfy themselves. They seek whom and whatsoever they can. 
They remind THE HELPER of some men, some corporations, some enterprises. They, too, are hard and are no respecters of persons or things. They are close and they crush down and cut competition and kill out the small in vestor or small stockholder without giving no tice or a chance. They take all kinds of ad vantages in strength and power, financially and politically, or any other manner. 
Some corporations that are accused of doing this in our day do not do so. There are ex ceptions. You know this full well, and neither you nor THE HELPER are opposed to corporations when properly managed. They are a blessing. They are needed in order to get enough money together to carry forward a great enterprise where only one man or only 
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 a few men could not risk so great an amount of capital. It may take many millions to meet the end and accomplish, and carry forward the business, and if properly managed, it is a blessing to a community. So much for this point. 
N"ow, young man, let us look for one mo ment at you. How is the lion in you? Is he a roaring lion in you ? Seeking whom he can devour? Seeking whom he can break dowrj and ruin ? And this lion in you, is he devour ing you and your own prospects in life? Is he vicious ? Is he mean or is he tame, or is, he doing ugly and bad things daily and at night 9 Is he roaming around and doing bad and great harm to yourself '1  "Watch the lion in you and see that you control him and know him and get rid of him before he ruins you. "Will you ? You think and figure about this lion. WilU you add him up and see where he is hurting you and holding you back and down? Will you listen to THE HELPER, and look up your own lion in you? Dont neglect; dont say you have not one in you. Young man, now in the days of your youth, destroy the lion in you, and let your own good character grow and build up and grow strong and beautiful, that 
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 you may be a benefit to yourself and the com munity. Success to your efforts. 
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 It is told that a certain kind of snake, when made mad and frightened badly, drives his teeth into his pwn body and kills himself. We call it suiciding in man and he died a terrible death. 
We see men doing the same thing, killing themselves with whiskey, with cigarettes, etc., little by little suiciding themselves and their business. You know this is true. Wont you make the effort to quit ? Wont you stop while you can? It may be something else killing you. You can add it up and look and see what iti is. 
Men, you are in need of help. If you will not read and cultivate your brain, how do you expect to overcome your present condition? You may be too stingy to buy the book that will lead you to wealth. Any good book is worth its cost. 
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 MR. WAGE-EARNER: Now I will have a talk with you, and I want us to get up close together. I prefer you to hear me plainly. You know in political meet ings and, in fact, all large gatherings, it is hard for all to hear. And you know, there are always a few big mouthed fools in a crowd that keep up a noise, talking and will not listen. We have a large crowd, the wage-earners. What a big crowd, and what an important and valuable gathering! It takes in men all over the country, in every place. You find them by millions and millions in this class. They are by far the largest class. Suppose all 
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 would vote one way, all together. What power in unity! What if all would pull together for good and for their betterment ? 
Listen! all listen to THE HELPER, just a few minutes. You say you work for your em ployer eight, nine or ten hours each day, and you do that for so much money a day. N"ow, you sell your work or time or, if you prefer to say so, you sell yourself out for a day for well, you know the amount you get day after day, month after month, year after year. That sell-out, if you are any account and do your work well, is more in the favor of the employer, let him be Merchant, Manufacturer, Railroad, City, Electric, Coal Company, Mine Owners, Real Estate Owners, State, County, or Government, Mill Owners, Land Owners. Yes. It is more to the advantage, as I say, of the man \vho gives you work. Well, this is natural. When you get on the other side of the line, you will see it better, and realize it more clearly. Most of these owners once worked on your side of the line; worked for wages. They changed places, and some one has taken their places as wage-earners. Now, I am talking because I think I can help you. See that it is best to consider, and figure up 
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 your position, and I want you to see it. Why f Because it will help you to line up for yourself better. Beeollect, as long as you work for others, do your best. Not to do your duty would be dishonest, as you get pay, and you promised to fill the place. 
Now dont go to sleep on me. You are lis tening with your own time I hope, and after work hours, and, if so, you own the time, and you can listen or turn a deaf ear to what I am saying. You own the time after work hours, and can put it in at home with family, babies, work in the garden, or in reading or study, or in learning some profession at night. Yes, you can do all this with ease. Study some, and read, and figure some. Yes, you can, and should do so. 
Mr. married man or single man, look what you did for the other fellow; he got the best part of the day, and likely all of it. "Wont you give yourself as much as one hour or two hours ? You give the other fellow eight or ten hours. You say he paid you. Yes, he did, but left a big margin for himself. He did not fail on this point. If he had, he could not have gotten a profit, would have failed to make his business whatever it is, failed to have got- 
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 ten rich. That is all O. K. Let us be fair ancl honest in figuring up. I will leave this with you, by asking again, wont you be true to self, and family? Wont you give yourself and them part of your time ? Or will you sac rifice it, throw it away? Listen! Bob your self 1 Now I have tried to be true to the wageearner and employer. If I have helped you, and you see, as I do, then I have helped thou sands who will hear me, and appreciate my ef fort to get you from wage-earner to owner and employer. I have tried to be short and to the point. Mr. Wage-Earner, you largely move the world. May you move across the line to ownership side. You will have to choose which side of the line you will live on. 
After all, it is all with you. It may take you some tune to grow from 
wage-earner to ownership, but you can do it. Ask wife and all the children that are large enough, to help, and teach little ones to follow in your footsteps, when grown. If you find this talk worthy of your best thought, I am pleased. If you judge this worthy your con 
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 sideration, then read it more than once, and we will, I hope, vote together; that is to give yourself part of your time. Good night. 
isr 
 
 Young man, did you sit idling last night, only talking, only talking when you could have read in a good book and gathered the crop of knowledge some good man planted for you? Young man, listen. It took a man a long time to gain what he sowed and planted in that book for you. You could have gotten that book and gathered that crop so cheap to you. You could have found in it any subject, any life. If you did not have it at your home, your book-agent, your merchant could have gotten it for yom and would gladly have ordered it, had you asked for it. 
Did you think of it? Did you yearn and long for some book? If you will only cry aloud and ask for knowledge, you can and will receive. If you ask now, you will hear the answer, and the answer will be, "Here am I." Do you inquire of Wisdom, "Are you ready and waiting to bless me?" Listen, as she echoes back, "ready and waiting!" Go and get a good book and learn the knowledge that you wish, that you need, and desire. Ask and 
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 you will receive. There are books that will fill your wants, your desires. May you think and ask and receive. 
x/^2^-&X*^p&s-c5z^~? 
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 LISTEN! A young man trained five dogs to act well on the stage, smart lit tle tricks, and they learned how to do, each one, his part well, and at the proper time, Twenty minutes was the time allowed each night for this performance. Each dog took great interest in the work, waiting anxiously, for his turn and acting his part with great enthusiasm and to the best of his ability. It is well worth the while to see any animal show, but especially a dog show. The young man received each night $50.00, for this twenty minutes performance, or $10.00 a night for each dog, which, counting six nights to the week, would be $60.00 for each dog for one week, or $240.00 a month. For all five dogs, 
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 you can see he received better wages in one month than most men make in twelve. You figure on this thought. It will help you think. 
You may say, I am about to draw a com parison between your earnings and the salary of five dogs for a week or a month. Oh, no! You must not look at it that way. You might not feel good to compare yourself with one of the dogs that makes $10.00 in one act of twenty minutes on the stage, because he knew well what he did, although every one who saw the act applauded, and appreciated the dog. You can ask yourself what you can make in twenty minutes, doing your best act or your best job or trade or profession. Make it a day, and how long has it taken you to climb up to the price you now get a day. THE HELPER wants you to think and figure on yourself and the outlook for better success. Knowing how is a valuable idea to realize. Know and do well what you do in life. I do not know the age of the dog, nor how long he went to school to learn to act his part well, but not many months I am sure. 
Now, in all kindness, you figure up this little letter to you, which is put in this way, so that by this little stage light, you may get a new 
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 idea, a new thought to figure from. Yes, that is all you need, a waking-up of yourself, an understanding of yourself, to see yourself as others see you, to see yourself as you are in fact and truth. I make no comparisons, I only call attention to a show dog, who could do some one thing well. 
You can compare yourself to the dog, if you so desire. I am sure there will be no harm done, to either you, the dog, or myself. It is a pleasure and a profit to be waked up now and then through life, even if it takes a dog to do it. All good and well. A dog is a good and kind animal, and some people had rather be waked up by a dog than by some people. It is not what wakes a man up. The question is, has he waked up? Does he see himself and will he act on his waking up ? I hope that you will be able to draw a good lesson out of this letter to ou. 
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 FATHERS and mothers should attend Sunday-school and carry their children with them, while they are young. They learn how to behave well, not only in school but in church, when they grow up. 
The lesson they learn at Sunday-school will last them all through life and will be of great help in business and in man-making and 
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 woman-making. It gives a polish to boys and girls, that they can not get at any other place, and the lessons taught there, you will not find taught elsewhere. Down in the little fellows heart are taught sweet lessons of himself and of the great love of Him who made him and said, "Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not." 
The Superintendent usually is a good man and a lover of children and the teachers are good men and women, and love to be with the children and teach them lessons in Sundayschool literature and to love all mankind and to have a sweet and loving disposition. If you please, it is a place for manufacturing the right land of boys and girls. Making and teaching boys and girls for lifes work. Noth ing can be higher or nobler. 
They soon take the place in the church and become, later on, the pillars of the church, the foundation of the church. If you do not go and carry the children yourself to the Sundayschool, then do the next best thing, send your children. They will be in the hands of the su perintendent of the Sunday-school and you need not doubt for one moment, but that they will be in good hands. They will gather in and 
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 keep the great lessons taught by him, and they will carry them down all through life to great profit. 
145 
 
 MR. WAGE EARNER: My friend, I am talking to you all along through  these letters in THE HELPER. I may get close to you, or I may not. You may get close to me through THE HELPER. If you do, I feel kin to you; then your will and my will are attuned to each other. 
All through life I have rubbed up with mostly poor men, who had their ups and downs, seeking and looking and hoping for a better day financially. Hence, I feel kin to the man that is fighting to overcome poverty, to overcome the monthly rents that come around so regularly, whether the weather is hot or rainy or cold. 
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 The rent man knows neither hot nor cold weather, no sickness, no strikes, no shut downs. His rents must go on and on unceas ingly. Yes, he will come and come, month after month and year after year, so long as you do not overcome the conditions, so long as you think so much of other things, and fail to think of things that belong to your interest, so long as you sit down at night and talk about your neighbors and their children, or neigh bors dress and what it cost and whence it came, or waste time talking politics, price of corn or cotton, or putting in too much time up town at night at the club or some secret order. It is all O. K. to belong to and attend to se cret orders, but not too many. I rather think wife and babies need most of your time, at night, after you have been away all day work ing. 
I am not complaining at the rent man, the owner of the house. N"o, no! he has a right, and it is his duty to rent the house to you or some one else. I honor him, I am glad he had grit and pluck and manhood to build for him and his family a home, and go farther and farther and build more houses for those who need a house to live in. What would the peo- 
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 pie do if it was not for the man with means, to build houses for those who did not have a home ? Yet, my friend, he did not expect that . you or any other one man would live in it and pay the monthly rent on and on, forever and forever. No, and you will be foolish and more than foolish to continue year after year do ing so. 
Do you hear me, are you listening to me? If not, I hope your wife or some good friend will rub turpentine on you or do something, to have you follow me till I am through this letter. I am writing to you, yes, to you. Why not you ? Who needs it more than you ? I am writing to you. You can call it a foolish let ter if you wish, but that will not change the price of the rent of the house, nor its owner ship. You have no doubt paid out for rent more than the house is worth. Yet you sit quietly down, and do not think, nor figure up what you are doing and what you have paid out, since you commenced to rent a home. 
Now be true to yourself. I will ask you a question. Will you answer it honestly? Not answer me but answer to yourself, tell your self. How much have you paid out for rent. Be honest and tell out at once, say how much. 
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 You say you can not tell, that you have not figured it up. What! Do not know? Have not figured it up, and have rented one year, three years, five years, ten years, twenty years, and you tell me you have not figured it up I What have you figured on? Fishing, or on what some one else is doing? That may be the reason you are paying rent, because you were too lazy to figure up what you were doing with the money you have been making all these years. Now you are getting mad with me. You say I am saying it just a little too plain, that I should not be rough or get too close to your own affairs. That it is all O. K. to call attention to the fact that you paid rent, and more rent, etc. But to ask you how much, and to figure it all up well, I have not done so, and I will not do so. Yes, you foolish man, that is why you pay rent, because you will not talk about it and figure on it, and think and think about it. The party you have been rent ing from figured on you, or some ones paying the rent regularly, month after month, and year after year, and the figures came true. 
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 You could have had your figures to come true, had you made them and tried to have them come true. Who is the fool, the fellow who figures or the man who did not and will not ? 
ISO 
 
 MR. MANAGER; Go and examine your self and see, if you lack anything in your make-up of being a man. Because you wear pants is no positive sign that you are a man in fact and in truth. No, sir! Women sometimes wear pants and still more of them want to do so, and in some of the homes in this country, if more women wore them, in their homes, it would be a blessing and the home would be better off and the man who could not and does not have manhood and does not act and live a man, would be turned out or put to work. Women know a man, they know a dog and they love a man and not a thing, just because he calls himself a man, just because 
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 he has new clothes on. It takes a good deal to be a man and clothing cuts no figure. When God started Adam and Eve out, they had but little, so far as clothes counted, and if our men and women cared less for clothing and more for the man and the woman and the true and unadulterated article, we would be better off, we would build up a better coun try and people it with better stock. Just here, what kind of stock are you raising ? Will any of them take a prize, take the blue ribbon; have you honestly thought that they would? If not, why not? Will you now think some on this point, or will you pass it by and say, you are not the man THE HELPER is referring to. Yes, it is you it refers to; dont dodge. You have in your life dodged too often. You fail to consider and think and accept your re sponsibility. Be a man, accept your respon sibility, be a man, accept and act, be a man and know it yourself. Others will put you down where you belong, if you fail to place on your own brow the proper name. If you are honest and true to self and to men, you know it and they will know it. You can fool some, but not all. Will you make a man? Just growing up and wearing breeches, chewing 
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 and spitting, drinking and carousing, and strutting like a young rooster just learning to crow around the barnyard, will not make a man or fool men. 
It takes thought, takes knowledge, takes purity and takes love to make and grow a man. The ways of the fool are many and his knowledge of himself is a blank. He is great in his own opinion of himself, but in the opin ion of others he is an ass. Examine yourself in the quiet, meditate and consider your ways, your thoughts and your walk. Examine and look at yourself with a desire to better self and to know self, to know and feel and realize that you were made to fill your place in this life, that God said, man was the best of all bis make. Did you really ever think that God made you and made you to fill your place? What kind of filling have you put in the place for which you were made? Have you filled it well? Are you sure you have filled it well? Are you in your place now? If God would call by and see you to-day, how about it, how would you meet him and feel in his presence ? "Would he say, you have filled your place and filled it well? 
When God made man, He pronounced him 
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 good. You are one. Can you and will you pronounce yourself good to-day, will you? Have you wandered away from good, wan dered from being a man? You add up and you figure it up with yourself, and if you have not filled the bill, measured up and kept the original good, in name and in fact, I say if you have not kept yourself as God pronounced man, good, then you have taken away, taken off Gods stamp on man and put one of your own on yourself, and it may read, "No man, no good, no account, no success, no standing for His best work." I beg you to consider and not put a stamp or a sign on yourself, that God did not and would not put on you. May you live the good and the true representative of man and may you carry out, in you, what was intended and may you be proud to repre sent yourself as a man. Do you feel and see, in this letter to you, a better man in the fu ture? Did you climb up a round on the lad der, while I was writing? I tried to get up close to you. Did you draw up any closer to me, did you? Why didnt you? Will you read over once more this letter to you? You will do that much I feel sure. Why not get 
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 better acquainted with me? You will know me better and you will, I hope, like me better in my next letter to you. I bid you good-bye till we meet again. 
^rX>^S, ^^^^ss^SyU 
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 LIMB up yourself. You need no help but your own self. Will you do it? Why not? Why delay and wait and fool away yourself, your own pre cious time ? It is a fool who hesitates. Add up and see if it is you. Take action to-day; not just read this but consider the letter. It means much to you. Or will you say it means the other fellow? Oh, for a closer walk with you, a calm and serene mixing up together with you and THE J. R. HOPKESTS HELPER, a close figur- 
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 ing with each other, a careful meditation with each other and with self. 
You may be satisfied with yourself, with what you have done in life; if so, you are the only such man I ever saw or read of. Say, my man, you know I try to teach you and let you see and feel how much you can do, and how little most men do. Look about you. See the man with great vim, great energy, great enthusiasm, great will-power. See the man who knows it is up to him to do or not to do, and see how he does. He figured that he must do or die, and he preferred to do. Dont be a drone. Dont be a hangei^-on. Dont just exist. Dont be in the way. Use your influ ence, use your manhood, and your own Godgiven talents. Use them for success and for good. Why not ? You see others doing so. 
Say, my co-worker, I must let you see the light that is just ahead of you, the light that to you is the same light that the great moon gives out to the world in the darkness of the night. It is the light in your soul that THE HELPER refers to. It brightens and shines daily and nightly in you, and holds out light and encour agement to you. THE HELPER sees it in you often, and often you fail to see it and oftener 
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 you let it go out, because you do not kindle it afresh each day. You fail to let it burn and burn and do not light it up and keep it lighted. Light it up in you at this moment, and look and see yourself, your job, your profession, your business. Turn the light on to its fullest capacity, and look and enjoy, and live in the moonlight at night and the sunlight in the day. Did you know how great a light you are, if you would let your light shine ? THE HELPER often sees your light, out when it should be burning, when you should be using it for your self, and handing out your own light for clerk or collector or neighbor, your light and influ ence for his benefit, and THE HELPER takes a deep sigh and long breath, and cries out in his own soul What is the cause? What is the reason you failed to get a move on yourself, in keeping with your ability? Why idle away or neglect yourself any longer ? My dear man, can I get close to you ? Do I? Can I turn on the light? Let me, I beg you, kindle it anew in your great Godgiven soul and let it not any longer be hid under a bushel, under a cloud, under your own careless and indifferent self. But oh! come out and light yourself up, so that your 
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 light may shine upon your clerk, your collec tor, and upon every customer in full force and full current, and make each customer feel the great power, the great light and influence you have in you. 
You have not let it burn, but you have al lowed it to lie dormant in you. Say! you must climb up. You can and should do so. Will you not, from this day go to doing, with all the great moving power within you ? 
I have missed your light. I tried often to let you see it and to help kindle it in you, and then let it keep burning and giving out your light, but you would not. You just would not, and a longing sigh came often ovei me, and I sat .up and figured on you and often said to myself in the deep, cold hours at night, what is the matter with him? Why doesnt he see, and feel what he could do ? Why does he fail to keep up his best thoughts after they get in him and take possession of him? But THE HELPER, although hundreds of miles away, can see the light, after it has been kindled in you, going out, dying out and for no cause. And then THE HELPER says, "Why will man act thus ? Why will he so neglect so great an op portunity? Why will he stand and see the 
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 great successful crowd pass by him with great torch lights and great enthusiasm, and great demonstration?" Wont you think, wont you lie down to-night with the great burden on your soul, and there, in your lonely bed, add up yourself and turn on your light of joy, your light of enthusiasm and of grit, pluck, enterprise, of love for self and for your Godgiven light? 
Sit up for self some; you would for a sick cow or horse. You are sick; and you have often made your father and mother sick, be cause you would not act, because you were in different to your own self and your own inter est. "Wake up; get hold of self. Who will turn on the light if you do not ? No one. No, not any living soul. 
Please do not turn out your own light, when it wants to burn and give out light, when your father and mother love to look at it and are longing to see it burn brighter all the day long. Dont turn it out. If you turn it out, the peo ple will say: "Look at that man! There stands a fool; he will not act, and turn on the light; he will not think; he will not use hin>> self to his advantage. Look at him." Yonder 
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 he is and has been about in the samfe fix for years. 
Will you excuse so long a letter to you this time? I will look for your light to shine at once. May it never go out again. With kindness, I am ever yours for service. Call on me at any time. I am with you to the end. 
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 Behind the Curtain 
SOME managers do not want the collectors to learn. They think that if the collec tor, clerk or help catches on to business, that he will catch on to them, as they have a few things behind the scenes which they pre fer to hide. 
Recollect, when a sorry man does my busi ness wrong in any way, he hurts you a great deal more than he does me. I can stand it, but you need no such drawbacks in the busi ness, and each man should cry down mean men and should see to it that their meanness should follow them and sting them all through life, as they, by their wrong-doing, sting you, and your family. 
Now and then a man writes me and tells me about the manager and his little tricks, etc., and says that he should have told me months ago, but did not want to get up a little feeling, that he liked the manager, and did not want to tell on him, but now he tells me. How weak this is! This kind of man ought to get a stick ing plaster and put on his backbone. He ought to go to his home and tell his wife, how weakly he has acted, that he had gone on and on, al lowing a manager to do wrong, and by his 
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 wrong-doing damaging the business and keep ing him down. Any man who does this way, by his own weakness, robs his own wife and chil dren; or, if a single man, he is robbing him self and his proprietor, in any line of business, and keeping himself down by being a little kit ten. Be a man and do your duty towards your self. 
Wake up, men, and look at yourselves, your work and your associates, and see that no one holds you down. See that I have a fair show to train and teach you business. 
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 DID you ever compare yourself with any thing? Did you ever measure your self with a yardstick ? Did you ever weigh yourself in comparison with a pound of shot, a pound of sugar or meat? Takes 16 ounces to make a pound. Did you ever think and ask yourself if you honestly meas ured a yard three feet, full length? Did you ever think or ask yourself whether you would sell for full weight and length, or meet the requirements of a man? Do you know what it takes to make a pound or a yard of man? Do you know what it takes to make a man full weight and full length? Will you fill the hill ? If not, why not ? The other fellow will measure and will weigh you. 
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 You are being weighed and measured daily byj your friends. How do they pronounce you? "Will you think and figure on your own self? 
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 YOUXG man, how is your memory? Is it good? If so, you are blessed and if not, I am sorry. Then it is worthy of your best efforts to cultivate it. You can do so by studying and working it to a bet ter memory and when you make it such, use it to the best advantage. AH do not; but you should do so. Your memory takes you back and through the past; takes you over the paths and the fields of the old homestead; takes you back to old home and the old well, where you 
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 once quenched your thirst; takes you back to mother and father; yes, back to the sweethearts of your boyhood days. Yes, preserve your memory. It is worth its weight in gold. It is largely life, its pleasures and its sorrows. Cultivate it and keep it by cultivating it and use it; that is what memory is for. Conse crate it and develop it. 
Tour memory can and does in trouble, com fort and console your troubled soul and carry you through many dark trials and save you heart-aches and help you weather and get through heavy storms of financial trouble or of professional troubles or of family troubles. You will need memory, when the flash-light of trouble comes. Our memory of to-day and of yesterday may almost sink us in despair; but when we let it carry us away back farther into the past, then a ray of hope can come in and open up to us beauties of the past that can and will tide us over the dark present. 
Many a young man far from home, away from father and mother and in a distant city, often finds himself with the blues and in down cast mood, and the present and future look dark to him, when all at once the past comes up with the memory of the old home and father 
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 and mother and sisters and brothers, and mem ory says: "See, back yonder! Hear the old bellcow corning home. Dont you hear her bell ringing ? Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong! Hear her bell ringing as she comes home, her small yearling following her, coming back home at night. Listen at its bell, tring-a-lingtring-ling-a-ting! See the milkmaid or milk man." Then his memory carries him to the old horse and cattle lot and he sees again home and its surroundings, more vivid and beauti ful than ever and he sees himself feeding the horses, hogs and cattle and the bright fires in the old farm home, and the family group, all chatting and talking and reading. All at once his courage comes again to the young man and it says: "Arise and meet the present. It is all O. K. It is good. Only see it as once long ago, and you will come and win and realize and throw off the blues, the downcast feeling and take hold of the present and look to the fu ture." Then he with the glorious memory of the past, renews his hopes; his old-time joy conies back, sweet in memory and it says: "All is well and nothing lost. Climb on, take cour age ; the bright day is just ahead of you. Suc cess came to others. It can and will come to 
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 you;" and the memory of father and mother, who expected him to make success, to win the fight, comes anew to him and he sings aloud and says: "I will." And he leaps with the memory of the past into the present and be yond into the future and on he goes with determination. And he did win and was crowned successful early after that trial, when he almost sank in the maelstrom of lifes trials. But memory, blessed memory of the past, saved him, and the fight was won. Memory of the past said: "Opportunity is ahead. Go on! Success is just ahead. Go on." And with a leap he pulled himself together and said: "I will" And he did. 
Young man, have you the blues? Are you disheartened? Does lifes road look hard to you? If so, look back at the past and take courage. Look back at the lives of the best men of the past and of the present. Tour lot is no worse, no harder. Cant you see it as it is to-day? Cant you feel and know it is1 true and not only true of you, if in hard luck if you please to call it hard luck. But I do not believe in luck. But we will call it anything to pass out of the present feeling and land into a better spirit and a better feeling; if you 
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 are blue, if you are down in the mouth, down in spirit; yes, admit anything for this moment, if it will land you into seeing and feeling that you, a man, the great and crowning piece of Gods work and Gods creation any admis sion that does not hurt, just so you can get be yond the everlasting blues and downcast and awful feeling, that life is wearisome and lifes road too hard for you. No, my young man, lifes road is all O. K., and it is good and satis factory and you will find it so. Only look and believe it so, and you will realize it. Cant you take my word? Cant you pull yourself to gether and say you will come on and go on with me through life and by the way of THE HELPER? That is as close as I can get to you. Oh, if I could see and be with you only in per son ! I would Tnn in ten minutes all the blues in you, all the "ifs" and "ands" in you, and I would, if I could and I believe I could frill out bad luck, if you please, if you believe in good and bad luck. But dont believe in good luck and bad luck. Believe, I beg you, in man, in pluck, in grit, in enthusiasm, in success, in love, in happiness, in laughter, in making of a successful man, regardless of all blues and all bad feelings. 
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 To hell with everything that tears down a man! And up with everything that says: "Go on to success!" When you feel as you ought to feel and see as you ought to see, then let the cry come from you with all manhood and with love for life, love for father and mother. "Away with the blues! Away with the bad feelings! With the bad luck." To heU, I say, with all hindrance. Your grit and pluck and manhood arise and meet to-day and to-mor row with mothers kiss of old and her bless ing for your success; and you will meet it and make it safely and soundly and all will be joy and success and a crowning of a life that was made for you and intended for you. I bid you good-bye and may we meet again farther along in our life by the way and through THE HELPER, and you be my friend and I will be your friend. 
 
 Y OU recollect, at your home back in the country on the old farm, when the preacher came and spent a night or part of a day, how gladly your father and mother were to see him, how gladly his 
 
horse was put up and fed, how you listened to what he talked about, how kind and good he was, and how kindly he spoke of everybody, and how, before he left your home, the Bible was brought in and he read a chapter and had prayer, and prayed for the family and for you. Dont you recollect? That preacher may be dead now, but there are others following in his footsteps. Think what he did for human ity, for you. "Wont you do something in re- 
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 turn for Trim or for those who are following the same road that he followed, preaching and praying for you and yours? Let me suggest this little nice and proper thing to do: You chip in a little more on the salary of your preacher, and still another good thing to do and a very kind act to do is, for you to make a motion soon, at your church, to raise the pastors salary. 
The laborer is worthy of his keep, and the better he is kept, the better the preacher. It is a shame, to let the preachers want and worry over the little salary they receive. Pay up promptly, and pay more, for very few preach ers get pay for what they do. 
He is helping you to live and do right, and helping you to prepare for this world and the next, and one good turn demands another. Help your preacher. Dont receive all the time and be too stingy to give out some in re turn. 
I dislike a stingy man, dont you? You say, you are not a member of the church and do not go. That is not an excuse. You owe more, doubly so. Suppose everybody did as you do, did not go to church, did not care to. Well, all I have to say is we would all be in a 
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 bad fix, and I for one, would move out and go to where there were churches. You, I feel sure, would move away first. 
Just a word or so, Mr. Deacon, Mr. Steward, Mr. Elder, Mr. Leader: Your place is a high one and you are in charge and a leader. You owe a great deal to your members and your church for placing you up so high. Your duty is important; you are set up as a light; you are pointed out as a sample. Make yourself better and better, make your character good and pure, and fill your place honestly, faithfully; do your best as you see it; if you do not, I am afraid you rob the church and yourself. 
To all leaders of the societies and missions, etc., in the church, your work is as important as any other; it is a true member of the body of the church; look after it; fill your place well; know how to fill it well; learn how if you do not know; study it; you can not be excused for ignorance, because you can find out, you can fill the place. Do it or quit; do it or resign, and, when you resign, tell the mem bers you are too lazy to fill the place, that you will not fit the place, that you do not know what you are good for, and that you are afraid you will find out, if you continue to serve on. 
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 Mr. Elder, or Steward, or Deacon, or to any officer of the church, you are honored to hold your place; not the church, but you, and if you are one of the know-all kind, and want every thing your way, you had better resign at once. The church does not need you, it can do better without you; or if you are a tattler, please get out. Every one knows you talk and talk so much that you lie, and do not know it. Only two things that can be done, quit tattling or move out. 
Mr. Layman, the man in the pew. Your re sponsibility, I dare say you do not know how great it is, you have not considered, you likely think the preacher and officers of the church are the only ones to look after the church and its success. You are badly mistaken. You are a very important member, you are recog nized as such by the officers. They know it, they feel your help, they feel the need of you in your seat at each service, they miss you when you are not in. your pew. Do not fool yourself on this point. 
Man, recollect that one of these higher places in church you will have to fill later on. If you do not, who will ? Yes, you, and you only, are the proper one to fill it. Prepare to fill it well. 
irs 
 
 You will be called upon if you are any good, if your friends see in you the man, see in you the "will to do your part. Never falling short, never shirking-a duty. Yes, they are looking for you, now; they need you, now; they are waiting on you; hurry up; make good with yourself. Your friends will use you to their good and to your good. 
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 YOUNG MAN : Look at the empty cradle. You once lay in that little cradle. You were placed there often by your mother long ago. She saw you grow and grow, until you were put into the little bed, your lit tle bed, and perhaps with a larger brother. Yes, she saw you grow to young manhood, watching after you day after day. 
Young man, are you watching after your father and your mother now? If not finan cially, are you seeing that they are having an 
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 easy and comfortable life? Have you done your part, your duty towards them? 
Young man, look again. That cradle may be the cradle of your little one a few years back, but to-day it is empty. The little one may have gone to the little bed and then on its way to making of a boy and a young man. 
If so, your responsibilities are great, you are helping to make a man or a woman. Have you done everything in your power as you see it? Have you helped daily? The little one is growing daily. 
The Presidents of this country once lay in a cradle and little bed. Ministers, merchants, teachers, tradesmen and all classes, once lay in the cradle and then a little bed. They heard the songs of their mother, that sang them to sleep. Do you go back with me to that day, to the little bed? If so, we are in the past, and some of us are in the past that is dear and sweet to us. Some of our mothers have gone far away. 
Your mother may yet be with you. THE HELPER hopes so, and you should be very thankful, if she is. May you see life and live 
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 it the best possible way for your good, and for the good of those who look to you. THE HELPER says good-bye until we meet again. 
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 Be careful not to ask too many favors. You may be embarrassed, when they ask favors in return of vou. 
Keep Out of Debt If a man keeps too deep in debt, and can not pay promptly, it worries him so that he can not do good business and can not look after it correctly. His mind is on how to get up the money to pay, and he puts in his time thinking and worrying how to get the money to pay. If he is a clerk, he is not able to handle his cus tomer so as to sell to him, and wait on him with ease and satisfaction to the customer or the merchant, that is paying him for his time, and brain, expecting good results. Debt ruins some people, and keeps their bodies and brain to the grind-rock. Do not buy beyond your ability to pay. 
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 Mother! Hear Me! 
Look after your own. Who will, if you do not? Not one. Give him your kiss, and a handstroke across his brow. He knows his mothers touch. Put him in his little bed, and watch him go to sleep. He sprung from you and is largely like you. May you forever be in his ups and downs, stand by him, and for him, and welcome him home often, and tell him when writing to him, that the same old home is there, still for him, and to come to it, and that he is welcome at any hour, day of night, and that you think of him often, and will expect him home as soon as he can con veniently come, and ask him to write to you often, and you write often to him. 
Never release your grip on him. You will be rewarded in the end, not only here, but here after, and, wherever the wandering boy is, may he never forget his mother, and may he so live that he will not bring any gray hairs or heartaches to her. Young man, write often to your mother. 
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 The ways of the laggard are not the way to success nor is he pleasing to the business or professional man. 
Life is just about what we make it. How is vours? 
Do you like to see a clean yard in the front, if so clean up. 
I feel as if I am wasting my time on you. You are satisfied with yourself, with your ways, and although you have not accomplished anything that counts, yet you are willing to not make an effort to climb up the ladder to better yourself. I am writing to my men, who want to do better, want to climb up, want to make a success, and are willing to take advice, to work, study and strive to accomplish success. 
Now, I am up against this man. He says he is not interested, that he tried to make a suc cess in different lines of work and business, but did not, and he claims it is all luck in life, and that he has no luck. It is all bosh, all stuff, all a mistake to talk pluck, and grit, etc., to nun. 
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 Suppose, ray friend, you are walking along side of a river or creek and you fall in, and you had never learned to swim? Would you call that bad luck, or would you say you were a fool for walking so close to the bank and taking the chances, when you knew, if you fell in, you could not get out, unless you called for help, and unless help came to you? Why not call on good luck? If bad luck put you in, good luck ought to take you out. Dont count on luck. Be a man and count on yourself and you will succeed. 
Life is short with you. Wake up. You have slept or wasted too much of your time. What you do, do quickly. You will be called on to render your check to headquarters soon. May you have a good report to make for your self. 
 
t/ 
 
s> ^, 
 
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 M R CLERK, MR. WAGE-EAR>TER : Listen to me, hear me. What are you chained to, that makes your life a failure? You have deliberately put shackles around you, so that you can not do as you wish. They hold you down; they take all good intentions away from you, they are sapping your life from you, they are drawing the chains tighter and tighter about you. When you say you will free yourself you do not. 
Man, something has hold of you; you are 
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 no longer what you once were, you are not yourself, you do not control yourself. What is it, man? Break loose and free yourself. Is it whiskey that took your manhood, that has you under control, and is carrying you to utter ruin? Wake up to the awful doom to which it is carrying you. Wont you make the effort of your life, now, before it locks you closer and harder ? Will you not think and by all your memory of better days, rise up in all your manhood, all your will-power and force yourself from the devil and ruin, away from the temptation? Go with a friend to the woods, anywhere, but go somewhere. Give all you have to get loose and save yourself from ruin and death. If you can not do bet ter, do as some others do, go to the institute for the cure of the whiskey habit. 
Is it a bad woman that has control of you, that takes all you make, that drags you down, that leads you farther and farther away from manhood and a good life, away from the teach ings of your father and mother, from the teach ings of your school-teacher and advice and teachings of your pastor at the old church that you once attended, or perhaps attend now, once in a while? You will soon ignore all these if 
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 you continue to let this woman pull you down still lower. No doubt you are so far gone now, with her control over you, that you are unable to relieve yourself from this awful condition. If you slip away into some other State without her knowledge, and if she finds out where you are, she will follow you, and take a deadly grip around your neck. In the condition you are in, where will you find a place that is nearer hell? Flee from her as you would a wild tigress. 
Most men, if controlled by bad women, will be led to whiskey; for the two go hand-in-hand. What man can go up against the two evils? Later on they will lead you to stealing, lying, yes, to death, and the grave, a fearful end! You will soon lose your business or your job, if you do not change and get out of this bondage of hell on earth. 
Wont you release yourself from whatever it is that is holding you back from success, and a good life? May your will-power, your manhood, your grit, pluck, and energy return to you in power and strength sufficient to whip the evil that has hold of you. Conquer your self; whip the fight and do it at once. De lay means risk that you can not take. Make 
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 the effort now. It is for success or eternal failure. It is for life. It will require daily fighting. The war is on the fight has com menced. I wish you a glorious victory. 
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 WELL, men, this handling of a dollar and a man, means business. It keeps the man busy, watching the dollar and taking care of it and watching him self and earing for self and landing both the man and the dollar safely. It looks like fish ing. Often the fish is on the hook and then a pull and a jerk and no fish. But keep at it and, if you love fishing and if you fish in a stream where there are plenty of fish, you will soon catch them, and the sport is fine. 
^0/2^-^Z/fa^^<5i*=fc=?U 
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 Your Boy Has Advantages 
ME. FATHEE : Do you teach your boy, that he is a boy with all the elements in him that it takes to make a man and a successful man? If not, do so. Your boy has all the God-given advantages that any other mans boy possesses. God is not a respecter of boys. Nowhere does he say that He favors one class more than an other. Nowhere does He say, He will show any partiality. Nowhere does He say, He will let His sun shine to-day on one man or boy and not on another man or boy. Nowhere does He say in the Bible, that He will rain on the rich and educated and ignore the poor and the ig norant. 
No, no! You know and see and feel, that this is true. He will and does take care of you as He does the other man or boy. You have all the same chance to make a man. What more do you need? You can take care of yourself and you can climb up and succeed and own and possess. Will you do so ? If you do not, lay the blame at your own feet, at your own heart and soul. Will you consider and think for yourself and act for yourself and make no excuse whatsoever ? Make a man, or stand by and refuse and par the awful penalty for not 
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 doing it. You know your duty and you do it not. 
^^5^ 
Let THE HELPER suggest this point to some young men, yes, and old men; to call in very soon at your home in the evening or night, your neighbors, for a reading in THE HELPER on different subjects that any and all the guests or callers might call for, and read and discuss the subjects. You will entertain your self and your company. Many do this and en joy and reap great good and profit from so doing. The women can derive even more pleasure than the men in this way. Call in your friends and try it. 
Yours for profit and pleasure and knowl edge. 
? 
 
 Do you know with whom your children as sociate ? Does your wife know ? If not, you had better look into this at once. It is your business to know. Are you foolish enough to let them select their own company while young? You would keep them from a razor or loaded pistol. There are some folks more dangerous than a pistol. 
I will call attention to this fact, and want you to consider it well: Most men change from a job or a position so fast and so often that they utterly fail to learn any one thing well. Hence they fail ever to become valuable at any, one thing, and go down the road of business a sorry tool, not good for anything and never amounting to more than just common, ordi nary men, so far below par that when they die most of the family and neighbors are glad. 
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 Whose Shoes Do You Wear? 
ME. CLERK, MR. WAGE EARNER: Have you put yourself, your foot into the shoes, into the place of the owner, in whatever business you are doing, and do you take the same interest the owner does and love it as the owner does? You say no, only so far as 3rour wages cut a figure, only for the wages you get. Tour answer is for yourself, but it covers the answer for 95 per cent, of men working for wages, working for others. Listen, my man, my friend. So long as you figure and act this way, so long will you be poor and fail in life. Tou can not see this as the owner does probably; but so long as you do as you do, and keep out of the business you are in, you will not know it, and you can not know it, unless you put yourself into the shoes or into the place of the owner. Do this, or you will keep yourself down and keep yourself from knowing the business, in any line or work or any kind of work. 
Listen! If you wish to fail, keep out of the other fellows shoes, the other mans shoes who owns the business. Any business man will tell you so! It is impossible to know and to real ize the business and its working, unless you go 
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 in fully and fairly and with all your might and soul. No other way to reach to the bottom and then to the top. May you, if working for another, go in and work in and through and through with the proprietor or owner or mana- * ger. If he is a good and honest manager, get in his shoes, his place, till you know and real ize the position that leads to success. 
Like Produces Like If you put two white chickens together, what do you get ? An egg. What next, a white chicken from the egg. Like produces like. You will produce something like yourself. You may be ashamed to own it, but all the same like produces like. Will you think in time or be a fool and act one ? 
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 YOUXG man, you who were raised on the farm and may now be living on the farm, your father, wewill say for il lustration, owns one hundred acres of land, fifty of which are rocky land and hilly and poor land and hard to make produce anything worth while. The other fifty acres are bottom land, or rich land, or land that may be made rich by fertilizing and car ing for it. Did your father ever work the hilly and rocky and poor land and let the rich and better land lie loose and unworked, lie idle any one year? "!STo, no!" you answer. 
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 and you would say, "only a fool would act in that manner." N"o! you say you did not know of a single neighbor doing so. 
Listen at the next point. Did you ever see or know a young man who had rich brain and refuse to cultivate it, refuse to use it to its best quality, to its full capacity, but let it go to waste, using only the sorry elements in him, using the poor qualities in him that produce only small crops, crops that brought in but little return, worked hand-work only and left out the rich part, the rich element, the brain, would not take care of it or cultivate it ? Had he used good judgment and worked it only at spare moments and at nights and off days, cold or rainy days, the return from that brain crop would have beat all of the other crops he made. 
Do you see any sense in what I tell you? Are you willing to see and use better efforts and give more time and thought to your rich possession, your brain ? Cultivate it, fertilize it with good books, good newspapers and magazines; feed it regularly and you will har vest a fine crop yearly. Wont you do it? Try it, if you are not doing your full duty with your brain. Do you like this HELPER ? If so, 
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 read it through again, i promise you, you will like it better still. Try it and say so, if you do like it. Yours for a good crop. 
r^^^^^^i^/c^^ 
You promised, young man, to stick by THE HELPER, till you got to the end. You are sleepy now. You read that it took grit and pluck and that a man must keep wide-awake to make a success to reach his points, to win in the fight against poverty and ignorance and now look at you. See yourself, feel of yourself, look how you act and do. You do not care, you are really too lazy to want ice-cream or a water melon. Did you ever read that laziness and dont care were precious and a jewel and worth having? If not, why do you hold to them so well and so closely? Why do you hug these two, laziness and dont care to you so dearly and at so heavy a cost? Let your answer be your own answer. THE HELPER renews its re quest. Wont you stick, till you get to the end. 
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 Live a Life and Love a Life. 
LIVE a life and you will love a life, you will love your life. If you do not love your life, you have not lived a life that is in harmony with you. You may have tried to live and act some one elses life and you failed at the imitation and you are better off by the failure. It was a natural failure. Be yourself and act yourself and not an imitation, no humbug, no make shift. You had better study and read and read again, more and more and you will see yourself as you should see yourself. The great trouble with most people who fail to live a life is ignor ance and meanness and laziness. 
If you have any faults, you can, by study and reading, eliminate them, and when you do so, you will see through a better glass; you will see yourself better and, when you see yourself, you can and will see other people better. 
You are like many men, seeing and not see ing. They think they see poor fools! be cause they are too lazy to study and read and know. You and your neighbor may see each other either as thoughtless or as sensible men; as he is, or as you are. You can add up what you really think of your neighbor and then 
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 wonder what he really thinks about you and your folks. It will not hurt you to consider and figure on this line. It will hurt neither you nor Trim and may be of help to you both. You know by this time, I love to figure; and you know if you do, and you know if you have done so often and day after day. 
Do you love your neighbor as yourself? You need not answer at this point. I can truly say I love my neighbor, but not as my self. But say, friend! you can love your neighbor, and others can be the judge whether or not you do so, in an honest and fair way. You will love your neighbor, if you love your self. I go that far and you, if you can, and I hope you can, go that far, when you say that you love your neighbor as yourself. 
Live true to self and to neighbor. But the trouble will be to live true to yourself, as that is the hardest. If you live true to yourself, I hardly can see any way not to be true to your neighbor. Come along and go with me all along through THE HELPER and study with me about man and things that affect man. Dont forget that you are a man and dont forget to be charitable with me. But give me room to make an erroi and many errors all along in 
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 each letter. I am only one like you, one of the men who live and err all along down lifes road and I beg you to be fair and generous with me. 
I am only giving you my views, my experi ences in life and with man and with this busy and hustling age. I am giving you my ex perience with man and with this present age. I do not deal with the past, but with the pres ent and with this age, with these times and not with our forefathers time, or our fathers age. 
Yes, to-day, as I find it and see it, may not suit the next generation. I am not figuring on him or that age. I find enough for to-day to write on. I find more than I can digest; so to be candid, you and I can let the next age take care of its day as we do of ours. All you and I can hope to do, is to care for our own age. 
But should we talk and figure and do with our human nature so as to figure in a way and manner that teaches the human nature of some future age, then the men of that age will be the judges and act on our human nature of to-day. They can and will be the judge if they meet us or our life in the future. But believing that in all ages there are men who can and will live lives that will help 
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 their age and that the young can and will listen and pattern after and follow the proper life in their own time, in their own age, let us help every man and woman in the path of right living and of man-making and success-crown ing, for their own age and time. 
May you and I go on down lifes road as men and not as imitators, not a humbug, but as God made men with honest hearts and hon est deeds and worthy of the name, "Man!" 
Yours for success and life living. 
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 Looking Alike 
T my managers, in particular. We have gotten close together often, we have worried and fretted and worked, and we have won many points, and made many a successful ending, and we have lost some points, some that we thought we should have gained, because we have figured that we would gain. 
Yet we do not complain, we do not grumble. It can not be expected that we gain all the time and not lose sometimes. Nor would we have it otherwise. It would not do, it would ruin us, it would carry us too far down the road, altogether too far without brakes on. I now often recall going down the hill with a team and wagon and having failed to lock the wheels, great was the speed, and great was the smash-up, as we traveled down the hill. The lock or holding-back straps gave way, and we landed; but had to take a long time to get over it, and fix and pull out safely again. 
Tears of toil together, make us kin in thoughts, in ways and in deeds. It is said, that some men keep horses so long, that you can see the favor of the man in looking at the horse. I feel sure, some people think they see 
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 the favor of man and horse. Well, my good man, it will be an honor to us to have people say that we have been so long together that we act and look alike, if we act right and do right and make a success, and live, day by day, as men should live; then we will be safe and our efforts safe, our life safe. 
I will not mail this letter to you. I will place it in THE HELPER and you will see it first in THE HELPER. This is a letter that you can not put with the other letters from me that you have kept and laid aside. You can keep it, in THE HELPER., and you can read it, and think of your younger days, when you first came to me for a position. May you con tinue to prosper. May you do well, live well and be contented all the days that you do live. 
 
r 
 
s> ^^ ^ .X 
 
 You say your father did not educate you and that he can not do so at this time. This will not release the responsibility from your own shoulders, nor free you from doing your duty. You can and should help yourself. This is an age of self-help, of self man-making, of self-schooling, of self-success, of self-made men. 
Men, you who live on the farm, dont forget that the farm is hard to beat for a home. The good farmer! Where can you choose a calling to outweigh his in all its advantages? I say it is very hard to equal the farm by taking any business or any profession. 
Know how to farm well and you can accu mulate and live happily. Young man, your chances to educate yourself on rainy days and at nights and lay-by time, can not be equaled in any business nor in any place. Dont waste the rainy days and your nights. Buy books and study and fill and prepare yourself for your lifes work, whatever you choose as lifes work. 
V7 
^^f^^ 
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 Flying a Kite 
YOUNG MAX such you call yourself your father and mother call you a boy you are eight or ten years old. You are a boy, but soon the girls will call you a young man, and the older people will call you a young man. The young chicken will soon be called a rooster. The young colt will soon grow to be a horse so it is with you. You will soon be a young man. 
You are flying a kite, likely, to-day. You have made a kite and tied a string to it and held on to the string, and turned the kite loose and it flew away. Sometimes it would be away up in the clouds, first up and then down on the ground; sometimes it would not fly at all. Again it would be up high in a tree top, or light on the top of a house, and you recollect when the string broke and your kite flew away and left you, you were unable to control or guide it and it was lost. 
Young boy, what about your future ? What about your future school days? Then, after your school days, comes your business, your trade or calling. What will you prepare your self to be? What will you do when you get old enough to do business; do work ? You will 
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 have a calling, a profession, a trade. What will it be? You will soon have to think on this subject, on this point. 
You will be a great man if you want to be one. You will own what you want and need. You will be whatever you prepare yourself to be. Yes, you will. You will do and carry out your plans. You likely have not made iu> your mind yet. What will you follow? You will do that soon. You must do so, as soon as possible, because time is flying. Recollect the kite. When the kite was well repaired and well made, it flew well. You recollect how it did, but when your string broke or when you failed to handle it correctly, it did not fly, and if you did not watch it and guide it, then it, broke or lit in the tree top or on the house top, and it was a smash-up, a break-up, a loss to you. It was a failure. 
If you do not prepare yourself at school or at home while young to make a man, you will not grow to be a man. You will also fail, when you start out in your calling, or work. You had a string tied to your kite. Your string tied to you, is the string of honesty, and the string of telling the truth, and minding your father and mother. They who hold the string 
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 are your loving parents. They do for you all they can; they are trying to teach and train you to make a good man. They send you to a good teacher to train you in books, and to prepare you to watch yourself, and to keep you from doing like a loose kite running away from school or home. If you fail to go to school and study, you act like the kite did, and get lost sometimes as to your duty. If you do any wrong, it will be like a broken string on a kite, or like a hole punched through the kite, and it never looks as well, nor does it ever fly again like it did when there was no hole in it. Never do wrong, and you will not have a hole or dent in your character. 
My young boy, THE HELPER has written you a long letter. THE HELPER may not please you the first time you read it, but you read it again soon, and see if it does not read better. You will likely see yourself a few years ahead, do ing some kind of work, some kind of business. 
THE HELPER is writing to you in this letter. See if you see THE HELPER writing to you and see if you can see the kite you once had. Then look again and see yourself ahead in the next year, and see yourself and see what you will be doing then. Now THE HELPER has written 
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 you. You write THE HELPER a short letter, just a few words, and say you received this letter that is in THE HELPER for you. 
Yours for success in all your happy days. Yours for a fine time at school. Yours for making mama and papa a fine boy, then a young man and then a grown-up and success ful man. You can and will make a success in 
\ 
business, in trade or profession. Decide soon what you will follow, when you get grown. 
s ">----^ 
The Assayer YOUNG MAN: Suppose you walk into the assayers office and hand him four different pieces of ore. One may be gold, one silver, one coal, one copper. The assayer will take them and soon tell you what each is and what is its value and what used for, etc. Suppose you take yourself to be analyzed or assayed, to the best judge of man in this country ? How long would it take him to tell v/ho you are, and what you are, and what ele- 
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 ments in you are good, and how much dross he "would have to throw away, and how great the waste in you? After all, you might be about all cinders, all dross, no good, and he could not recommend you for anything, could not tell you that you were pure and good. 
You ought to show the gold or good in you, and how much. You may be full of venom and hate; you may be full of laziness; your nerves may be a wreck; you may be a drunkard, a liar, or a thief, or gambler, etc. You may have no good qualities, no sweet disposition, no love for others or anything; you may never hold out, or give a helping hand to yourself, or any one else. 
The assayers report on you after analyzing you through and through, may be that you are a failure, no good; that you will not do to trust. He may not be able to tell what you were good for, may find you wanting in every respect. "What a report that would be! Wont you read this again? Cant you see some point in it as to how you are going on, and can you not let me aid you to think, to study, to work, and make yourself such that the assayer will say for you: "I found him honest, and true, in dustrious, with pluck, and grit, full of energy, 
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 all wool and full width and weight, pure, un adulterated. Take him quickly, as there are few like him, and he will do, and will meet your demands." 
The assayer put his recommendation and stamp on the gold and so did the business man who assayed you, put his recommendation and name to your value, and it was accepted by all as true and the facts. May you know the true iretal in you, and what it is good for and its value. 
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 ME. YOUNG MAN: How old are you? You say, twenty-one or twenty-five. Have you started out in life to make your own career? You say no, or your answer will be, yes. If no, why no, and what reason or excuse have you? If you make an excuse be sure that you accept it yourself; others might say your excuse is not good, and in fact there is no excuse. Hear me, then. Did you ever see a birds nest and see the little birds in it, and they just about 
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 grown, and go back, say one week later, and find the young birds had gone ? Your answer, no doubt, would be yes. You have seen that happen often, out on the old homestead where you were raised, and to-day you may be on the same plantation, the same farm, at the same old place where you were raised, or you may be far away from the old home of your boy hood days. 
It matters not, where you are. These same little birds you saw and recall in their home when able to care for self were told by the mother bird to go out and make their career; go and take care of themselves; go and make a bird in all its meaning; go and hustle and start out in life for themselves; and the little young bird, whether male or female, went out into the great fight of making a bird; making a successful and useful bird, filling its place among its kind; making a living and fulfilling its mission in life. The mother bird said go, and it went. She did not say so till she knew it was time; till the young bird was old enough to make its own living its own career. It did go; it did fill its place in life with success and with honor with its kind. 
Young man, are you filling your place to 
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 day? Do you know it is your place and you are in it? Answer your own self. Do not hurry over your answer. It is to you and you only. Why not ? Now meditate and consider and be sure you are fair with self. 
Dont you know you ought to fill your own place? See it yonder. It is vacant. Look at it. It beckons you to come and fill your place in business, or a profession, or your trade. 
Listen! "Wont you fill it? Tour place may have been vacant and waiting for you one year, five years, ten years, twenty years. Oh, how long? You may have been trying to fill the wrong place, in the wrong business, wrong job, wrong profession. Go to your place and fill it. The bird has gone, on time, and is now filling its place. Dont you see my point? Dont you see I am correct in your case? Dont you feel like you will arise and go to your place? Fill it while young and while you will fit it, and it will fit you. I wish you prosperity and a happy filling of your own place in life. Yours till we meet again. 
 
 Did you ever think and figure with so much interest and so much enthusiasm, until you Lad all your being into your figures, into your subject, and you were lost in the depths, so deep down that you had lost sight of all else, knew no sleep, no hunger, no thirst, did not hear anything or anybody? I hope you have at some one time gone down, with yourself, out of sight, away from everything, considering, thinking, figuring, on some great interesting thought. It may have been on the profession you were going to enter, and afterwards did enter; it may have been the business you did go into, or were thinking of entering; it .may have been a home you were seeing in the fu ture and figuring on how to save up for, how to be able to buy it, how to become the owner of the home you were in, or how to reach the one in your thoughts, the one that you saw afar off in the distance. With all your soul, all your power of imagination, you put it in upon the one thing, the home. Oh! how you did figure, alone, deep down in your uttermost self, away down in yourself, where no one could go but you, you with the intensity of a love for home, that enabled you to go so far 
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 down. How sweet that moment, that time, was to you ! 
I hope you have figured that way and I do hope you have realized your hopes, your fig ures. If you have never had that kind of sweet figuring, and thoughts, you have missed a great deaL Wont you try to realize that pleasure? If you will learn how to do this kind of figuring, you will realize, you will be a success. Few men realize, and can throw themselves into their figures and thoughts. 
May you learn how, and may you see your figures come true. I predict that when you can do it, they will come true, will be realized by "you. There is about one person out of every one thousand that can figure and realize this kind of figuring. I hope you may be the one. If so, thank your God for the great privilege. Try and try till you can, and reap the reward that awaits you. 
^ ^ ^ c^ 
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 Add Up Your Boy 
LOOK at a fourteen or sixteen-year-old boy. What do you see ? " The best thing for that age in this country. Look over Mm, look through "him and add him up. What will you find? You will find a future president, you will find the fu ture preacher, you will find the future mer chant, you will find the statesman, the mariner, the teacher, the banker, the railroad owner and manager, you will find the future farmer, the miner, the coal king, the man that will own and control and make the future. Yes, this is all true and more, yet more and more unthought of development. So the boy is a big thing and important object. The boy of to day means something in the future, the boy of to-day can say in a short time, "I will con trol, I will make, I will decide, I will bring to pass." Say, father and mother, that is your boy, that will bring to pass the above sayings; no mistake, no error in this, it is a fact, it is true; add up, go back and read and think and ask and you will know that it is true and that the future all hangs and swings backward and forward with these boys. Where are your boys? Are they counting on these things? 
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 Did you tell them that they had to fill their places? If not, you have not done your duty. Mother, have you fully explained and encour aged your boy on to the future and his place ? His place is so important to him and the State he lives in. Did you tell him about it ? THE HELPER is telling you. You tell your son. You can also read THE HELPER or get him to do so and you back him up and encourage him. Your son must fill his place among men; yes, he must do so, and you can aid him to do it. Father and mother, recollect just to clothe and feed your children is not all, just to help edu cate is not all. If you merely educate in books at college, that is good and proper; but listen and think! You must educate at the cradle, at the fireplace, at the bed, at the home. In still into the boy those qualities that parents can and should teach and that the boy can not get anywhere else on earth. You live a home life and teach a home life. Listen once again, father. Tell your boy early in life the evils and chances and the temptations, that come to the boy. Do not be a fool on this point and say you are ashamed to tell or talk to your boy. Do you want him to wait and take chances on getting ruined while you are waiting for some 
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 one else, who is not interested, to tell him? No! A sensible man will talk plainly to his boy and tell him. You are a fool if you do not, and your boy will find it out likely too late. Mother, talk plainly to your daughter early in life; do not fail, act foolishly at some other stage and point in your life, but do not act foolishly with your daughter. Talk to her privately, not with some other woman, no, no, but you talk plainly to her and in time and privately. Why, some big mouthed women will talk all kinds of stuff before their daugh ters about some other woman and fail to talk straight, honest every-day hard sense to their daughter about living. It is a proposition that the old devil would be afraid to try to solve out, why parents neglect so important a mat ter. May you, father and mother, see and feel and appreciate what THE HELPER indicates in this letter to you. Success to the boys and the girls. They are the salt of the earth. 
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 EVEN an old sow loves her young, and she builds a home that she and her young pigs can live in, and keep warm. This mother did this much for her young. If this sow will do so much for hers, what should mother and father do for theirs ? Please an swer according to your raising and according to your desires. Has your life proven what you are ? Has your life been a light, set upon a bin, or have you hid it under laziness, under dont care ? Have you any light burning any where? Is the future all O. K.? Will you 
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 climb up on the hill-top and look around and about you? 
r 
J/P^^&'tf^^s Sc^ ZC^ *? 
MY YOUNG MAN: What is the first thing birds do when they marry? They go out and look about, and find a place to build a home for their young; then they each, male and fe male, commence to build and each does his part and they do not stop until they build a home. Note another fact, that they do not rent a home from any other bird, nor do they use a home, that was used last year by another bird. This is the way birds do when they marry. 
How did you do, when you married ? How are you going to do when you marry? THE HELPER pauses for the answer. Lay aside each week some of your salary. You can save a lit tle each week or each month, out of your wages. Save by the week is the best way, if you draw wages by the week. And you can build you a 
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 home, if you have not already built one. Will you do it ? 
Do you want to listen to me ? Are you sure ? If so, prepare yourself to give THE HELPER an honest hearing, and, if you do not catch my point and meaning, anywhere along as we pro ceed, do not continue. But you turn back a few pages and hear me say it again, and I feel sure you will fully understand me. You know it is unfair and embarrassing to me to go on, if you do not keep up with me, nor catch my meaning. I try to be plain and fair in what I say, and I want you to get close to me and me to you. You study about a home and want one and you will reach and own one success to you. 
MY FRIEND : If THE HELPER points you the way to a home for yourself and your wife and babies, it will be a helper in name and in deedAll THE HELPER asks of you is to read and study and look and believe and the way will 
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 open up for you to reach a home. Look and ex pect and believe and work to that end and you will own and realize a home. When you decide to have a home, write me and say you and wife have decided to commence to get a home. 
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 Did You Buy a Book 
MR. FATHER: How often do you leave your farm, or place of business, and go to town, to buy something to eat or wear! One more question, if you please; hear it. How often did you buy a book of some kind at some price? They are worth from ten cents to twenty-five dollars each. Did you ever buy one and carry it home to your boy or girl? 
You say you went each week, and often each day in the week to town. Did you buy one or more drinks of whiskey or beer ? What re turns did you get from the drink? Did you feed your hungry stomach with meat or fish f 
KTow, you say you did not carry home a good book to feed the minds of your children. They are hungry for knowledge, and they will feed, if you will only give them the food. You hold up next time you go to town, and try and buy something good to feed the childrens mind, and watch them feed, when you present it to them. You listen, and watch them feed. Help them digest the food, night after night, and you will enjoy, and feed your own brain at the same time. 
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 Recollect it is your duty to feed your chil drens brains, as well as to feed the body and clothe their nakedness. Will you do it? Or will you be too low down, and not care for your offspring, your product? "Would you have them just like you, or would you have them as they should be ? Will you think, will you hear THE HELPER? Will you stop and think and figure, or will you pass THE HELPER by, and your children by? Will you neglect your duty? Will you fuss at THE HELPER? Will you take it out in grumbling and fussing, and growling at THE HELPER? What will you gain by fussing and complaining at THE HELPER, and your family, and your wife, and yourself, and your children, and your neigh bor? 
Mr. Father: Have you done your duty to wards wife, and children? I am asking a plain question. Dont lie. You can not an swer that you did as much as a father, as your wife did as a wife, or as the children did as children? Was it not your duty to do more than both wife and children? Does or does not the world look to you, and expect you to do more, and better than they? You are the head of the family. If so, act the man. As the head 
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 look after your own, and see that you train the boy, and the girl to be true and faithful to themselves, and rely upon themselves, and be able to judge for themselves; and teach them that they are as good and perfect as any one; that they breathe the same air, that they warm by the same sun day and night, that their path way is lighted by the same moon, and the same stars, as other people. Whether one be rich or poor, king or queen or president, God gave to all the same day, the same night, the same sun, moon, and stars, the same rain and snow, the same climate. What more do you ask, what more ought you to expect, what else do you need I 
God would have given you more had you needed it. You can not and must not complain. If you do, you will be ungrateful to your father and mother, and your God. Now is your day. Use it. To-morrow you may not see, or if you do, may not be ready to act, to use it for your betterment. Will you do it, will you accept to-day freely? Without price ac cept it; dont put it off any longer. 
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 The Teacher 
MR. TEACHER: You are a teacher, if you try to train a boy or man in any one thing, whether in the mer cantile business, or manufacturing, or farm ing, or school teaching, or any line of busi ness. The word teacher is broad and reaches out into many lines, many avenues. Tour responsibility is so large, so big, far-reach ing and important. Wont you, who can, under this class, give yourself and your work a study now, while we say a word? I mean you. Yes! you are a teacher at your own home, at your own hearthstone, at night and in the day, to your own offspring, your own flesh and blood, teaching your own dear chil dren. May each teacher place himself in this letter, in THE HELPER, in his proper place, as a teacher, and realize his responsibility. If all my men, who come under this head, would be teachers in truth and in reality, would fill their places well, would realize their responsi bility to the business, to themselves and to the men they handle and teach, with what ease I could travel in business; and with what ease the teacher could travel, because the one he 
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 teaches \vouH be so much help to him, and on and up all would go together. 
The manager is more or less a teacher. Ha teaches himself and his men under him. The merchant is more or less a teacher. If he fails to train and teach his clerk, he will pay heav ily for the errors of the clerk. The same is true in fanning and manufacturing, railroad ing, mining, and in all lines and professions. Place yourself as a teacher to-day, and read and consider what it means to your business, to your work and those with you. Very few are the good trainers, good teachers. Oh! if the world had more, what a great thing it would be! "Teacher," this word covers a large field. Xo doubt you are in it; if not, you may be some day. If so, read me closely and carefully. I will not dwell or be long, but between the lines you can dig up and get thoughts that will keep you thinking for some time, and really, that is my object in this let ter to you. Xow go back and read between the lines and get your place, and work it out hon estly and do your duty as a teacher, as a trainer and a pattern for others to go by. 
Xow, Mr. Professor in the schoolroom, your work is so big and so good and so im- 
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 portant. You are not only a teacher, but a leader. Do you know your business ? Do you realize what you are trying to do? Do you know the seed you are sowing? _ Your field is the mind field, the brain field, the best field God ever gave man to cultivate, the best, and richest field. In your field you prepare men to fill the highest places in the country, the field of the ministry, where great is its oppor tunity to teach, the field of commerce, manu facturing, the farm fields, agriculture, mining, engineering, law, medicine, journalism, maga zines, books, political economy, and the field of living and dying. Oh, so much comes under your work! Look it up, choose your place. Do you fill your place well? If not, why take the responsibility of ruining a student, by not being able to explain the books, or to give practical thoughts, to help and stimulate him to go on and finish his school days, his work, his profession? You need to be posted; you need great firmness, great knowledge and en thusiasm, and to be able to so give it to the student that he will see hope and success ahead when he finishes. 
Show him how he can continue school, even if he has not a dollar. You should be able to 
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 suggest how to get the money, how to make the money. Yes, you should be able to do this. You may think that this part of it, getting the money, does not come under your profession. Oh, yes. This is one of the fine and high points in your work. If you are not posted on this, you may fail to be able to make a man, but by your ignorance may lose one. 
If you cause a man to fail, what will you hare to pay in the great wind-up, when it is said of you, you did not know your duty, you did not do your duty 1? Professor, your duty is to make men, to raise men, man-making, woman-making. You know and I know, there are too many fools, as teachers, in the school room. When a boy eight years old calls some teacher, professor a few times and then the boys father and mother call him professor, he then often thinks he is a professor and he knows it all, and then he quits studying and soon becomes a full-fledged professional fooL Hear me! Your work is fine and good. Do your best and you will he crowned for your labors. You can make a good teacher if you study and work and love your work and do your best. 
May you do it well, and I predict your labor 
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 will be crowned here and in the hereafter, and you will live, in your scholars, years after you pass into the beyond, and your students will let you live, in them, year after year, and no one can number the years you will live, after you are dead in body. 
MR. MERCHANT, MANUFACTURER, CLERK, DOCTOR OR FARMER: It is a frequent occur- 
; 
rence with you and other business and pro fessional men, that they grow in money mak ing with only a small business, a business that fails to grow on up. Then, when they get a cash surplus on hand, they put that cash into some other mans enterprise and often some other mans trick, some other mans business plans for him to work and make him a big re turn on their money that they made by hard licks, hard saving and economizing. 
Listen! The first error is, you should in crease your own business, so that you can work more capital. You can often do this by study- 
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 ing and increasing your own brain powerr brain capacity to do a bigger business. Again, you can study to use your surplus money in city or town property, or farm property, and can invest it so that in the end with increased value it will pay you a satisfactory return, and you need not take such a big risk in another mans trick. There are exceptions to this rule, now and then. 
"When you are told once how to do a thing and you do it, you should be able the next day to do the same thing correctly and you should do it without being told to do it again. Often men and boys have to be told over and over again to do their daily work. All wage-earn ers, all classes o help should take great inter est in their work. If possible, put yourself in the place of the proprietor, the owner, the managers place. You then can do well and good. It is hard to do, but valuable if you da it. 
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 MY FRIEND : If this HELPER is a help to you and your family, it will be a help to your friend and neighbor. You tell him about it and tell him to get one. But, if you do not consider it a valuable HELPER, in the hands of any fam ily, then tell him not to buy it. If valuable to you and yours, then I see no reason why not to your neighbor, and if valuable, you will tell him about it. 
fs~~- 
^/T 2^?xJt.z^<fX tSc^ iZ~^ -r 
Wanted: A Man to Fill a $10,000 Position Let a business man advertise for a $10,000.00 
horse, and there will be shown to him more than one horse to choose from at $10,000.00, and they will bring the price in any state. Let the same man advertise for a man to fill a place at $10,000.00 a year, how many men will apply to fill the place*? Would you be one of them? Let the same man advertise for a $600.00 year man to fill a job. How many will be there to offer to fill it ? Would you go and apply? 
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 You know how to figure, and think, and these figures are made to remind you what is taking place, as you travel in this age of hus tling, this age where action is going on with speed, that counts. Let that action be a horse, or a man, or a cow, doing things. 
Boy, Have You Found Your Place? Let your boy read or you read aloud to him. He may see and feel Ms calling, by reading THE HELPER. If it is good for you and others, it is good for your boy at the age of ten years. I have written, so that the boy of ten can catch my meaning, can understand me and my points. Try your boy, try him by your reading and then let him try himself. All along he can find my letters plain and short and direct. I try to reach down and get hold of the young men, that they may get hold of self and see themselves. If I do this one thing, that is enough. I am fully paid and I 
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 am more than paid, foi my lifes work and study. 
Wont you give me and your boy a fair chance, and encourage him to look for me and himself all along in THE HELPER, and he will see me and I believe he will see himself also and see himself in a way that will lead him to success in life, lead him to think more of himself and to see big things that he can ac complish with self, and should see what he is good for. If he can find his place in life, find his own calling through THE HELPER, then that is the one valuable point, that point that nine men or nine boys out of ten do not see or find or realize, in a lifetime. 
Pailure of life! failure! What is a failure of a life? It is like a man with fine farm land, in fine fix, who plants the crop and when it comes up fresh and young and with heavens sun and heavens rain and dew coming down, in all its abundant power, stands off and only looks on it and says to the crop, "I hope you will grow and make a fine crop." But he re fuses to work the crop and the crop of corn, potatoes or cotton or wheat beckons him, calls him and cries out aloud: "Work me or I die. Work and cut out the weeds and the grass, or 
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 they choke me to death," and he would not and it failed for the want of the help that he owed to the crop that he planted, and had promised to give. He would not help and the crop was a failure. Oh! so many failures in men while the world is crying for them to come on and work. The harvest is ripe and good and ready for you. Look and see, where you can help your boy, see and work his crop of brains and find success. If you do, then I say, you have been the means through THE HELPER of help ing your boy, and it may and should aid bim to make a great success. 
At his age he will have a long life to follow and a useful life can be spent by him finding early in life what he is good for and what he will follow. Down lifes road for him will be better and easier, because he saw himself and saw the thing he was fitted for, and he then can go through life dovetailed, hand-in-hand with his job, his calling, his trade, a fit and not a misfit, in life. 
May THE HELPEB help you and your boy and success crown his life and may he very early in life find his place and fill it well. 
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 tmssa 
MR. FATHER: Have you a horse, cow or dog, or any dumb animal ? Are you good to them and do you watch after their health and their comfort ? If you do, and if you teach your children to love and re spect their feelings and their well-being, then when your children grow up, they will fol low your rules and they, too, will have a kind heart for dumb animals and the dumb animals will return to your children love for love. Any man, any child, any per son, young or old, who loves dumb animals and is not cruel to them, is better and kinder than those who do not love and are cruel and do not have a kind heart for dumb creatures. Educate your children around the fireside 
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 while young, to have a kind heart and not abuse and mistreat dumb creatures and you will raise better children than if you neglected to do so. 
Training a Young Man 
MR. MANAGER: I will give you a few points in regard to handling a col lector, or a clerk. I will send this letter to all my managers. Some will get it, who know how to train men, who take pains with them, who let the collector, the clerk know that they think something of him; who will explain to him, show him, and teach him that, if he will study and work, he will learn, and will make a success, that I need him and want him as soon as possible for a manager. 
Go over the books with them, see that they know how to make out a daily and monthly report. It trains them to know how. See that their weekly reports are correct; encourage them and aid them; try and keep them satis- 
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 fied and you show them that you like the busi ness and are pleased. But if you are not pleased with the business nor take any inter est in it, be a man and tell me so and do not injure the business, the collector, the clerk and myself. 
Talk about success in life and the business; do not waste time in talking about something that will not benefit yourself or the business. A collector, a clerk, knows when a manager is a worker, is a hustler, and is interested in his work. So many collectors and clerks quit their jobs because they do not like the way the manager does, the size of business he is doing and the effort he is making to build it up. 
It helps a manager to train and teach the collector, the clerk. It makes him a bigger man and a better man. I hope all managers will take pains, will work, will figure with their collectors and clerks, will want to do a better business. They can. Will they do it? They need to do better, they need a big busi ness in order to get the stimulant from having the pleasure of doing a good business, from being a success in life; not only from working for a salary, but working to build their own selves up and their own brain up, to a size 
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 above-the very common, small puny thing that counts for sc little, and because the man that carries it around each day, will not work it, will not tiy to improve it. 
You want to count for something, yes! you do. Will you do it? Will you try hard? Will you promise yourself to do better, and not back out, and not tell yourself a falsehood? I write this to aid you in sizing yourself up and to help you think and work. A good man will like this and get something out of it. A sorry man will get mad and be fool enough to think that I wrote this for him, for his benefit. Noz no, I did not think of him at all, did not have time to waste on him. 
The manager who wants to succeed is the man I am talking to. He and I are anxious to do something and are willing to learn and work and succeed in life. If you know at any time your collector, your clerk, is not good, is sorry and will not try, all you have to do is to let me know his faults and I will attend to 
With great respect I write you this and 
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 hope it may do you good in training men and yourself. 
NOTICE: I wrote this letter for my mana gers, but I realize that I have a good many collectors and clerks who are good and worthy and will be ready soon for a managers place. So I decided to send the letter not only to the managers, but to all, the managers, collectors and clerks. I hope each and every man who wants to improve and do better in life will be benefited. 
Forgive your enemies, you have no waste place in you to hold unkind thoughts. Forget the wrongs and forgive them, and fill this spot in you with a kind word, a kind deed. 
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 Never lose confidence in yourself. Young man, your father and mother have set up more than one night, all night likely, vratching over you while sick, nursing you back to health. Xow wont you nurse yourself up to success, nurse your brain up to knowl edge. Tour brain is sick from ignorance, sicfc for want of more knowledge in general, and sick more particularly, no doubt, from the lack of knowledge of the particular line of business you are in at this time. Wont you sit up some with yourself, night after night, till you get better prepared? If you think it your duty, then have manhood and grit to do it. Think enough of yourself to act now. Get at it: "Why wait? .You have tried waiting. It did no good. 
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 If you went on a visit to your best girl and, after a courtship till twelve or one oclock, ac cepted the invitation of her father to stay all night, but upon going to bed, were assailed by a lot of little red, four-legged creatures crawl ing over you, playing hide-and-seek, and then proceeding to make a barbecue of you, having a regular picnic at your expense, wouldnt you go home in the morning, completely cured of young loves dream so far as that girl was con cerned and never go back again? 
 
Listen to the other fellow talk and you keep your mouth closed. Recollect, as you travel down the road of life, and instead of your do ing all the talking and telling all you know and more than you know to be true, be a good lis tener. A good listener never returns home empty headed. He will learn a great deal in a days travel on the train, if he gives the other fellow an opportunity to talk. Most men will talk if you only listen. How they love to hear themselves talk. Try what THE HELPEK says and you will gain largely, and be wiser. 
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 M E. MANAGER: You have a daughter and no son. THE HELPER will de viate some and write you a letter more especially about your daughter and what pertains to her welfare. You and wife and daughter can be judges as to its value. Some day she will be offered the hand of a man for better or for worse. She will be bet ter able to choose one, and when she does, she will be more in touch with his work, trade, profession or calling, and can harmon ize and fit herself with him, and think with 
on his calling in lifes great work. If 
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 every man and wife would try to live harmo niously in thought and work, how bright their home would be. It is impossible to estimate the value of knowing how to do this one thing all along lifes road. 
Some men and some womer would give all they possess in money, in lands, in stocks and bonds, if happily mated and in harmony and in love with each other, not merely to stay to gether, but to live a life together. They would gladly give up all if they loved and suited each other. 
Father, you study and think and train wife and daughter on these points. Tell your wife and daughter to read and study THE HELPER. THE HELPER does not often speak of the wife or the daughter. But while that is the ease, if THE HELPER is good for you, it is good for them. If you die first, your wife ought to know enough about your business affairs to take charge and handle them without calling in some man to administer on your estate. If you teach your wife and if she will be taught, she will gladly take charge and handle your af fairs satisfactorily, and often better than the man you might choose, or the man the court would appoint to do so. 
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 Early in life a man should teach his wife enough of his business to enable her to take hold of it if he should die first. You and your wife teach your daughter all these points. "Women can do business, and can do it well, if they are trained. 
Young lady, you think some on this idea now, before you marry, and after marriage, you think again on this plain talk that THE HELPER is writing. Some of you are in touch with THE HELPER, because it is in touch with you. If your father and mother fail to agree or live happily together, THE HELPER suffers because the man and wife are not in harmony and are not living the life that God intended man and wife to live. 
Again., man and wife, listen. If you fail to live in peace and love, how can you expect to raise up children in the way they should go? "Would you be willing and pleased to see them follow your way, follow in your tracks down lifes road? If you and wife can not live cor rectly, what about your daughter and her fu ture husband? 
Young lady, if you see this letter to your father, you think some now, and when you marry, think again. Young wife, wont you 
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 think some now, while it is time, on the sub ject? 
May THE HEUPERS letter be worth reading more than once by you and family, and may it truly be a helper to you. 
Mr. Manager, teach your daughter to think and study on her life before she marries and after she marries. My best wishes go with you and family. 
 
{/ 
 
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^ * 
 
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 Did you sit up till ten oclock last night studying how Abraham Lincoln became a man and afterwards the president of the United States ? Or at any other time have you read about him? If not, do so. If any man was lacking in advantages surely he was one of them. He is dead, yet he lives. Will you figure and think and meditate, or will you say "away with knowledge and work and success and home-living and home-owning?" 
Read each day or night for fifteen or twenty minutes until you get accustomed to it, and commence to love it, then you can read, say one hour at night without tiring you. We are talking business. You have failed to read and study. Now you commence, and read regularly, or study a book, and put in regular time. Train your lazy self. Why not ? Why neglect longer? You will be proud of your self some day, if you will do it. 
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 The Bell is Tolling for You 
MB. YOUNG MAN: Man, this year may be the crisis in your life for success. You may have put off and delayed, till you may be at the point that to withhold your efforts now may place you where you can not make another ef fort to make success. The desire may never come back to you again. Your soul may never open up again for the opportunity to come in. I ask you not to let this opportunity pass by; commence to-day to make good with self; do the honest thing; quit your meanness; quit your laziness, quit being a spendthrift, quit spending all you make; practice economy; change your way of living. You have failed. You see and know you are a knot on a stick, no good, in the way, a traitor to yourself. 
Listen! hear the bell tolling and calling you on to poverty, to brain poverty, JQO money, no home, no business that you can call yours, toll ing, tolling for you. Hear it! How it rings out! It is tolling for you, it is tolling for you to-day, to-day, tolling, tolling for you. 
I am talking to you freely, and I feel free to do so, so often in life have I told men of the things that pull men down. I am talking heart to heart talk to you, no one but you and I are 
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 present. Why not talk plainly? You prom ised at the beginning to let me talk plain. Young man, is that bell for you ? THE HELPER entreats you to make a change for a better life. 
^^^ 
You are at school, learning how to handle a man and a dollar. Study your lesson well. 
If you can control and handle yourself, you can control and handle a horse or mule or ox or cow or dog or hog. Yes! you also can make and save a dollar and can control it, if you can control self. How are you on these points ? Can you measure up to full capacity? Do you come up to the standard? If not, it is your fault and dont complain at your fool self. Control yourself. 
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 You see the way we are traveling all along in THE HELPEE. We admonish and teach, if you so mind to call it, that you and you only are responsible for your ignorance, for your failure, for your meanness. Also you are the one who keeps yourself back in all things, that you could do, if you desired to accomplish them. 
Dont forget the subject all along, and be willing to put yourself in your right place all along in THE HELPER. Then you can see and know when the shoe pinches you, when it fits you, and you can thus obtain the needed help. 
After you read this HELPEE, if you can not get the worth out of it, then I am a fool, and do not know much of man, or this busy world, and my labors and my success in my work and business, and my travel and mixing with men, would be a failure so complete that I would consider myself beyond redemption. Read more than once. 
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 ^ 
MEN", I am going to talk to you to-night about Tommy. Tommy was from a good parentage of his land, and his kind is numerous and fills a very useful place in these United States. Tommy is young and a lively boy, when you place him in his own sphere, in his own position, or give him his own place in life. He was formerly a plow boy. 
Tommy is at home more particularly when he is in the cotton patch in the South, away down in Dixie, where the watermelon flour ishes and magnolias bloom and the cotton grows and is woven into cloth for the world. 
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 Nowhere on earth does cotton grow so well and command such recognition as the cotton made in the South, about twelve million bales a year. It covers about twelve states with its white staple, it is sent across the water and covers the globe. It clothes the world more or less. Tommy is one of the main helpers. He is a great plow boy who helps make the staple year after year. He is well known and fills Ms place not only in the making of the cotton, but in other lines also. He is a great fellow, and is so recognized, especially, all over the South and West, although now and then he goes beyond his territory and gets up into the East and North. But, though the South and West are, so far as this country goes, his pecu liar home, he is growing in esteem as well as in use, even in the East and North and beyond the United States. He can do in any country, because he is a doer, and, you know, a doer is all 0. K., and is recognized the world over, He can, I dare say, if you give Mm a showing, cover the earth as the dew covers the better part of it, but he is at home, more particularly in the South and Great West. 
Now, who is Tommy? He is a mule, and came from the stock that fills the bill in more 
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 than one place. But more especially is he a favorite in the South, where he is best known and helps to make the great cotton crop. Both the white man and the colored man know him well and recognize him fully in his work and in his capacity, to do his part well. 
He can pull the plow the year round, or draw the wagon and will let you ride him, and in all spheres acts well his part. He can do a days work at three years old, is hearty and not hard to keep or satisfy; but you can not run him into a hole or into a risky place in the road or street. He sees well and will not take too big a risk, but will dart or go around it, and often so quickly that, if you are riding him, he will land you on the ground. He is a watcher and a doer. 
Now men, I will tell you more of Tommy, the mule, in his capacity and in his work at the livery stable. "Will you listen ? Will you hear me while I give you facts and figures? Mr. Tommy, the mule, belonged to Mr. Kay, the successful livery stable man. 
Tommy is in good hands, for a man who knows a mule and was raised with him, knows his value and how to handle him in the livery business or in the cotton or corn patch, for 
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 the wagon or the saddle. Now listen, men, and hear me, while I go farther and tell you of Tommy, the mule, and Ms qualities, and what he did and how he filled his place in this coun try. He filled it well, his mission was big and great and he knew his place and his job and filled it. Tommy, I say, belonged to Mr. Bay, a livery man and a judge of horse or mule flesh, knew what they could do and ought to do. He owned and dealt in them and de rived the knowledge that all men must have, who know their work, their profession. Listeny and realize where Tommy is, and what his life work is. He is rented or hired out each day, for the saddle, the wagon, or the plow, and he knows and fills his place well. 
Hear me, keep up with me. Mr. Jackson Smith goes to Mr. Ray and hires the mule, and he used him for two days at the rate of $2.00 per day. He brings him back and pays Mr. Ray for two days labor Tommy did for Mr. Jackson Smith, at two dollars per day. Mr. Jackson Smith says to Mr. Ray, "I want a job, I want to learn the livery business; will you give me a place ?" Mr. Ray says, "What can you do well?" Mr. Jackson Smith says, "I can not do anything very well, but can do 
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 common, ordinary labor." Mr. Ray says, "I will give you a place, I will put you at the beginning of the livery business and teach it to you, if you wish to follow and make a suc cess in that line. You will have to start at the bottom and climb up, if you want to know it; you will have to study and work, and you will have to take interest in and love the work, if not, you will fail. So many fail in this line. They will not study, they will not try, they will not work and love and look ahead." "Most men," Mr. Ray says to him, "work for the pay only." 
"All O. K., Mr. Ray, I will accept the place and I will fill it. What will you give me a day?" "My price, to start a man, is one dol lar per day." "I will accept," says Jackson Smith, and he goes at the work and the work is rubbing and currying the mule, Tommy, that he (Jackson Smith) hired and worked for two days. He (Mr. Jackson Smith) ac cepts and starts into the work, and his duty is to take care of and feed and rub Tommy and prepare him for his daily work. 
Please note, the livery business is a fine and profitable business, as good and as honorable as any business or any profession, and is a 
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 money maker, if you know it well and work it well. Mr. Jackson Smith does his work well and sends Tommy out daily to fill his place as a mule, and as a filler of his place for Mr. Ray, and he does it well and Mr. Ray receives from his work or hire, each day, $2.00. Listen, men, to the life of Tommy and Jackson Smith. 
Later on and after six months work, Mr. Jackson Smith said to himself: "Why is it that Tommy, the mule, gets for his work $2.00 per day, when I send him out each day, and I only get $1.00 per day?" He, Jackson Smith, commenced to think, he hesitated and looked worried for a moment. At night, when Tommy came in, after a days work, and the party who rode Tommy paid Mr. Ray $2.00, 
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 Mr. Jackson Smith stopped and thought and when he went home that night, he could not sleep. 
He said: "That mule, Tommy, gets $2.00 per day for his labor; I get for my labor only $1.00 per day. I wonder why this is," and he talked all night to himself, about Tommys getting $2.00 a day and his getting only $1.00 a day. The next day he sent Tommy, the mule, out again, and at night Tommy came in and the man who rode him paid Mr. Ray the $2.00, the regular price for a days work for Tommy. Mr. Jackson Smith 
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 again asked himself: "What is the matter? What is the trouble ? Why is it that Tommy, the mule, gets $2.00 per day for his work and I get only $1.00 a day for my work?" 
Next morning, Mr. Jackson Smith goes in ar-.d looks at lommy, after he had spent all night rolling in bed and asking himself why Tommy got $2.00 a day and he, a man, only $1.00 per day. One dollar a day for a man to start to learn the livery business is good pay, is the regular wages for a man to start in at. He got mad and looked at Tommy in the face and said, "Tommy, you mule, why is it you get $2.00 per day and I only $1.00 per day ? You, a mule, the son of a jackass, and I, a young man, and the son of a man. You get $2.00 per day and I get $1.00 per day," and he looked at Tommy, in the face, and then he goes at the other end of Tommy and looked at him from that end, and cries aloud again, and at this point Mr. Jackson Smith is getting real mad, getting to see at both ends. He commenced to think and to ask himself, "Who am I, and what can I do?" When he com menced to think, then action in him com menced and he did something worth while; 
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 and not until he commenced to think, did he see himself. 
After studying himself and the business well, he says aloud: "Tommy, you mule, you, the son of a jackass, you are only four years old, and I a man, the son of a man, am twentyone years old. Tour father, a jackass, never went to school one day. You, Tommy, your self never went to school one day and you can not talk, you can not reason, yet you get $2.00 a day and I only $1.00 a day. I will not stand it. I see you use your body and feet, your own strength in your work, I have used my hands in caring for you and got $1.00 per day. I can and will do better. God said man was his best animal, his best make and like unto himself." Now notice just here. Then Mr. Jackson Smith said: "You mule, you, the son of a jackass, I will no longer use my hands and no brains. I can do better, I win or die, and all hell will not interfere. To hell with all hand work and no brain work. I see, I have been a fool, my mother and father would be mortified, would be crushed to death, if they knew I had only used my hands and no brains in my work. Enough! I see you, dam mule, I am not in your class. I am a 
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 man, and the proprietor, or manager, or any living creature, who intimates or says that I am less or not a man, lies and the truth is not in him, nor is the pure blood of man in him. To hell with anything less than man. I am one by birth, by inheritance and, so help me God, I will be a man and fill my place among men. 
"I see, I can take the place of Mr. Ray, I can fill his place, do his buying, I can send out and look after collections, I can buy mules and wagons and keep books and look after the work in the office, and I will tell him I can." He, the next day, said to Mr. Bay: "I want a place as manager. I can run a stable, I have studied lately how to run the business, I can buy, I can sell, I can run the livery business, I will not any longer curry and prepare Tommy, the dam little mule, that makes $2.00 a day and I only get $1.00. I see it takes brains to go up against a mule or a cultivated man. I saw Tommys daddie. He was an old jackass ten years old, fifteen hands high, was fine and good and his voice good and his ears long, and I looked at him and Tommy. Mr. Jackass, the father of Tommy, was intro duced, and asked this question, talking to me, 
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 Jackson Smith: "What wages are you getting for your labor? What do you get for what you do?" Jackson Smith said: "I get $1.00 per day." The old jackass says to me, "My son, Tommy, gets $2.00 per day for his work, and Tommy has not been to school and is only four years old." And then the old jackass asked me "How old are you," and tbe old jackass left the scene at this point. 
Mr. Jackson Smith said, "I know where and how they were raised, I made up my mind to die or beat Tommy, the mule. I see my mis take. I will arise, I will and shall fill my place as a man. What do you say this morn ing, Mr. Bay? I want a better place, I want to learn and know. I demand it or I fail in 
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 life, I can not look after or work longer with Tommy, I am going to use more brain and less hand work. It takes brains and hand work." 
"Well, Mr. Jackson Smith," says Mr. Kay, the owner of the livery stable, "Why did you not tell me before now, you wished and could fill a better place, and were willing to study and work your brain. I am ready and willing to place you higher up. Go at once into my office, and attend to the books and look after renting out the horses and mules and buying and selling of mules and horses and buggies and wagons. Do it. I am and have been needing a man. I need a rest; I need a man to look after my business. The livery busi ness is good and profitable, many in it, and few realize that it takes brains, takes grit and pluck and hard work to make success. Yes, roy hoy, you saw and realized that it takes thinking, that it takes stud} and brain, and that it takes knowing how to do the livery business. I gladly welcome you into my office," said Mr. Ray. "I have needed a man for a year or more, I gladly put you in as manager, and will pay you at the start $2.00 a day and, if you do well, I will raise your wages." He went into the office and the first 
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 thing Mr. Jackson Smith did, was to sell Tommy, and he sold him at $150.00. 
Mr. Ray complimented him and told him he made a good sale, a good price he got, and 
$50.00 more than he himself thought he could get. Mr. Ray found he could do and fill the place as manager, and he, Mr. Ray, went the next year to Europe and rested for six months and returned and found Mr. Jackson Smith, his manager, doing well and even better than himself. Later on in five years he sold to Mr. Jackson Smith, his manager, an interest in the business and the sign read, "Ray and Smith." They did well and got rich. Mr. Eay retired and sold out to Mr. Jackson 
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 Smith, and then the sign read "Jackson Smiths Livery, Sale, and Feed Stables," and he made his fortune at that place. 
JACKSON SMITH: 
Listen! Because he thought, because he saw, because he knew, that if a mule could make for his labor $2.00 a day, he, a man, could do more and better, he reaped what he thought. After he thought, not before, after he determined to climb and realize, and when he went to Mr. Ray for a managers place and showed him he could be a manager and could attend well to his business, Mr. Ray took him and placed him in a managers place. It takes study and thinking. He saw, working for wages and wages alone, would not and could not keep up with Tommy, the son of a jackass. 
When he worked his brain, the best thing 263 
 
 in him, he won and left the mule behind. When he worked his best quality he won. "When he saw himself as he was, he climbed up higher and the man quality came out in its best. Then he left the mule quality, and went higher to the quality that God gave him. 
Mr. Jackson Smith is now rich in brain, ex perience and money. My friend, do you see the lesson? Will you read and read? Will you place yourself with Tommy and with Mr. Jackson Smith, and then decide and then study and own and possess in yourself, what God meant for you, what you are cut out to be and do, and to. accomplish what you can and ought to do? Why not? Think of Tommy. You may be a helper in some line, look and see, and see if you can not better your place in life by studying, by thinking, by fig uring and by working. You can. Will you ? 
My lesson, I hope you see it and I hope you will only read and think, as a man should think, and act. I am talking to men, the best thing God made. I am not talking to Tommy, the mule, or his father, the jackass, but men! O man! see and realize your capacity, your best quality. Do not rub and curry a mule, a cow or a job all your life. That job or posi- 
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 tion, whatever it is, use your brain and knowl edge as well as your hands and carry it up to perfection, and to honor you and the owner. 
May you draw a lesson that will point you up higher in business and in life. I beg you to study and think of yourself. You owe it to mankind, and to yourself. Did I overdraw the facts in this case? I feel sure I did not. Do you see the point? The mule, and the jackass? They fill their place in life. May you fill your place in life. Surely it is not one below the mule, the jackass. Did you ever see a jackass and hear him bray? If not you should do so. Another point and I am done. Hear me. This mule is at his end when he dies as to his future generation. The stamp has been put on him, that he could not produce another like him. This is true. He can not produce one of his kind. No! not any off spring can he produce. Why this is a fact, I can not tell. No seed can he sow. No, he is gone when he dies. You can figure this out, if you wish. I draw the line here and give it up. 
Dont think hard of me for this long talk to you. I only mean good, I only call atten tion to going up and making success and mak- 
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 ing of a man. Do you see my point? Look again into the eyes of the little four-year-old Tommy, the mule, who never went to school a day in his life and look at his sire, his daddy, if you please. When you do, if you say I am wrong, and that I have gone heyond the ele ments of thought that leads to the making of a man, then go hack and study the lesson over again. With kindness and with the knowledge of my subject, I talk to you, not as a comparison between man and mule, but as facts that are now day by day occurring, in the history of man and of mules and other animals that do well their part. 
I am going to say good-bye, my young man and friend. I am closing this rubbing job, this daily life scene in all lines of jobs in lifes work, behind the counter, at the ploughhandles, at the carpenters bench, at the brickmasons job, at the conductors job, at the motormans job, at the flagmans job, at the railroad trackmans job, at the engineers job, at the clerks job, at the office mans job, at the farmer boys job, at the tradesmans job, the wage-earners job. Oh, my friend, of whatever capacity as a working man who tries to work only his hands and fails to work his brain, who 
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 fails to think, who fails to figure, to study and to read some; to you, I am talking. With you I plead. You, who have brain that is rich and unused and uncultivated, dont you think you have neglected yourself and rubbed as Jackson Smith did long enough ? It is an honor to rub and curry, but not all the time, to the detriment of not using your brain. 
I ask you to figure, to think, to consider, and I say again, God made man his best animal, his best creature, like unto himself. You can, and only you, fill your place in life; find it and fill it to your best ability. May you succeed and bless mankind with your life, and when you rub with hand, also read and think and rub your own brain. 
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 Do I get close to you? Do you appreciate what I say ? If so, clap your hands. Say so. You know it takes energy and encouragement to talk to you. 
If you have a job at a dollar a day and you are offered $1.25 and you change to accept the same, and soon get another offer in a different line of work for $1.50 a day and in two months you are offered $2.00 a day in a different line and you accept the changes, the raises, dont you see you are working solely for wages, for money and you are truly selling yourself out for the highest bidder, regardless of the work or whether or not you follow it, or love it or learn it"? You are selling out yourself by the day, and you are ruining your prospects for any and all jobs. Selling out cheap, oh, how cheap! You will fail to make a man at this way of changing. It is the dollar you are fol lowing, not the making of success, not the mak ing of a man. 
2KK 
 
 Once Clerk--Now Owner 
YOUNG- man, I take pleasure in address ing you as a business man, owner and proprietor. You were once a collector and a clerk, and then a manager for Dr. J. R. Hopkins. You are now a successful owner. You have crossed over the line from wage-earner to ownership. I take this oppor tunity and the privilege to write you and say, that THE HELPER expected you to climb up; and you can say to your employees that they can do the same thing you did, and THE HELPER will try, as it did in your case, to lead them safely to ownership, to success in life. May THE HELPER inspire your employees to do their work well, and encourage them to take more interest in their work. 
They can see in THE HELPER that it pays to do so, to look well after their employers busi ness. The men or women who do their work well and take the proper interest in it, will be come valuable. You need them and they need you. They are in demand, they will grow more valuable. 
The better your help is, the more money you can make, and the more money you make, the higher wages you can and will pay. You can 
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 afford it and you can and will do so, because it is your duty and to your interest to do so. Why more emloyees and more wage-earners do not see well this point, THE HELPEB is at a loss to know. I presume the answer can be found by asking another question. Why will young men or young ladies go to school for only a few years, and then enter into a calling or work, through necessity or otherwise, and fail almost totally to ever take down their school books from the shelf or book-case, and never look over them or study them and go on all through life without studying some at spare moments, during the days and at nights, and rainy days that prevent them from work and shut down in factories, etc.? Any man or woman that can answer one question can an swer the other one. Mr. Manager, Clerk, Col lector, Bookkeeper and Wage-Earner, in what ever work or calling you are engaged, will you study this letter and try and see and feel as THE HELPER does on this point ? 
Some day you expect, if you are of any ac count, to own and possess some kind of busi ness, or a profession. No man with common sense can figure for less. The nearest route to that desire and wish, is for you to do your 
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 work well and for you to love your work and take great interest in the proprietor and busi ness. You ask any good business man and he will tell you the same as THE HELPER has writ ten. Try the plan, do the work well and take interest in it. Will you do it? If not, why not? 
Mr. Business Man, study your help. Study and know them personally, when practicable. THE HELPER knows in many instances the pro prietor or proprietors can not meet their help, their employees. They are many, and business is so arranged and their time is so employed and taken up to keep business going that they can not meet or see their employees. I wish you and your help great success in business and in life. May you and they prosper all along down the road of lifes work. May your help prosper as you have. May they see the road that leads to success. May they follow it as you did. You were once poor, but now rich, rich in manhood, brain, money and character. I wish you continued prosperity. 
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 My Wages Gone Have you wasted your wages, your sub stance, into which you put in your best efforts, and your youngest days to make ? Why did you? What was the matter with you? You knew better, you knew you could have laid up some for this day. I now ask you to look at the past and decide how you will have the fu ture. You can and ought to consider now and get hold of yourself. Why waste, why pay all out to feed yourself, and pay more than you should for clothing? Why pay out more than a reasonable amount for enjoyment and soda- water drinks and cigars and theatres, etc. ? You figure, do your duty and do it now. 
To accomplish what you undertake, keep at it till vou succeed. 
 
 Have courage, young man, to overcome ig norance and fight it out on business principles. Whip the fight, or you go down before the world, as an ignorant man. That, literally, means you are too lazy to win the fight, that you say to the world, to your friends: "I am a lazy man. I prefer to be ignorant, rather than own and possess knowledge. Let your motto be: Give me courage, or give me death. " 
Ignorant of ourselves, the one with whom we live and move and sleep and have our being with! What is the matter? Why neglect so big and so important a matter of knowledge ? Yet with this ignorance of ourselves, why do so many say that they know their neighbor? Will you, my reader, answer to yourself and in your answer ponder and ask again: "Do I know myself ?" If not, why speak so freely of my neighbor and complain at 
 
t/ 
 
xo ^^> ^ C^ 
 
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 Have You Your Ticket? 
MEX, I have, before to-day, often talked to you and written to you on your work and on living a life. I have, as you well know, tried to point out to you the road that you should go to make a success and to make a life. Suppose you fail to make a success in life. Who will mourn your depart ure from this world, from this life 1 
Well, my men, I tell you truly and tell you honestly my opinion. There will be but few if any, who will mourn long. Some one of the immediate family may wear crape on a hat or a long black veil on a hat, but in truth they do not mourn long. They will soon forget you, soon forget to mourn for you; you must be a man who does things, or there will be no 
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 mourning for you. We will say in passing, they will miss you. For what ? I am not say ing ; but be careful and be thoughtful for your self; look after yourself. If you do not, who will? No one. Will you consider and think" on yourself and your life, while we meditate, while we figure, if you please, while we talk, and think what you are living for ? 
What is your aim in life ? Where will you land in this world and where in the next ? If you land here at a given point, say in business^ say in your profession, will you land at some given point in the next world? Well, if you prefer, suppose for argument you leave out the other world, the beyond the river; well, we will leave it out; but God will not. He will soon call you to a reckoning. You may have no day-books to guide you in your testimony as to what you did here and if you are not posted, and you are liable not to be posted, you are not keeping a record of your ways, your deeds, your thoughts. You may be, as many are in life, too lazy to keep a day-book and ledger of your expenses and of your income. 
Mark here, if you please, your income is your wages, your store profits, your farm ex penses and your profits, each and every thing. 
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 The hen that lays the eggs which you eat or sell, the cow and she is important her milk and butter which you eat or sell, and all the pigs and hogs, all should go down on your ledg er and you should know and keep a record, so that you may know and know exactly how you live and what is making profits ancl what is losing. 
Do you know? If not, why not? Do you keep a record, if not, you are lazy and indif ferent. If not, you lack business qualities, you lack sense, you prefer not to do so. The mer chant, if up-to-date, will take stock, will see what he has on hand every six months, or every twelve months at least. He will add up the gain and add up the loss and he will figure and know what he did and what he made and lost during the six or the twelve months. Will you do that with your goods, with your profes sion, with your farm, or factory? Why not with yourself, above all else your own life, your daily life, that you have lived for the six months or the twelve months. You surely will not add your stock in trade, your profession and neglect above all the best stock in trade, the best profession, the best thing, the only 
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 lasting thing and the thing that is above all the best and most important, yourself. 
You are the main thing, the best of all and the richest asset you have, and when you lose yourself, then the best asset is gone and gone forever, you, I say, gone? Are you ready to go ? Is your family ready for you to go ? Is your business ready for you to go? If not, why not? What are you waiting on? What will you do, if given a few more years ? Wfll you at this point stop and go back and consider over again what we are saying and figuring on ? Yes, figuring on. You will go. You will readily admit, yes, you are forced to admit it, you know it. You may not consider, but you have that privilege. You, I hope have used that privilege often and maybe all your life. You put it off, and yet, you know, that road you will have to go some day, and perhaps at no distant day. 
Fix up in this country your affairs for this country and fix up for the next country. When you get there, you will need to be fixed. You will have to go, you know you will. Dont you think it is worth your- thought and your well being in the next, to prepare here for the next? Dont you know and realize that you 
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 should do so ? Why not ? What can or. will you gain to waste and not even take time to prepare for the crossing of the river? The river is near by you, however much of life may remain. Have you engaged passage, have you the check, the ticket to land you safely? You buy your railroad ticket and berth in sleeping car to go to New York or San Fran cisco, you get a through ticket, or if you go to Europe you get state-rooms on the ship, you get reservation tickets for the trip. 
Now, in all candor and fairness, in all good reason and common horse-sense, dont you think you had better get passage and keep on hand a reserve ticket or mileage book to cross when you are called on to go to the world be yond? Men, let us consider all along in life, beyond the living in this country, beyond the mere making of a living or chasing of a dollar, that we will have to leave behind. Our bag gage can be checked and delivered in Europe safely and all O. K., but our baggage to the other country, the other world, is our ownselves, the only baggage that can be checked, or that will be allowed to go. 
Get yourself ready and keep ready. Your train may leave very soon and you will have to 
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 get aboard and you may not have any time to get a ticket. Look out! The day and time is daily approaching. Tou and I, have we our tickets ? Are we ready to go ? What is your answer? I wish you a pleasant trip and a suc cessful landing. Tours for thought and for meditation in solitude and for safe landing at the proper station, made for the good and thoughtful man and for the man who has his ticket. Money will not buy the ticket for you. Right living will get the ticket. Can you buy it now, or will you buy it later on for that trip ? 
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 This is an age of close figuring. Have you figured? If not, why not? Are you too lazy to protect your own and your familys well being? 
When a manager or collector writes pertain ing to business or men in my office or any one of my other offices or business, mark on let ter. Private, and it will be kept private. 
Love your work and do it well. It takes grit, energy, pluck and great enthusiasm to make a great success. 
Lift yourself up higher, with yourself. 
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 I have trained a good many men to make a man and a success in life, but I am hindered by so many managers and collectors, clerks and help, not doing their duty. They are hold ing down some one while I am trying to pull him up. If the manager will not do his duty he is holding back the collector and keeping him from building up and getting a managers position. And if the collector is lazy and wastes his time and does not try or care, he is holding the manager and the other collector and other help back from a better business and a better success. 
MY FRIEND: Arent you the young man that promised to stay with THE HELPER and go with it and study and read it till we reached the end in THE HELPER? Keep your promise. Do not break a promise. Your promise is good and counts and the other fellow believes you, when you make a promise. 
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 Listen! Did you ever buy a book and read1 the first few pages, and then read a chapter or a few pages at the end of the book, and then say you read the book, but you did not like it, or that you did like it. My friend, the man who wrote the book would not have done so, if he had thought you would not have given him a fair show, would not have given him a fair hearing. You did yourself, and him, an in justice by not reading the entire book from one end to the other. The part you skipped may have been the main and better part, and the only place that brought out more clearly the true essence, the backbone and the Efe of the book. 
When you know you are on the wrong side, and hurting, flop over on the right side. Why be a fool longer? An honest man will change when he sees he is on the wrong side. 
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 What do you mean when, after work hours, you sit around and chat and talk about the other fellow or the other woman in the case ? What have you to gain by neglecting and talk ing about some one else ? What are you doing to make a man, to make a business, to acquire a profession, to get a home for wife and babies, or for your future wife? You will find good room to figure all along on these lines. 
Wake up, man! Time is going by you. Look back and see how much time you have let go by you, just as swift as the engineer lets his engine pass the telegraph poles at a mile a minute. THE HELPER is putting energy and simplicity, and earnestness all along on every page, to warn you, to cause you to think for yourself. I know I fall short of my work; I ought to do better, but if you get something good for you, then I have not written in vain. 
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 MR. MANAGER: DEAR SIR : I thank you for your letter and 
the ideas it contains. I did not know myself, that I had so many men who would try hard to write me a good letter, or how to do business and train men, and actually do it. A great honor to them, and I am proud of the letter and of them. Carry out your ideas in business and your rules with yourself, collectors, clerks and customers, and you will make great suc cess, as I believe you will do. You see it and feel it as never before. It would do you good to see the letters I have received. You can not imagine how good they are. I know my men did not know they could write so well on this point. I know they felt better and bigger after writing their letters to me. The field for a let ter and business is big. It is dealing with a man and a dollar, two big things. No two things so large. Man and a dollar mean riches and it takes brain to see it. 
It is often said to me by some of my men: "Some of your letters are worth easily one thousand dollars." Well, boys, I would not recall my letters and withhold the contents and the opportunity it gave you to express your selves freely to me about how to handle the 
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 business and yourself, for five thousand dol lars. It will cause some of my men to get rich, and some will make honest and true and brainy men, and that is more than wealth. It is a pleasure to cause men to reach up higher and to make men and win success. I could not work as I do, if I was not realizing and seeing my men succeeding in knowledge and in wealth. I am glad to state that my business in all lines as a whole, is better than it has been in years. 
I never saw men work so regularly, so well, so hard, as they have in the last sixty days; and the work has just begun. Watch the im provement, watch the growth, look at the busi ness and your men and watch each grow. Watch, I say, for the next sixty days the growth in brain, in improvement, in capacity and in business. Again thanking you for your letter, I am as ever your friend and co-laborer, for more brains, more knowledge, more man hood and more business. 
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 There is no harm, I hope, in saying more than once, that all men ought to be honest and true and that all should have something laid up for a rainy day, and for old age. Then do not complain if you see it more than once in THE HELPER. You say a biscuit is good, and you eat it often. No harm in eating it or saying it is good. 
!NTow watch my point on you. If THE HELPER is good to read to-day and for you, it will be good for you to-morrow, and good for your children. Can you doubt it? Can you sav I over-draw the biscuit or THE HELPER? 
Do You Waste Your Time? "Waste of time is so common among men that it seems useless to call attention to it; so few will consider and stop to think of their time. Time is about all some men have and they could make that time bring them a business or a profession or a home. But they count it but little, when it is wealth. Some rich men would give for a few more years added to their lives all the millions they have made. What they own was obtained by using time profitably and they are willing to buy more time at a great high price. They 
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 are not dead with old age, or sick, either, but know what time is and its value; and you! what have you done with your time and what are you doing to-day with it? Your time is worth a fortune and will make success. Will you use it ? Will you figure it up and see what it is and its value ? Get hold of yourself and your time, that God gave you. He expected you to use it and not abuse it, not waste it. Will you to-day give to yourself and your time some of your thoughts ? It is up to you to consider or to reject and waste all of it. What say you? 
. Note how often you have promised yourself what you would be and backed out, and how you would not talk to yourself when your sou] cried out, "What will I be. And when will I be what I long for?" 
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 Hear me. As you study and read THE HELPER, if anything that has been said has kindled in your soul, in "your breast a spark of determination, to win in the fight for suc cess in life, then I have won at my efforts. If I can win, so can you. Renew the spark, and see that it is kept alive in you, and let it burn day and night, and you will win. 
Do you like THE HELPER up to and as far as you have read and studied it ? If so, I am glad. If not, I am sorry. You see, it is your opinion that either makes me glad or makes me sorry. You see, your approval or your dis approval cuts a big figure in this age, in this country, in this work. So it is well to use your judgment and use it well. Let it strike whom it will; let it affect whom it will, but use your judgment and give your opinion honestly. Ever and forever be true to self and to your own opinion, after mature thought on the sub ject. 
288. 
 
 If you succeed, some good man will follow and do likewise. If you fail, some weak man will follow you. What will you do with this proposition before you? Where will you put your influence ? 
Will you be able to explain what you read in THE HELPEB and then will you try if you find help to put it into practice ? In order to be prepared to get close to THE HELPER and for THE HELPER to get close to you, turn back, and read again, what you have so far read. You missed, no doubt, some good point, that you would have liked, and you would have got ten a point, an idea, that would have lasted a long time, yes, for years or for life. Try it! Bead again. 
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 Watch Danger. When an old hen hollers or cackles, and says to the little ones, "hawk," they at once run to her. When your mother cries out dan ger keep away from bad associates. Children should mind, and at once be taught to obey, and when older, they will know better, and be able to keep away from danger. 
Many business men are suffering for the want of a manager, or leader, a good and true helper, who does have nerve and courage to do things. Wont you prepare yourself for a managers place? There are plenty of places in any line of business. You can prepare. Say you will. 
When a man thinks he knows it all, and the other fellow is a fool, then it is time to ask himself, "may it not be that I am the fool?" Let him ask and look for the stars in his crown, or better still, ask his neighbor and friend if he sees any star in his crown. 
290 
 
 Do You Figure? 
YOU say you notice that I call attention to figuring up and considering, not only yourself, but in any business fig ure. You say that you are not good in figures. It is very easy, does not require much knowledge to do it. If you are not lazy, you can soon learn to figure, by taking down your arithmetic from the shelf. You laid it away once when you quit school, and if you can not find it, go and buy an arithmetic. You can do this. Have you man enough in you to do it and study ? You can also get a dictionary and writing pads if necessary; you can educate yourself, if you have backbone, if you have energy, if you have good blood in you, if you can say you will and then do it. 
You need not think for one moment, this is easy for you to do. You knew long ago that you could study some each night; but rather than do it you resolved to be ignorant, you preferred to see others do what you could have done, stand high up in a good many things, in your town, in your county, in your neighbor hood. They will use you to great profit to your self and themselves, now if you will prepare yourself. There are many men who educated 
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 themselves in books, and in knowledge of busi ness, and in their profession. You never see a failure, when you see a man that accom plished things this way under great disadvan tages, with hard trials. 
You try, make the effort, and see for your self. 5Vill you do it? Or will you continue to be a failure, continue to be sorry, continue to earn but little in wages, all because you are no good and all your neighbors know it, and often remark about your ignorance, and about the small salary you make, all agreeing that you get fully as much as you are worth? All these years you have lived and your salary has not increased to any amount worth men tioning. Cant you add up your loss ? Well, I guess it is almost lost, your entire life thrown away, because you would not try to make a man that would count, that would do things. I say again to you, figure and look at^yourself. 
Tell me, listen, deep down in yourself. How much studying of books have you done in the last twelve months? You say, "Scarcely any." Can you make a crop of corn or pota toes or cotton without working it? No! and you know it. Can you make a crop of brains without working and cultivating it? No! but 
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 you have been fool enough to try it, and you failed. Go to work on your brain, and fit yourself to fight the actual battles of life, your life, fight for success with yourself, for self support, self development, self will. Quit promising to do, and not doing. Lying is a sin, if you tell it on your neighbor. But to continue month after month and year after year lying and promising yourself to do some thing, and not doing it! Young man, read again, over and over, and you promise your self to stand for your own rights and for mak ing of a man and success and you will win the fight, and, when you do, I will shake hands again with you. 
 
V7 
 
f 
 
^&^^^^ 
 
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 Dont be a kicker, kicking at everythiag and everybody. A kicker is a very sorry man, kicking at his lodge, his church, his office holders, the weather, everything. He wants it to be some other way. If you are a kicker, move out of your neighborhood, and all will be well with the people you leave behind, but hell to the community into which you move. 
THE HELPER asks you if you need help, to read and study THE HELPER, but if not, will add, it might entertain you any way to read it. The word help does not mean dollars and cents. ]$To; this HELPER is not a dollar-and-cent prop osition, that is the small point in it. THE HELPER is a man helper, a man trainer, a man lover. Do you need anything that comes under that headline ? If not, travel some other way. Pass THE HELPER by, and look for other things. Just a dollar and no man, you would not fill the bill you were made to fill. Yours for yourself, and the dollar next. 
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 The Lost Sheep. 
MB. WAGE EARNER: Well! how is it with you to-day? Same as last year, or have you decided to have a profession, a business ? Now, be candid, be true. What profession, what business, have you chosen? Well, it is well for you, if you have settled the matter with yourself. You and you only will have to decide with and for yourself. You can not get help, and the more you try the farther off you will get, and then delay may be on and on, going down the road like a lost sheep, bleating, looking, wandering and lost. 
Did you ever hear the cry, the bleating of a lost sheep ? It is sad, it is mournful, it is lone some. Are you lost as to yourself, as to your lifes work? Dont pass it by and not con sider. Dont say, "wait until a more conven ient time." Dont say when you feel like it, when you can decide. This day may be the only day for you to decide, for you to choose. You are called to-day. It is knocking at the business door, the professional door of your soul, of your brain, longing for the answer. Choose to-day. If you can not, ask the knock to linger, and give you another day. 
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 May you choose, may you choose well, may you fire up your heart-string, that will burn in you till you do decide. May it never die out, and may you decide correctly. 
Give your family the right of way for your spare time, your time when you are at ease from business or professional worries. They will enjoy you if you go home, with mind on home, mind on wife and children. Go home to have a good time, a fine time, and all have a good and pleasant evening, reading, playing, singing. Life is sweet and worth living. Make home the best and happiest place on earth. Let each one of the family feel and know it is his duty to himself, and to the others in the fam ily, to make a good time. 
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 When I write you, I try to be plain, so that any twelve-year-old boy can understand me, and if he chooses, get what there is in what I say and utilize it to his good. 
Do you like a beautifully kept yard ? If so keep yours beautiful. 
Be faithful to your family, be faithful to your home affairs; be faithful to your job, to your manager; be faithful to the boss, to the foreman, and above all, to yourself. Honor yourself in youth, and in old age you will not depart from it. 
Do you like to see a home painted, and kept beautiful to the eye, and the wood work from decaying, thus preserved? If so, save up cash, and paintyour house. Some women put all the paint on their faces, and let the house go. 
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 YOTJE brain wants to show how it can grow. Will you buy a good book and read it, or will you stand still and see your brain die the death of poverty? Feed your brain. You can starve it to death. 
Be thankful for what you are and what you have? If you have done your duty, you will reach out and get more and more in your work, in your lifes work, and success will crown your efforts. 
Does poverty sting you financially, or have you abnormal wants, and are you unreasonable in your desires ? You may have plenty, if you will correctly live your life. You had better look up and see if you are treating yourself fairly and honestly. 
Kindness is a great factor in business. Be kind to your employees. They will never for get it, and will pay you back with kindness and watchfulness of your business interest. 
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 WHEN a merchant needs a clerk, he will ask questions like the follow ing: "Is he honest? Is he sober? Is he industrious? Is he capable, or will he try to make himself so ? Will he be faithful to the trust placed in him?" 
STou are traveling, traveling, lifes road. Is it satisfactory? Is it beautiful to you? Are you enjoying it, are you contented? If your road is not good, better stop and fix it. It may. have washouts; bridges may be down; some thing bad in the road. 
Pathers, keep in touch with your children, when at home and when they are away from home; keep up with and know your own house hold. 
Write often to your father and mother. They love you and have often said, "I hope my boy will do well and will make a good man, and a successful man." They are about the only ones who pray for you. 
 
 If this HELPER was not a helper, I would not ask you to read it. I would not give you the opportunity! I do not like a bashful man; but I do Like for a man, if he knows he has something good, to say so, and say it plainly, so that it will be heard and understood. I tell you now, I know THE HELPER helped my men. They said so, and I know it by the suc cess that it helped lead them to make. I know, if good for my men, it is good for you, or for any man. Yes; it is good for anybody, and all classes, and professions. Do you think the agent or merchant who sells it would lie to you ? No, they would not. No, you know they would not, because to do so would mean failure. I am dealing with my work and my profession, handling men, and pointing out my experi ence and knowledge, that I stored away year after year. 
My experience and knowledge did me good, and it will do you good in business. 
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 Do you like a good and beautiful vegetable garden? Then keep yours that way. 
 
PAY your doctors bill. He is good to you, and puts in his brain and knowledge to cure you. You might be dead to-day, 
 
if he had not done his duty. A doctor is far 
 
above the average man. Pay him promptly. 
 
Pay the merchant. He is good enough to 
 
trust you, and he helped you. Now in return, 
 
you keep your honor, and pay him up 
 
promptly. Keep your accounts paid up. You 
 
can not do your work well and be worried over 
 
your debts. Bather stint yourself, and do not 
 
go too deep in debt. You no doubt have tried 
 
it, and you know it will not do. Control your 
 
self and family and hold up; save some as you 
 
go along. Why will you not get hold of your 
 
will power and go so far and no farther? 
 
Carry yourself up to a better manhood, a bet 
 
ter life, one that you and everybody will be 
 
glad to see, and that they can point to with 
 
pride. 
 
. 
 
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 Are You a Job-Hunter? 
BOS S, listen to me. I need good and hon est and true men. I can make you a success. Why not? Listen to me. I have men who started with me at $15.00 or $25.00 a month, and are now rich and are to day with me. 
A five or fifteen dollar raise did not take them away from their place. A man is a fool, if he is with a good man and is satisfied, to change for a ten dollar raise. He is a job hunter. Xot a successful life hunter, not a man, but merely a hireling, a dollar moving him from one job to another, with no idea of a man or duty to himself. I call him a fool. 
Do not stay with me, if you are not satisfied with me, but get where you can be satisfied. But if you appreciate me and my work, then go in to make a man and a success in life, and work and not waste your time; work and think, work and promise yourself, you will be a successful man, honest and true and a help to mankind- I wish you success in life and will help you make a success. 
^&^^^ 
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 O you think your Maker, the God of 
you, and this world, would deny you the right to climb up higher? Dont you believe the world was made for you, and when the world was made, dont you think He also made it possible for you to climb up and make a success ? I be lieve it and can not believe any other way. If you believe it and if you think that there is room for you, then act upon it. If you do not believe it, you tear down your own ladder that reaches from poverty to success. Do not take it down. It is yours, it is your own ladder. Climb up, start to-day! Delay is dangerous. Man, if you do not believe as I do, I want to ask you, dont tell your boy, that there is no room for him higher up. Dont 
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 take his ladder down from him. For heavens sake, let him see it, and feel that there is a ladder for him, and that he can climb it. Do not tell your associates that there is no hope. Rob no man of his hope. 
Never take the light out of the soul of any man or boy. Tea, kindle it anew. At all times let it fire him, let him climb. 
V 
/^^f^r 
S*~^ ' 'V""~^ 
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 DID you ever go to see the monkeys act in a vaudeville show ? They usually act, on the stage, twenty minutes, not longer than thirty minutes at a time. Let me tell you of six monkeys that are trained to act and make fun and entertain at the theatre. 
Not long since, a man trained his monkeys to act their part well, and in harmony, each tak ing his turn individually, or all together, just as the act called for. Each one did his part ex tra well, and knew it well, and when to do it, and when he was through he left his post and returned to his seat in decency and in order. These monkeys entertained large crowds night after night. The owner took great pains with them, watched after their diet and their health 
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 closely and did not allow them to see company or associate with other monkeys. They, loved him, and obeyed "him, and they practiced their parts regularly. Please note that they prac ticed their parts regularly and kept posted all the time. They loved their work, they knew their business well and worked with enthusi asm, with great energy, and watchfulness. How well they acted their part you can know, by my telling you what their owner received for their labor, for their skill in acting upon the stage. Ifow, I am talking about a monkey, and some people think they know some other people who favor a monkey. Well, it might be an honor for some to be like these monkeys, in doing a job well and getting the same pay to do it. 
These six monkeys, or their owner, received for each nights twenty minutes act, one hun dred dollars, six hundred dollars a week, twen ty-four hundred dollars for four weeks, one month, or four hundred dollars for four weeks for one monkey. You ask why does a monkey, who never went to school a day and can not talk, and is only four years old, make so much per month, working only twenty or thirty min utes a day ? Well, the answer is plain, I think. 
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 The monkey learned some one thing well enough to do it well, and to entertain because he could do it well. The monkey had a good trainer or teacher, and he paid attention and studied his lesson, and learned it, and kept out of bad company, did not get drunk, did not steal, did not waste time, did not lie, did not do a great many things that men do so often; especially those who fail in life. 
Man is Gods best animal, and His highest prize. God said to him: "Do this and thou shalt live or do this and thou shalt die." Yet, I say, He gave him the will to do or not to do; placed him where he could succeed if he wanted to do so, or he could fail if he would do so. God gave him the privilege to take either road. Look how many go the wrong road, go down instead of going up. 
Now, I call attention, and I want you to lis ten to me. You must recollect that these mon keys are but four years old. You, how old are you ? Do not say it loud, we are only talking privately, just looking about, and just talking about six monkeys. You say you are twentyfive or did you say thirty-five years old f You say you went to school, year after year. What did you say that monkey got each month? I 
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 said four hundred dollars. Say, wont you read that over again? Tell it again? No, you read it again, let me go on, let me finish before you read again. Now, in all candor, please tell me what you can do well, and satisfactorily to yourself, or to the man or company for whom you work. Tell me what can you do well? What have you tried to do well, and how long did you follow it up to do it well, giving all your best energies and efforts to do well ? 
I have told you what the monkey got per month. Now be fair and honest and tell me no one else what you are getting per month ? Tell me also what work you love and follow. Next time you see me we will talk over this again and I will go into details over the whole subject and will point out more particularly the ups and downs of the life of the monkey, and the life of a man and the way that man can reach success. I wish you a pleasant and prosperous year. 
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 T HINK of your dog. Now, I am going to talk about my dog of long ago. Go with me for a while in memory to the past and when my dog and I roamed in the fields and woodlands for sport and pleasure and meat. 
Listen men! Did you ever own a good dog? I want to tell you of my hunting dog that I owned when I was about 10 years old. I recol lect him to this day, and will carry his memory to the grave with me. I loved my dog as many a boy loves his dog. I loved him because he was valuable, because he was a good dog. We were together often in a chase for rabbits, 
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 squirrels, eats, coons and opossums. He was a combination dog, if you please. I mean by that, that he could chase more than one thing; more than one animal. He could chase and tree and catch the rabbit or squirrel, coon, opossum, or hogs or cattle in the field. He was the more valuable on the farm on account of these fine qualities. Few men can chase more than one line of business and make a success. But this dog was good at more than one thing. I never saw his equal then or since. Another good quality in him was that he was a great fighter and he was equally as successful in this line as in his capacity as a hunter. His main quality in fighting and win ning or whipping the other dog was, he would catch hold and hold to the other dogs foot, his fore foot, and you if you are up on a dog fight know that a dog can not hold and fight if you hurt or squeeze his fore foot. He will soon give up and leave the fight. He was great on getting a good hold in a fight and he stuck to it, he fought more like a bulldog as to the point of holding on, with that bulldog grip. Now I hunted often with this dog, and it was his life, it was his profession, it was his job, if you please, and he dearly loved it. My men, 
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 do you love your job, your work? He would quit eating to go hunting in daytime or at night, and he would be fresh, when you were broken down. I loved it but he could beat me or any of my playmates. Soon there came to our county a tribe of Indians, camping about two miles from my fathers home. My dog, in some way, out hunting, came up with these Indians. They were hunting. The dog at once fell in love with the Indians, because the In dians loved hunting and so did the dog. So my dog followed the Indians to their camp. 
I found it out in a few days, because my dog was well known in the settlement, in the county. I went over after him, because I missed him, my friend. The Indians took my word that the dog was mine and gave him back to me, and I took him home. So long as I hunted, all was well with my dog, but if I skipped a few days, the dog would go back to the Indians camp and then I would go looking for my dog and find him with the Indians again. In a few months my father moved sixteen miles away from that point into a town of two thousand peo ple and I went to school in that town. My dog remained only a week or two and then 
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 he left me again to go back to the Indians, where they hunted most of the time. So again, I went for my dog and brought him home, and I went hunting with him then only on Satur days, so he left me again. I then said to the Indians: You keep him and care for him and hunt with him as often as you can; that I could not give him his full desire in his chosen profession. "Since he is a hunter," I said, "let him stay with the Indians. It pains me to give you up, my dog, but my duty is plain to me." I must give him up or hunt with him and I said good-bye to my dog. He loved his job, he was a hunter in its full meaning, loving it even better than he did me or himself. He would often risk his life to win the fight with wild animals. He loved his work, he did his best faithfully; he used great energy and great enthusiasm in his calling, and I often think I got some of my enthusiasm and energy from my dog. It was as pure and as good as gold and I have never seen any better in dog or in man. 
Listen, my friend, another point in my dogs life. This dog was a great hunter in his nature and I especially call your attention to the fact that it was pure love; that this 
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 Tmnter chased a rabbit for the race, for the love of the chase. The rabbit you well know, is a good runner. He is fast and hard to catch. When the hunter, the dog, caught the rabbit, he would kill the rabbit and then walk away and was ready for another race. The dog would not eat the rabbit. He did not catch him to eat. He won the chase, he won the race when he caught him, and he was satisfied. 
In my pursuit in business and the chasing of a dollar, I sometimes think of my dog when he caught the rabbit, he did not eat it. I chase the dollar, and when I catch it, I can not think that I do it just to go and buy something to eat or wear with it. No! no! I love the chase, I love to catch and win the race. Dont you? I go after it with all my energy and enthusiasm and love for the race. Dont you do the same ? 1 feel sure you do. I know you do. 
This, my men, has been over forty years ago. I can see and appreciate my dog to this day, and I will so long as I live. He has gone long ago to the Indians hunting ground, away be yond the river and beyond to the plain where neither the Indians nor you nor I can return, when we go. I hope my dog friend and the Indians friend is well cared for in that be- 
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 yond, as well as he was here and may he have the same joy and pleasure in following his chosen profession, his chosen lifes work up there, as he did here. 
May you men get some lesson here and may this carry you back into your boyhood days, with your dogs, horses, and calves and goats that you loved and that loved you for your kind treatment and for the care you gave to your animal friends then. May you and I cling to our best days, our days when we were boys with our animals and playmates in the way of dogs, horses, calves and goats and chickens. Oh, how sweet to reflect and look back now and then on those days! 
Young man, may your life be good and may the rocky places be few and far apart and may good cheer and happiness follow you all along down lifes pathway. May we all love our job, our calling, our business, our profession, like this good, successful dog. Yes, he was a great success with his calling a hunter. 
I say good-night until we meet again. 
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 H ABRIET Beeeher Stowe wrote the book, "Uncle Toms Cabin." It had more to do with bringing about the immediate war between the States, with free ing the negro, than any other book or any other influence. The bird in a wire cage, if you open the door and tell it to fly away to its home in the open and in the fields and woodlands or by the streams and over the valleys and hills, will gladly do so. Here is another book, THE HELPER, a book which, we claim, can and will free all men from poverty who want freedom, free you from ignorance of yourself, free you from a rented house, free you fFom rented 
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 land, free you from the rented horse that works the land; yea, free you from walking down the road of poverty, and lead you to the road of prosperity. It will show you to the world of success. THE HELPER, DR. J. R. HOPKINS HELPEB, for his men and a helper for all men who want help and who will follow its advice, is a helper in deed and in truth, a helper for the young and for the old. Head THE HELPER and help yourself to be lifted up to a higher plane in knowledge and into success. My friend, are you in bondage ? Are you free in a sense ? Are you free, so as to go into a business, to enter into your chosen profession 1? Are you free to go into your own calling ? Are you free to go into your own home, a home you built or bought, free to raise your own dear ones in their own home; free so as to work your own land ? Or does poverty still say to you: "Stop! Wait! Xot yet!" O, poverty, how you sting! How you hinder this man! How you cling to this man! "Why will you? Who will deliver this man from bondage? Dont you want success? Dont you want a business? Dont you want a trade, a profession, a home ? Dont you want to know what you are best fitted for? Dont 
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 you want to know who and what you are ? If so, read THE DR. J. R. HOPKINS HELPER over again, with a desire to get help. You have the opportunity, now is your time. Will you read THE HELPER daily? If not, why not? THE HELPER would not be offering itself to you to read, if it was not valuable and if it was not a HELPER. Write to the publishers for an agency. When you free yourself and start out for self, will you write THE HELPER and relate the fact ? Why not, if benefited? 
/2*-^^iy' 
 
{/ 
 
S) ^^ ^ > " 
 
317 
 
 Some men owe practically all they know in books to their efforts at spare time, in the day after work hours, and at night. They are well up in their books, and in their education. Such men are few but very valuable, and make success in whatever thev undertake. 
Bear One Another's Burdens Bear one anothers burdens. My advice to you is first, to learn how to bear your own bur dens, and then help the other fellow bear his by telling him how to overcome them. Know how, before you give advice. The ways of a fool are hard. He finds it out, when too late, as a rule. He exclaims, "Oh, fool that I am." If he had said it five or ten years ago, it would have saved his saying it now, and realizing it. Did you ever ask yourself, where is-the di viding line between poverty and success? "Where does it start and where does it end! It is in you, the beginning and the ending, and you can find it if you look for it each day. Will ou look and find it 1 
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 Man, I have tried to go away deep down into your better nature, into your common sense, where few people ever go, and, if I have gone down into your soul, into the quiet recesses, and dwelt a while with you, I am glad. If I have stirred and kindled anew the fire of love for self, love for family, love for success, then I am paid and you are paid. 
Mr. Man, you said that you would not figure on a business, because you said you had not the money to go into a business. You said you would not figure on owning a home, because you had no money to buy a home. You said you would not figure on a profession, because you had not a sufficient education nor money to go to school. 
You said you could not follow and procure your trade, that you were so anxious to pro cure and follow, and you saw no need to figure on it without having some money to aid you. Mr. Man, do you know anything at all you would be willing to figure up on ? 
Let me suggest one thing to figure on. When should a man figure up on himself, to see if he is a fool ? When you get the answer please give it another look and be sure it is 
819 
 
 correct. Then hand the answer over to your wife. If you have no wife, hand it over to your sweetheart. Yours for figuring. "When you have no money, ought you to wait till you get it ? At your rate on your plan, you might be old before that day would ever come to you. Wont you figure ? Tours for figuring to-day. 
Writing to Mother Young man, your father and mother spent their better days raising you and giving you what education you have. They do not expect you to return the money. No, no! But they do expect you to do well, and be honest, and act true to them and yourself and make a good citizen and a success in life and treat them with a loving respect, that any true man is due his mother, and father. Dont go back on them. If you are away from home, write them and tell how you are and how you are getting along. What a small request to make of a boy or girl! Do it, be a man, be true to mother and father, or you will be worse than a savage. 
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 THE managers place, in all lines, is a very responsible place. The collector and clerk and help expect a great deal of him, expect him to take great pains with them and expect him to either have now a good business, or the prospect of one at an early day. 
The help, if a good man, if true to himself, will want to do well and learn fast. Every man needs encouragement. Every man needs success in life. Most men and it is a strange thing to say and hard to believe are too care less and too lazy to want success. He thinks he wants it, but not so. He must want it enough to expect it, to work for it, to lose sleep thinking how to realize it and possess it. 
Mr. Wage-Earner, in any line, you will be what you prepare yourself to be. Yes, you will prepare yourself to be a success or a fail ure. Which will it be? You and you only will decide, which you will be. 
Keep rules, and know your work and read some now and then. Eecollect you need all the help you can get to make a man out of yourself and to make a big success in life. If you do not, it will be your fault and you will have no one but yourself to blame. 
Mr. Clerk, study the business and the cus321 
 
 tomer, know his work and what he gets and when he gets it. 
To the Collector and Help. If you have any respect for your manager, when you wish to quit, notify him a few days ahead of the day when you wish to resign, so that your place can be filled. 
Opportunity comes to every man once, and to some often. Look back and see if you did not let it pass by you more than once. 
Cultivate your character and see that it is watched after and cared for properly. It is a valuable asset, and you can grow it big and extra good. 
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 T O my Managers in all lines: You must take pains in teaching the collectors and clerks and help the business in detail and the books and daily and monthly reports. The collector or clerk needs to learn how to conduct the business, and a good manager who is honest and true, who is not lazy and who wants to do well and see his men do well, can encourage and help his men and teach them fast. But mana gers who do not care, can soon ruin collectors and keep them in the background. Sometimes a manager gives me a collector for me to put in charge of a business, and I find "hi utterly unprepared, almost a blank, and no good. The manager had not trained him, and the collector or clerk thought he could do business, but made a complete failure, and I soon had to turn Tiim out. 
Would you like to have something, a home or a business ? Would you be willing to apply yourself diligently to the study of any work that would procure for you such earnings ? If so, you can have either or both, home and busi ness. 
Believe what I write you in THE HELPER and you will confess that my writings are true in 
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 your case as they have been in that ol others. Write me short letters each week. It will 
help train you and do you good. You can not expect me to write you often. It is not neces sary, even if I had the time. But I will keep up with you and will know your growth in the business. 
Pure unadulterated ignorance is the reason why men change so often from one place to another. The man says that he changes for a little advance in salary. He is foolish to let a little money change him so often and knock him out so completely from the chance of mak ing a man and success. 
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 HERE we have the striped animal, the Zebra. He is from South Africa. His flesh is appreciated by the natives and by the African lions. The Zebra is a very beautiful animal and very hard to train, and was at one time thought to be incapable of be ing trained for riding or for work. But that is a mistake, although but little has been done in that way. Now, my friend, these white and black stripes all over the body of the Zebra remind THE HELPER of the life some men and boys live. They are striped through and 
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 through with white and black stripes. The white stripes are the good qualities that run through and through them, and they can be seen well by all men and can be appreciated by all men. 
Again, we see the black stripes running along side by side, parallel with the white stripes, in some cases, just as large and just as plain as the white stripes and you can evea see them farther and better. 
The black stripe is the bad qualities in the man, in the boy, his mean qualities, and you look at the man or boy and see the two stripes all through his acts and deeds, and then you commence to size the man or boy up and you wonder and ask your neighbor, "What is the matter with So and So our neighbor?" You see him do a white clean thing to-day and to morrow or next week, you see or hear of his doing a black deed, a wrong, a dirty thing. Then you and your neighbor or friend wonder why it is, that they see a beautiful, white, pure act or deed and lovely character to-day, and a black deed and dirty act and a black eharae- 
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 ter to-morrow or next week in the man or the boy. 
Young man, will you look over your char acter, your life, and see if you have these two stripes running through you side by side ? If you have this black stripe, you commence now, while you are young and cut out the black stripe and let a white stripe grow where a black one now fills the place. It is not meant for man to be striped in character. Dont you prefer to be one color and not two colors ? Be white in act and in thought and in deed. May you live a pure and white and clean life daily. 
 
 MR. CLERK : What kind of a foundation are you laving to build on? Do you know how to sell goods ? THE HELPER never saw a clerk that did not think he was a good salesman, and to tell the facts, there are but few good clerks; few good salesmen. Do you love the business? If you do not get there on time in the morning, you do not love your work. If you do not clean up well and take down goods and replace them properly, 
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 you simply lie, if you say you love the busi ness. 
Ask the merchant if he thinks you love it, and if he will help you learn the business., Did you ever go to the merchant you are work ing for and ask him if he thinks you are get ting along all O. K.; if he thinks you are do ing well and your best, and ask him to point out your defects in your work, and when you make a big blunder, big mistake in handling a customer and failing to please him and failing even to sell him ? I say, listen to me! I say, do you go to the merchant, tell him it was your fault that you did not sell the customer? If you do this you love your work and you will learn how, and that merchant will keep you and will be glad to do so, because he sees a willingness; he sees success for you. 
A clerk that will do this wants to succeed, and he will succeed. Most clerks, when no one in the store is buying, bunch up and run to the windows and doors to look out, and some hang out on the sidewalks too much, by far, to ever make a successful clerk. 
Again, some clerks chew and smoke, and they take tobacco and cigars and fail to charge up the same to themselves. Can you make it 
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 plain to the merchant why you can not think to charge it up ? Now to be plain, what is the difference in charging up a suit of clothes to yourself, and failing to charge up the tobacco ? You go and tell your merchant you forgot it, and that you dont know why you did, but you did. He knows all about it, but you go and tell him. Dont wait till he puts up a sign, * All must pay for the goods they get and charge them up as soon as bought." 
Some clerks can eat more cove oysters and crackers and cheese at night, than it will take to feed a small family, but you never see it on their accounts. Yes; there is one not satis fied with tobacco and oyster stew, but he sees that he needs collars, cuffs and ties. Oh! he needs them in bis trunk. But this is not the worst thing. 
Another young man comes in from the coun try and hires to this merchant, and the other older clerk has been there a long time. So the young honest man, from his fathers and mothers honest home sees all this going on, and he is tempted, although he says nothing at all to the merchant. He listens to what the little fool says. 
Why dont you tell the merchant that that 
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 old clerk is stealing ? He answers, he is afraid that the merchant would not believe him, and then the other clerk would make up a lie on him and have him fired turned off and he wanted to keep his job. THE HELPER has heard this tale many times. So this goes on for a few months. 
Finally, this honest boy from his fathers and mothers side from his dear country home, and his beautiful fields of corn, pota toes and cotton has seen this other clerk get ting worse and dressing better. He falls into the ways of the older clerk, and has gone to slipping little by little, stealing from the man who was training him in business. He has forgotten father and mother, and he seldom writes to them, and they wonder why, and say, "It is strange that our son is doing this way. He used to write and tell how he was getting on, and how the merchant liked him, and how well he was doing." They say now, he never speaks about bis salarys going up, but some times he asks them for money, and they won der what he does with his money. "When he first went there, he wrote of the dear preacher; what interest he had taken in our son; he spoke of the sermons and the Sunday- 
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 school, and his superintendent and teacher; but now we hear nothing of these, we do not get a letter once a month. What can be the matter?" 
I will tell you, father and mother. Tour "boy got in with the wrong clerk, and that clerks ways have ruined your boy. He was honest, but not so now; he loved you, but not much now; he can not even look homeward. The other clerk has led him hellward; he is following in. his ways, Ms footsteps; he is now fast becoming a wreck, he has commenced to drink and run around at night after bad women. 
Father and mother, look after your boys, and your girls. Teach honesty and teach it often, before it is too late. 
Mr. Clerk, when you read this, if you are honest, you know in your soul that I am not referring to you. No, no! I love an honest man, and I hate a tMef. They hurt all man kind and hurt them badly. They are a rotten, putrefied sore on the name of pure manhood. Again, Mr. Clerk, you know that these tMeves are holding you down, hurting you. All men in all lines are being hurt from thieves in some way. There are different kinds of 
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 thieves. Your wages would be.better and higher, if there was no thief. They hurt you even a long way off. You would, no doubt, if merchants were not afraid, have been offered a working interest in a business. 
Mr. Merchant, you had better look after your clerks closer. You had better know them better. You had better watch closer and know with whom they associate at night. In some cases, they may sleep in the store. If in the country or small town, you keep your eyes open and know your clerks and what stock they spring from and the company they keep. The honest clerk is valuable, and you should encourage him in his work, and pay him as liberally as your business will afford. Watch as well as work. 
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 Drop Me a Letter 
LET THE HELPER ask you, when you read my letters in THE HELPER to do me as well as yourself, a favor. If, after you have, read THE HELPER and you were aided by it in any way to start you out to get or pro cure you a home, a business, a profession or a trade, drop me a letter and tell me. I want to show the way and induce fifteen thousand men to reach a home, a business or a profession in twelve months. Mr. Reader, wont you be one ? If so, then write me. I will promise to read your letter, and will answer it if I can spare the time; but if I do not write you, I beg you in advance to excuse me, which I am sure you will do. 
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 I Am Before You, Judge Me. 
MY READER, MY FRIEND AND MY MEN: Listen and listen now and know and feel and realize what I say. THE HELPER is a helper or a failure. Built on solid rock of human nature and human feel ings, human life and human experience, or, as I say, on most awfully misjudged condi tions of man and his needs and desires in this life and of his daily handling of him self and his niisfiguring on the past and on the present and on his- future in this life. I am trying with all my being and with all that is in me, if you please, in the deep recesses of my soul, as far down as I can go, as far as I can reach, to give you the help you need. How far I succeed, I let you be the judge, but be kind and judge me as I am; let it be as you say; judge me I say, but be gener ous, as all I am is before you. 
It is in THE HELPER that I have put my all, my life as I see it and your life as I see it and as you can see it, from my point of view. On THE HELPER I stand or I fall with you. 
If I go down in this, I go down in all. I go down a fool in my own estimation and in your estimation and when a man goes down in his 
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 own estimation, then there is no hope, no res urrection here in this life. A failure will not cover or hide the meaning of a misspent life, a mis-judged life, for himself or for his kind or his men or for his neighbor, and his neighbor covers the world. I am with you and close to you. 
Where I am, you are the jury, you are the judge. Render your verdict, and may the ver dict be in my favor, in favor of THE HELPER. Tours for an honest verdict through and through, after a careful study of THE HELPER from one end to the other. 
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