WHATEVER MAKES A PERSON more valuable to himself will make him more valuable to others; and the reverse of this proposition is true. There is another reverse condition that is not given much attention. It is this: Personal improvement lifts the individual up because of the power of its influence; and a person is improved and lifted up by associating with thoughts, ideas, impulses and individuals that are higher in life than the person. To seek one's associates among those of a lower level, draws downward the whole character; to seek them among those on the same level, maintains the same level; but to seek them among those of a high level draws upward the character and the individual.

These are all magnetic forces; and they are at work in millions of lives every day.

Ideals and ambitions also are magnetic; they may be born in the appetites which we have discussed in the Second Department of this book; and if so they draw downward. They may seek only the physical levels of life, and so carry people through the monotony of existence to the grave. But if they are born of great and noble desires, they draw upward. It is not at all difficult to find these high levels; and even to find associates among people who occupy higher stations in life. In your friendships and affiliations do not stoop; but rather rise

Out of this habit of looking upward and forward, comes the Spirit of Initiative. This seems on its face like some fanciful dream. But it is just as practical as the Spirit of Personal improvement that we discussed in the preceding lesson. Let us look at what it can do, by again visiting the place of employment where young men may choose their own fate by their determination to add magnetic values to themselves. We will cite two little histories that came to our personal attention many years ago,

A young man who had risen to the position of a salesman is a wholesale office, and who was given by his employer full power to allow credit to buyers, or to deny credit, or after having allowed it to cut it off, found that the country was on the verge of a widespread business panic. He did what no other salesman did as far as his thoroughness went. He had a list of all the concerns and individuals who sought credit of his employer The great mercantile agency that was employed at a yearly cost at that time of one hundred dollars, had not been called upon to furnish reports outside of its general publication and occasional bulletins. This young man asked private reports on each and every debtor of his employer; and followed this request every month; paying the extra cost when it was incurred.

The result was that he was enabled to eliminate every debtor who was verging on bankruptcy, to deny further credit, to collect what was due, and to close their accounts. When the full blast of the panic struck the business of the nation, which occurred in less than a year, not a dollar was lost through bad debts to this employer. The young man had carried on his investigations without being told to do so, without informing his employer what he was doing, and with the utmost discretion from beginning to end. When the employer came through unscathed, he learned of the long and very tedious campaign of the young salesman, and in time made him a partner, when the business assumed its normal prosperity.

This is the Spirit of Initiative.

It was the right thing to do. But no other salesman did it. It was taking the initiative. Even the employer would not have thought of doing it or of ordering it to be done.

Another instance of the same spirit came to our attention many years ago. In a city of about forty thousand inhabitants , the business of which was largely devoted to one kind of manufacture, namely the making of shoes, there were a number of goat and kid concerns engaged competitively in supplying their goods to the shoe concerns. The salesrooms were piled up with great supplies, from which the buyers from the shoe factories were enabled to select the kinds and quantities they desired. In order to meet with the exact demands of these buyers, a large assortment of goat and kid skins were carried in stock that were not saleable in the dull years.

A young man who had risen to the position of head salesman of one of these leather concerns, seeing the loss entailed by the practice of carrying many thousands of skins for which there was no steady demand, adopted the following course without the knowledge of his employer: He made a tour of inquiry among all the shoe manufacturers, noting in a book the information he obtained, which included the number of skins generally required each year, the kinds, the grades, the styles of finish, and other details of importance. He also learned the time of year each of these would be needed. He then made a monthly tour of these places in order to keep in touch with them. It so happened that a large majority of the concerns visited were the regular customers of his competitors; and were not inclined to deal with him on that account. He met this objection by arranging with the factories which he represented to produce the grades, kinds and finishes that were to be required by the shoe manufacturers; so that when they could not find exactly what they needed elsewhere, they were compelled to buy of him.

The result of this method was that his employer no longer carried useless stocks; and was able to dispose of all the goods that his factories could produce. More than this, the business grew steadily and became very profitable. The employer asked his salesman how he happened to think of the plan that had proved so successful. The latter said, "I found myself idling away hours of time daily with a very dull business. I hatd time to slip out and visit the offices of the buyers. I had to choose between doing this or really doing nothing. What moved me most was the fact that so many grades were being carried in order to meet the requirements of the trade; and T thought if we could know what the coming demands were to be, we could make our goods for such demands. It succeeded."

Some years ago we put the question to a Urge number of business men, asking them how many kinds of initiative of the true kind they could think of as possible in their business, and they admitted that they had never thought of such efforts in the right way; but the result of the inquiry was that they could see at least five hundred important steps could be taken in advancing their interests. Some mentioned one or two; others many more; and a few as many as fifty different methods of betterment. Once their minds were started thinking in the right direction, they made great progress.

All employees hold in their own hands their fate and their future; but initiatives are not confined to this class. Employers have come to see a great light. Professional men and women have done the same. The whole secret consists in waking up to begin with; and in looking present conditions in the face; then matching every present condition with what it would be if it were made better. Some persons are rather favored by a spirit of insight into possibilities that escapes others. Henry Clay Frick rose from a boyhood of poverty to become Carnegie's most valuable assistant, solely by his insight into the possibilities of initiative activity.

It is a splendid training, this habit of looking for ways of betterment. It is valuable in home life, and in personal self-improvement. But whenever started, it sheds an influence on all departments of daily existence, and reaches out in many directions. It is magnetic because it leads the way to success. Millions of minds are apparently dead today in lives that are stagnant, that might be aroused by this spirit, and become tremendous factors in building new hopes.

We have in this lesson dealt with business matters, but the same principle of magnetic initiatives will apply with equal force and value to all the relationships of life. The most inviting field for such endeavor is in the home. There is too much routine there; too many days of constantly repeated humdrum existence; too little real home-interest by the husband, and a consequent loss of interest by the wife. A sweeping improvement may be made if one or both will adopt the magnetic initiatives, and awaken a vital desire to make the home mean all that its name should imply and inspire. Then a new world will be discovered.