When I was in school, I remember learning a little poem which urged the reader, "to be the best of whatever you are". I thought of that little poem many times during my life and thought what wonderful advice that really is. Be the best of whatever you are. I have met so many people who are ashamed of their occupation. They are always discontent because in their own eyes… and probably no one else eyes… they have relegated their own activities to the realm of unimportance. But after all… does it matter a hoot what a man does, so long as it's honest and he does his job well. The crowning fortune of a man is to be engaged in some pursuit which finds him employment and happiness, whether it be making baskets, broadswords, or canals or statues or songs. And if you think the other fellow has a great job… a job that brings rich rewards socially and financially… talk to him about his job… you'll find that like you, his work is long and hard and not often too rewarding. But if he honestly likes his work… and does his job to the very best of his ability, he will be happy. And I think you'll find too that the man who has gained great success at a higher executive level will hold the shoemaker, who built a magnificent pair of shoes from leather, or the gardener who can do wonders with seeds and soil… in great respect. So stop worrying if your job lacks glamour. Just be the best of whatever you are. People will respect you right along the line and you will be a happier individual.
Monday, 1 March 2021
Originally broadcast on CHED radio - Monday, August 28, 1961
A thing I find very hard to understand is the current "the world owes me a living" attitude of so many of our young people embarking on business careers for the first time. I say young people, but we can extend that to include a great many of those who have had jobs before. Today, when people go in to obtain a job… you’ll notice I don't say obtain work… that's what they're trying to avoid… they want to know first… how much money… second… hours… third… how many holidays… fourth… is there a car provided. And if an employer promises nothing but darn hard work… fair wages and a real opportunity, they are not interested. Yes… today it's hard… really hard to find people who want to put in an honest days work. As soon as they find a job, they start devising ways to avoid work. For those of you who are ambitious and want to get ahead, this current thinking on the part of would-be employees is good, for never before in the history of business have employers been looking harder, not only for qualified personnel, but for people with enough intestinal fortitude to want to work… learn some thing and get ahead in the world. Believe me, they're few and far between. Why do we have the indifference we see on all sides today? Well I think we're right back to the old problem of people everywhere wanting the things they haven't earned. But they are mistaken, for there it is no easy road to success and wealth. Ask the man who's made it.. he'll tell you it's only done by real hard work.
Originally broadcast on CHED radio - Friday, March 11, 1960
Thank God for mothers. I have always marveled at these little gray-haired ladies with their amazing insight and wisdom. We men, as we grow older and push onward and upward in our various fields are apt to become a little impressed with our own accomplishments. We work very hard… we accumulate… we build… we are recognized… we become the president of this… Director of that… a board member here and a secretary treasurer there… and when our faces appear on the front page or our name show up in news casts we feel pretty satisfied that we're making our mark in life. But mother never sees us as others see us. Regardless of how famous we may get… no matter if the world should be set at our doorstep, mother wouldn't care. She looks at us with the same eyes that beheld us as wee baby boys and nothing will ever change that. And it's a wonderful thing really, because as men we are apt to become pretty pompous from time to time and we need mother to say to us as we leave to be made president of the $50,000 a year club, "put on your rubbers Charlie… I don't want you to get your feet wet". Or to say after you've made a TV speech accepting the leadership of this or that worldwide organization… "You didn't look so good Charlie… have you been eating enough?" Yes… we men… filled as we are with the glory stuff… need mothers very badly to remind us that regardless of how big we grow in the eyes of the world, we are really just overgrown little boys in long pants.
Originally broadcast on CHED radio - Date unknown
We often hear the homemaker (I hate the word housewife) say that boredom is the hardest thing she has to deal with. When father comes home from a busy and interesting day at the office and ask her what she's done all day, she has nothing more interesting to talk about than an upcoming P. T. A. meeting or one of the kids skinned knees. The purpose of our little message today is to give you something really interesting to talk about over the chops at dinner tonight. Have you ever noticed when hubby kisses you, that you get a shock. This is electricity generated by the broadloom we walk on. I did a little research in this business, thinking that if I could harness all the charges I could retire a rich man. Here's what I found out. 40 million American homes have an average of 30 square yards of carpet over which a family of four takes 600 steps a day. That means 160 million people taking 24 billion steps per day. I asked a physics department expert about this and he figured it out at 100 kWh. In a year this would be enough juice to light up 3650 homes for one day or two run a 10 car electric train from Halifax to Saskatoon. The man from the University went on to say that he could say no possible way to harness all that power, which I found regrettable. He also suggested the chivalrous thing for a husband to do was to touch a light switch or lamp to first discharge his static voltage. Try these facts on daddy at dinner tonight and I'll bet a cookie he'll spend the whole evening wondering where you spent the day.
Originally broadcast on CHED radio - Date unknown
My young wife has many relatives. I have met very few of them. The other night a knock came on the door. I answered the door and there on the front porch were two ladies and a gentlemen, none of whom I recognized. One of the ladies explained that she was my wife's aunt. She introduced the other lady who was also an aunt. The gentleman was just a friend who had driven them to my home. I invited them in and within minutes all the ladies in question disappeared into the bedroom to see our new son. I was left in the living room with the gentleman whose name was Max. Now as a rule this wouldn't have bothered me as I am interested in people and like their company, but Max just sat there and had nothing to say. There was a crucial football game on TV which I had planned to watch, so I invited him to join me in the rumpus room for a look-see. He declined. I commented on the weather. He said nothing. I asked him if he lived in the city. He said "Yes." I thought to myself, "How on earth am I going to spend an evening with this fellow when he won't say a word?" Finally I asked him what he did for a living. He was a crane operator. "That must be interesting work," I said. "You know there is a crane being used on a building right across from my office, and I'd sure like you to tell me how that thing operates." I explained the machine to him and he was off and running. He told me it was a new type of machine that was being used in the city for the first time. He used one in Texas some years ago. "What were you doing in Texas?" I asked him. From that moment on we communicated. I tell you all this to point out that EVERYONE has a story, if you'll just take a few minutes to try and find their field of interest. Although Max and I had absolutely nothing in common, I enjoyed his visit immensely. I never met a man from whom I couldn't learn something.