reading.

The temper of the great American business man is an uncertain quantity.
Famous for good humor and generosity as a general thing, he is, for all
that, at his worst moments the terror of the office boy's life. Nervous,
worried, tired, and exasperated, he is likely to "take it out" on the
office boy if there is no one else at hand. There is no defense for such
conduct--even the man who is guilty would not, the next day in his
calmer moments, defend it. Meantime, what shall the office boy do?

A hot, tired man with papers fluttering over his desk, his telephone
ringing, and three men waiting in line to talk to him about serious
problems connected with the business, yells, "What do you want?" when
the office boy comes to answer the bell.

"You rang for me," the boy answers.

"I rang half an hour ago," the man snaps.

In reality he rang two minutes before. Shall the office boy remind him
of this?

Not if he values his job!

Of course it is unjust, but one of the first laws of discipline is to
learn to be composed in the face of injustice, and the first law of
courtesy for the office boy (and other employees would do just as well
to follow) is: Don't be too harsh with the boss!

It is said that the grizzly bear, who is a very strict mother, often
spanks her cubs when she herself has done something foolish. Julia Ellen
Rogers tells a story of an explorer who came suddenly upon a bear with
two cubs. He was so frightened that he stood still for a minute or two
before he could decide which way to run. Meantime the bear, fully as
frightened as he, turned and fled, spanking the two cubs at every jump
in spite of the fact that each was already going as fast as its legs
could carry it. "It was so unexpected," continues Miss Rogers, "and so
funny to see those little bears look around reproachfully at their
angry parent every time they felt the weight of her paw, helping them to
hurry, that the man sat down and laughed until he cried."

It was not funny to the cubs.

Cases in which the office boy is maltreated are exceptional, though
cases in which he is misunderstood are not. Most office boys have not
one boss but many. There should always be one person from whom they
receive their general orders and to whom they go with their troubles. (A
youngster should have very few troubles to report. It is usually the
worthless ones who report.)

In most places the several office boys are stationed at a certain point,
a de