our strength fails, let us see if we can
agree upon the rules that should govern us in the accumulation of
the money that we need. How much money can a man rightfully collect
from society? Surely, there can be no disagreement here. He can not
rightfully collect more than he honestly earns. If a man collects
more than he honestly earns, he collects what somebody else has earned,
and we call it stealing if a man takes that which belongs to another.
Not only is a man limited in his collections of what he honestly earns,
but no honest man will desire to collect more than he earns.

If a man can not rightfully collect more than he honestly earns, it is,
then, a matter of the utmost importance to know how much money a man can
honestly earn. I venture an answer to this and say that a man can not
honestly earn more than fairly measures the service which he renders to
society. I can not conceive of any way of earning money except to give
to society a service equivalent in value to the money collected. This is
a fundamental proposition and it is important that it should be clearly
understood, for if one desires to collect largely from society he must
be prepared to render a large service to society; and our schools and
colleges, our churches and all other organizations for the improvement
of man have for one of their chief objects the enlargement of the
capacity for service.

There is an apparent exception in the case of an inheritance, but it is
not a real exception, for if the man who leaves the money has honestly
earned it, he has already given society a service of equivalent value
and, therefore, has a right to distribute it. And money received by
inheritance is either payment for service already rendered, or payment
in advance for service to be rendered. No right-minded person will
accept money, even by inheritance, without recognizing the obligation
it imposes to render a service in return. This service is not always
rendered to the one from whom this money is received, but often to
society in general. In fact, most of the blessings which we receive come
to us in such a way that we can not distinguish the donors and must make
our return to the whole public.

But I need not dwell upon this, because in this country more than
anywhere else in the world we appreciate the dignity of labor and
understand that it is honorable to serve. And yet there is room for
improvement, for all over our land there are, scattered here and the