employer to
"hire him away" without his knowledge, thus saving his face and helping
to maintain his courage. He would have been branded for life if we had
permitted him to crawl back to his old job. Blake will never go as far
as he is entitled to go, because Mrs. Blake places her own feelings
above any other consideration, and her husband is not strong enough to
control his emotions where his wife is concerned. Few men are.

We do not in any way blame Mrs. Blake for the part she played in her
husband's failure. She merely attaches more value to staying in her old
groove, in the constant companionship of her mother, and in the regular
contact with old friends than she attaches to promotion for her husband.
We have no quarrel with her choice, if only she realizes that she has
chosen something for herself, and is now living under conditions
dictated by her own choice.

Take Smith. In the language of business he is a "whipped puppy." Again,
there is no question of his ability, his desires, or his willingness to
work. We have, in a certain corporation, a job for Smith which would
mean a 50 percent increase in salary, a place of notice in the
community, and a wider acquaintance among substantial people. We have
considered him for this job a dozen times, but each time we have decided
to postpone action, because we are afraid of the influence of his wife.
On his present job, it does no great damage for her to be so possessive,
demanding all his time outside of office hours, ordering him around like
a child. On the new job, such a performance would ruin him before he was
fairly started. Dare we depend on her ability and willingness to grow
quickly into the person she would have been training to become? We dare
not, for we are held responsible for results!

"Just as I thought," some will say, "business is inhuman." One who takes
this attitude has an incomplete view of the facts. If business were to
tolerate a repetition of mistakes, its general level of
productivity--which, in turn, means income to its employees--would be
lowered immediately. This would operate against the very thing we are
trying to sponsor--increased responsibility and more full living for all
as soon as they earn it.

This point of view frequently gives women no end of mental trouble,
because they are more inclined than men to think subjectively rather
than objectively. Business employs a man for what he can produce, other
things being equal. So long as h