thout any of the advantages of cricket, and that he may as
well leave it alone lest evil should befall him. On the off-chance
that he has come as yet to no decision about the science of success, I
am determined to deal with the subject in a disturbingly candid
manner. I feel that it is as dangerous to tell the truth about success
as it is to tell the truth about the United States; but being
thoroughly accustomed to the whistle of bullets round my head, I will
nevertheless try.

Most writers on success are, through sheer goodness of heart, wickedly
disingenuous. For the basis of their argument is that nearly any one
who gives his mind to it can achieve success. This is, to put it
briefly, untrue. The very central idea of success is separation from
the multitude of plain men; it is perhaps the only idea common to all
the various sorts of success--differentiation from the crowd. To
address the population at large, and tell it how to separate itself
from itself, is merely silly. I am now, of course, using the word
success in its ordinary sense. If human nature were more perfect than
it is, success in life would mean an intimate knowledge of one's self
and the achievement of a philosophic inward calm, and such a goal
might well be reached by the majority of mortals. But to us success
signifies something else. It may be divided into four branches: (1)
Distinction in pure or applied science. This is the least gross of all
forms of success as we regard it, for it frequently implies poverty,
and it does not by any means always imply fame. (2) Distinction in the
arts. Fame and adulation are usually implied in this, though they do
not commonly bring riches with them. (3) Direct influence and power
over the material lives of other men; that is to say, distinction in
politics, national or local. (4) Success in amassing money. This last
is the commonest and easiest. Most forms of success will fall under
one of these heads. Are they possible to that renowned and
much-flattered person, the man in the street? They are not, and well
you know it, all you professors of the science of success! Only a
small minority of us can even become rich.

Happily, while it is true that success in its common acceptation is,
by its very essence, impossible to the majority, there is an
accompanying truth which adjusts the balance; to wit, that the
majority do not desire success. This may seem a bold saying, but it is
in accordance with the facts. Concei