In 1920, the Vir Publishing Company printed Touchstones of Success, a book of inspiration for young men (this was 1920, remember, and women had only just begun to push against traditional roles) in which 160 “present-day men of achievement” shared their secrets. Every Saturday, this blog reprints one of these “touchstones of success”.
“They won’t do it,” said some prophets to whom the project of this book was presented. “They will hide the secrets of their accomplishments from the public’s gaze, and they will be buried with them when they pass.”
But these men of achievement do tell in these pages, not reckoning the value of their literally “golden” moments — over their own signatures — and it is a secret no longer! They have uncovered this hidden treasure of their lives. They have made the philosopher’s secret known, and our young readers may walk on their beaten paths up the hill, laboriously, perhaps, but confident that the best things are worth going after.
Success can be achieved “by any young man,” as one of our contributors so forcefully portrays it, “if he is only willing to pay the price.”
The within pages tell what the price is, and as our ambitious young men read in these wonderfully fascinating testimonies of really successful men they will discover that the making of money was by no means their chief aim. They got that, and they got it because their main purpose in life was to serve, and work. Integrity, courage, a clear conscience, and a real fine character were the most valued and cherished of all their possessions.
And now, young men, these leaders of all professions and callings open their hearts and their minds and call upon you to make your life also worth while.
This was the preface to Touchstones of Success. Next Saturday, E.C. Simmons tells “how to succeed”.
