Produced by Steven desJardins and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net [Illustration: "Betty was a real comfort" (See page 110)] DAWSON BLACK: RETAIL MERCHANT By HAROLD WHITEHEAD _Author of_ "The Business Career of Peter Flint" ILLUSTRATED By JOHN GOSS [Illustration: SPE LABOR LEVIS] THE PAGE COMPANY BOSTON PUBLISHERS _Copyright, 1918, by_ THE PAGE COMPANY _All rights reserved_ First Impression, July, 1918 Second Impression, July, 1918 Third Impression, October, 1919 _I am glad to confess that whatever I do is done because I want to justify the faith in my ability and the loving encouragement which has so loyally been given to me. For this reason, I dedicate this to the one who has inspired me to do my best--My Wife._ INTRODUCTION A boy, just graduated from high school, was looking over some of his father's business books and magazines. The more he read, the more disappointed he became, until finally he blurted, "Say, dad, I don't want to be a business man!" "Why not?" asked his father, with a tolerant smile. "Aw, there's no fun in business." "Get that foolish idea out of your head, son. There's nothing I know of that is quite so much fun--as you call it--as business. Where did you get your ideas of business?" "From them books," said son, emphatically, if ungrammatically. "All they talk about is efficiency, getting results, checking people up, and things of that kind." Just ask yourself, Friend Reader, if your business reading has not given you an idea that business should be more or less a cold-blooded proposition, and our business life something apart from our home and social relationships. Unfortunately, many books, excellent in their presentation of principles, ignore the human side, as it were, of business. I believe--nay, I am sure--that the influence of our home life is an important factor in the development of our business career. Our loves, our dislikes, our jealousies, our unfortunate, yet often lovable, unreasonablenesses are reflected in our business life. Our impetuous business decisions are often made through the subconscious influence of some dear one at home. Our ambitions.--Are you, Friend Reader, so cold-blooded that you can say your ambition is a selfish one? Honestly now, wasn't it that you want to win something (whatever it may be)? Didn't you want to "make good" just to please some little woman? When you faltered and weakened in your struggle for success, wasn't it she who gave you the necessary loving sympathy and encouragement to keep everlastingly at it? And wasn't your ambition encouraged a little bit by the delight you knew its attainment would give to that sweet little woman, who thinks "her boy" is just all right? Didn't you want to "make good" so as to please your mother and your father?