Produced by Barbara Tozier, Bill Tozier and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net Fundamentals of Prosperity What They Are and Whence They Come By ROGER W. BABSON _President Babson Statistical Organization_ NEW YORK CHICAGO Fleming H. Revell Company LONDON AND EDINBURGH Copyright, 1920, by FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY New York: 158 Fifth Avenue Chicago: 17 North Wabash Ave. London: 21 Paternoster Square Edinburgh: 75 Princes Street Contents FOREWORD I. HONESTY OR STEEL DOORS? II. FAITH THE SEARCHLIGHT OF BUSINESS III. INDUSTRY VS. OPPORTUNITY IV. COOePERATION--SUCCESS BY HELPING THE OTHER FELLOW V. OUR REAL RESOURCES VI. STUDY THE HUMAN SOUL VII. BOOST THE OTHER FELLOW VIII. WHAT TRULY COUNTS IX. WHAT FIGURES SHOW X. WHERE THE CHURCH FALLS DOWN XI. THE FUTURE CHURCH Foreword Some two thousand years ago the greatest teacher who ever walked the earth advised the people of Judea not to build their houses on the sand. What he had in mind was that they were looking too much to the structure above ground, and too little to the spiritual forces which must be the foundation of any structure which is to stand. Following the war we enjoyed the greatest prosperity this country has ever witnessed;--the greatest activity, the greatest bank clearings, the greatest foreign trade, the greatest railroad gross earnings, the highest commodity prices. We then constructed a ten-story building on a foundation meant for only a two or three story building. Hence the problem confronting us business men is to strengthen the foundation or else see the structure fall. I am especially glad of the opportunity to write for business men. There are two reasons:--first, because I feel that the business men are largely responsible for having this ten-story structure on a foundation made for one of only two or three stories; secondly, because I believe such men alone have the vision, the imagination and the ability to strengthen the foundation and prevent the structure from falling.