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June, 1937 The Notre Dame Alumnus 257
COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS
(Continued from Page 240)
man of the Board of Directors of the
Commonwealth Edison Company, the
Public Service Company of Northern
Illinois and the People's Gas, Light
and Coke company and former chairman
of the board of Marshall Field
aand Company; Mr. W. B. Traynor,
Treasurer of Swift and Company;
Mr. James E. Gorman, former president
and now one of the trustees of
the Rock Island Lines; Mr. Walter J.
Cummings, chairman of the board of
the Continental Illinois National
Bank and Trust Company; and many,
many others, including Chicago's
mayor, Edward J. Kelly.
Recently I was talking vith George
A Martin, who like myself, is a director
of one of the packing companies
of Chicago, and President of the
Sherwin-Williams company, one of
America's largest manufacturing
companies—a man recognized as one
of America's greatest executives. We
were reminiscing about Jim Gorman,
who I have just mentioned, and who
is, incidentally, probably the best
loved individual in the transportation
iield. Mr. Martin told me that he
and Mr. Gorman, and the late R. J.
Collins, were born on O'Brien Street,
on Chicago's West Side. His first
job was opening the door of a refrigerator
in one of the packing houses
of Chicago's stockyards. Today he is
the president of one of the greatest
corporations in the world. He takes
pleasure in telling one that if he, Jim
Gorman and Dick Collins had taken
the left road, instead of the right,
they would have gone nowhere.
Door Is Wide Open
To the youth of today, the door is
\\ide open into the foyer of the Golden
Age of .A.merican Business—the
next few years. None are excluded
but only those who see with the Inner
Eye of the Soul which men call
Courageous Vision will win the
greater rewards of this Decisive Decade.
There is no distinction in business
as to race, or creed, or social position.
A man may be a Jew or Gentile,
Catholic or Protestant — merit and
the \vill to do are all that count.
Nevertheless the very fact that you
go into the world as graduates of a
Catholic University gives you a distinct
advantage coupled with a grave
responsibility. All of your schooling,
all of your training has been based
upon the strict principles of honesty
and integrity. And while, unfortunately,
we cannot truthfully maintain
that all Catholics are honest—^nor
would we wish to imply that non-
Catholics are less honest — it does
very definitely mean that the world
expects Catholic men, educated in the
Catholic tradition, to be absolutely
honest in word, in deed, in thought.
Have in mind your own desire to get
ahead, but by all means to get ahead
honorably. Never allow the spirit of
Notre Dame to leave you — always
remember that you carry the flag of
your university into the world and
that flag cannot and must not be
lowered under any circumstances.
Anything I have said that refers
particularly to Catholics must not be
considered by those of you who are
not of this faith as indicating a lack
of sympathy on my part to other
groups or creeds. I have never permitted
the fact that I am a Catholic
to color my reactions in forming my
estimates of other people. In our organization,
while we have a number
of Catholics and Jews, the majority
of our employees are Protestant and
I firmly believe that they would all
tell you that we assume that "A
man's a man for a' that." It is the
man, his principles and innate character
which form the basis of judgment
for us, and for any right thinking
management.
Remember Sacrifices
If we hark back to my own youthful
days and the early youth of you
boys—especially those of you whose
fathers and mothers may have been
forced to strain their financial resources
to give you an education—
we can never lose sight of the sacrifices
that parents have made for us.
If ever you are tempted to depart
from the straight and narrow path
to gain a temporary advantage or
social position, remember Notre
Dame, and, above all, remember your
father and your mother. Allow no
one to beguile you into believing that
social prestige — especially for those
entering the professions—\vill_ carry
you through. Your degree carries
with it a hallmark of sterling quality
but it can mean nothing if you fail
to indicate by your work and your
character that you are worthy of
your degree and the acclaim of your
parents.
Working conditions have improved
to a vast extent since I was a boy.
It was a common thing for me to
work twelve to fourteen hours a day.
I recently enjoyed reading a set of
rules that were said to have been
developed by the founders of one of
the largest, most honorable and well
managed department stores in Chicago
when that store was established in
a small town in Illinois more than
80 years ago. Just imagine anyone
being asked today to observe the following
rules.
"Store must be open from 6 a.m.
to 9 p.m. the year round.
"Store must be swept; counters,
base shelves and showcases dusted;
lamps trimmed, filled and chimneys
cleaned; pens made; doors and windows
opened; a pail of water, also
a bucket of coal brought in before
breakfast (if there is time to do so)
and attend to customers who call.
"Store must not be opened on the
Sabbath unless necessary, and then
only for a few minutes.
"The employee who is in the habit
of smoking Spanish cigars, being
shaved at the barber's, going to
dances and other places of amusement,
will surely give his employer
reason to be suspicious of his integrity
and honesty.
"Each employee must not pay less
than $5.00 per year to the Church
and must attend Sunday School regularly.
"Men employees are given one evening
a week for courting and two if
they go to prayer meeting.
"-After 14 hours of work in the
store, the leisure time should be
spent most in reading."
Those of you who may be inclined
to consider an eight hour day too
long, may find food for thought in
considering the hours your forebears
casually accepted some 80 years ago.
Those of us who might be inclined to
look back upon these rules in a humorous
light cannot fail to realize that
business today offers a far more enticing
opportunity to men of your
generation—an opportunity of which
young men of foresight and vision
will be quick to take advantage.
Commencement Is a Beginning
.A.nd so I repeat—Commencement
for the young man who typifies the
spirit of Notre Dame is a thrilling
and significant occasion. Today, with
your diplomas, you receive the incentive
to go out and build for yourselves
the kind of life you, individually,
most want. Commencement is
exactly what the word implies—a
beginning. Begin at once, then, to
build a sturdy foundation so that the
structure you erect upon it will stand
firm and true and proud. Build for
yourselves a future of integrity and
honor. Tangible gains are splendid—
material success is, indeed, much to
be desired. But never lose sight of
the importance of the intangibles—
those things of the spirit for which
your years at Notre Dame have provided
so noble a beginning. Say, with
Hugh Walpole, "It isn't life that
counts, but the courage you bring into
it."—the courage that and has always
been synonymous with your
Alma Mater. Carry that courage with
you as you embark upon lives of
richness and worth while endeavor.
Notre Dame is proud of you today.
See to it that throughout your lives
she is able to retain that same justifiable
pride in you.