d the like; and accorded to such men the
same honors they did to those of noble rank. For, after all, the noble
was only what chance had made him; while the skilled artisan was what
he had made himself--a far more creditable thing, to my way of
thinking."

"And to mine!" agreed Theo.

"I am glad you feel that way," Mr. Croyden said, "because I am anxious
to have you view this industry not alone from its technical but from
its larger aspect. Did I not believe that I was doing something more
than just the humdrum task of making dishes I should speedily become
discouraged and decide my labor was not worth the strength I am
constantly putting into it. But every honorable industry is far more
than that. It is a monument to the men who conceived it and to those
who little by little developed the wonderful machinery that makes it
possible. Each perfect product it turns out voices the skill,
patience, and faithfulness of scores of workmen. More than that, an
industry is the weapon of the wage-earner--the means by which he and
his family are protected from want and unhappiness. Hence every
conscientious manufacturer performs a double service to mankind: he
gives to the world something that it needs, and he furnishes his
fellow-man with a means of livelihood. Regarded in this light it is
no unworthy calling to be a manufacturer."

"I think both the man at the head of the firm, and the men who share
in the work are doing their bit," put in Theo.

"The one is dependent on the other," affirmed Mr. Croyden. "It is a
matter of equality. In fact, it would be hard to tell which of the two
is the more indebted to the other--the employer or the employee. It is
in this spirit that I try to run this great plant. I blunder, it is
true; I suppose we all do that. But I sincerely believe labor should
have an honored place, and so far as I am concerned I give it one. If
I had a boy," Mr. Croyden's voice faltered, "If I had a boy," he
repeated more firmly, "he should be brought up to touch his cap to the
laborer as well as to the capitalist; and he should be made to feel
that the trade school is as praiseworthy a place as is the
college. The two simply furnish different types of education."

Theo acquiesced.

"Your father and I represent these two types," continued
Mr. Croyden. "When you grow up you will have to choose which of them
you will follow. I know you will choose wisely and well. But you must
never forget that it is the ideal beh