The first essential to energy is a sound body. An applicant's physique and the general conditions of' his health, therefore, should be noticed. Does he measure more around the waist than around the chest? Then he will get tired easily. He has exercised his palate and stomach a good deal more than Ile has his muscles and lungs. Is he prompt and resourceful in conversation? As you have changed from subject to subject, does his mind follow you eagerly? Then you may conclude that he is energetic, that Ile will not be a shirker.
There is a_,certain kind of energetic worker who seems to belie what I have said about the necessity of physical health and strength as a basis for energy. It is the man who is said to accomplish great tasks merely "on his nerve." AIost of us know men of this kind. Delicate of constitution and frequently under the doctor's care, they go at their work with the energy of a giant dynamo. Men of this sort are not exceptions to the rule. They merely prove by their great energy that in judging of energy we must con sider the mind as well as the body. A man of active intellect, dominated by some passion or overpower ing ambition or idea, may be so intense in his desire to achieve results that lie will put what seems to be superhuman energy into his effort. Such a man, if his body is weak, is not a good subject for life in surance. "He burns the candle at both ends." He dies or goes to a sanitarium long before the days of old age. If we meet such a man, we shall recognize him by the intensity of his interest in the thing Ile is doing or is about to do. He will want to be at the new task immediately. You will know at once that Ile is a man who will need to be held with a tight rein if he is not to race himself to death.
10. The dishonest or tricky man who wants to cheat you or to take advantage of you in any way usually makes the mistake of seeming too anxious to please or serve you. So when a stranger flatters us and talks much about our good judgment, it is time for us to be on our guard and be on the lookout for danger signals. The man who lies usually betrays himself. Sometimes he is unable to look you squarely in the eye for any length of thne. If your eyes are fixed upon him, his eyes may meet yours only fitfully. Or he may not be willing to discuss the reasonableness of any proposition he is making; in his opinion its reasonableness is self-evident ; he would not think of arguing about it with a man so intelligent as you are.
In examining an applicant for a position, it is com paratively easy to discover whether his mind works honestly or not. If he is determined to please you and get the job even tho he has to lie, you will dis cover his state of mind by a little shrewd questioning. In the beginning he will deny that he has any vices or bad habits, or that lie has ever been discharged from any position. If you* engage him in general conversation and do not appear to be cross-examining him, you will get him to talk about his companions, the sports and amusements he enjoys most, how he got his education, what kind of student he was, etc. If he says that he was a good student and got high marks, you will have to verify this thru a letter to the school authorities. Did he enjoy the work he did for Smith & Brown? Was he well treated? Why did he leave ? By a little questioning of this sort any man of experience can very quickly decide whether an applicant is frankly and fully telling the truth, or whether he is evasive and tricky in his replies.
almost every calling tact is a useful trait ; in certain business positions it is absolutely es sential. Tact secures its end without leaving any sting. When you have done business with a. tactful man, you feel that you have been treated fairly and with quite as much consideration as you deserve; that the world after all is not such a bad place to live in.
Tact never hurts anybody. It is a product of brains and sensibility. A stupid man cannot be tact ful, for he will do or say the wrong thing and hurt people's feelings without intending to. The tactful man must also have fine sensibilities. If his senses are dull, if his sympathies are not easily stirred, if he has a bull dog's indifference to pain or a Borgia's ruthlessness in inflicting suffering, he cannot be tact ful, for he will never know when he is hurting people.
The dress of the tactful man will be unconsciously modelled after the advice of Lord Kames: "That man is best attired who is so dressed that no one thinks of his clothes." The over-dressed man may excite the other fellow's envy or make him feel ill at ease.