The San Francisco call. [volume], October 30, 1910, Page 11, Image 11

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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The San Francisco Sunday Call
E. Lisle Snell
Londpn,' October. .6." ..
,f\ DCOTT believe in what Americans; call hustling..
I The American hustler, in my opinion, does not
\u25a0 jeprcsent the, highest type of human efficiency.
He wastes a lot of nervous power and .energy.- instead
of accomplishing the greatest possible amount of work
for the force expended.*"'. ,- * •\u25a0' , -": -
It was Joseph Lyons -who staggered me >by express
ing this heterodox view of the type, of : beings we
Americans are wont to regard as the croivnlngr product
of "human evolution. One woujd be justified in. dis
missins as worthless 'the views of most Englishmen on
hustling and hustlers on- the- ground that they know
nothing about them.; But the opinions of -Mr,- Lyons
can not be disposed of in that -fasnioh. For. Judging
him by what be docs arid has done, most- Americans
would regard Mr. Lyons ss .himself a ! hustler of the
most advanced type, entitled to rank" with the foremost
of our own exponents of the strenuous business life. .
If Joseph Lyons did his work: in New York instead of;
in London he'would be numbered among the uncrowned
monarchs of the great republic with the 'specific 'title
of the king of caterers. He runs, by long ,odds,\the •
biggest feeding business in the world. ' In London' he
has more than 150 restaurants, great and~ernall,"and is '
continually adding to their number. At .these restau-"
xants he feeds, on an averag-e. 400,000 people a day,
rain or shine, every working day in the r year. ./His
London staff of waiters and waitresses, 1 cooks,' clerks,
table decorators, etc.'.. is 10.000 strong.. An additional
2.500 persons are employed: to attend to his. business
in the provinces. • • - . V .
Aside from his restaurants he does;an immense; trade-,
catering for exhibitions, banquets and publlc,and prl
rate entertainments of all sorts. He is a specialist on
filling: the human stomach. "With - equal assurance • and
promptitude- lie w.li undertake to satisfy the gastro
nomic' 'requirements |of ihc king's guests at a .'garden
party^or'.the more, vigorous and less pampered appe
tites of a club of v. f orkingmen on a holiday.
fje j.has a still greater claim' to ...the \u25a0• admiration of
: Americans j^who are -so 'keenly appreciative of -the men
who dp big things. Xot only does^ he run the biggest
catering, business" in ; the , wdrld, but he makes it pay
handsomely. For several years past the dividends paid
his shareholders have averaged S2>s/pcr cent. . There
are very: few- concerns 'in America; that yield ' such
profits Ijdespile, all the. advantages, they derive from
trusts and combination?. It will be conceded, therefore,
thatjasa. businessman Mr., Lyons has no need to go to
school to-the-American hustler.' : - . •\u25a0*
\u25a0;But : he is much; more than ,"a wonderfully successful
business:nan. He paints', pictures, and good ones, too.
He also writes; novels— ;-cn: collaborates ln.jWi;itlng nov
els—that not only get published but sell-well. And at
the- present time- he : Is utilizing some portion > of his
leisure hours in writing 'the .-'libretto of a comic- opera, :
r " Now ; I ; never ran across! any American , who' did the
biggest, thing on' earth ' In his particular^ line— or' any
thing near it— who. could find timeor energy ehbugh to
do | anything = else, \ save -; perhaps, 'i engage Van - expert . to
spend : sqme of ' his money, for nim buy ing costly, collec
tions of rare books,;old-snun*;boxes or things
of that sort. The fact that Mr./ Lyons, besides being
a great 'money 'maker, ; does find time/and energy to
engage^ in other ; pursuits entitles: him *be I
asTone • who 'may] be 'able^ to/giye j valiiabie points|to|thjß I
"Ame^icVn'Lhustler^itt was (this ; thought- that -made ; me :
eagerly:-faskv:for-^mor«|^whengMr.^Lybnsfrexpfessed^the^
yiewis'/bn'fther'Amerlcan^ hustler. r tli'atrl«/have:' quoted.*
above.*'::'"' . , T- \u25a0.:/':\u25a0' \u25a0- *•*\u25a0«"" -*-* ''\u25a0vV;-" > ":'.<;.VV.;;-i**v.-'.:^''l-'i
:-.'c*VJudging-; from \u0084• my," observations "of \ himiin*jhisVown..'
country, ; - where -he /can^be'studiedsbest,^ said'.Mf/Lyons,/
' HghUug;a7cigaretteii "I* should ? jsay^that> the ?A"merican|
hustler - shows' lack of adaptation' -of. means to .ends
becauseshe ? ' puts Tnibfe : mental, physical. . and \u25a0 nervous •
.energy Mntojhii'wofkrat ; all- .times *than "his work at all'
times * demands.^- HeVdoes not 'discriminate^between the
•- \u25a0-' .'"\u25a0'\u25a0 V'"-'' "-" .': /,:' -' \u25a0 \u25a0\u25a0• * \u25a0'\u25a0 ."-\u25a0 \u25a0'. \u25a0\u25a0'.\u25a0'\u25a0\u25a0 \u25a0 \u25a0\u25a0"*-\u25a0,'\u25a0'.'\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0. •\u25a0:.\u25a0.",\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0"..\u25a0-:\u25a0.
AMERICAN
HUSTLERS ARE
ENERGY WASTERS
JOSEPH LYONS; ENGLISHMAN, WHO^ RUNS THE BIGGEST
CATERING BUSINESS ON EARTH, AND STILL FINDS TIME Tq
WRITE BOOKS AND ORERAS/ DE^V^S THAT OUR MUCH
y^IWTED • EXPONENTS OF TTHE jSTJ^UOyS LIFE DO NOT
REPRESENT fHE HIGHEST I^YRE/ |>F tW^
vitally ' important - and 'the . unimportant^,
part \u25a0 of / his work."; :He \u25a0 insists 'on . always § working" at -I
high .^ Regarded, as :a* machine he is not.-ai^
economical one.*': He breaks 'down too .often and has^tow
be ! laid up ' f or ' repairs too often! 1; He tries to do 'every- &
thing too fast; \he plays . havoc with his nerye's \u25a0by '.try- V.
ing to work ' too \ fast. -. He consumes too mfllfh | f uei-^tqo "^
much vital; fbrpe.i He uses . himself lip; too jfast: ; In
consequence when his day's work }is. done^ he has^ ex-
hausted himself^— he Vl;as -no incliriationior /enorgry/ left
for iathen' pursuits '.that. v. ; ould\take - his mind , : oft- his
business and enable'; liim ito get^ r/:uch more . enjoyment
out of life -thanhe-now does." ; ; " : .'^ ' -
"Then you, don't believe "in .working at- high" pres
sureT'y /< ; Z^- --/ - /;;. ";V:. -=\u25a0;'•.-. ,- ' , s .*_.
;"Xot as that 'term ; is I/understood . on the \ other '-side. %
The':inan^who- knows how to org-anize himself as' well :
as, his business" has no need to be ; 'rushed,' as you, say^ in .
America,:, all the^ time." j^lt ; is v tho result of a J ner.voiis ;
condition the hustler- gets into whichf makes ' him ' feel'
that Ihe is : not \u25a0 doing -effective , wovk fuhless : he ' lsf con-\
scibusY of . doing iit'iundera—tremendouk^Etrain alljthe^
time: > He creates \u25a0 unnecessary f rictloii^f or! himself. lHa
does* not know how 'to concentraVetprQperly;^ 'BigrHhlngs.
can :be done > more; effectively^and expeditlously j when
they are done > quietly ;.th"an '.when^ they; are: done fussily. >
. .''Hustling" in America too; of tenj means, I -think,, doliig
things that wouldf bef as -well ; done, or/better 'done, j if
left > to some employe" to ?do?*; (\u25a0 No' man> succeeds <\u25a0 in 'i a
big ; way unless t her surrounds ;himself /with v;men who'
canfdb many. 1 of .the , that^ haye f to -be done "in "his ;
business vbetterl'than^h'^ /can do"th"em/himself.
should -:let^ sucliCmerif do Uheser^^ things ; and;- not 4 meddle,
with-vthemjneedie'ssly. : I should'^haye broken 'down; in l.
my Jlbn^gj ago -an d shave' made * a' ; mess ; of S it}; if \
I had insi"sted":in-.puttirtg c aifinger'in.'every.;pieiin it."-;
V; '' Then' you think j that f Americans iVould|accompiish
m'ore;if 'they, hustled'less?", ,^ - •' .
>i?."l', would;" not^go^so^far |as;to^say^' that v they } would
actually make*; more f roo%yV lt £ f heyjhu stl ed ;l ess: - Wli e n '
it?cornes ]to making money,'. Americans j hold all rep- \
ords: '^Mor'e^colbssal^fbrtixnes .are. made; .thereHhan'ifariy.^
where ielse.v-But.^ljwiil-'Bay^that /if iAmerl(*ans|hus'tled§
less-they * would probably pretty, near .: as .much...
money,; as >they.' : do : ' no'w^-quite; .'enough -:\u25a0 anyhow^-a*hd ".
wbuldl certainly get va^much» better :time'out ? bfjlife>?il^
holdfthat la/mali r"p^
success "'£ is Jworth-^-no.-; matter \u25a0 how ; - many 1- millions Mt '
represents— when itfdemands*' of him -the' expenditure |ofC
air|hlsfp<weFs-and;neaves:himvnoU
energy for the eyerclse of his faculties or = talents ! in
other, directions. « _}- , ~ ( • "
"But the,- American— the typical- A merlcan ( -|thejhußt3
ling^^r^^^^^^s^s|Jto^be^^fted^^plmostl
EnglisSme^|a^^^h^b^at|^gJh^e|pLlle^d^^^
'si^nn'^s' ':'-: Tiifl :.tvr>lral Enerlishman < who fa doina-^faiflvE
well, in business looks forward, . not to .accumulating a
huge fortune, • but -to : retiring' from altogether
when: He ; has ; accumulated enough to : keep him in ' com
fort the rest of his 'days.^buy Ing an estate in the'coun
try /where he 'can'; take .life easy and<devotingjhimself
fo ; some pet hobby; that' he" has fourid^time to cultivate
while ') still in; business. 'But the* Ameiican-; sticks, to
business so -close and so hard ] that -he cultivates^ no
hobbies. ./His aim Is not to retire" when he /has made
enough, but .to '; keep -on making more. -.He -wants to
make: his pile bigger than any other" man's" pile. ;It
wa's : 'an' ! American .who said 'The Englishman works .to
live; .the 'American -' lives; to; work.*. '.There ' is 'a "good
deal f of) truth' in; that and.it goesf far to .explain. the
American .. hustler. '..;_ ::•;\u25a0/\u25a0\u25a0 ' r- « •.• \u25a0\u25a0:\u25a0 \u25a0
'V/But^ don't run, away,; with; the notion," continued : Mr..
Lyons, "thatflam seeking to pose as a' censor of 'Amer-v
lean /businessmen! /You- have asked me -certain ;ques
tions | and - 1; have answered : : them / frankly. " giving ' my)
opinions "for; whatever; they may be .worth. ; I
would 'let . me \ add Vtb • what . I \ have . said * that ; I " have .a
great '\ admiration^forfA.mericans. ', They 'are "undoubtedly
the \u25a0fclevefest \ people on } earth. \:: And "American -women
are the most; charming, '. the. most intelligent asd- bright
est"' that. I. have ever^met. .: I don't wonder ;that' so many
of our . noblemen^ marry /American" women. ; Arid • I don't
hold witß^the'^p'opular^nbtibn that} it ; is 'their}' money
whichLprovesrithe ; attraction. "It _ is'the
\u25a0wbmenithemselves,\lt;believe.". ; i ;. '\u25a0'\u25a0...: ;:"\u25a0 •
."','N6w, ; Mr.' : liyons,!et us^see'how your, precepts^square
with^ your : practice.' rHo.w^' do you^ get : through .with -
your day's^work?". , . / . ' ' .--""' v '^ ' "-' (: •'•'-.\u25a0-'• ''\u25a0
\u25a0\u25a0},\u25a0 "ByVbrganizirig :myself , as well as ; my business to j run !
shioothly;'-byc avoiding fail unnecessary . friction; : '' by '
schooling "myself ;to" keep cool;and do : what I: have' to do
without "any.* waste of ' nervous ; enegry.- In consequence,
wheri'lf finish? my day's-.work I feel nearly as .fresh
as^when'lf started." , .-•'*! : -".«.-,-.
\u25a0 ;i How^ Mr. LyonsV keeps cool* and/ avoids;wasting;ner
yqusTenergyVwas-well^illustrated lnrthe^course ; of my
interview'wlth*rhini-t It ms ;h"eld ,under, conditlbns'that ;
jwouid\:have'/driven>'the -typical AmericariVhustlef. fran-;
tic.\-; Mr. ; Lyons fwas seated ; at ; a /desk ."with a -telephoixe
on - it: ; lThe«cToor Vof ; theVroom/ was iopen. ; A 'clerk for,
attendant rpoppediin/every ;few:minutes .with some .mes
sage for him* ;that]dernanded-!an':"iminediate 'answer.'-THe"
answers^; were'if'g'veri?. proraptljv^^ placidly^ and without
the {slightest <a<r being interrupted/
,"Ref er,"* him Zto '? Mr. } Brbwxf * ; -"Mr.;; Williams , has ] the
papers air,' prepared"; '."Tell him X; have made fother;^ar
rangements" ; ? ,'l*w|ll • see if him'iin nut es" ; ; etc., I etc.
Telephqn'efcalis,' of -.which^tb'ere ,w"ere;h^lf a t \u25a0dozen"; while
weCwerel talkihar, .were . responded -to : in : the * same i'equa
bicTj fashion. -.. Itlwasn'tUiustling a la.ArnericaineV^tljWas
something^'much better. -<And- after. each;Jnterru"ptio'h
Mr. ' Lyons* tboklup. the \u25a0 conversation i just whereat; had,
been stopped :: It rinade- me understand -better; than {his
had /"clone, how he contrived .-^ to ;- get ;
&You ghl>f dXy ' k J^wh
n¥ss|ofJitsik^ln6^o^^aHh|and 'still \u25a0 f eel : aimostTasJffesh'
atUheJclos^^^wh^^heTstarted. -- \u25a0\u25a0\u25a0 \u25a0 ' \u25a0*. - r ;
/ Not j the ' least surprisln g ~[< thing ' about - Mr. Lyons \is *
that he did not start the business of which he has made
such a phenomenal- success until -he : was past 30. Up
to^that .time his .experience of restaurants had been no
more than 'that 'of the average man who occasionally
.takes meals at them. '/' \
- *VI began life,**. he ; told 'me,' ."as a water color painter,
after- studying at' art /schools *in London. I exhibited
my : first pictures . at the , Royal s institute. -where I was
fortunate ,to sell: them ,to Sir Spencer "Wells.
I dldjfairlyywell a^art."
\u0084 ."Thea.why didjyou "give it'up?" ' ' •
•'Because, -strange as : it may s seem, ; I hated" to part
with my pictures. I ? l6ved them, so well ;that I
tokeep them all for; myself. Softhat I might keep, the
pictures l I^pairited I 'determined to make a living some
otherway." - ; - .*
' "And "what led you ,to take up the restaurant busi
ness?", --\u25a0\u25a0"^f'\ '\u0084 } ''.-:-. '.-' V r :' \u25a0 \u25a0 . '".<•.-.-•" .<•.-.-•
s"l.often .used to reflect upon the great fortunes made
by-men .who 'discovered some 'simple universal want as
yet imsupplied by their ( fellow men > and who knew how
to supply ltl : : It : . 'dawned npoa nic when I was suffering 1
the /tribulations of the diner in -a - stuffy, : dirty
little .restaurant in London that great things were: in>
store for [ the man, who could give the people good food
and drink,"-; cheap -and/ clean and ' amid pleasant .'sur-'*
roundliigsj' \u25a0 "After Urooding over, the idea -for some "time
I set 'to 'work "and" began to do it . and have ; been "^ulm,
it* ever.- since ; with s the assistance \u25a0of "my partner^ Mqn
/tagiie^Glucksteln,,. one of : the cleverest organizers in
. "the 1 country. ".--;•' : -
. '.'But it ; w»s P. T. -Barnum, who was* then -exhibiting
ihis '/greatest* show on- earth* here, ' who gave me --my
•first -chance %to show ; what I' could do in' the caterinsr.
; Hne'on something like" a.big scale. ,_ Mr.' Barnum pr Wed
himself ;^»ri:;belng -a good Judge of character.^ ~Asi !it
was - his conviction - that " I was the sort -, of * jnan~ -Who
could " ; be depended on to- 'make \u25a0good,* as Americans call
it; which; led him to give* me. the Job of catering to .his
6how, Inexperienced" as I then was. instead of Intrust
ing, it "to meiTjof "established reputations." -
One off the '* latest i achievements of Mr. t Lyons *Is to
'demonstrate; in the" Strand Palace'jtiotel [that ft is ' pos
sible : to \ run ; a big*- hotel ; successfully, :as \ he . had pre
"viouslyTabundantly;demonstrated that it is -possible to;
run ; restaurants successfully \u25a0-with: tips absolutely, abol
ished.'» That; is 'a feat .which London : ; hoteUproprletbrs
had > declared ; over 'and ; over ; agato was , Impossible.^
i;Y.'^h*ehin«xt'y"ou jvisit jAmerica^jl saidV>3Jl tooJr my
leaye.-'-ybu ? ought v to : lecture there* on 'How-to Succeed
:-.Without >Hustlin«.' **