Mr. Obama has spent a lot of time talking about trains recently which made me think of a train story I've heard. I’ve actually heard this story told a few different ways. My favorite version was by the late Southron Raconteur, Jerry Clower. It’s his version I’ll try to relate here. Hopefully I won't make too much of a mess of it.
One day, many years ago, a steam locomotive broke down on the tracks running through the middle of a small Southern town. The train effectively divided the town in half and brought all activity to a standstill. The engineer had tried everything to restart the boiler, but to no avail. The townspeople who had gathered around the engine had begun discussing what to do about the train when one of the older gents in the crowd spoke up.
“What about Old Man Brown? He worked for the railroad for thirty years. Surely he knows how to get the thing running.”
So Mr. Brown was sent for. When he arrived Mr. Brown didn’t say anything; he just walked up to the engine and looked at it. He walked first along one side and then the other, tapping on the plating as he went. He’d occasionally lean over and place his ear against it the engine as he tapped it. He climbed up in the engineer’s compartment and examined the gages, turned levers and pulled chords. After about ten minutes of this he turned to the mayor, pointed to a strong-looking lad and said, “Send that boy to the hardware store for a sledge hammer and a piece of chalk”.
The boy was dispatched and, after a while, returned with the requested items. Mr. Brown took the chalk, walked up to the engine and marked a big X right on the side. He then turned to the boy and said “take that hammer and hit the engine as hard as you can, right where I made that mark”.
The boy walked up to the engine and swung the hammer with as hard as he could, hitting the engine right in the middle of the X. The engine gurgled and sputtered a bit then roared to life. The townspeople cheered, jumping up and down and slapping each other on the back. One woman fainted dead away. The mayor turned and grabbed Mr. Brown’s hand, shaking it vigorously. “Wonderful piece of work, Mr. Brown, how much do we owe you?”
Mr. Brown replied “It’ll be $100.00. Give the boy what swung the hammer a dollar and give me ninety-nine.”
“But Mr. Brown,“ the mayor exclaimed, “the boy really did all the work. He went after the hammer and the chalk and carried them all the way back from the store. Heck, he even provided the blow that brought the engine back to life. Why should we pay him so little and pay you, who didn’t so much as pick up the hammer so much?”
Mr. Brown replied “Pay the boy a dollar for hitting the engine, pay me ninety-nine for knowing where to hit it.”
I may have muddled the story a bit, but the moral should still be clear.
One day, many years ago, a steam locomotive broke down on the tracks running through the middle of a small Southern town. The train effectively divided the town in half and brought all activity to a standstill. The engineer had tried everything to restart the boiler, but to no avail. The townspeople who had gathered around the engine had begun discussing what to do about the train when one of the older gents in the crowd spoke up.
“What about Old Man Brown? He worked for the railroad for thirty years. Surely he knows how to get the thing running.”
So Mr. Brown was sent for. When he arrived Mr. Brown didn’t say anything; he just walked up to the engine and looked at it. He walked first along one side and then the other, tapping on the plating as he went. He’d occasionally lean over and place his ear against it the engine as he tapped it. He climbed up in the engineer’s compartment and examined the gages, turned levers and pulled chords. After about ten minutes of this he turned to the mayor, pointed to a strong-looking lad and said, “Send that boy to the hardware store for a sledge hammer and a piece of chalk”.
The boy was dispatched and, after a while, returned with the requested items. Mr. Brown took the chalk, walked up to the engine and marked a big X right on the side. He then turned to the boy and said “take that hammer and hit the engine as hard as you can, right where I made that mark”.
The boy walked up to the engine and swung the hammer with as hard as he could, hitting the engine right in the middle of the X. The engine gurgled and sputtered a bit then roared to life. The townspeople cheered, jumping up and down and slapping each other on the back. One woman fainted dead away. The mayor turned and grabbed Mr. Brown’s hand, shaking it vigorously. “Wonderful piece of work, Mr. Brown, how much do we owe you?”
Mr. Brown replied “It’ll be $100.00. Give the boy what swung the hammer a dollar and give me ninety-nine.”
“But Mr. Brown,“ the mayor exclaimed, “the boy really did all the work. He went after the hammer and the chalk and carried them all the way back from the store. Heck, he even provided the blow that brought the engine back to life. Why should we pay him so little and pay you, who didn’t so much as pick up the hammer so much?”
Mr. Brown replied “Pay the boy a dollar for hitting the engine, pay me ninety-nine for knowing where to hit it.”
I may have muddled the story a bit, but the moral should still be clear.
I find this story rather interesting because it represents a very controversial argument that i find myself hearing everyday. The argument of who should get paid more: the thinker or the worker. I believe it comes down to two major things. The first being which society values more and the second who is more replaceable. At the end of the day, it is highly agreed upon that the thinkers are the more highly valued while the workers are easier to replace.
ReplyDeleteThis may sound harsh to many who believe that each has its own merit and everyone should be treated equally. While it is in fact true that each does, in fact, have its own merit, the world is not an equal place. It wasn't designed to be equal, it was designed for individuals have an opportunity to gain success. The catch is that in order for one to have that success, someone else must fail. In school when you are given an 'A', that grade only means what it does because someone else got an 'F'. If everyone in the world made A's all the time, they would have to raise the standard to provide a higher grade so certain distinctions could be made.
I kind of went off on a bit of a tangent, but i think you get the general idea