How To Motivate The Troops

"Slip Of The Nose"*

*John Pierpont Morgan, the great American financier
of the early part of this century, was noted, among
other things, for a bulbous red nose of surpassing
ugliness. He was to be entertained at the home of
the American lawyer Dwight Morrow, and Mrs. Morrow
was nervous over the possible behavior of her daughter
Anne (who was then very young, but who was to grow
up to marry the aviator, Charles A. Lindbergh.)

"Remember, Anne," Mrs. Morrow kept saying, "you must
not say one word about Mr. Morgan's nose. You must
not even look at it very much."

Anne promised, but when Mr. Morgan arrived, her mother
watched and waited tensely. Anne was as good gold
but Mrs. Morrow dared not relax. Turning to the financier
with a gracious smile, she prepared to pour tea and said,

"Will you have one or two lumps in your nose, Mr. Morgan?"

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"How To Motivate The Troops"*

*In 1756, during the Seven Years' War, the French
won one of their rare naval victories over the
British and took the island of Minorca.

The British, unused to naval defeat, were enraged,
and the defeated admiral, John Byng, found himself
under court-martial.

He had fought his best, actually, but someone had
to pay, so in 1757, he was convicted of dereliction
of duty and was shot accordingly.

It was a clear miscarriage of justice, but it undoubtedly
spurred other officers on to greater efforts. Or, as
Voltaire sardonically put it, "His execution will serve
to encourage the others."
Received on Tue Oct 28 07:10:25 2008