Tom P. was only a pattern maker by trade but had risen to superintendent of the Scale Department of a good-sized works. It was an arduous post, as the firm kept neither draftsmen nor designers. Competition was exceedingly keen, and the competing firms had the advantage of highly trained men with good drawing offices.
Our company had cause to buy a large number of very intricate scales, from very large ones to weigh railway trucks of 150 tons, down to quite small, (but very complicated) scales. The whole order went to Tom P.’s firm.
In all this work, our scales were most satisfactory. I do not think we had one mistake throughout, nor did one break under the heaviest service to which we put them.
I knew that they had all been the sole product of Tom P. I knew what work he must have put into them. I knew he had had little or no education, and yet the work called for a good education, so one day I put the question to him,
“Mr. P. what is the secret of this. Everybody else makes mistakes, but you don’t, and yet you are the one who would be most expected to do so, please tell me why this is?”
He looked around his office, and replied,
“Before I ever start a scale, I shut that door, and get down on my knees and commit it to the Lord; and although it used to be the greatest marvel to me that there were no mistakes, now I understand the secret, and wonder no longer.”
Dear reader, that was Tom P.’s work, and he did it to the glory of God, till even godless unconverted men marveled. May you and I have the grace to do our work in the same way!