Still True Today!!

The Steel Square

As a student of currency creation, history, discernment, communities and people, I am always on the lookout for great books. While at a garage sale last year I saw an old book and the author’s name was almost the same as mine, Fred Hodgson. How could I turn this book down for a whopping $.50? The book is entitled Practical Uses of the Steel Square. For those who may not know, the steel square is a carpenter’s tool. Little did I know the gem this would turn out to be!

This book was written over 100 years ago, in 1903. That was before the financial crash of 1907, before the Federal Reserve, before WW1 and the Great Depression. This was a time when 90% of homes were owned outright. Credit was very hard to get, people lived within their means, communities really supported one another, people knew their neighbours, etc.

From this book, you could mail order the full blueprints for homes for $5.00. A large two story 3000 sq ft home was estimated to cost $1,600.00 to $1,800.00 to build. A smaller 1000 sq ft bungalow would cost $900 to $1,050. That’s hard to imagine today!

Below is a short excerpt from the preface which resonated with me and is the purpose of this article. Remember, this was written in 1903, so the sentence structure is more complicated than today. The bold text and italics are mine.

“It is not necessary for me in this preface to remind the young workman of today of the necessity of arming himself with all the resources of modern methods and appliances for the performance of his work, if he desires to stand in the front rank of his trade.

It is the bright, well-informed young man that wins the race, and the fellow who drops his tools at the first clang of the bell at quitting time and gives no further thought either to his work or his tools until the commencement of work again the following day, always remains at the foot of the ladder, and wonders how it is he does not prosper and thrive at the same rate as his more energetic and studious fellow workman.

A few hours quiet study each week during the winter nights makes the difference between poverty and sufficiency, for be it known the employer soon discovers the superior qualities of the man who employs his brains as well as his hands in the performance of his duties, and advancement and higher pay are sure to follow sooner or later.”

I would like to take a moment and re-word Mr. Hodgson’s observations for this article.

You will notice the workman who does not prosper did his job, showed up each day and did the basics. Yet, it is the man or woman, who is diligent, discerns, thinks, learns, and applies these strategies in the marketplace that will excel, build wealth and leave a legacy for future generations. The person who does only the basics will stay an amateur and will wonder why others succeed and he/she does not.

It only takes a few hours each week of doing the right things to make the difference between failure and high residual wealth. “Advancement and achievement are sure to follow sooner or later.”

In 1903, Mr. Hodgson was talking about mastering the simple carpenter’s tool called the steel square. If it takes extra study to learn to master the steel square, how much more so to master our business?

Do not expect to do just the basics and then to win long term. Do not expect to read an article, book, website, blog and have all the answers to your success. Do not expect that one meeting, one strategy, one method is all it takes.

When looking to partner with people, be diligent; ask questions because it is your future at stake. Look for integrity, honesty, perseverance, compassion, sincerity, mental toughness. Look for people who tell the truth even when it is not convenient. I can sum this up with "look for leadership, and become a leader."

In the industry of network distribution, people are a dime a dozen and companies are a dime a dozen. This is a great, ever-changing profession and the difference between poverty and sufficiency, between sufficiency and riches (see my article on personal wealth) is totally up to you.

As Mr. Hodgson said so long ago, “Do not drop your tools at the first clang of the bell and start work the next day” and think you will prosper. If that was true in 1903, it is still true today.


If you do not know the truth about money you will believe the lie about money and there are multiple lies!

Fred Hodgins