November 12th
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“The man who does not estimate time as money will forever miscalculate.”
“With me, it has always been a maxim, rather to let my designs appear from my works than by my expressions.”
“System to all things is the soul of business.”
“The more combined, and distant things are seen, the more likely they are to be turned to advantage.”
To James Anderson*
Mount Vernon, 21 December 1797
Having now had the experience of a year’s service of you, as a Manager of my concerns, I should not do justice to my own feelings were I not to declare (as far as my knowledge of facts, and my opportunities have enabled me to judge) that they have been conducted with integrity, zeal, and ability, and, of course have met my approbation. There are some things however which I conceive may be improved, and candour, mixed with motives of friendship, have induced me to mention them to you.
The most prominent of these are, that after measures have been suggested by you and approved by me there appears to have been a tardiness in carrying them into execution. Providing the materials, and erecting the building for the Distillery, is a striking, and will prove an expensive specimen of this; for hardly a day arrives that does not produce some evidence of the disadvantage arising therefrom or thereof of time, risk, and difficulty of getting the materials to the spot: and the man who does not estimate time as money will forever miscalculate; for altho’ the latter is not paid for the former, it is nevertheless a sure item in the cost of any undertaking, and this leads me to notice some other matters in which there is a manifest loss of it; namely, shifting suddenly from one kind of work to another (this has been very apparent with respect to the Ditchers) and in ordering people to come from the Farms to the Mansion (sometimes with Carts) and keeping them waiting more than half a day before you come to dispatch them, sending Carts frequently to Alexr. with, or for, trifles, which always come home injuriously late for the teams; when if a Memm. was kept of what was to go to, and to be brought from thence, and to send when there was a full load only (except in cases of necessity) one trip might do in place of two or three; Again, it is not uncommon, when one thing is to be carried to, and another thing brought from the same Farm, to make two trips to accomplish it, when one would answer.
Library of Congress (click here to enlarge)
These matters seem to arise from a want of arrangement. Circumstances it is true, may, occasionally, produce such effects; and sometimes call labourers from settled, to occasional employment, before the former is accomplished; but this ought never to happen if it can be avoided; for besides the loss of time occasioned thereby, more work will be done in the sametime when people are kept steadily at it, than when they are taken from, and return to it again; for although the work itself is not new to them, yet new arrangements must be made, and time is required to get them fairly settled to it. It follows, if these observations are just, and they are clearly so to my mind, that the whole business of Farms, of Ditching, and so of any other employment that is intended to be permanent, ought to be systematical directed, not from day to day, or week to week, but for as long a time as can well be foreseen and the persons who are immediately to have the conducting thereof to be informed accordingly: and unless imperious necessity, or weather, the last of which ought always to be provided for (as there is work to suit all kinds of it) the system should be adhered to.
If a person only sees, or directs from day to day what is to be done, business can never go on methodically or well, for in case of sickness, or the absence of the Director, delays must follow. System to all things is the soul of business. To deliberate maturely, and execute promptly is the way to conduct it to advantage. With me, it has always been a maxim, rather to let my designs appear from my works than by my expressions. To talk long before hand, of things to be done, is unpleasant, if those things can as well be done at one time or another; but I do not mean by this to discourage you from proposing any plans to me which you may conceive to be beneficial, after having weighed them well in your own mind; on the contrary, I request you to do it with the utmost freedom, for the more combined, and distant things are seen, the more likely they are to be turned to advantage.
GEORGE WASHINGTON:
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