Edward Earle Purinton

In the 1920s, the business of buying, selling, working, and manufacturing was practiced with near religious fervor. In the following article, Edward Earle Purinton, business publicist and author of self-help articles, expounds on the popular twenties belief that business is the finest art, education, philosophy, and even religion.

Among the nations of the earth today America stands for one idea: Business. . . . For in this fact lies, potentially, the salvation of the world.

Through business, properly conceived, managed and conducted, the human race is finally to be redeemed. How and why a man works foretells what he will do, think, have, give and be. And real salvation is in doing, thinking, having, giving and being—not in sermonizing and theorizing.

Ishall base the facts of this article on the personal tours and minute examinations I have recently made of...