CHAPTER
X.
FRANK HORNBY'S MOTTO.
Frank Hornby's
life has been devoted to helpfulness. He has, to be sure, made a million
dollars or more with the Meccano toy which he invented. He is now a successful
business man, known in many countries, and honored wherever he is known,
but his spirit of helpfulness has permeated the whole business organization
which manufactures and sells
Meccano. The Boy Scouts idea is to do a helpful deed every day. Meccano
is built on the principle of helpfulness. That is on the true principle
of self help. It gives every boy the opportunity to learn (while he is
playing) how to do things that will help him to be successful when he
becomes a man.
PACKING ROOM PRESENT FACTORY.
Samuel Smiles and all the other noted writers and celebrated inventors
did a wonderful work when they inspired Frank Hornby to invent Meccano,
and thereby put into all boys' hands all over the world a toy which they
could play with day after day, year after year, and all the time grow
more skillful in working out the problems which in after life, as they
became men, they would have to work out for themselves or their employers.
Meccano teaches the correct principles of mechanics, and mechanical science.
It shows a boy how bridges are built, how steel structural work is carried
on, how automobiles run, how electric locomotives are operated, how wind-mills
are built-it teaches him the fundamental principles of mechanical, electrical
and structural science. The boy who is Meccano-wise is the boy who knows
these things. He is the boy who is looked up to by his pals.
He is the boy who, as he walks along the railroad track, can explain to the other boys just why the bridge over the creek is built the way it is; why the big girders that form the span are bolted together just the way they are. He is the boy who understands what the gang of men who are working like a swarm of busy bees on the big sky scraper in the city are doing. He knows the principles of structural work and when the other boys want to ask questions about why this is done so, and why something else is done in another way, then the Meccano-wise boy is the boy who can answer the questions, and because he knows, he becomes the leader. You might name Meccano the "educational toy," but that is too big a word and does not sound interesting. You might nick-name it the "Self Help" toy, but even "Self Help" does not sound interesting, until you get big enough to understand the hardships and problems of life. However, every boy knows what helpfulness is, and the Boy Scouts are learning to do one good, helpful deed every day.
For that reason a boy cannot do a more helpful deed or anything more worthy of a good scout than to tell every boy he knows about Meccano and teach the other boys how interesting and helpful it is; how it instructs them; how they, too, can learn the principles of mechanical, electrical and structural mechanics for themselves. Every Meccano boy should be interested in helping every other boy get a Meccano outfit for himself. The motto of Frank Hornby is the motto of Meccano-"Be Helpful, Build on Sound Principles; Do Everything the Right Way-then though you may have to wait, you will know that you are building for the future, and that you will deserve to succeed. Build right now, with Meccano, and Meccano will teach you how to build right in the future."