ELEMENTS NECESSARY TO MAKE A GOOD DETECTIVE.
HONESTY AND TENACITY VALUABLE ASSETS.
THE PROFESSION HAS ITS PARASITES.
All professions have their parasites and crooks. Among the lawyers you will find men who will commit a felony for a few paltry dollars to clear a client of a charge of petty larceny—providing he does not think there is a chance of his being caught.
Among the doctors you will find men (and they have diplomas with larger red seals on them than has the commission of the President of the United States) who make a specialty of committing illegal operations, and doing other things that are not considered either lawful or ethical.
Among bankers you will find men who every day violate both the laws of the state and the government—high finance, they call it.
The general public, however, knows and freely admits there are honest, upright, truthful lawyers, doctors and bankers, and highly honor each of these professions.
But the aforesaid general public is not so charitable to detectives. The pettifogging lawyers and irresponsible penny liners of the press have educated it up to believing that all detectives are thieves, thugs and black guards, just because there are some men in the business who make the peddling of family secrets and the working up of evidence in divorce cases a specialty. I could never quite understand why this state of affairs should be true, for I know many men of as good moral character and just as honest and upright in the detective business as I have found in any of the other professions.
Detectives are born, not made—that is the successful ones—just as are the successful lawyers or doctors or mechanics or merchants. Education does not always make a man a success in his chosen profession or calling. Unless he really possesses the peculiar make-up, or fitness, for what he chooses to make his life work, he will never reach the top round of the ladder of fame. Education, however, will help develop these necessary qualities, but that is all.
In addition to all these qualifications there are others which the detective must possess.
He must be scrupulously honest at all times, with himself and with those with whom he has dealings.
He must be sober, truthful and reliable, and, in addition, at all times and under all circumstances, a gentleman.