Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from The Principles of Bookkeeping
Again, as the architect designs his building to fit the shape of his piece of land, so a bookkeeper who understands the principles of his work has not his mind cramped and stunted, and feels at liberty to modify his methods to suit the nature of the business. He has more boldness to judge whether a practice is right or wrong, under the circumstances, instead of simply whether it has been the custom or no.
It would seem, therefore, that the principles Should be the first things to be mastered, whereas, in practice, they are frequently the last to be learned. In most Offices, although much of the detail of Bookkeeping is performed by the junior clerks, they do not see how the accounts are finally closed and, though they may be taught to keep the accounts with the customers of.the firm perfectly accurate, they do not learn how the impersonal accounts are treated, so as to Show the benefits accruing to the firm, for the advantage of which the business is solely conducted. Occasionally, persons are found who have kept books for a long period, but having simply followed on with entries similar to those which had been previously made, they have managed to get through their work without fully knowing the why and the Wherefore of it. As we should hardly call a person a musician who could not read music, so we can hardly call a person a bookkeeper who has only learned his work by rote. The consequence is that, if any entries are required of an unusual character, such persons are quite at a loss, and it does not occur to them, or they dare not venture, to make any alteration in their system, even though it may be causing them unnecessary trouble.
As an illustration, the Journal in a business having almost world-wide fame, showed a curious specimen of a minor inaccuracy. The entries were correctly written in and posted.
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