the university of hard knocks-第12章

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ucceed　in　spite　of　his　〃advantages。〃

I　am　pleading　for　you　to　get　a　great　arm；　a　great　mind；　a　great　character；　for　the　joy　of　having　a　larger　life。　I　am　pleading　with　you　to　know　the　joy　of　overcoming　and　having　the　angels　come　and　minister　to　you。




Happiness　in　Our　Work


Children；　I　am　pleading　with　you　to　find　happiness。　All　the　world　is　seeking　happiness；　but　so　many　are　seeking　it　by　rattling　down　instead　of　by　shaking　up。

The　happiness　is　in　going　upin　developing　a　greater　arm；　a　greater　mind；　a　greater　character。

Happiness　is　the　joy　of　overcoming。　It　is　the　delight　of　an　expanding　consciousness。　It　is　the　cry　of　the　eagle　mounting　upward。　It　is　the　proof　that　we　are　progressing。

We　find　happiness　in　our　work；　not　outside　of　our　work。　If　we　cannot　find　happiness　in　our　work；　we　have　the　wrong　job。　Find　the　work　that　fits　your　talents；　and　stop　watching　the　clock　and　planning　vacations。

Loving　friends　used　to　warn　me　against　〃breaking　down。〃　They　scared　me　into　〃taking　care〃　of　myself。　And　I　got　to　taking　such　good　care　of　myself　and　watching　for　symptoms　that　I　became　a　physical　wreck。

I　saved　myself　by　getting　busier。　I　plunged　into　work　I　love。　I　found　my　job　in　my　work；　not　away　from　it；　and　the　work　refreshed　me　and　rejuvenated　me。　Now　I　do　two　men's　work；　and　have　grown　from　a　skinny；　fretful；　nervous　wreck　into　a　hearty；　happy　man。　This　has　been　a　great　surprise　to　my　friends　and　a　great　disappointment　to　the　undertaker。　I　am　an　editor　in　the　daytime　and　a　lecturer　at　night。

I　edit　all　day　and　take　a　vacation　lecturing　at　night。　I　lecture　almost　every　day　of　the　yearmaybe　two　or　three　times　some　daysand　then　take　a　vacation　by　editing　and　writing。　Thus　every　day　is　jam　full　of　play　and　vacation　and　good　times。　The　year　is　one　round　of　joy；　and　I　ought　to　pay　people　for　the　privilege　of　speaking　and　writing　to　them　instead　of　them　paying　me！

If　I　did　not　like　my　work；　of　course；　I　would　be　carrying　a　terrible　burden　and　would　speedily　collapse。

You　see；　I　have　no　time　nowadays　to　break　down。　I　have　no　time　to　think　and　grunt　and　worry　about　my　body。　And　like　Paul　I　am　happy　to　be　〃absent　from　the　body　and　present　with　the　Lord。〃　Thus　this　old　body　behaves　just　beautifully　and　wags　along　like　the　tail　follows　the　dog　when　I　forget　all　about　it。　The　grunter　lets　the　tail　wag　the　dog。





I　have　never　known　a　case　of　genuine　〃overwork。〃　I　have　never　known　of　anyone　killing　himself　by　working。　But　I　have　known　of　multitudes　killing　themselves　by　taking　vacations。

The　people　who　think　they　are　overworking　are　merely　overworrying。　This　is　one　species　of　selfishness。

To　worry　is　to　doubt　God。

To　work　at　the　things　you　love；　or　for　those　you　love；　is　to　turn　work　into　play　and　duty　into　privilege。

When　we　love　our　work；　it　is　not　work；　it　is　life。




Many　Kinds　of　Drunkards


The　world　is　trying　to　find　happiness　in　being　amused。　The　world　is　amusement…mad。　Vacations；　Coca　Cola　and　moviemania！

What　a　sad；　empty　lot　of　rattlers！　Look　over　the　bills　of　the　movies；　look　over　the　newsstands　and　see　a　picture　of　the　popular　mind；　for　these　places　keep　just　what　the　people　want　to　buy。　What　a　lot　of　mental　frog…pond　and　moral　slum　our　boys　and　girls　wade　thru！

There　are　ten　literary　drunkards　to　one　alcoholic　drunkard。　There　are　a　hundred　amusement　drunkards　to　one　victim　of　strong　drink。　And　all　just　as　hard　to　cure。

We　have　to　have　amusement；　but　if　we　fill　our　lives　with　nothing　but　amusement；　we　never　grow。　We　go　thru　our　lives　babies　with　new　rattleboxes　and　〃sugar…tits。〃

Almost　every　day　as　I　go　along　the　street　to　some　hall　to　lecture；　I　hear　somebody　asking；　〃What　are　they　going　to　have　in　the　hall　tonight？〃

〃Going　to　have　a　lecture。〃

〃Lecture？〃　said　with　a　shiver　as　tho　it　was　〃small　pox。〃　〃I　ain't　goin。'　I　don't　like　lectures。〃

The　speaker　is　perfectly　honest。　He　has　no　place　to　put　a　lecture。　I　am　not　saying　that　he　should　attend　my　lecture；　but　I　am　grieving　at　what　underlies　his　remark。　He　does　not　want　to　think。　He　wants　to　follow　his　nose　around。　Other　people　generally　lead　his　nose。　The　man　who　will　not　make　the　effort　to　think　is　the　great　menace　to　the　nation。　The　crowd　that　drifts　and　lives　for　amusement　is　the　crowd　that　finds　itself　back　near　the　caboose；　and　as　the　train　of　progress　leaves　them；　they　wail；　they　〃never　had　no　chanct。〃　They　want　to　start　a　new　party　to　reform　the　government。




The　Lure　of　the　City


Do　you　ever　get　lonely　in　a　city？　How　few　men　and　women　there。　A　jam　of　people；　most　of　them　imitationsmost　of　them　trying　to　look　like　they　get　more　salary。　Poor；　hungry；　doped　butterflies　of　the　bright　lights；hopers；　suckers　and　straphangers！　Down　the　great　white　way　they　go　chasing　amusement　to　find　happiness。　They　must　be　amused　every　moment；　even　when　they　eat；　or　they　will　have　to　be　alone　with　their　empty　lives。

The　Prodigal　Son　came　to　himself　afterwhile　and　thought　upon　his　ways。　Then　he　arose　and　went　to　his　father's　house。　Whenever　one　will　stop　chasing　amusements　long　enough　to　think　upon　his　ways；　he　will　arise　and　go　to　his　father's　house　of　wisdom。　But　there　is　no　hope　for　the　person　who　will　not　stop　and　think。　And　the　devil　works　day　and　night　shifts　keeping　the　crowd　moving　on。

That　is　why　the　crowd　is　not　furnishing　the　strong　men　and　women。

We　must　have　amusement　and　relaxation。　Study　your　muscles。　First　they　contract；　then　they　relax。　But　the　muscle　that　goes　on　continually　relaxing　is　degenerating。　And　the　individual；　the　community；　the　nation　that　goes　on　relaxing　without　contractingwithout　struggling　and　overcomingis　degenerating。

The　more　you　study　your　muscles；　the　more　you　learn　that　while　one　muscle　is　relaxing　another　is　contracting。　So　you　must　learn　that　your　real　relaxation；　vacation　and　amusement；　are　merely　changing　over　to　contracting　another　set　of　muscles。

Go　to　the　bank　president's　office；　go　to　the　railroad　magnate's　office；　go　to　the　great　pulpit；　to　the　college　chairgo　to　any　place　of　great　responsibility　in　a　city　and　ask　the　one　who　fills　the　place；　〃Were　you　born　in　this　city？〃

The　reply　is　almost　a　monotony。　〃I　born　in　this　city？　No；　I　was　born　in　Poseyville；　Indiana；　and　I　came　to　this　city　forty　years　ago　and　went　to　work　at　the　bottom。〃

He　glows　as　he　tells　you　of　some　log…cabin　home；　hillside　or　farmside　where　he　struggled　as　a　boy。　Personally；　I　think　this　log…cabin　ancestry　has　been　over…confessed　for　campaign　purposes。　Give　us　steam　heat　and　push…buttons。　There　is　no　virtue　in　a　log…cabin；　save　that　there　the　necessity　for　struggle　that　brings　strength　is　most　in　evidence。　There　the　young　person　gets　the　struggle　and　service　that　makes　for　strength　and　greatness。　And　as　that　young　person　comes　to　the　city　and　shakes　in　the　barrel　among　the　weaklings　of　the　artificial　life；　he　rises　above　them　like　the　eagle　soars　above　a　lot　of　chattering　sparrows。

The　cities　do　not　make　their　own　steam。　The　little　minority　from　the　farms　controls　the　majority。　The　red　blood　of　redemption　flows　from　the　country　year　by　year　into　the　national　arteries；　else　these　cities　would　drop　off　the　map。

If　it　were　not　for　Poseyville；　Indiana；　Chicago　would　disappear。　If　it　were　not　for　Poseyville；　New　York　would　disintegrate　for　lack　of　leaders。




〃Hep〃　and　〃Pep〃　for　the　Home　Town


But　so　many　of　the　home　towns　of　America　are　sick。　Many　are　dying。　Many　are　dead。

It　is　the　lure　of　the　cityand　the　lure…lessness　of　the　country。　The　town　the　young　people　leave　is　the　town　the　young　people　ought　to　leave。　Somebody　says；　〃The　reason　so　many　young　people　go　to　hell　is　because　they　have　no　other　place　to　go。〃

What　is　the　matter　with　the　small　town？　Do　not　blame　it　all　upon　the　city　mail　order　house。　With　rural　delivery；　daily　papers；　telephones；　centralized　schools；　automobiles　and　good　roads；　there　are　no　more　delightful　places　in　the　world　to　live　than　in　the　country　or　in　the　small　town。　They　have　the　city　advantages　plus　sunshine；　air　and　freedom　that　the　crowded　cities　cannot　have。

I　asked　the　keeper　who　was　showing　me　thru　the　insane　asylum　at　Weston；　West　Virginia；　〃You　say　you　have　nearly　two　thousand　insane　people　in　this　institution　and