Laugh and Live | Page 4

the wayside of
carelessness? Have we allowed ourselves to be discouraged by
cowardly "ifs"? _Did we lack the sand_? Exactly so; we didn't have the
courage of our convictions.
Life is the one great experience, and those who fail to win, if sound of
body, can safely lay the blame to their lack of mental equipment. What
does it matter if disappointments follow one after the other if we can
_laugh and try again_? Failures must come to all of us in some degree,
but we may rise from our failures and win back our losses if we are
only shrewd enough to realize that good health, sound mind, and a
cheerful spirit are necessary adjuncts. As Tennyson says:
"I held it truth, with him who sings To one clear harp in divers tones,
That men may rise on stepping-stones Of their dead selves to higher
things."
All truly great men have been healthy--otherwise they would have
fallen short of the mark. Prisons are filled with nervous, diseased

creatures. There is no doubt but that most of these who, through
ignorance, sifted through to the bottomless pits could have saved
themselves had they realized the truth and "taken stock" of themselves,
_in time_--of course, allowing for those, who are victims of
circumstantial evidence.
The prime necessity of life is health. With this, for mankind, nothing is
impossible. But if we do not make use of this good health it will waste
itself away and never come back. It often disappears entirely for lack of
interest on the part of its thoughtless owner. A little energy would have
saved the day. _A little "pep"--and we laugh and live._ Laughter clings
to good health as naturally as the needle clings to the magnet. It is the
outward expression of an unburdened soul. It bubbles forth as a
fountain, always refreshing, always wholesome and sweet.
[Illustration: _Over the Hedge and on His Way_]
In taking stock of ourselves we should not forget that fear plays a large
part in the drama of failure. That is the first thing to be dropped. Fear is
a mental deficiency susceptible of correction, if taken in hand before it
gains an ascendency over us. Fear comes with the thought of failure.
Everything we think about should have the possibility of success in it if
we are going to build up courage. We should get into the habit of
reading inspirational books, looking at inspirational pictures, hearing
inspirational music, associating with inspirational friends and above all,
we should cultivate the habit of mind of thinking clean, and of doing,
wholesome things.
"Guard thyself!" That is the slogan. Let us "take stock" often and see
where we stand. We will not be afraid of the weak points. We will get
after them and get hold of ourselves at the same time. Some book might
give us help--a fine play, or some form of athletics will start us to
thinking. Self-analysis teaches us to see ourselves in a true light
without embellishments or undue optimism. We can gauge our chances
in no better way. If we grope in the darkness we haven't much of a
chance. "Taking stock" throws a searchlight on the dark spots and
points the way out of the danger zone.

CHAPTER III
ADVANTAGES OF AN EARLY START
It is the young man who has the best chance of winning. Then why
shouldn't youthfulness be made a permanent asset? We have recovered
from the idea of putting a man into a sanatorium just because a few
grey hairs show themselves in his head. We should not ask him how
old he is ... we should ask: "_What can he do_?" The young man may
have the advantage of years but the older one has the advantage of
experience and knowledge. Now if this older man could carry along
with him that spirit of youth which actuated his earlier activities he
would be prepared against incapacity. Our fate hangs on how we
conduct ourselves in youth. The world has great need of the sober,
thoughtful men above the fifty line. By right of experience and
knowledge they should become our leaders in the shaping of our
policies. It is all a matter of how a man comes through, mentally,
physically and spiritually. Age should not count against him.
The first thought is to keep healthy. In fact, we cannot harp on this too
much. The second requirement is confidence in ourselves, without
which our career is short lived.
Already we perceive that one must keep track of his inner self. This
breeds confidence. The very fact that one stops to probe into that
hidden land of thought shows that he is keeping tab on himself with a
sharp eye. That's the stuff! _We mustn't fool ourselves._ The majority
of failures