Laugh and Live Part 3

There is only one method, only one way ... rise through honesty and an optimistic belief in self. And let us not plume ourselves because of our virtue. _Personal honesty is our due to ourselves and our fellow man._

One of the distinctive elements in the honest man's make-up is that of laughter. The ones who live up to their ideals, do not feel that life is such a dark place, after all. It may mean hard work, little play and often delayed rewards but the fact that there is a world, and that it is filled with other honest souls is reward enough to give us courage to laugh as we go along. _We can always afford to laugh--when we're honest_.

The man who is innately honest has no reason to fear the snares of fortune. He knows that he can win the trust of men; he knows that he already has it. He has no dread of looking into the other fellow's eye.

He knows where he stands in life. He has won that which he has through struggle, and he does not intend to lose it. He does not intend to fail.

_He cannot fail--he cannot lose._ No matter how things might go at this moment or that the next will find him on the rising tide of new opportunities---new chances. His reputation travels before him like the advance agent. His coming is heralded and he is welcomed into any community.

It isn't as though there were only a few honest men. This welcome, this "glad hand," is always extended by society to the honest man as a token of approval. The world's work is a tremendous matter. There is always room for another worker to handle some part of it. And only the true, the sincere, are capable of doing this in the proper way. The leaders of society in the broader sense are those _who win the faith of the average man_. We look up to Lincoln because we know that he was the one man in a million to accomplish the greatest task ever set before a human being.

We realize that he was honest--_honest in the huge sense_ so necessary to the accomplishment of big ideals. And we know that in order to win some part of that great trust we must obey the standards of honesty and decency that lie below the surface and only need to be called to life and action in order to be used.

And laughter will arouse that sense as quickly as anything else. The man who is capable of laughing heartily is not apt to be the one who carries some _conscience-stricken thought around with him_. It is the easiest thing in the world to detect an untrue laugh. The real laugh springs out of the depths of being and comes with a ringing sense of security and _faith in one's self_. It goes with the workman in the early morning when he swings along the road to the factory. It accompanies the soldier into battle. It arouses the clerk from lethargy.

It brightens the sick room. It raises us all to unexplored heights, and as evidence of our state of mind it can only mean one thing--honesty and sincerity. No character can exist without this outward exhibition of an inward honesty. _The mere cultivation of laughter would eventually lead to honesty._ The fact that you are laughing, enjoying life, awakens you to a spirit of security and a feeling of the joy of living. Gloomy men are the ones whose tendency is toward crime and trouble. Laughing men are the ones who stir the world with new desires and make life worth living. Therefore we say--_laugh and live_!

[Ill.u.s.tration: _A Scene from "His Picture in the Papers"_]

CHAPTER VIII

CLEANLINESS OF BODY AND MIND

If we interview many of life's failures we will find that the overwhelming majority went down because of their neglect to get out of an environment that was not stimulating and because their ambitions had grown rusty and inefficient to cope with depressing circ.u.mstances. The prisons and other inst.i.tutions are filled with people who did not make any attempt to get away from the vicious surroundings in which they lived. They were like tadpoles that had never grown to frogs ... they just kept swimming around in their muddy puddles and, not having grown legs with which they could leap out onto the banks and away to other climes, they continued to swim in monotonous circles until they died. In other words, the failure is a man who dwells in muddy atmosphere all his days, who is content to remain a tadpole and who never attempts to take advantage of any opportunity. He becomes unclean, so to speak. And that is what we mean by this chapter heading "_Cleanliness of Body and Mind_." It was not intended to point out the proper way to keep our faces and hands clean, or as a sermon, but rather to show ourselves that _the clean body begets the clean mind_, the two together const.i.tuting compelling tendencies toward _the clean spirit_. A move in the direction of these takes us out of the rut of life.

No matter what cause we dig up with which to explain our success in life we cannot neglect this most important one--_the careful selection of our acquaintances_. And this doesn't mean that one must be a sn.o.b. Far from it. It only means that the successful man, the man who wishes to rise in life, should not spend his days in the company of _illiterate companions_ who do not possess _ambition of heart or the will to do the work of the world_. It means that life is too short to hang around the loafing places with the driftwood of humanity listening to their stories of failure and drinking in with liquor some of their bitterness against those who have toiled and won the fruits of their toil. It means that we will not go out of our way to seek the friends.h.i.+p of men and women who are simply endeavoring to gain happiness in life without paying for it.

It means that we will do all in our power to win friends who _aspire n.o.bly_ and by so doing inspire those with whom they come in contact.

Such men are naturally clean of mind and body.

We must remember always to live in a world of clear thought that will _stimulate our ambitions_. Dwelling in the dark corners of life and traveling with the debris of humanity will not arouse us to action and give us that swinging vigor of heart and mind so necessary to the accomplishment of great things. While we will ever lend the helping hand to those who need it we will naturally a.s.sociate with those who have vim and courage. We will not be _dragged down by our a.s.sociates_. Until we meet the right kind we will hold aloof, and we will not be morose and gloomy because it happens that at this moment our acquaintances.h.i.+p does not include these successes. When we have succeeded in doing something big they will come to us and _if we think big things we are likely to do them_. It is all a matter of the will to do.

"Nothing succeeds like success," said some very wise man and if there ever was a phrase that rang with truth this does. It means that the _thought of success_, the courage that _comes with success_, leads to _more and more success_. It means that the thinker of these thoughts is living in a clean, wholesome atmosphere along with those who are determined and in earnest. It means that they have caught the fervor of true life ... a healthy, contagious fervor which permeates the blood swiftly once it gets a hold, and like electricity it vivifies and stirs the spirit with renewed energy _day after day, year after year_. Once it wins us it will stick with us. The success of those about us will shake our lethargic limbs and stimulate us to a desire to do as they do. We will be in a world of clean thought and action and our lives will mirror their lives, our thoughts will be filled with wholesome things and with good health. We will win in spite of all obstacles.

Cleanliness is _the morale of the body and the mind_. The man who is careful of his linen and who does not neglect his morning plunge is not apt to be gloomy and morose. We notice him in the car or on the street in the morning. He comes striding along, fresh and full of _the zest of living_. His mind is clear and unclouded. His eyes are full of that vigorous light of conscientious desire to win and do so honestly. He has none of the hypocritical elements in his nature strong enough to rule him. There may be and probably are many weaknesses in his character. His very strength consists in his ability to _crush them and make them his slaves_.

The man who has taken his morning plunge and dressed himself agreeable to comfort and grace, has his battles of the day won in advance. He knows the value of keeping himself in trim. He does it for the sake of _his own_ feelings. Our approval of his appearance goes without saying.

If a man thinks well of himself in matters of appearance his general deportment is likely to coincide. Such men never overdo. They are at ease with themselves and thus impart ease to others who come in contact with them. They have, in other words, a distinction of their own and _their distinction is their power_. They know that the highest moral law of nature is that of cleanliness, that filthiness should not be allowed to dominate any man's ethics or physical condition. They rule such things out of their lives.

A vast magnetic force comes out of those friends of ours who are _doing things_ and making the world _sit up and take notice_. The mere fact that we live near to them, know them and a.s.sociate with them is proof-positive that we, too, shall go through life with clean minds and bodies. They would not tolerate us if we were to slip into shoddy ways.

Nothing is revealed quicker to our intimates than _the losing of ambition_ ... the slipping into careless habits. We cannot conceal it from them. We fool only those who brush by. The loss of this self-respect has a terrible effect upon the system and every tendency toward success is thereby stunted and weakened. _We have fallen into unclean ways!_ It will not be long before we sink to the bottom or else remain among the vast crowd who have neither the courage to fall nor the courage to rise.

Nothing produces failure quicker than filthiness of mind and body. Those who are successful keep away from the very thought of such a condition.

They live as much as possible _in the open_. They take morning and evening exercises. They read good books, attend good plays and are continually in touch with the finer developments of thought and art in the world. Their faces are open and full of sunlight. They are determined that life will not beat them in a game that only requires sureness of aim and the ability to take advantage of the thousand and one opportunities that surround them on every side.

Cleanliness stands _paramount_ in its importance to _success_. Perhaps no other one thing has so vital a hold upon the individual who succeeds.

The general of an army first looks to the _morale_ of his troops. He knows that with clean minds and bodies his soldiers are capable of doing big things. The battles.h.i.+p, that efficient and highly-developed instrument of war, is so immaculate that one could eat his meals on its very decks. Its officers are wholesome, athletic fellows; its crew consists of hardy men who live sanely and vigorously and who have plenty to occupy their minds. And if cleanliness is fundamental in their case why not in our own?

When we come to a.n.a.lyze ourselves we find that we are like a great inst.i.tution of some kind. Here is the brain, the heart, the lungs, the stomach, the nerves and the muscles. Each department acts separately and yet is connected absolutely with all the others. The entire system is under one supreme department ... _the mind_. Now if this ruling department is kept clean and full, of kindly, beautiful thoughts does it not seem natural that the rest will follow its lead being so completely in its power? We realize this and the mere realization is something done towards the accomplishment of an ideal life in a world of cleanliness and beauty.

System is one of the finest tools in existence with which to build one's life into something worth while. The _body_ must be run on a system as well as the _mind_. The stomach must not be overloaded with unnecessary food. The lungs must not be filled with impure air. The nerves must not be worn threadbare in riotous and ridiculous living. The muscles must be kept in trim with consistent exercise of the proper sort. We must recognize the wants, the needs of the physical system and see that they are supplied.

Roosevelt, perhaps more than any other living man today, has given vitality to the supreme necessity of _cleanliness of mind and body_. He has, by reason of his great prominence, been able to emphasize these two vital essentials. He called a spade a spade and his message went far.

From those who knew the value of his words came nods of approval--_others took heed_. From boyhood he has systematized his life, taking the exercise needed, filling his mind with the learning of the world, winning when others would have failed, profiting by experience allotted to him through fate's kindly offices and a.s.sociation with the _healthy, true men_. What has been the result? He has risen to the very pinnacle of human endeavor ... _no honors await him_. He has lived consistently and cleanly and he can look any man in the eye and say honestly: "_I have lived as I have believed._"

It is not necessary to become President in order to live sanely, to gain from circ.u.mstances the fruits that are ours for the asking and which have fallen into Roosevelt's hands with such profusion. We cannot all become Presidents but we can all _emulate a s.h.i.+ning example of mental and bodily morale_.

Just as we plunge into the cold water in the early morning so should we regularly during the day plunge into the society of those whose splendid enthusiasm is helping to make the world a better place to live in. They are the kind who go into the struggle with heads high and with clean hearts. Their eyes see beyond the daily toil of life. They are in touch with the big things and it is up to us to keep step with them. They want us and they will give us the "glad hand." All they want to know is whether our courage is equal to our ambitions and whether our _house of life is kept in good order_. And so we journey along together in all good nature, not forgetting to laugh as we live.

CHAPTER IX

CONSIDERATION FOR OTHERS

Consideration for others is man's n.o.blest att.i.tude toward his fellow man. For every seed of human kindness he plants, _a flower blooms in the garden of his own heart_. In him who gives in such a way there is no hypocritical feeling of charity bestowed. His very act disarms the thought. It is as natural for an honorable man to show consideration to others as it is for him to eat and sleep. Acts of kindness are the _outward manifestations of gentle breeding_--a refinement of character in the highest sense of the word.

What would we do in this world without the helping hand, the friendly word of cheer, the thought that others shared our losses and cheered our victories? If consideration for our feelings and thoughts did not exist on this earth we would never know the depths of the love of our friends.

There would be no such thing as an earthly reward of merit. We know that no matter what happens to us in the battle of life there will be someone to cheer us on our way. We may be strong and thoroughly able to rely upon ourselves but there comes a time when we need friends.h.i.+p and sympathy. Society would crumble into dust without these influences. The family circle would degenerate into a hollow mockery if consideration each for the other was absent. It sweetens and makes wholesome what otherwise might only be an existence of monotonous toil.

Consideration for others is _the milk of human kindness_. For what we do for others our recompense is _in the act itself_ ... we should claim no other reward. Observation brings to view that they who give in real charity _cloak their acts from the eyes of all save the recipient_.

Givers of this type rise to the supreme heights of greatness. It is a part of their wisdom to know what is best to be done and they go about it as a pleasure as well as a duty.

Consideration for others pays big dividends. It is a virtue that makes for strong friends.h.i.+ps and true affections. Those who possess it have a hard time hiding their light under a bushel. In teaching fort.i.tude to others they partake of the same knowledge. In the hours of their own affliction they retain their courage and keep their minds unsoured. They are the _sure-enough "good fellows" of life_ and their presence is the signal for instantaneous good cheer. We all know them by their gentle knock at the door. In a thousand ways they impress themselves upon our lives, have entered into our councils, have given us the right advice at the right time--and when the sad day comes along _their strong shoulders are there for us to lean upon_.

Consideration for others is apt to be an inherent quality, but like everything else it can be accentuated or modified according to our own determination. It is a growth that should be inculcated _early in the lives of children_--the earlier the better. A child's most impressionable age is said to be between its fourth and fifth years.

Then is the time to teach it the little niceties of life--the closing of a door softly--tip-toeing quietly that mother may not be awakened from her nap--tidiness--cleanliness--good morals--all of which are to become vital factors in a life of consideration for others.

A great many of us have the desire to be of service to others but _timidity_ holds us back. Say, for instance, one might see a person in great distress and because of diffidence withhold the proffered hand--someone we've known who comes to the point of penury but has _too much pride_ to ask a.s.sistance--we pa.s.s by fearful that we might offend.

How many times has this happened to us? Who knows but the best friend we have at this very moment would give anything in the world if his pride would let him bridge that distance between us.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _A Scene from "The Americano"--Matching Wits for Gold_]

Nevertheless the desire to do the right thing was in itself helpful. The thought of doing something for someone was a correct impulse and should have been carried into action. Early in life we should have started our foundation for doing things in the cause of others. Putting off the time when we shall begin to obey our higher impulses toward helpfulness to our fellows is but a reaction in our own characters which _dulls determination_. We want to do but we don't. As time goes on we just _don't_--that's all. Our good intentions have gone to pave the bottomless pits containing our unfulfilled heart promptings. We meant well--_but we failed to act_--we didn't have the courage. Our failures spread a gloom before us. _We lost our chances for a happy life!_

The man with the ability to laugh has little diffidence about these matters. Having confidence in himself and being happy and alert he goes to the friend in need with courage and the kind of help that helps. If he doesn't do it directly he finds a way to reach him through mutual friends. He does not go about _parading_ his kindness, either. He has gained a sincere and beautiful pleasure out of aiding an old friend and he can go on his way rejoicing that life is worth living when he has lived up to its higher ideals.

Consideration for others does not necessarily involve only the big things. It is the sum and total of numberless acts and thoughts that make for friends.h.i.+ps and kindliness. People who are thoughtful surely brighten the world. They are ever ready to do some little thing at the correct moment and after a time we begin to realize how much their presence means to us. We may not notice them the first time, or the third, or the fifth, but after a while we become conscious of their persistence and we esteem them accordingly. Such men are the products of _clean, straightforward lives._ They are never too busy to exchange a pleasant word. They do not flame into anger on a pretext. Their code of existence is well ordered and filled to the brim with lots to do and lots to think about. The old saying: "_If you want anything go to a busy man_," applies to them in this regard. The busier men are the more time they seem to have for _kindliness_.

Another word for consideration is service. Nothing brings a greater self-reward than a service done in an hour of need, or a favor granted during a day's grind. The generous man who climbs to the top of the ladder helps many others on their way. The more he does for someone else the more he does for _himself_. The stronger he becomes--the greater his influence in his community. Doing things for others may not bring in _bankable dividends_ but it does bring in _happiness_. Such actions scorn a higher reward. We have only to try out the plan to learn the truth for ourselves. A good place to begin is _at home_. Then, _the office_, or wherever life leads us. And in doing these things we will laugh as we go along--we will laugh and get the most out of living.

Our little day-by-day kindnesses when added together const.i.tute in time a huge a.s.set on the right side of our ledger of life. We should start the day with something that helps another get through his day ... even if it isn't any more than a smile and a wave of the hand. And he will remember us for it.

It is said that advice is cheap and for that reason is given freely.

But the proper kind of advice is about as rare as the proverbial hen's tooth. In order to give real advice we must understand the man who asks for it. If what we say to him is to become of value we must see to it that his mind is put in proper shape to receive advice. Be sure that he laughs, or smiles at least, before we seriously take up his case. And when we have done our stunt in the way of advice let's send him away with a fine good humor. A friendly pat on the back as he goes out our doorway may mean a bracer to his determination. "_You'll put it over_,"

we shout after him--and thus we have been of real help. He needed sympathy and courage. He needed a cheerful spirit--so came to us and we didn't let him go away until we gave him all these. Bully for us!