Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1884-07-31

There is one grand essential 70 suos
cess in any calling in life, that we Amer!
leans I'll utterlyto appreciate. and that
is the necessity of concentration We
are too much given to scattering. Our
Yankee ingenuity enables us to do aatef
q fashion almost anything we may have
. fancy to try. This naturally leads to
contempt for the man of one idea, and
we dive into anything and everything
that offers, and show our superiority by
the variety of work We can do, confident
that we are exceptions to the general
run of persons. who are so frequently
warned by wise men against having too
many irons in the fire at once, lest some
of them burn. To do anything perfect
iy, one must become an enthusiast On
the sub. ect He must dwell upon has
favorite pursuit until it appears to him
to be of paramount Importance to
everything else in the universe. Then
and then only, will he bend sufficient
energy upon it to insure success. Man
bv nature is possessed of lust so much
mental force. II he Concentrates that
all upon one calling or pursuit, there 10
no degree of excellence that he may not
hope to attain; but let him divide ii
among half dozen, and with the same
ability that might have served to make
him q success in the one, he will, in
ninety-nine cases out of q hundred,
prove a sorry failure.
Every thinking person will admit that
concentration of energies is an admira-
BILE aid to success, yet in every-d day lie.
we persist in ignoring the fact. Look
at the parents with children to educate.
They treat the mind like goose to be
fattened, and cram and cram without
mercy, They expect the child TO pur.
sue half dozen studies in school, and
music and drawing. and painting and
what not between times, and do MINI
self credit in all. Now nothing could
be more unreasonable than such pro-
ceedings on the part of parents. nor
could they choose course better cal
culated 10 iniure the child for the pres
ent and the future. 1t is forcing pro-
cess that must interfere with the nat
urai development of body and mind;
and more, one thus reared rarely ever
is known to overcome this error in his
early training and apply himself hon
estly to any one pursuit. He will most
likely continue as he started, Jack-of-
all-trades and master OF none. and will
90 through LIE wondering at the hard
ness of the fate that condemns him to
mediocrity.
Children would be better for practic-
ing some handicraft in connection with
their school work, because thereby will
be furnished the exercise for the body
necessary to keep it in harmony with
an active mind. But fewer studies in
school and none whatever out of it.
would result in vastly better state OF
development at maturity than the ex-
cessive dividing of the attention that Is
forced upon the children of to-day.
As we have said. only q comparative
few of the number brought up on this
false plan. ever get down to a reason
able basis of action. But parents are
not alone to blame for this. They must
bear the blame of Their own wrong
doing. but that does not excuse the
children from responsibility. They
might cut loose from the cid ways and
choose out new and better ones for
themselves ii they would, and they
must do this, however hard. before they
can hope to accomplish anything worthy
the undertaking.
Young people waste oceans of time.
Many readers squander enough time on
worthless fiction i'm two years to make
them clever scholars in history. Girls
and boys without bit of taste or talent
for music are compelled to waste hour
after hour in meaningless, useless drum
drum on the piano, which, if employed
faithfully in some other direction that
they the nselves might choose, would
result in improvement that would be
lasting, and might open field Of use
fulness for lifetime.
We are too apt to decide arbitrarily
WHAT our children's attainmentS and
accomplishments shall be, without TAX
ing the least pains TO find ont whether
they possess taste for them or not.
Now in such case it is worse than folly
to expect that the child can concentrate
his energies upon the pursuit. Taste
and prediction for certain occupations
and amusements are Unborn, and the
only thing the educator can do is to dis
cover what they are, and develop them.
In this undertaking he may reasonably
expect the cooperation of the young
person, and hope to awaken the enthu-
siasm so necessary to his success.
Every one of us, whether young or
old may work wonders in our lives by
needing these hints. If we can COM
mand but one little half hour each day.
let's devote that to some one worthy
pursuit, and stick to it till we shall
have accomplished something worthy
of ourselves burlington Hawkeye.