Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1890-10-25
COMPLETE sELF-CONTROL.
One of the Fundamental Qualities in Any
Large and High Success.

Ohe oil the Fundamental Qualities IN Any
Large and High Success.
There are few qualities which lie so
directly within the reach of every man
and woman, because so Immediately the
result of education as self-cOntrol; and
yet there are few qualities which are
SO generally lacking. Everybody has
certain amount of self-cOntrol, but
there are many people who compensate
themselves for the repression of their
energies on one side by giving them
full play on another. Self-control means
the entire mastery of ones nature;
means always having in hand all ones
powers; means sitting on the box and
driving instead of being driven. The
absence of self-control is seen in many
small ways: In the unconscious rising
of the tones of voice in earnest talking;
in purely nervous gesticulation and
restlessness; in the inability to drop a
subject when we have gotten
through with it; in irrita bility,
and that subdued violence shown,
not in outbursts of temper, but in
little gusts of passion escaping here and
there. These are small things in them
selves, but many of them are exceeding
ly irritating and disagreeable, and they
all involve a really serious result-a
loss of nervous force. The heightened
tone of the voice, the incessant gesticu-
lation, the physical res tessneSs, are not
only unpleasant, but they involve Just
so much needless expenditure of a force
of which few of us possess a super
abundance. Complete self-control is one
of the fundamental qualities in any
large and high success; for complete
self-control means that one has ones
self conn letely in hand and is able to
address ones self exclusively to what
ever is necessary to be done at the mo-
ment 1t is esssreat mistake to infer
power from any kind of violence or rest
leSsneSS. True power is allied with
composure, with calmness, with self-re-
straint; and real power is manifested
in restraint and composure and not
in violence of speech or action.
A man of nervous organization re-
Gently said that he had gained
immense benefit by simply watching
the modulations of his voice and per-
sistently resisting the inclination to
run into high tones. He had found not
only relief for the vocal chords, but a
steadiness and calmnesS of thought and
feeling which made him conscious of
the great blunder of wasting nervous
strength by suffering the vocal chords
to sympathize with an excited condition
rather than keeping them under steady
control. This is one illustration of the
possibility of overcoming the common
forms of nervousness. To ''let ones
self co. is not only to lose force at a
particular point, but to invite a reaction
along the whole line of physical express
sion, and so to continually stir up aad
sgitate, instead of continually restrain
ing and calming. There are great
many people who lay these minor faults
on the shoulders of a nervous tempera-
ment, and who do not know that nerv-
GUS temperament under control, is
tremendous force, and that it is just as
susceptible of being governed by this
will as the grosser appetites or passions.
Christian Union.