The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-19
How Mind Failed TO Triumph.

1T is no use trying, I cannot get over
my fear Of lightning" said a man in the
Fifth Avenue hotel lass night. according
to the New York Tribune. Il shudder
every time 1 hear a thunderclap, and !
was never considered a coward at that"
"0f course, YOU weren't" replied one of
the party. "and ] don't think anybody
who knows your career in the west con-
tined the speaker, laughingly, would have
the courage 10 call you coward. But in
the present case you have simply permit
ted childish weakness to get the better
of you. Y GU have allowed il to grow on you
until YOU cannot overcome il. And how
foolish it is when you consider how few
people comparatively are injured by light
ning Now if you would bring your mind
TO bear on it the whole thing would soon
evolve Itself into a glorious triumph of
mind over matter. Why, we all know what
a man can do if he is put to it. The mind
Will triumph over physical cowardice or
indisposition to action every time. Take,
for instance, the case of your wife. She
insisted that she could not ride a bicycle
and"
"Oh, that's all right" broke in another
of the party. but / tell you there are some
things which man cannot do and they
appear simple at that, and they are just
those things. too, in which you would
think the mind would surely triumph
Now, you viii hardly believe it, but l do
not think there is man in the crowd
who can go up to that wall and draw an
imaginary letter d on it and at the same
time keep his right foot moving around in
u circle to the left"
Whats that?" exclaimed the cha mpion
of mind over matter. Just say that
again"
The speaker did so, and then the other
said that it was so easy that he did not
think it worth trying.
You may think So answered his friend,
but will wager you wine supper that
you cannot do it,
and, taking a pencil he started for the
wall. The friends of the two men gather
ed about them, and a referee was selected
to see that the trial was conducted fairly.
oh can fairly taste that wine now,
exclaimed the mind champion, as he twirl-
ed the pencil between his fingers.
''All right" said the man who had the
other end of the wager, you will get the
wine sure enough if you win it"
The mind champion poised the pencil in
the air a moment, and at the same time
lifted up his right foot and waited for the
referee to give the word. The latter final
ly said Col! and the mind champion
started. He succeeded in drawing the
down stroke of the capital D all right,
dI INC SdA1l6 liiuS heeplii6 ms IlsII IOOl
moving in a circle to the left. But when
he started to make the loop of the D. there
was a sudden witch in his foot, and, in
stead of continuing in a circle to the left
it deliberately turned around and went the
other way. The man hardly realized it on
the first trial, until his attention was called
to it by the referee. But when he tried
it again and noticed the antics of his foot.
he looked surprised. His friends began to
laugh and he tried 1t again, but with no
better success. There was a panied ex-
preston on his face by this time, but he
would not give up, and made several more
attempts all with the same result Then
he got mad and declared that he would
do it if it took him all night.
Go it, old mani You'll get there all
right" shouted one of the party
IN bet you a hat he doesn't" said an
other.
Never say die" yelled third; mind is
| bound, you know, to triumph over matter
in the end" he added, sarcastically
| The mind champion stuck to his task
for upwards of ha.f an hour, bravely with
standing the remarks of the party, but il
was no use, and he finally had to ac-
! knowledge himself beaten.
Later in the evening there was a iolly
! supper party in one of the uptown cafes
but the doctrine of the triumph of mind
over matter had received a sad blow-one
that had landed right in its solar plexus.