Mesa free press., 1900-02-09

Two centuries back a young man Of
twenty three sat in the quiet Of the
evening thinking. His body was
quiet, his vitality, his life, all his pow
ers, were centered in his brain. Above,
the moon shone, and around him
rustled the branches of the trees in his
fathers orchard. From one of the
trees an apple fell. No need to tell you
that the young man was Newton; that
the fall Of the apple started in his ready
brain the thought that led to his great
discovery, giving him fame to last until
the last star shall fade from heaven.
How splendid the achievement born
world and for the youth Newton, that
at twenty-three his brain had culti-
waited the habit Of thought! Our mus
cles we share with everything that lives
with the oyster clinging to his rock, the
whale plowing through cold seas, and
our monkey kinsman swinging head
down from his tropical branch. These.
muscles, useful only to cart us around,
help us to do slave work or pound our
fellows, we cultivate with care. We.
run, fence, ride, walk hard, weary our
poor lungs and gather pains in our
backs building the muscles that we do
not need. Alone among animals, we
possess a potentiality Of mind devel-
opment unlimited. And for that, with.
few exceptions, we care nothing. Most
Of us, sitting in Newton's place and
seeing the apple fall, would merely
have debated the advisability Of getting!
the apple. to eat it-just the process
that any monkey mind would pass
through. A Newton, a brain trained
to think, sees the apple drop, asks
himself why the moon does not drop
also. And he discovers the law of
gravitation which governs the existence
of every material atom in the uni,
verse. Young men who read this, start
in now to use your brains. Take moth
ing for granted, not even the fact that
the moon stays in her appointed place
or that the poor starve and freeze amid
plenty. Think of the things which are
wrong and Of the possibilities Of right
ing them. Study your own weaknesses
and imperfections. There is power in
your brain to correct them, If you will
develop that power. AS surely as you
can train your arm to hold fifty pounds
out straight, just SO surely can you
train your brain to deal with problems
that now would find you gaping in
competent. You may not be Newton
But If you can condescend to aim at
being an inferior Sandow, can't you
afford to try even harder to be an in
ferior Newton? Don't be a muscular,
monkey. Be low-grade philosopher
If you can't be high grade, and find
how much true pleasure there is even
in inferior brain gymnastics. It Is
thought that moves the world. In Ma
poleon's brain are born the schemes
that murder millions and yet push civ
ilization on. The mere soldier, with
gold lace and sharp sword, is nothing
"a mere tool. 1t is the concentrated
thought Of the English people under
Puritan influence that makes Great
Britain a sham monarchy and a real.
republic now. 1t is the thought of the.
men of Independent mind in this coun-
try that throws English tea and Eng
lish rule overheard forever. Don't wait
until you are old. Don't wait until you
are one day older. Begin now. Or,
later, with a dull, fuzzy, useless mind,
you will realize that an unthinking.
man might as well have been a mon!
key, with fur instead Of trousers, and
consequent freedom from mental re-
sponsibility, or self-respect.