The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1906-05-10
LIVING AUTOMATICALLY
Prof. James Tells How to Save
Mental Energy For Needs.
A MATTER OF DISCIPLINE.
The Man Without Fixed Habits OF
Life Wastes Half His Time in
Making up His Mind-Period Be-
tween Twenty and Thirty Crit
ical One in Shaping Future.

Making up His Mind-Period Be-
tween Twenty and Thirty Crit
ical One in Shaping Future.
Habit a second nature! Habit is
ten times nature" the Duke of Well
ington is said to have exclaimed; and
the degree to which this is true no
one PROBABLY can appreciate as we'll
as one VINO is d veteran SOluler him
sell, says PrOI. James OF harvard,
II AIS wUrk On psy cnolOgy. Ine daily
urlll anu Inc 3earS OF ulSclpllne end
Oy IaSnlUning man completely over
AGAIN, alS 70 most OF the poSSlDlll'
LAUo OI MS conduct.
nluerI0sS cavalry horses at many
d ualLie nave been seen to- come to-
getner and go through tnelr cuSto-
Alary eyUIuJlonS at the Sounu OF The
pugle Gail. MOST domestic beasts
seeN machines almost pure and SIM
PIE, undoubtedly, unneSlCatlngIy 90
ing from minute to minute the duties
.4ley nave Ucen lduSnL, dAd giving
60 sign that the possibility OF an
alternative ever suggests itself TO
l4.oh mmo.
LII the period between twenty and
thirty is the critical one in the for
nation Oh intellectual and profession
al habits, the period below twenty
is more important still for the fixing
OF personal habits, properly so CALI
ed, such as vocalization and pro
nunclatiOn, gesture, motion and adj
dress.
Hardly ever is Ian guage learned
after twenty spoken without a for
eign accent; hardly ever can youth
transferred to the society of his bet
tiers unlearn the nasality and other
vices OF speech bred in him by the
association Of his growing years.
Hardly ever, indeed, no matter how
much money there be in his pocket.
can he ever learn to dress like q
gentleman born. The merchants or
fer their wares as eagerly to him as
to the veriest swell" but he simply
canot buy the right things An in
visible law, as strong as gravitation,
keeps him within his orbit, arrayed
this year as he was the last; and
how his better-clad acQuainta ces con-
arive to get things they wear will be
a mystery to him to his dying day.
The great thing, then, in all edu-
cation is to make our nervous sys.
tenn our ally instead Of our enemy.
1t is to fund and capitalize our ac-
QUESTIONS, and live at ease upon the
interest Of the fund. For this we
must make automatic and habitual,
as early as possible, as many USE
full. actions as we can, and guard
against the growing into ways that
are likely to be Instantaneous to
us, as we should guard against the
plague.
The more of the details of our
daily life we can hand over to the
effortless custody Of automatism, the
more our higher powers of mind
will be set free for their own proper
work. 3 there is no more miserable
human being than one in whom moth
ing is hsbitual but indecision. and
for whom the lighting of every cigar.
the drinking of every cup, the time
OF rising and going to bed every
day, and the beginning of every Dit
OF work are subjects of express yo-
litiOnal elaboration.
Full half the time of such q. man
goes to the deciding, or regretting, of
matters which ought to be so in
grained in him as practically not to
exist for his consciousness at all. IL
there be such daily duties not vet
ingrained in any one Of nv readers.
let him begin this very hour to set
the matter right
By Prof. Balm there are rome an
mirable practical remarks laid down
Two great maxims emerge from his
treatment
The first is that in the acquisition
OF new habit, on the leaving off
OF an old one, we must take care to
launch ourselves with as strong and
decided an initiative as possible Ac.
cumulate all the possible circum.
stances which shall reinforce the
right motives; put yourself assidu-
ously in conditions that encourage
the new way; make engagements in.
compatible with the old; take a nnh.
lie pledge, If the case allows: in
short, envelop your resolution with
every aid you know.
This will give your new beginning
such a momentum that the tampta-
ton to break down will not occur as
soon as it otherwise might; md eyery
day during. which a breakdown IL
postponed adds to the chances of It
not occurring at all.
The second maxim is: Never suffer
an exception to occur till the new
hibit is securely rooted in your life.
Each lapse is lske the letting fall of
ball Of string which one is care
gully winding up; single slip I'M
does more than a great MANY turns
will wind again. Continuity of train
ing is the great means of making
the nervous system act infallibly
right