Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1906-06-22
CONCENTRATION
AND ITS EFFECTS.

Although concentration is an absO-
lutel y necessary factor in every form
of success, still one of its very great
foes is, not merely the possibility, but
probability, of ones interests becom-
ing absorbed, almost to the exclusive
neglect of other duties.
The "happy medium" in this par
tlcular line is, perhaps, more to be
desired than one generally realizes,
for by it many forms of narrow mind
edness, selfshness and other unfor-
tunate characteristics could be avoid
ed. In all phases of life, however,
the ultimate standard Tor a man is his
own conscience and neither the con-
straint of business, affection or the au-
thority of overwhelming numbers can
atone for falseness there.
The different characteristics formed
by the various elements of concentra-
ton, such as thought, earnestness,
etc, are enormous factors in life's sue
cess, and teach a certain form of
adaptability, which responds readily
to every true suggestion, whether good
or evil, thus enabling the individual
to profit by the avoidance of evil as
well as the pursuance of good. As
the proverbial miser would accumu-
late more, did he understand COM
pound interest and the art of making
good investments, so does an eXagger-
ated and abnormal idea of concentra-
ton eclipse and almost paralyze COM
mon sense, thereby denying the indi-
vidual many valuable suggestions of
nature and his fellowmen. In the
other extreme, however, is to be
found the aimless, idle man, who gen.
orally excuses his laziness by blaming
the quality of his mind; but one so
often sees brilliancy passed by persist.
ency that one is led to realize and
forced to acknowledge that anything
can be made valuable if worked
upon.
A universal form of concentration,
embracing interest in all things, can
become a habit from earliest youth; it
is true that some are born earnest, but
there are none who may not acquire
that quality which fact should prove
of incalculable encouragement to all.
No one could honestly say that the
success of the japanese is owing to
their fatalism or good luck, but to
their "kess- -hital," which means "bet-
ter death than unaccomplished work, "
and owing to this spirit of concentra-
tion imbued in them Individually
and collectively lies their almost un-
precedented successes, and which, pro-
portionately speaking, were just as
dependent upon the earnestness of the
private soldiers as their more illustri-
Gus generals-and so it is with every
trivial care, responsibility and duty of
life, which could be accomplished so
easily and so well did one but feel
that while at the task it is the one
thing to be accomplished.
All life, social, domestic and bust
ness, is well typifed by the old story
about the bundle of sticks, the
strength OF which, when bound to-
gether as unit, is in proportion to
the frailness of each individual twig,
which can only stand certain resist
ance.
1t is undeniable that with some
supersensitive people the very con-
sciousness of their frailties and their
neighbor's superiority undermines the
ambitious energy so necessary to life's
friction, but was not the "widow's
mite" given more prominence in the
Bible than the donation of the rich
man, who gave in proportion to his
wealth Take the small things as
they come, improve them and be i'm
proved by them, then pass them on,
for
"Little stars oft glid life's gloom" 4