The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-14
Locomotive, Auto, Man

Locomotive, Auto, Man
Do you know how much power is
wasted In locomotive?
The best locomotive made uses only
8 per cent of the power developed by
the coal burned under its boilers.
Ninety-five per cent is wasted!
And do you know that the average
man today wastes that much mental
and physical power?
The psychologists say so.
There is not SO much difference in
men as regards latest power, or abil-
ity. The difference is to be found, very
largely, in one man knowing better than
another how to use the power he has.
To put 1t in another way:
In automobile parlance, the man who
gets the most out of himself keeps his
clutch IN high speed. He knows how
to connect with his power. how to utilize
the driving force of his engine.
Watch the chauffeur.
Before he starts his machine he makes
careful inspection. He adjusts levers,
scrapes spark plugs, notes the radiator,
tests the clutches, fills the water tank,
oils the friction parts, initiates the tires,
tries his engine, and then
''Honk! HOnk! HOnkP
The engine starts, the clutch is thrown
in, and in a few revolutions his car Is
going full speed
he connects with 1t in way to get
most out of it without hurting the ma
chine.
A man must do likewise
He must carefully adjust all the
working machinery of his mind and
body SO as to produce power. Then
when the big task comes and the
stress is upon him, he throws In the
clutch and makes full speed-and is
careful not to burn up his machine.
And
obliged to change his clutch from high
to low speed in order to Gimp long
hill, so must the man slow up under
difficulty-but keep going! Once up the
HILL he reverses to high speed.
Ninety-five per cent of waste is toe
much That Is why the locomotive must
give way to the electric motor engine.
So Of the man who wastes that much
He cannot compete with the man who
can use 40 or 90 per cent of his power
Great men know how to use their
power. They get into gear with the IN
finite forces in themselves.
Success in life Is largely a matter of
making proper use of power.
Rislked Life for a Bird
life in Philadelphia to save a spar
row.
The bird had been caught by tan
gled kite string in the top of large
sycamore tree, where 1t fluttered help
lessly, its cries attracting q crowd.
Dayton threw on his coat and
climbed the tree, reaching the top, rs
feet from the pavement. The small
branches bent beneath his weight
Crawling cautiously, he caught the
string and released the bird.
The crowd cheered.
The Humane society gave him a
medal.
Whereat somebody may say: Pooh!
Much ado about nothing!"
Perhaps somebody has never read
how Abraham Lincoln saved the rob-
ms.
1t was in the early days when Lin
coin, the young lawyer, was riding the
Springfield circuit. In those times the
extraordinarily on horseback--from
town to town where the court was
held.
On this day there had been wind and
rain. AS the horsemena with many a
jest, passed along the road a mother
robin was observed to be In much dis
tress. The wind had blown her mes;
from nook in the rail fence and scat
tered her birdlings.
Lincoln dismounted and the others
passed on. He picked up the nest gath
cred the little brood of nurslings and
replaced them, nest and birds. In the
place from which they had been blown.
What have you been doing, Abe?' in
quired one Of the lawyers. when Lincoln
caught up with the party. The latter
answered nothing. But there happened