Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-07-22
1.-THE HUMAN MACHINE"
Mr.. Arnold Bennett Tells Us How
Cranky 1t Is, and How to Mend 1t.

sensible theory of life and happiness.
Now they are printed and bound into
a book, hardly thicker than your little
finger.
Inc trouble with living. as COM
monty practiced, Mr. Bennett asserts.
is that men are interested in every
mortal thing except themselves" Be-
hold. he saws. the inventor happy and
CENTRALIZED with his machine Of wood
and iron that he seeks to make per-
feet. thinking of it persistently late
and early. Why, he asks, does man
take so little interest in the human
machine which is himself, and so
much interest in all the rest of the
world outside of him? Why, in short.
does ne not expend upon making him
self fit the world a 1.-THE of the en-
ergy he expends. in vain, to make the
world fit him? Let us not liken him
to flying machine says Mr.. Bennett.
Let US call it simply an automobile.
There it is on the road jolting,
screeching. rafting, perfuming. And
there he is saying: THE road ought
to be as smooth as velvet. That hill
in front is ridiculous. and the descent
VII tiit DliitI sue Is pOSillAtiN udfSEf-
Gus. And it's all turns can't see a
hundred yards in 'front.' He has a
wild idea of trying to force the county
council to sandpaper the road. or em-
pioying the new territorial army to
remove the hill.
Why doesn't he get down and in
hate the tire, and attend to the spark?
Simply because he isn't aware that
he is on machine at all He has
never examined what he is on At
the back of his consciousness is a dim
idea that he is perched on a piece of
solid, immutable rock that runs on
casters Thus We come 10 face the
question Of our attitude toward our hui
man meaning, Mr.. Bennett
says. body and brain-"and chiefly
BRAIN He exhibits us as rank
amateurs in the art Ct living. which
concerns not merely getting ourselves
food and clothes, but the real bust
ness of living, of smooth intercourse,
OF self expression, of conscious adam
tatlon to environment Then he sets
out with wealth of lucid and effec-
i've Illustrations to show how it is
That an unframed and disobedient
oIain-a cranky ill-adJusted machine.
in shorts constantly ditching our
best-laid plans and most virtuous in
lehtlohs. For instance, after getting
up on a lonely summer morning with
cheerful mind and set of well-lai
plans, a man sits down to good
breakfast.
He knows-none better-that when
his wife employs particular tome
containing ten grains of asperitv and
ne replies in a particular tone CON
tanning eleven grains. the conse-
qaences will be explosive. He knows.
on the other hand. that if he replies
IN tone containing only one LITTLE
ufop OF honey the consequences may
not be unworthy OF Two reasonable
beings. He knows this. His brain is
fully instructed-and 10, his brain.
while arguing that women are really
TOO absurd tas If that was the point
Is sending down orders to the mus
cles of his throat and mouth which
result IN at least eleven grains of as
perity, and conjugal relations are en-
dangered for the day
The man did not want to do what he
aid and heartily despises himself for
doing it (Mr. Bennett explains) hut
ibis brain ran away-'raced on its own
account, against reason. against de-
sire, against morning resolves. And
there he is
in other words the man has NOT
made himself lord of his noddle. ana
is unhappy and inefficient in the
craft of living from sheer Grass mat
tentlon TO his own Development orr
philosopher proceeds 10 set out how
one may. by taking rains and still
more pains. become lord of his nod
ole in most things as he is now In a
rev. He must train il, that noodle
with patient repetition as mounte-
oank trains dog to dance on its
hind legs.
The human machine is an appara-
tus of brain and muscle for enabling
the Ego TO develop freely i'm the uni
verse with which ii is surrounded
without friction. Its function is tc
convert the facts of the universe To
the best advantage Of the Ego. The
faets of the universe are the material
with which it is its business to dea'
not the facts of an ideal universe
but the facts of this universe. Henc.
When friction occurs, when the facts
lof the universe cease to be of adj.
vantage to the Ego, the fault is in III.
machine.
Seeing that you can control moth.
ing but your own mind" it is IN,
height of folly to expend nine tenth,
OF your energy upon the attempt +,
control other things and other peo
pie. The habit OF blaming otba
things and other people is very naa,
the root of the evil Thereby va,
lose your temper" The trick fo
curing this habit of losing your tenn
per is to drill into your brain and fl,
; there the idea that when you do i; 70,
make donkey of yourself, and s,
fight your disposition to fare IN h
your fear of ridieule. Then. tn
? practice of allowing other peoples In
? accuracies to lead YOU into acrid ar
gument and recriinination. There
l counter trick for that, too 1t is t
regard ourselves as free agents, en-
: the personalities surrounding US a