The Washington herald., 1914-06-27
DR.. MARDEN'S
UPLFT TALKS
Effectiveness VS.. Siren
uouSneSS.
RY oRIsoN SWEET MARDEN.

BY ORIsON SWEET WARDEN.
(Author Of Pushing to the Front" etc)
The strenuous life is in most cases the
least effective ana efficient" So William
c. RedfeId, our Secretary of Commerce,
told the Brown University students In an
address on effectiveness" delivered IN
Providence a few days ago.
cit is an infantile view of industry
which measures its results by either the
duration or the extent Of effort he said.
Both the hustler and the apostle OF
strenuousness have become back numbers
in their methods. They are today in the
same category with him who also ran.
1t is true that a great many over-am-
bilious men and women cut down their
efficiency and lessen their ultimate sue
cess by continually OVERRIDING.
have known self-made men who
formed such iron habits OF work when
they started as poor boys when their sue
cess depended upon working a great
many hours every day, that they have
become slaves to the habit No matter
whether they feel like it sOr not, they
compel themselves to remain in their Of
fees or factories just so many hours
day, when. perhaps, three-fourths Of the
time they are merely mechanically fore
ing their brains to do very ordinary work.
They could accomplish more and better
work in less than half the time with a
fresh. vigorous brain. a mind elastic and
spontaneous. fit for its work. They do.
not realize that a mind that is habituallys'
held to its task by will power for long
hours after a time becomes permanently
infused, loses its spring, its residence,
just las a bow would its power to rebound
If it were always strung up.
These men know this principle very
well, and they can see that their friends
who are doing the same thing that they
are doing are making a great mistake in
straining so, in not getting away now
and then, getting freshened up, renewed,
getting a new view of things, a fresh out
look on life and business, putting them
selves in the way of that rejuvenation
which comes from an entire change in
environment.
Business men often give as an excuse
for always grinding at their work and for
almost never taking a vacation that they
haven't time, that when they have q lit
tie leisure, they will take a vacation.
Is there any shorter-sighted policy than
for a pan to overwork and strain. to plod
away for months and years with dull
mental TOOLS and to plead as an excuse
that he can't afford to take time to
sharpen them. to put himself in a state
Of physical and mental fitness?
One of the greatest dangers in our
strenuous American life is the temptation
to overstrain under high pressure. Men
are continually overdrawing their physi-
cal bank accounts, using up their reserve
capital, and before they realize 1t they
are physically bankrupt.
According to a very noted medical au-
thority, while We do know a great deal
more about hygiene and have been able
to conquer many diseases, especially in
4
through our ignorance. carried away vast
multitudes OF human beings every year.
yet the increased cost of living. the great
er struggle for existence. our more excit-
ing, more strenuous, nerve-racklng life
have increased the vitality tension. the
nerve tension, brain tension. As a conse-
quence our worries, our anxieties, our
cares, are greatly augmented. The wear
and tear Of life is greater than formerly
and further away from the simple life.
Anything which tends to lower the vi
tality, to sap the energies, cuts down. by
so much. ones efficiency and possibilities.
over-strenuousness, too much hustling, is
detrimental to health. and health is our
great life capital. Perfect health Is one
OF the most effective discoverers OF abil-
ity. It brings out resourcefulness, inven-
tiveness initiative, which would be COW
cred up and buried by poor health. Per-
feet health, physical and mental fitness,
means new hope, new life, new power.
There is vast amount Of ability lost to
the world through poor health, through
people not keeping themselves in a con-
dition to give out the best that is enfold-
ed 10 them.
There are many people Of a high order
Of ability who do very ordinary work in
life. whose careers are most disappoint-
ing, simply because they do not keep
themselves in a physical and mental con-
dition to do their best
lcopgTisht, 10