The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-10-02
DR.. Marden's Uplift Talks.
By oRISoN SWEET MARDEN.
CAuthor of Pushing to the Front" etc.
TAKING HABIT NTOPART-
NERSHIP.

Copyright. 1914. By the Mcclure Newspaper syndi-
eate.)
When We have once made the power
of habit our pa timer, II thereafter does q
large part Of our work for us II carries
us every day to our place of work with
out our ever even thinking especially Of
It. And it not only brings us to our task,
but when We begin the days routine &C
tually performs a large part of it with
out our special thought.
How little we realize what we owe to
this power OF habit, which thus takes
such a burden from US and fulfills with
out request or command so many of the
demands made upon US. When you start
in a certain career, you are like a seam
stress setting a stitch on the sewing ma
chine, or a machinist fixing the gauge for
this setting. The machine does the rest.
In the same way, habit sets the stitches,
or fixes the gauge. and after that the
man does the right or wrong thing al
most automatically.
For this reason, it is well to call a
halt" occasionally. as it were, take
stock" to see what habits we are falling
into, to see ourselves as others see u.s.
and profit by the vision.
Foreigners who come to this country
often express themselves as shocked at
our insane rushing. pushing, and driv-
ing all the time, running to our Offices
as IL We were trying eternally to catch
a train. 1t is impossible to lead such a
life without trampling upon all the finer
graces, crushing the finer instincts,
strangling the finer selsibilities.
We lose all sense of proportion, all ap-
probation Of the amenities Of life, and
we treat a man at the other end Of the
wire" as We would not dare to treat him
face to face.
We often see great, coarse persons
trampling the violets and other little
flowers under their feet in the country
as they march through the meadows and
over the hills when on their vacations
never once looking at the things which,
il they lived the normal life, the life
worth while, the life of finer valuations
would entrance them with their beauty,
fragrance, and suggestiveness Of divine
meaning. They do not appreciate them,
because only their grosser faculties have
been developed. They have lived down
among these so long that nothing fine
has been called out of their lives to re-
spond to the fine, the beautiful in ma
ture
What these unappreciative Doors do
literally many OF US do iguratively. In
our mad rush for wealth and for posi-
ton, the mania to do something that
will attract the worlds attention and ap-
the unusual. to make a point" to hit
the mark" to win" We trample all the
gentler qualities out of our natures,
courtesy is no longer an instructive
chivalry, but a weapon, used occasional
ly, in the mad fight to win.
We slight and abuse friendships, be-
cause We think We have no time to at
tend to them. We have gotten into this
habit of rushing on at a breakneck
speed; and we think We cannot stop to
pick the daisies by the way or to scat
ter the flowers of courtesy, consideration,
and kindness for others.
We tell ourselves that, by and by, when
we get a little more money We will then
take time to cultivate the kinder rela-
tions of life, but too often in our eager
ness to get the wherewithal to enjoy
these we find that We have killed our
own ability to win them from others or
to practice them ourselves.
Many a man who is accounted grufr
and sour and ill-natured is specifically
so because he has allowed himself to
drift into these habits Of the mechanical
side of his business, the habit Of hurry
ing, neglecting the calls Of friendship
for the demands of trade. Whereas, 1t is
Just as easy to take habit into partner
ship at the beginning and form habits
that will make friends for US and make
happy, useful lives.