Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-12-24
DR.. Marden's
Uplift Talks
BY oRIsoN SWEET MARDEN.
PUT NEW BLOOD INTO YOUR
BUSINESS.
Oopyrisn. By Mcclure Newspaper syudiea,s


A. medical journal reports an ex-
pertinent upon a very feeble horse
twenty-six years old. The blood Of
four lambs was transfused into the
animal and he Immediately showed
marked signs OF, new life and vigor
and seemed much younger. The young
er. more vigorous corpuscles Of the
lambs re1uvenated the old horse and
impaired \ new vital force.
There are business houses which
have become feeble from the loss Of
the old time vigor and vitality. Some
times because the proprietors have
gotten along in years Or because they
have made their money and are In
clined to take things easy. But what
ever the reason OF a declining vitality
In business, II 1t Is not ,resuscitated
and r~ejuvenated with new blood. with
new vitality. II 1t is not reinvigorated
in some way, dry rot will set In and 1t
will gradually peter out.
! have In mind a proprietor who has
been running his business on the
same old plan, on the same old ideas
as his grandfather used. More pro-
gressive young men moved to his
town and have started the same line
Of business, and although he lei his
customers gradually slipping away
from him he says that what his COM
petitors are doing doesn't interest
him. He is never looking to see what
others In the same line Of business are
doing, what new methods. new ideas
they are adopting. The result is that
he is hopelessly in a rut and his bust
ness is gradually dropping of.
A business must be fed Just as much
as an individual, and 1t must be fed
on new food, it must be fed on new
ideas.
The progressive man keeps in touch
with his competitors.
The junior member Of a firm recent
ly established was asked by ar old
business man how they managed to
get their store SO quickly into line. so
fully equipped. and In such excellent
working order. The young man re-
piled that he had been ION the road"
for some time, had visited food fairs
and model stores in different sections
of the country and that the firm had
put into practice the points he had
gained while travelling. He then con-
fided to him some entirely new and
attractive features which they were
about to introduce as the result Of his
observations while ION the road"
When a man says to himself. Nov
I a breathe more freely, l can let
up a little, I have a field, l I'M head
and shoulders ahead Of my competi-
tors and I IA afford to take things
easy" he is in danger.
Overconfidence Is the first sign OF q
decline, the first symptom Of deterio.
ration. We do our best work when we
are struggling for u position. when
we are trying with all our might to
gain our ambition, to attain that which
the heart longs for. d.
Ambition is the very handspring of
efficiency, for without 1t there is no
motive for the necessary effort to
achieve. 1t is possible to ruin the
finest ambition in a short time. The
enemies of ambition are always at
work, encouragement, fear, worry,
~laziness, the temptation to take things
easy, to slide along the line Of least
resistance, the feeling Of satisfaction
in ones achievements - all these
things, II not constantly watched and
guarded against. will gradually under
mine the ambition.
This ia true OF the teacher, the
preacher, the merchant, and the spe-
cialist in every line. II they do not
keep up with the times. II they do not
keep in the very van Of progress. al
ways on the lookout for the new and
the progressive, they quickly become
back numbers. The new. the up-to-date.
everywhere is crowding out the old
fogy.