Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1914-07-27
SELF-CONTROL FIRST.

who has more soul than l, mas
ters me, though he should not raise
a finger"
There is no power like that of
self-control, poise, the reserve force
that results from mastery of ones
own mind and faculties. There is
no more necessary qualification for
leadership, no more serviceable
equipment for life work.
I have been in business establish
ments when serious accidents hap
pened-when an elevator fell, or
somebody was killed, or when a fire
broke out-and, though nearly every
body lost his head, and there was the
greatest confusion and panic, there
would always be one man who could
take the helm, calm, cool, balanced
man who could not be thrown off
his center. When everybody else
was excited and no one could think
of the right thing to do, that was
just the time that this one man could
think best and act the best 1t made
no difference what happened, he
could not be thrown off his guard,
his judgment was not crippled, he
was master of the situation.
1t is emergency that tests the
strength of character Not long
since, the captain of a great steam
ship committed suicide when he dis
covered that his ship had struck on
a coral reef. Immediately before the
accident he had been having a jolly
time with the passengers and was in
the best of spirits. They were just
approaching a beautiful island and
everybody seemed happy; everything
was going smoothly, but the moment
the emergency, the character test,
He was all right under ordinary cir
cumstances, but he did not have re-
serve force. His mind had not been
trained to remain calm, so that he
would be level-headed in a great cri-
sis. He could not stand the test,
but went to his room and took his
life.
Not a passenger was lost in this
accident, and had the captain been
made of the right stuff, and properly !
trained, he would have met the emer- !
gency, calmly, serenely, like a man. |
Self-confidence is the balance !
wheel which keeps the head level in
an emergency. If you want to know
a man thoroughly just watch him in |
a critical situation, see how he acts. !
This will test the man. If he be- !
haves well in the crisis, if he keeps |
his head when other people lose
theirs, If he knows what to do If he !
keeps cool when others are excited !
and confused, you may be sure that
he is made of the right kind of stuff |
and can be relied on.
Many young man owes his start |
in life to his cool-headedness in a |
time of excitement. But you cant |
have a level head at such time un-
less you have trained yourself day !
by day in trifles to act with courage |
and good judgment.
Remember that some one is al !,
ways watching you, sizing you up.
measuring you by the quality of your
acts. There is nothing that will help
you in getting on so much as to form
the habit OF always using good sense
and good judgment in everything you
do. Never allow yourself to do a
foolish thing, to make thoughtless
mistake that any office boy should
be expected to avoid. Ask yourself,
when you are about to do a thing,
is this level-headed thing to do?
Am using good horse sense?" II
know no other method as good for
strengthening ones character, in
creasing ones efficiency.
Say to yourself. "There is one
thing my employer shall never find
me capable of, and that is tom-fool
actions, slipshod, senseless. silly acts.
/ will at least show him that / have
good sense, and that always try to
use good judgment in everything.
There is nothing that an employer
appreciates more in an employe than
horse sense and a cool head when
decisive action is needed.