Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-02-06
TASKS ARE JEALOUS
MASTERS OF GENIUS
What Michael Angelo, John Ericsson
and Other Men of Achievement Knew
of Work-Making Survey of Ones
Own Resources.
By JOSEPH II. oDELL

| things. He Is a chest Of tools, admirably con-
structed and ready for use, by which he can
engage in a score. or a hundred, dlssimilar oc-
cupatlons And behind the tools, ready to
direct them, is the brain. Bsch instrument is
connected with the brain by a nerve, which
! acts like a telephone WIRE carrying messages
| back and forth.
The first instinct of life is to do something
| with the hands. The eyes see possible ac-
ton; the nerves carry the message to
the brain and the brain sends It on to the
muscles that control the hands, then the will
gives It permission and the fingers set to
work But when the hands alone are
gagged II is In the coarsest kind of labor
digging or carrying, for instance. After one
day Of experiment the mind can be freed from
the occupation, for the man has learned to
perform the task by the automatic use of the
muscles: even the eyes can be released and
the work proceed in the dark. If one uses his
hands to fashion and adjust material, he re-
quires longer use of the brain and the eyes
will be needed all tho time. AS we rise
in the scale OF occupation and the work be-
comes more complex, more Of the powers are
constantly engaged. When we reach perhaps
the greatest work man do, every single
sense, faculty and power is concentrated and
employed to the utmost.
Michael Angelo, in painting the sistne
Chapel in Rome, probably had his entire be-
ing focused under his will and bent to the
accomplishment of the masterpiece. Balanc-
ing himself upon platform his hands WELD
ing the brush, his eye tracing lines and vau-
ing colors, his mind picturing forth the great
conception, his heart hinging q wealth Of
sentiment into the production, his memory
pouring out the treasures which he had
and heard in the past, his lips directing his
assistants-never was there such an example
of complete concentration and the result has
stood the test of centuries and 1t the Won
der and delight of the world today. Angelo.
when engaged upon his marvellous creations,
would often drop down in his working
clothes and sleep upon the floor, TO be ready
again for work with the first light of morn
ing When reproached by friends for such
solitary and unsocal habits, he would reply:
Art is a jealous mistress, and requires the
whole man."
1t will readily be seen that mans value
to himself, or his worth to civilization, de-
pends upon his ability to gather the various
parts Of his nature together and to hold them
steadily upon one object for the accomplish
ment of a definite purpose. The power to con-
centrate is absolutely essential to any form
of success; and the degree of success is
tained concentration exhibited.
The Secret of the Monitor
John Ericsson is remarkable example of
concentration His inventions were so numer-
Gus, and so revolutionary in their nature
that his generation called him superhuman.
The present era of naval construction began
when Ericsson's turreted ironcad Monitor
vanquished the Merrimac in Hampton Roads.
A few sentences from the Life of Ericsson
will reveal the secret of his genius: He was
at the shipyard before any of the workmen
and was the last to leave. In the construc-
tion of so novel a craft as the Monitor diff
culties of a puzzling nature came up every
day. If Ericsson could not solve them on the
spot he studied the matter in the quiet of the
night and was ready with his drawings in the
morning"
Writing of his normal life after the
urgency of the Civil War was over, the same
blographer says: He was utterly wrapped
up in his work. his days knew scarcely any
variation. His time was divided according
to rule. For thirty years he was called at I
o'clock in the morning, and took bath OF
very cold water, ice being added to it in sum-
mer After some gymnastic exercises, came
breakfast always of eggs, tea and brown
bread. His second and last meal Of the day,
dinner. never varied from chops or steak,
some vegetables and tea and brown bread
again. During the day he was accustomed
TO sit at his desk or drawing table for about
10 hours. After dinner he resumed work un-
til 10, when he started out for walk of an
hour or more which always ended his day.
The last desk work accomplished every day
was to make a record in his dairy, always
exactly one page long. This diary comprises
more than 14OO pages, thus covering period
of 40 years, during which time he omitted
but 20 days in 1856, when he had a finger
crushed by machinery"
Every law of nature discovered, every
force applied to human progress. every prin-
ciple Of mechanics worked out for quickening
or cheapening production, every invention
that has brought the resources of the uni
verse within our reach, every added step to
the facilities of transportation, every work
OF art that has given us pleasure and refined
our sensibities, every book that has in
creased and broadened our knowedge-prac-
tically everything of value in the history of
has been the fruit of that sustained
and intense application which We call con.
centration.
By the Light of the Dawn
Emile Littre, the author of the standard
French dictionary did not begin his great
task until 45 years OF age. and he worked at
II incessantly for the next 80 years, The mere
labor of setting the type took IS years LIttre
has told the story OF his concentration;
my rule OF life included the "a hours OF
the day and night. so as to bestow the least
possible amount OF time the current calls
OF existence. rose at g. very late. you win
say. for so busy a man. Wait an instant.