The Washington herald., 1916-08-11
Brain Team Work.
BY ORIsON SWEET MARDEN.
ny VNISVN S"ETTT MAHDENt
One for all-all for one
The boat is the one:
The man is nothing,

l he boat is the
The man is nothing
The boat is everything"
This is the slogan of the Cornell University
boat team. The men repeat it until the words
become ingrained in the very structure OF their
brain
Trainer Courtney, who in his training of Cor
nell crews, has given a most remarkable example
of the possibilities of team work, insists that
every man under him must bury any personal
ambition to be stroke oarsman. From the first,
each is made to understand that his independent
effort, no matter how extraordinary, does not
count, and that every position the crew is
just as good, just dignihed and just as hon
orable as any other. 1t must be all for one,
and that one the boat. The whole aim is to
prevent the individuazing Of effort and to make
every man do his best to help every other man
to do his best. when the boat wins win y
is their constant thought
The human brain may be compared to boat
crew. Its maximum power comes from the COM
bined efforts OF all the faculties in team work.
To get the best results each faculty must be
trained with equal and thoroughness for the
good of all None must be favored to the neg
lect or injury OF another.
For more than quarter of century Mr..
Courtney's training has enabled Cornell to win
both in the four-oar and eight-oar contests for
freshmen and varsity crews. This method, ap-
Piled to brain training will bring to
the life race
The education OF the future will have reference
to the normal development OF every moral and
spiritual as well as OF every physical and mental
faculty and quality. Today our educational sys-
TENS bring into play certain number Of physi-
cal and mental faculties and leave the others
almost wholly untouched The result is that the
average college graduate has some superbly de-
veloped qualities while others are Just where
they were when he entered college Before a
boy begins to fit for college, for instance before
he shuts himself away from the practical world
to prepare for life, certain faculties such as self
reliance. initiative, wilIpower, etc, may be COM
paratively strong. His college studics however,
do not touch on these faculties, do not make
any demand them. so they really 60 back
ward when they should have been brought for
ward toward the goal of personal power
Strengthening weak qualities may have much
more to do with success and happiness in man
hood and womanhood than any other feature
OF a Childs training. There are thousands Of
people in the great army of failures today who
but for some little defect weakness some I'M
developed portion OF the brain or some faculty
which happened to be deficient might have made
great success.
In order to make the most OF our assets we
need the aid OF every faculty and function OF our
being. No matter how handicapped you may be
you are the controller OF your own forces, and
you can make them friends to push you along or
enemies to drag you back You arc the captain
OF your mental team and individual faculties. and
the way you train them, the way you command
your team, the way you play the great life game,
Will determine whether you shall be success or
failure.
Even few months Of scientific brain building
would revolutonize the possibilities OF mutitudcs
who are now working at great disadvantage 1t
would make grand success possible to other
mutltudes who today headed toward failure
In very little while, for instance, the training
OF weak courage faculty. the drilling in fear
lessness and boldness, showing the victim Of
seit-ettacement and shyness his oneness with the
AH-llte, his unity with the great divine Principle
which runs through the universe, would put his
mentality on the right track and change his
whole life prospects. 1t is the same with all
other taoultles-you develop or curb them
according to the need train them in the right
direction and be their master, or neglect them
and be their slave