The Washington herald., 1916-07-17
When You Play, Play.
By oRIsoN SWEET MARpEN

BY oRISON SWEET MARDEN,
When Theodore Roosevelt was president and
some one asked him what particular thing he
was going to do at Oyster Bay in the summer,
he said he going to play just as hard he
could
Mr. Roosevelt entered into his fun in the
same strenuous fashion which he carried into
matters of state; and this is one reason why he
did not succumb under the tremendous stress
and strain of his great burden. Ones ability to
enter heartily, with whole soul and body into
the thing at hand, and then to drop it when
through with it, is one of the great secrets of
ones ability to carry great burdens without
breaking down. Therein lies the supreme value
of vacation
The man who went away on his vacation tim
id, vacillating, nervous, and captious, the man
who used to go to pieces over little things,
comes back centered poised, safer, saner busi-
ness man, with sounder judgment and greater
initiative. Postiveness and creativeness are in
creased by good vacation and the man should
return feeling equal to any emergency, with a
lot of dare and courage in his nature, which were
absent before.
What a miracle of change is wrought in our
| great City pOpulatOn between the months OF
! June and October! Pale, emaciated, nervous,
care-worn, excitable fractions, touchy men and
women transformed as if BY magic. Sun
Drowned cheeks replace faded ones; dull, tired
eyes regain their luster and tagging steps are
Quickened into vigorous ones. The tight-drawn
lines of anxiety and encouragement are ironed
out, and a hopeful buoyant expression takes
| their place.
There is everything in starting out with the
determination to get the most possible good out
of vacation, and that good should be health
and joyousness.
Do not look upon your vacation in purely
cold, commercial way, and think that you are
just going away to accumulate as much force as
possible to coin into dollars later. Regard it as
a great recuperator, restorer, and rejuvenator.
Think of it as a great opportunity to add to
your knowledge, to your self-culture. Think of
it as a great, joyous, happy occasion.
Say to yourself, Now, good-by to care, to all
business. I am going out into the country to see
the great miracle play which is being wrought
in the opening buds, in the ravishing flowers, in
the gorgeous landscape for the stage setting
which no human artist could ever paint. I am
going to unbend from this strain of the strenu-
Gus lite and just enjoy a perpetual mental and
soul feast in Gods paradise"
Throw off all restraint unbend, relax let 60 of
everything which vexes and troubles you, open
every avenue to your SOUL and drink in the beau
ty and the JOY, the mysteries and the great les
sons in Gods beautiful nature kindergarten Give
yourself up completely so that you will be re-
ceptive to the great revving refreshing inhu-
ence of nature, and be made over into new
man with a new, fresh, more optimistic outlook
upon life. This is the way to gain health, joy,
strength, and power.
| There is no other rejuvenator equal to vaca-
ton taken in the right spirit. But the right
spirit is indispensable if you would get full re-
| turns on your investment. If you go away with
your mind filled with your business, your pro-
fession, your household cares, your studies, or
your plans for the future and if you keep think
J ing OF those things, you might as we'll stay at
home. If your eyes look inward instead of out
ward; If your ears still hear the hum of the
factory and the noise of the busy streets; if you
carry with you the burdens and perplexties
which have been pinning you down and robbing
you OF sleep and comfort, you will gain nothing
| from your outing. You will return the same
weary, fretting, unhappy mortal that you were
| when you went away
1t is with recreation as it is with everything
| else IN lie To make success of it you must
give yourself to it with your whole heart. You
| can do nothing by halves or with a divided mind
and get good results. Make up your mind, when
you get your. ticket for your destination, that
that VIII be the last of your business your
Workaday life, whatever it may be, until your
return Close the doors upon the past and give
yourself up absolutely to the re-creating princi-
| pies OF Nature Go out with the determination
to enjoy yourself and to abandon yourself to the
music, the harmonies, the beauties of the uni
verse.