The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1917-01-13
CONSIDER BEASTS AND BIRDS.
Foxes Don't Fret, Dogs Don't Despair
Why Sou!d You?

why 5ousd Gou!
Consider the automobile. When
the car is going to stand still for
more than a few minutes the driver
stops the engine By doing this he
saves gasoline, oil, and above all, use
tesseuear and tear on the machinery
# he lets the engine run idle" he
has wasted lot Of valuable mate
rial, shortened the life of his engine
and in the meantime the automobile
hasn't budged an inch.
Birds build nests for the protection
Of their young against the weather;
! against foes; the squirrels lay by
stores Of nuts against the coming Of
winter; and dogs bury bones against
the day when bones will be scarce.
These are the manifestations of a
| normal protective instinct arising
from an experience of many, many
generations. So far as is known,
| though, no bird ever tried TO build
more nests than his neighbor; 10 fox
ever fretted because he only had one
! hole in which to hide; no squirrel
| ever died Of anxiety lest he should
| not lay by enough nuts for two WIN
ters instead Of for one; and 10 dog
ever lost any sleep over the fact that
he didn't have enough bones laid
aside to provide for his declining
years.
This protective instinct is also
present in the human mind and when
proMlab directed is a great source
| of Prosperity both to the individual
and the nation. In order for man to
store up and lay by, to gain advance
| ment either in honor or material
things, it is nj @essary that he take
some forethought of the morrow, bat
just SO soon as he carries this beyond
becomes an exaggerated and abnox
NAL one. The normal protective
stinct is stimulated by normal feS
of those events which are reasonablX
sure to happen in the future unless
| means are adopted against them. The
moment this fear becomes abnormal
or exaggerated it over-stimu1ates this
protective instinct and to no good
purpose, because it results in worryN
| This worry continues long after thA
necessity for the normal stimulus W
| fear has passed, with the result tlf
there is an impairment in men
power and dissipation of the
vous forces In othea words,
mental engine has been 'srun
idle" and at the same time delive
no propulsive power. In fact, W
| is an abnormal state.
| MOT ali worry is prev htablel
FOR; the most part it canSSe av
HEaA of our fears are never rad l
s a rul if we meet
by d as they corl
strength to Hse above them 81
ry undermines>th the healthako a
extent. It.really wea the ~
forces by tning them ~ by
nothing. Usually the relief
worry rests with the victim of
unhappy habit. himself, but S
times the real causes are not the
which seem to explain @he cond
and we must go deep into our
i or have the assistance of those
are skilled in unraveling mental 81
cesses. "
The best antidote for worry is 7
change of mental occupation, q get
ting away from the scenes which pro.
woke worry, exercise in the open air
good book, a pleasant recreation, OF
temporary change of occupation
AS q matter of mental health every
q e., a., f-a
ton owes it to himself to dlscov@
some simple means of getting AVA
from this habit, which is destructive
TO health and peace of mind alike
U. S. Public Health Service Bulletin