The Washington herald., 1917-02-15
Have You Character or
Stubbornness?
BY oRIsoN SWIFT MARDEN.

After physician who had been
called to see a sick baby had gone,
the mother said: Il tell you that
baby has character. He is wonder
full | know he is going to be
great man. Why, he would not even
let the doctor look at his throat. We
could not pry his mouth open with a
spoon"
Many people imagine they have
character when, like this baby, it is
nothing but stubbornness.
Stubbornness is one Of the common
est human traits and is usually con-
founded with hrmness or strength
of character. Most people think it
! shows weakness to give in to others
in anything, and that it indicates
strength of character to hold out and
make others give in. The truth is,
stubbornness has nothing to do with
strength; it is simply mulishness.
There is as much difference between
stubbornness and frmness, standing
fast for principle, and holding OBJ
stinately to mistaken viewpoint, as
! there is between a mule and a Clad
stone.
1t is strange paradox of human
nature that many of us cherish a
weakness as a virtue, and never
dream that it is hurting us or holding
us back from the goal we are trying
to reach. We struggle hard to sue
ceed, while all the time doing things
that tend to upset our very aim, to
drive success away from us.
There are men who from impulse
will risk the savings of lifetime in
some wildcat scheme with less in
vestigation than a hfteen-year-old
boy would be expected to make, and
they not only frequently do this
against the earnest pleadings and pro-
tests of the wives, whose intuition
tells them it is all wrong to take such
gambling risks, but they will often
make these investments, take chances
with the capital which belongs just
as much, and often very much more,
to the wife, without even mentioning
the matter to her.
have known instances where men
have mortgaged their homes to buy
oil or mining stock, to invest in all
sorts of foolish ventures, when their
! wives knew nothing whatever about
the transaction until they were asked
to sign the legal papers. But for the
fact that the signature was neces-
sary they would have been obliged
to suffer in ignorance.
Rashness in going headlong into
an enterprise, without using calm,
sober judgment in the matter, is no
oftener a cause of failure than its op-
posite-timidity, caution, so carried
to excess that there is no daring, no
courage left in man.
This is a clog hindering tens of
thousands from getting on in life
didn't dare to take chance" There
are young men in every section of
this country today working for some
body else with ordinary pay, with
ability and training which would en-
able them to do big things indepen-
dent of others if they only had the
courage to branch out, to take
chances, if they only had a little
more dare in their natures.
There is more or less gambling in
every successful career, just as there
is gambling in marriage. No two
young people who came to the altar
are ever sure that they are going to
have harmonious and happy future.
But they must take their chances.
There are occasions in life when
we must take chances or lose every
thing. | know a young man of ex-
cellent character and good ability,
but he is so afraid of losing the
money he has saved by rigid econ
omy that he never makes a venture.
He has weighed and considered and
balanced things so long in his mind
that however promising the outlook
he is afraid to take the least risk in
anything. His bump of precaution
has become so abnormally large that
no matter what enterprises you may
suggest to him, he raises so many
objections, sees SO many chances for
loss or failure that he does not dare
venture it. He simply grips his little
savings tighter and tighter and grows
narrower and narrower all the time.
With the exception of few thou
sand dollars in the bank, he is just
where he was dozen years ago.
Instead of managing business of
his own, which he is perfectly COM
petent to do, this man works along
on small salary, pinching on his
clothing and food and living IN a