The Washington times., 1918-07-10
A Man Without Ambition Is a
Watch Without a handspring

But Don't Be Like the Toad That Swell
He Burst.

A reader sends in this letter, which we answer:
You praise work and ambition m . Yet, b
man not happier and contented Il he remains
m the humble place and station Of his birth? We are
told man should make the most OF h1nssH and De
be far happier they chose to be poor and unknown!
Anyhow, after they dead what difference does
make whether they prominent or ruS1es!
kindly give your views to a mans attitude toward
ambition and eontentment- end hePPins,s Is il
Ii ing m the hunblest station?
Yous sincerely INTERESTED"
That interesting twolgged animal in charge OF this
earth called man. Is wound up in complicated fashion
Twelve passions instincts attractions them as
you please animate and control him
Of these twelve passions NINE actual moving
forces THREE direct and control the other nine.
Among the nine moving forces in there are three
that dominate will ignore the others for the present
First, and most necessary is THE INSTINCT OF
SELF REPRESENTATION. That instinct kept men alive
forced them to continue living this earth under horrible
conditions of cold and hunger and brutality.
Natures wisdom made the instinct Of self preservation
vary powerful in primitive man, to keep him on this earth
In the savage man of thirty thousand years ago. and of
today, the instinct of self preservation is spoweru You
that in burning theater, sinking ship or elsewhere
when the real nature Of man comes out.
The second great moving force in mankind is the PA
TERNAL INSTINCT the instinct of reproduction. This
that there shall be other human beings earth
TO follow each generation passes away In the savage
brutal man the instinct Of reproduction is the strongest next
70 the instinct of self preservation
The third great passion of the human mind is AMBI-
TON, our desire for change, for Improvement
as nave told before ana snail often repeal the
instinct Of SELFPRESERVATI0N keeps this earth
the PATERNAL INSTINCT provides others to carry
work after death, AMBITION PREVENTS STAGNATIoN,
BRINGS ABOUT PROGRESS.
Ambition moves the world, as the handspring moves
the watch hand
And the human being without ambition is like the
watch without a handspring.
Such a watch and such human being looked at from
the outside quite satsactory-smooth and pleasing
BUT THERE IS NO USE IN THEM
The thing to do is to have THE RIGHT AMBITION.
Don't mistake foolish egotism for ambition
The frog in La Fontaine's fable ambitious in the
wrong way he wanted to be big the and he sweed
himself up until he burst Vanity-not ambition-was his
handspring We should like write to the friend whose let
ter we publish few words to the proper character and
direction of ambition them. That however must
be reserved for another editorial
There is hackneyed quotation which says 81 charge
thee throw away ambition The wise will do just the
reverse he will keep alive the spark Of ambition ship
wrecked would keep alive their smouderng fire. Once
that spark goes out might well be dead-he is only
shell eating drinking and breathing, waiting to die The
he dies and makes room for another the better.