Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1918-01-23
IF [ WERE TWENTY-ONE
TEN THINGSI WOULD DO
By FRANK R. CRANE

3
chanism, before one proceeds to forget it,.
Excretion-By far the most important
item to attend to in regard to the body
is the waste pipes, including the colon, the
bladder and the pores. Most diseases
have their origin in the colon. l would
see to it that it was thoroughly cleaned
every day In addition, [ would drink
plenty of water and would take some
form of exercise every day that would in
duce perspiration Most OF my siclSnesses
nave come from self poisoning, and
would make 1t my main care to eliminate
the waste.
Exerctse-T would, if 1 were twenty-one,
take up some daily system of exercise
that would bring into play all the volun
tIary muscles of the body, and especially
those which from my occupation tend to
disuse. I would devote half an hour to
an hour daily to this purpose
ENcess-I would take no stimulant of
any KIND whatsoever. Whatever whips
| ftciency Of the organism Hence I wo1IId
not touch alcoholic drinks in any forml If
! one never begins with alcohol he can find
IluSn more physical pleasure and power
without 1t. The day of alcohol is past
with intelligent people Science has con-
demned 1t as a food. Business has ban
ned 1T. 1t remains only as the folly
| OF the weak and fatuous
| would drink no tea or coffee as these
are sttmuiants and not foods Neither
would l use tobacco. The healthy hui
man body viii furnish more Of the joy
| given by any of the artificial tonics which
the ignorance and weakness of men have
discovered.
If | were twenty-one all thisl
W. Would Train My Mind
I would realize that my eventual sue
cess depends mostly upon the quality and
power of my brain Hence | would train
it so as to get the best out of it.
Most OF the failures I have seen, es-
pecialY in professional life have been
due to mental laziness. [ was preacher
| for years, and found out that the great
est curse of the ministry was lazlness. 1t
| IS probably the same among lawyers and
| physicians. u certainly is SO among
| actors and writer's. Hence, I would let
| no DAY pass without its period of hard,
Keen menta! eXertion, so that my mind
would be always as a steel spring or
| like well-oiled engine, ready, resilient
| and powerful.
| And in this connection would recog-
nize that REPETITION is better than effort
Mastery, perfection, the doing of difficult
| things with ease and precision, depend
more upon doing things over and over
than upon putting forth great effort.
| L would especially purge myself as far
as possible of intellectual cowardice and
| intellectual dishonesty. BY intellectual
dishonesty ! mean what is called expe-
! diency; that is, forming. or adhering to,
an opinion, not because we are convinced
| of its truth, but because of the effect it
will have Mind should, at twenty one
marry Truth, and "CIeaye only unto her
till death do them part for better, for
| worse
| BY intellectual cowardice l mean All
superstititions, premonitions, and other
forms of mental paralysis or panic caused
| by what Is vague To heed signs, omens
cryptic sayings, and all talk of fate and
| luck is nothing but mental dirt. / have
| seen many bright minds sullied by it, 1t
| is worthy only of the mind of an igno-
| rant savage.
| V-lf ! Were Twenty One Would be
Happy.
BY this L imply that anyone can be
happy il he will. Happiness does not de-
| pend on circumstances, but upon Me
! This is perhaps the greatest truth in
| the world. and the one most persistentIy
| disbeheEed.
| Happiness, said Carlyle. is as the value
| of common fraction, which results from
| dividing the numerator by the denornina-
| TOT. inc nunerator. in life..is What We
Thimi; W. me n denomjnator is What We
Imnk W Ought to Have. Mankind may
/ pc divided into two classe: Fools and
| wise. The fools are eternally trying to
| get happiness by multiplying the numera
/ tor the wise divide the Denominator
| They both come to the same-only one
you can do and the other is Impossible.
II you have only one thousand dollars
and think you ought to have two thousand
! dollars. the answer is one thousand
| divided by two thousand. which Is one
half. Go and get another thousand and
| you have two thousand divided by two
| thousand which is one; you have doubled
| your contentment. But the trouble is
, that in human affairs as you multiply
/ your numerator YOU unconsciously nul-
| tiply your denominator at the same time,
/ and you get nowhere, By the time your
supply reaches two thousand dollars your
dollars.
How much easier simply to reduce your
Notion of What You Ought to Have Get
your idea down to one thousand which
you can easily do if you know the art Of
| eh-mastery. and you have one thousand
| divided by one thousand. which is one,
and much simpler and more sensible
process than that of trying to get another
one thousand dollars
This is the most valuable secret of life
| Nothing is Of more worth to the youth
| than to awake to the truth that he can
| change his wants.
| Not only all happiness. but all culture
/ all spiritual growth, all real, inward sue
| cess, is process of changing ones
wants.
| So if were twenty-one I would make
| up my mind to be happy You get about
| what is coming to you, in any event, in
| this world, and happiness and misery
depend on how you take it; why not be
| happy?
Y CONCLUDED next week.
SIGNAL CORPS.