Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-05-09
THE ART OF QUITTING
By DR.. Frank Crane
The art of arts is the art of quitting.


While we are teaching young prodigies
all manners of efficiency why neglect the
crowning estroke?s For the elimination of
mastery is to know when to quit
An advertising man, who is friend of
mine, said he went to church the other
morning with his wife. II liked the preach
err he observed. He was a good talker,
and the first ten minutes he had me sold.
If he had stopped then it would have been
fine But he had to go on and fill up his
allotted thirty minutes, and spoiled it all"
I have often wondered why a public
speaker who has one good point to make
does not make it and sit down; why he
thinks he must ramble on and on, until
everybody hates him.
And why are there not more little books?
Most books could say their say in one-tenth
the space. Il wish,' exclaimed George Giss-
ing, that l could have written something
small and perfect"
woman lobbyist at Washington, in a
recently published interview, said that wom-
en- who are good lobbyists are scarce, not
because women are not good persuaders, but
because they don't know when to stop. They
don't understand the fine art of getting a
legislators mind just to the saturation point
and then leaving him.
So I would like to hear your new talk
ing machine and our player-piano, but one
selection will do; When you keep on and on
and on want to smash your machines and
you.
And, angel-face, 1 like to be told my
faults. l need it, and all that, but why
can't you do it just once, neatly, concisely,
plainly brutally, if you will, just so, and
then change the subject? Why must you
tell me over and over, and tell it again, and
rub it in? You see, now, loved one, why
grow peevish and break the furniture.
Once l saw Caruso refuse an encore.
loved him before. Now 1 adored him. Any
artist who will take a solemn vow, upon his
mothers grave, never to yield to the seduc-
ton of an encore, will surely grow famous
and be mourned by grateful populace.
committee from a neighboring state in
famine sent a commission to Sparta to
buy bread. The chief commissioner made
long and eloquent speech before the Spartan
senate. When he got through the head man
of the senate replied: "YOur speech was so
long that when you got to the last part we
forgot what you were talking about" So
another commission was dispatched, who
simply exhibited their sacks and said. Bags.
Want Bread. "And why" returned the SEN
ators "why say bags? We can see them
Just Bread would have been sufficient"
love the Spartans.
Salesman, when you are trying to land
a customer; Lawyer when you are trying to
convince jury; Clerk, when you are apply
ing for a job; Agent, when you are trying
to sell a book; Lover, when you are plead
ing for just one little kiss Mother, when
you are scolding little Willy; Wife, when
you are telling frieId husband something for
his own good; Parson, when you are fishing
for my SOUL Poet, when you have talbot
on beautiful thought Editor, when you are
writing an editorial; Novelist, when you are
telling a yarn; Everybody when you are do
ing anything-why don't you stop when you
get through?
good man, when on his dying bed,
confessed and said: 81 have done many
wrong thing, but never did long thing"
And he went straight to heaven, and the
head usher of the angels met him and led
him right up to a front seat.
Copyright 1919, by Frank Crane)