South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-12-12

I had been reading one Of those
editorials which tell you how 10 sue
coed. The way 10 succeed. the ed
itortal said. was 10 concentrate. If
/ could shut all distractions out Of
my mind. and devote II exclusively
20 the thing L was doing. I should
get il done. II I got everything done
1 was trying 10 do, provided they
were all good and useful things, /
should succeed.
1t struck me there was a good
deal in that editorial. II stood 20
reason that distractions were dis
turbers of mental traffic
If somebody had rushed IN just
as Eli Whitney was cropping around
for the idea of the cotton gin and
told him he had been summoned for
jury duty. he probably would have
lost the idea, and the average suit
Of all wool clothes would still be
selling for around three hundred
and fifty dollars.
If when Sir Isaac Newton was still
rubbing his head where the falling
apple had hit IL, the bulldog belong
ing TO the orchard had stepped out
and frOwned at him, we should still
see nothing remarkable in the fact
that balloons go up instead of
down.
If when James Watt-but 1 had
proved my own point. Concentra-
ton was a great thig.
So thereafter / tried to concen-
trate. But it wasn't half so easy as
IL sounded. 1 began 70 wonder how
the man who wrote the editorial had
learned to do it. After I had prac-
ticed IL for a week without getting
the swing, 1 began to wonder if he
ever had learned il. and was about
to write and ask him, when another
of his editorials on the same sub
ject came along.
This one was a sort of sequel to
the first One-a secOn1 lesson, so
10 speak. It admitted that concen-
trauOn wasn't acquired without a
struggle, and advised people who
hadn't any gift for it TO concentrate
artificially. which is 10 say 10 shut
out distractions by doors and bolts
for a while, until it began to come
natural.
That sounded to me like good
common sense. So 1 went home TO
try it.
Chance For "A Try-Out.
Just at that particular time I was
trying to make the amounts on the
stubs Of my check book agree with
the amount the bank said I had
checked out OF my deposit account.
1t was hard work, for I am one of
those men who can add the same
column OF figures three times and
get a fresh and surprising answer
every time. I probably would get
| still more fresh and surprising an
swers after subsequent additions, but
never had the patience to add the
column more than three times.
Ii struck me that here was a
chance for a test of the cOncentra-
ton theory. If by concentration
| however induced, / could make my
/ own figures and those OF the bank
agree. il would prove that 1 could
! concentrate. After that success
would be mine with practically no
trouble at all.
SO, taking my check book, my
/ fountain pen. and a pad OF scratch
paper, I retired 70 an attic room
and began to concentrate.
/ was getting along fine when the
/ telephone bell rang.
Thinking of coUre somebody down
/ stairs would answer il. ! continued
II to concentrate. But they didn't
/ answer IL. IL rams again -luI &c
/ short rings this time. There was a
pause. 1 sat back and waited. Per-
/ haps central would give il up and
I tell whoever was calling that the
/ party didn't answer. or that the line
was out of order.
But she didn't She rang again.
| She rang for is seconds, which is a
/ very long time. Still nobody an
/ swered. although 1 could hear them
moving about down stairs
/ Followed a silence. 1 had long
! ceased to concentrate by this time.