The Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1920-1982, 1920-11-24
BOTHENDSO on AEMAN,SBACKBONEs


It is tmosfset, young man, from "a,
topSof yonrs legs to the bottom of you,
brain. That mark Of the mammal
the backbone, ike q yoke, unites Gal
and Gumption and IL Is up TO yous Il
drive Gait and Gumption 81 you wouls
drive q team.
Now IL Gumption lags, Gait vii
~loiter. What one does thessother vii
follow.
What does that mean! Il mean.
that the young man who drags hi.
mind is also apt to drag his feet
It means, besides, that the young
man who drags his feet will also
drag his mind.
It is up to you to keep an eye or
both ends Of your backbone, and "a
make up your. mind early to one thing,
That one thing is this: that the
road in a young mans life is either
up or down. and whether it is up OF
down, depends on his attitude towards
Gait and Gnmption.
A man must learn to walk and he
must learnfto think. There are men,
WHO, having learned to think, stop
there and let their minds drag them
through the world. There Z also
men who, having learned to walk.
stop there and let their feet drag them
through the world. And to be sure of
this, a man whose feet are dragging
him through the world, has a mind
working at the same job.
IT a young man is set on making
a speciality of failure, and becoming
an expert in unhappiness, if he wants
to wrap his life up in a soggy, sordid,
soulless package of gloom, Crouch
and s~elfishness, let him begin drag
ging his feet, and his mind will fol-
low, or let him begin dragging his
mind and his feet will follow: He
will quickly discover that he is roinr
down, not up. Together Gait and
Gumption will pull him into the mire
OF misery soon enough.
But it a young man has a hope Of
success, and 9 disposition towards the
joys OF life, he will watch his Gait
and Gumption. He will drive. He
will not be dragged. He will pick IN
his feet and place them. He will
pick up his mind and place it. His
attitude WILDE clean, alert, direct.
firm, and decidiassd. His chest win come
out, and his shoulders will come out,
and his shoulders will come back, and
his chin will come up and the sun
will shine its glory in his face. He
will find, if he picks up his feet, and
places them, Il he drives, that he is
going up, not down, up in the esteem !
of his fellowmen and up into the con-
fidence Of mankind. For as he picks
up his feet and places them, he will
find that he il picking up his mind
and placing i. s
How can q mar pick up his mind
and place it?Sf@W Well, as he values
happiness, he will not humor his mind
by setting it down in soft indulgences,
in gambling, in trifling and in the
thousand and one namby-pamby,
loose, lolling, lag diversions which de-
coy the senses,E and undermine the
will, and weaken both muscles and
morals.
He will not seek an, advantage BY
setting his mind down in a lie or q
deception. He will step his mind
around envy and malice. He, will
guide his mind over the pitfalls Of.
sloth. and. hold it straight through
utmost endeavor to actual achieve
ment.
It is two feet from the top Of your
legs to the bottom Of your brain. OF
the two ends, the more important, Of
course, is the top. But each plays .
part and both are . team. You can't
drag ct one end without draxRin9
ut the other.
Drag your fest and your, nind, md
your journey is down.
Drive your fest and your mind.
and your journey u up.
It is either up or down for you.
There is no level road Ia ! young
mans life for Git and Gumptioa. H
You drive them, rs up; II they dra9
you, it's down.
From the Ramsay County Y.M.C.A.
News. q, rs
-. 49, 5.3.