The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1920-04-01
learned new act than at the beginnng7 Thousands


of men and women every year get discouraged on
new job and quit, Whereas if they understood the
nervous adjustment that taking place in their
environment they would understand their fits of blues
and stick until they had found their work easy
and pleasant.
| knew young man that applied for position as
press-feeder in large publishing house. He had had
no experience but stated that he very anxious to
learn the trade as he understood it very pleasant
easy work. and the hours short and the
ton always good. He was very ambitious and looked
like good timber for the press In three weeks
he came to the office and wanted quit He said that
he was not cut out for press-feeder, and that he
was thoroughly discouraged. l surprised as 1
had noted his progress during the first weeks and
he seemed to be getting along in splendid fashion,
He admitted that everything easy to learn at
first but on the third week it seemed impossible for
him to feed the paper into the presses without spelling
it. He said that he got nervous that it was impossible
for him to keep his head in any of emergency
He quit, and l never have heard from him since. His
case is typical of thousands in every line of industry,
certain and mental readustment was taking
place during the third week. which he did under
stand and over which he had control. The follow
ing what actually happened to his nervous system:
Running from the brain down the spinal cord and
out to the limbs and body millions of tiny nerves.
They carry messages from the eyes, ears nose tongue
muscles and skin to the brain. Thus get inn
pressions of the outside world When the message
gets to the brain it is interpreted. That is,
ognize sensation that comes in the form of black
blurr, as "shoe' or shat" or whatever we happen
to sense. The brain sends back messages to the mus
ces through another set of motor to
act in a certain way. When the message goes to
the brain and again and the same action re-
Suits the tissue that carries these messages be-
comes susceptible to that particular message and its
corresponding reaction. When this happens we have
formed habit
AS matter of fact, our lives ordered that
about ninetyfve per cent of all sensations and
actions the day after day and habits. 1t
is fact that is creature of habit.
Put a man in new environment and all of his old
habits are broken up and he must learn
The change is stimulating at first it acts upon
as does vacation among new faces The boy spoken
of above found the work at the presses interest
ing at first and he succeeded in doing well what he
attempted to do because he attending to every
action. He not depending on habit. Very few of
his old habits would serve him here.
AT the e1lQ OF the second week Tic novelty VI tiC
new job began to wear off and he began to feel that
the motions he went through put the paper in the
press had become habits. He thought he had the job
learned In his old environment he did lot of the
mechanical tasks without attending to them and had
no trouble. On the third week. he relaxed his atten-
ton and tried let habit do the work. Habit failed
to act for him because it not thoroughly formed.
If he had held his attention to the work at hand
more week, it would have been fixed and the new ad-
justment would have been made. When he relaxed,
things began 60 wronghe spoiled paper and could
do nothing right
If the reader wants to see just how the nervous
system affected by change of environment let him
deliberately form habit and observe its
growth. He will find that there is dangerous"
PERIOD when he thinks that the habit is formed, and
it is during this period that mistakes and discourage
ment come.-D. II. Colcord in Scientific american.
What is an American?