Charlevoix county herald., 1921-04-01
Something to
Think AbONt
HARD-WORKING MOUSE
By +. n. WALKER

ereu In front VI TIE NhhuVN Va =" N
err in house pets.
AS the crowd next to the window
satisfied its curiosity and moved on
/ gradually came to see that fifteen or
twenty human beings of which l was
about to become one, had been watch
ing the activities of a small white
mouse which was the temporary resi-
dent Of a new and shiny cage.
At the top Of the cage was a sort OF
nest attached to the wires and hlled
with bits of cotton. Below i'm the floor
of the cage was feeding box and in
front of that a flat tin disk, some SIX
inches in diameter, so tilted upon
pivot axle that if you placed any
weight upon any part of it that part
which bore the weight would immedi-
ately turn so that it would be the low
est part of the disk. In other words
if living object attempted to climb
up the disk it would turn as fast as
the object assembled and the object II
self would always be travelling uphill
and getting nowhere.
The white mouse pursued q program
about after this plan: He would rest
for few minutes in his nest. Then
he would climb down the side Of the
cage to the food box, nibble for a min
ute. and then running around to the
front of the floor of the cage he would
jump down upon the disk and as he
did so the disk would begin to revolve
The faster he ran, in his attempt to
climb, the faster the disk would re-
volye, with the mouse always at the
bottom.
For three or four minutes at time
the mouse would run as fast as he
could. A human being running as
fast as that mouse, in proportion to
his size and weight, would have gone
ten or twelve miles at marvellous
rate of speed.
After his period Of running the
mouse would suddenly stop, the disk
would cease TO revolve, he would 60 TO
the feed box, nibble for q minute and
then climb 10 his nest for q short rest.
only to repeat the whole performance
over again.
The mouse during the time that he
was running appeared TO he putting
forth every physical effort Of which
he was possessed. He was doing
everything that he could so far rs
running was concerned. BUT BE
WAS GETTING NOWHERE.
He landed right where he began at
the bottom of the disk.
He had burned ont his mouse
energy. exhausted his mouse condition
and the result was NOTHING.
l vondered MS I stood there how
many Of the men and women who had
stopped to watch him had learned any
lesson from that Gagged mouse and his
frultless endeavors.
wondered how many of them were
running around on a disk, striving
struggling. exhaustlng themselves with
efforts which would end by leaving
them right where they started.
The mouse demonstrated a good les
son. He taught those who watched
him-if they thought at all about the
thing they were looking at-that every
man and woman ought every little
while take a look around and see if
they are going ahead. If they are adj
vancing, If they are adding something.
however little, to what life and It's eff
forts should accumulate in wealth. ex-
perience and wisdom.
The merchant who never takes ac-
count of stock, who keeps no books
who has no way Of checking his bust
ness, is pretty much at sea as TO
whether he is a success or a failure,
whether he is making money or losing.
The man who goes through life
without checking mp his efficiency,
taking account of his accomplishments
or balancing his efforts against his ac-
emulation cannot have any very de-
pendable idea of what his efforts are
amounting to.
There are too many Of us who, like
the mouse, let our lives consist of
working eating and sleeping without
knowing definitely what we are ac-
cOmplishing.
If the mouse had the intelligence TO
know that his great effort i'm running
on the tin disk really amounted to
nothing in results he would devote
himself to something more worthwhile.
Perhaps if we made an honest esti-
mate of what we are doing and what
the results are we would stop being
foolish and turn TO something more
productive and more TO our credit.
The thing for US to do is to make On
honest estimate of what we are doing
and what 1t truly amounts TO and
guide our future endeavors accord
ingly.
(Copyright)
O