The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1922-02-20
HolU to Keep Your Brain
from Freezing

u recent cora WeatnerI
Officials in cities, sorry for the citizens
with bursting water pipes and big plumbers bills, sent
out wholesale advice entitled How to keep your plumb
ing from freezing"
Said the water authorities:
Keep the water running a little. Don't let the
stream of water stop in the pipes entirely Keep up
current by leaving the taps slightly open Pipes
will not freeze long there is the slightest
current in them"
Remember that advice.
1t is good advice for your plumbing 1t is even better
advice FOR YOUR BRAIN.
A majority of human beings active mentally IN
VERY EARLY YOUTH
School life compes mental activity of certain kind
the stream of thought is running.
Then LIES experiences, all new-the boys excite
men in games the young mans interest in his affections
and in marriage, the young fathers interest in his chill
dren. In addition there is usually fairly strong current
of ambition Each young man hopes to do something, to
be something That keeps his mental current going for
longer shorter period
Unfortunately ambition usually takes the form of wait
ing for honors to us-instead of going after
them
Mental activity slackens gradually but surely Life
gets monOtonous BECAUSE WE STOP THINKING
AND STUDYING.
Slowly year by year the mental processes get weaker
and slower Finally there is thought current at all,
and freezing follows.
useless dead practically the frozen water pipe
1t is of no use to itself or to others
In the right kind of this freezing and stagnaon
only come with actual physical death. To great
jorty of death Of the mind original activities arrives
at an early age, at fifty much earlier.
Matthew Arnold, an able citizen and thinker all his
life, said, in speaking of the mind: always keep the
stream (of thought) running"
And that advice should be taken to heart by every
that reads this
q, - A.
way to keep MENTALLY ALIVE, is to keep AL
WAYS LEARNING SOMETHING.
Read study When you hear of a sound book-be-
ware of new ones-get that book and THINK YOUR
WAY THROUGH 1T.
Read regularly, read little and read carefuy-no
than you can comfortably digest.
The page of a book that no active thought is
wasted 1t is though should swallow waste paper
instead of bread.
Your food is wasted-and worse than wasted-if it
fails to build up blood and tissue.
The food that you give your mind is than wasted
if it fails to build up thought thinking power,
NEW AMBITION to know more
How is it with you who read this tonight
Is your mind active it when you
younger! Are you ambitious you ever werei Do
look around and ahead eagerly for opportunities
distinguish yourselfi
Or you settling into rut Of resignation, Of lack
of confidence in yourself of foolish complaining about
the world and its opportunities
If you are losing ambition losing mental activity, los
ing the keen interest in life and its chances LOOK OUT.
YOUR MENTAL PIPES ARE FREEZING.
Start up the current again. feed your mind keep it
moving in search of truth
Fail in this and you will be like Of those frozen
water pipes that give no return when the faucet is
tr1hed on.
You will be like the professors partly dssected frog
that went living and hopping after his brain had been
removed.
Set your brain to work If it is cogged up with alcohol
tobacco, conceit, whining complaints clear it out
Think, study, talk to the most intelligent You
find Drop the frozen fools whose dull company you may
have been keeping.
Don't be frozen pipe dissected frog. Be