The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-20
PUTTING THE MIND
 IN ORDER

Everything we see, hear, feel, taste and smell makes an impression on the mind, and it is said, the inn pressions never completely fade. The impressions of today are laid upon those of yesterday, and those of to- morrow upon those of today.
 Unless the mind be kept in order, therefore, confusion prevails. Our minds are like offices; in some of fices incoming letters are left ly- ing anywhere and when particular information is wanted the letters, bearing upon the subject, cannot be found; in other offices, everything is indexed, and any desired infor- nation can quickly be found.
 We know some minds are orderly because of the ease and accuracy with which memory acts; the mo- ment name is spoken, an old-time impression of the person. or thing, Is recalled. We know other minds are disorderly. because of the difficulty ,of recalling past impressions, with everything in a tumble, a lot of as- sorting has to be done before the right record can be found before the right record can be found. For gotten" things are simply misplaced memories.
 HIS mental tdn DS COT rected by fixing a few fundamental facts definitely in the mind. then by arranging newly acquired infor- nation around the fundamental facts.
 Suppose you have lot of hay information about the heavens and the earth, and wish to arrange this information so as to view things in "a scientific light One way to be- I N1N+ ta insight into the nature and work ings of the solar system. You will find 1t Is composed of the sun, which Is nothing more nor less than good sized star, with eight planets revolv- ing around it, the nearest being Mercury. then Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. You will find that the planets were once small stars thrown off by the sun and that they have cooled down in the cold realms of space where the temperature Is supposed to be 273 degrees below zero, and are now opaque planets, shining only by reflected light By reading what hhe encyclopedias and other books say about the sun and planets, you will find yourself forming clear conceptions regarding the solar system. Then you will begin to realize that space is filled with SllNlldT all OL WHIOH SOAl- stitute the universe.
 A simple story of what has hap pened upon this earth will be found in any school geology. There was glowing globe at first, around which as 1t cooled. thin crust form ed and thickened. When at length the surface temperature fell below the boiling point of water. the steam like vapors descended and filled the vast basins in the crust, creating the oceans. Within these warm waters. life appeared in tiny bodies of jelly like protoplasm, the first organisms being similar in stagnant water today. Five ages fol- lowed, named after the five great orders of animals, which did not appear simultaneously, but one after another with the ages.
 The first age Is called tho age of invertebrates, because during all that time no backboned animal existed. There were mollusks. starfish, jelly fish, all kinds of sea food and. to- ward the end of the age, worm like ascidians. In the ascidians line of cells, running length~ise of the body. fore shadowed the backbone.
 The second age is called the age of fishes. because nothing higher than fishes then lived It was fol- lowed by the age of amphibians, when water born creatures, like tad poles, learned to breathe the air and live on land. Then came the age of reptiles and finally. away down the centuries, a super repitalian crea- ture appeared instead of laying eggs, as did the reptiles, this crea- ture brought forth its young al- ready matched. With the appearance of this higher than-reptile species, the age of mammals dawned.
 To understand how living bodies are built up, you should read what the books says about cells" for cells of protoplasm are the bricks used in building up all kinds of liv ing bodies--plants as well as anil mals You can learn how lifeless sub stances were formed by reading about the SS known clements the lightest of which is hydrogen and the heavi- est uranium.
 It is as easy to organize the mis- cellaneous information stored away in the average human mind as 1t is to arrange the furniture in a dis orderly. house. AS children begin, one should begin at the beginning of the simple sciences, such as are taught in the public schools. and you will be surprised to find how rapidly order comes, out of mental K confusion. Order 2prevails every where in the world: confusion exists only in our minds.