Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-10-30
THE TONIC OF SUCCESS
By H. Addington Bruce

TN HE maxim, Nothing succeeds like sue
cess" is of far greater significance
than is generally appreciated. In es-
pecial it is mixim that parents and school
authorities ought to keep in mind for the
good Of the growing generation.
Its significance springs from the fact that
whenever one succeeds in anything there is
both an augmentng of ones confidence to
succeed in future undertakings, and feel
ing of pleasure that in itself contributes
appreciably to future success.
Every pleasurabe feeling" to put it In
psychological terms, stimulates the psyche
physical organism in all parts. The energy
level is raised, and the mental and bodily
processes function more effectively"
When, on the opposite, feelings the re-
verse of pleasurable are experienced, there is
a lowering of the energy level. Not to sue
ceed tends, of course to engender feelings
the reverse of pleasurable. Hence it may
truly be said that just Nothing succeeds
like success" so Nothing fails like failure .
BY no means always do parents and school
authorities apply these truths for the benefit
of the young.
Their proper application means, on the
one hand, frequent affording to children of
opportunities, suited to their age and abil-
ity, of profiting from the tonic of success.
avoiding of tasks quite beyond children s
powers.
In neither of these respects is sufficient
care always exercised.
There are many parents so foolishly So
lictOus for their little ones that they long
continue to do for them things that the
children should early be doing for them
selves. Thus they unduly postpone the
granting to their children Of success-gaining
| occasions. There are other parents who, by
| making impossible demands of their chill
! dren, force upon them early and often a con
! seriousness of failure
A similar mistake Is again and again
made in our schools. To quote in this con
! nection a recent statement by one of the
! best known of American psychiatrists Dr.
! Bernard Glueck:
Zone of the outstanding virtues Of the
contribution of psychometry Intelligence
| measuring) lies in the opportunity it offers
for more precise definition of what par
ticular child is capable of doing, so that he
may not be exposed to tasks that are be-
You'd him.
UNFORTUNATELY, in the actual organization
Of educational establishments, both public
and private sufficient heed is not being
paid to this, and large numbers of dull
normal children are being constantly put up
against a rigid and infeXible curriculum
which is bound to make for chronic failure
and to call forth attitudes and notions that
are quite destructive to the child affected.
Were different policy adopted-as, hap
PLY: it already is being adopted in some
schools-and tasks fitted TO the child SO
/ that he will be sure to gain in some meas
! ure the tonic of success. it is safe to predict
+ that many children otherwise fated to be
/ perpetual failures would be so stimulated
I as to so through life satisfactorily. Though
/ here, as always. there must also be cooper
/ alton from the home.
/ Certainly there are in the world today
countless men and women who needlessy
live below their possibilities because during
/ childhood. in school or home. in both
! school and home. they were denied the
tonic of success and forced to drain the
bitter cup of failure,
Copyright. 1920