The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-05-01
Cool Do,v1l First
BY n. ADDrxGTDN BnUcE

b Not long ago the senior class, of the Msssa-
chusetts Institute of Technology listened to
an unusual lecture by o veteran inventor 1T
was not the professional lecture the students
had doubtless expected to hear. Mechanical
principles and processes had no place in it.
Instead the speaker simply drew on the ex-
periences of long career to give the young
men before him some helpful hints regarding
things to be avoided if they would manage
their lives successfully.
And in especial he warned them never to
make an important decision while angry or
while chatting under sense of injustice.
frankly admitted, had cost him a fortune.
Here, in part, is his story as he told it to
the technology students:
I'm 1906 when the company with which i
was associated had gotten under way, was
in possession of large number of shares of
the stock. Part of this had come to me as d
reward for my work, and part / had bought
with money borrowed from d bank.
"As often happens 10 budding enterprises,
there arose clash Of ambitions aud interests
The events that took place caused me to feel
that was not being used Just right and
thatsniy interests were in danger: In q mo-
msnt Of ehagrin and despair, Of anger and
wounded feelings, sold my stock for song
to one who was very glad to buy it,
n was fifty-two years old, and ought to
have known better. II had kept my head
cool and used fair amount of good; hard
sense, | would have saved myself many re-
grets and shumiliations. So after thirty
years Of struggle, and at the very threshold
of a success beyond any reasonable expec.
tationi / threw away my hard-earned re-
ward. Within five years the stock that
had sold for almost nothing would have made
me, had kept it, multi-miiiiena
An experience such as this could not fail
to impress profoundly the eager, ambitious
audience to whom it was told. And indeed,
this inventors experience might be- dupli1
Gated from the life-story of many another
man who, failing I'd cool down before act
ing, has in a pique tossed away his fnture
prospects Of material suoeess.f 800
Still worse, to act under. the impulse of
anger or injured self-esteem may mean a
lifetime of bitter regrets because Of the harm
done to others as well as to oneself. Some
times it is a question Of bodily harm, more
often of harm in the devastation of happi-
ness and peace Of mind.
Friendships have been needlessly sundered,
quarrels needlessly provoked, family ties
shattered. Our divorce courts and our Grim
inal courts alike would have infinitely less
to do if the maxim. "Cool down first" were
more generally kept in mind. Innumerable
are those who too late remember, with win
Carleton's remorseful settler:
Boys flying kites haul in their white-winged
birds;
You can't do that way when you're flying
words.
Careful with fire. is good advice we know,
Careful with words is ten times doubly 90.
Thoughts unexpressed may sometimes fall
back dead. r.
But God Himself can't kill them when they're
said"
Not one good reason is there for speaking,
deciding, doing in the heat Of anger. There
are a hundred reasons for waiting until the
anger abates .,--s... - II.