Evening star., 1934-01-07
What Makes Us Tick
BY ARTHUR DEAN, sc. D.

"HE question before our family
round table is sent in by
young man. It is short and to
Il the point What makes us
tick?"
What he means, I suspect, Is what
keeps us going What keeps the fam
ily group. gathered around me, going
forward? Why does fathers mind keep
on ticking steadily and working con-
stantly for his family without any need
of being wound up? Why does mother
keep up her spirits. handle a hundred
details a day, and still tick at 10 pm.
with the same cheerfulnesS that she
had when she dished out the oatmeal?
Why do 17-year old Bill and 15-year-
old Joan pug away day after day with
school work which is leading them to-
ward a profitable vocation? I wish
knew the answers to all these questions
myself.
Some folks tick because they seem to
be built that way. They don't even stop
to ask themselves the question, why
do I tick?" They just go on ticking.
know of a mother who has raised
a husband and seven children. FIVE OF
the children are splendidly married,
and the two others will be when they
are old enough. She handles the bank
account. practically runs the farm, is
never sick, is always in good humor,
always has time to help the sick, bury
the dead and cheer the deSpondent.
She is a steady ticker.
Some folks don't tick because they
never intended to tick. There Is some
thing in them that refuses to stay
wound up. Some say of them. They
are Just born that way" woud rather
say, True, they may have been born
%0 no
environment helped keep them that
way"
l know young man. now 28 years
old who has never licked His mother
supports him by taking in washing She
supported his father that way-the man
was too lazy even to bring the water
from the we'll to the house. The boy
has taken his fathers place. He sits
and watches his mother while she
scrubs. He yells his head off for
package of cigarettes, which she most
dutifully gives him, along with three
squares day and place to sleep. He
will never tick.
Some would tick if they were in a
new environment. 1 know of girl who
hasn't any friends in the town in which
she was brought up. If she would go
to school and make a fresh start,
think she would have many new friends
A new environment would wind her up
so she would tick.
Some folks would tick better if they
had better glands, or more education,
or more encouragement, or less fat.
Some stop ticking as they get older
and fatter. I think that most of us,
whether we are children or parents,
tick lot better when we are wound
up by encouraging people saying and
doing the things which encourage us.
Does Blood Count?
DOES blood tell tales? I am afraid it
~ does. But remember, blood can
tell some nice stories about you and
some which are not so nice.
A certain Martin didn't believe blood
would tell. His own ancestry was ex-
cellent. On one wild night he forgot
himself and his family. He met a
pretty but feeble minded girl. The re-
suit was a feeble minded boy. This was
$50 years ago.
Among the 480 descendants of Mar
tin there have been lab known feeble
minded and probably more not known,
36 illegitimateS, 33 immoral, "a con-
f1rmed alcoholics, epileptics, 3 Grim
inals and 83 children so feeble that
they died In infancy.
Richard married Elizabeth. Compare
the descendants with those of Martin.
There have descended II college
presidents. 265 college graduates. IS