the university of hard knocks-第11节

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You　see；　I　have　no　time　nowadays　to　break　down。　I　have　no　time　to　think　and　grunt　and　worry　about　my　body。　And　like　Paul　I　am　happy　to　be　〃absent　from　the　body　and　present　with　the　Lord。〃　Thus　this　old　body　behaves　just　beautifully　and　wags　along　like　the　tail　follows　the　dog　when　I　forget　all　about　it。　The　grunter　lets　the　tail　wag　the　dog。





I　have　never　known　a　case　of　genuine　〃overwork。〃　I　have　never　known　of　anyone　killing　himself　by　working。　But　I　have　known　of　multitudes　killing　themselves　by　taking　vacations。

The　people　who　think　they　are　overworking　are　merely　overworrying。　This　is　one　species　of　selfishness。

To　worry　is　to　doubt　God。

To　work　at　the　things　you　love；　or　for　those　you　love；　is　to　turn　work　into　play　and　duty　into　privilege。

When　we　love　our　work；　it　is　not　work；　it　is　life。




Many　Kinds　of　Drunkards


The　world　is　trying　to　find　happiness　in　being　amused。　The　world　is　amusement…mad。　Vacations；　Coca　Cola　and　moviemania！

What　a　sad；　empty　lot　of　rattlers！　Look　over　the　bills　of　the　movies；　look　over　the　newsstands　and　see　a　picture　of　the　popular　mind；　for　these　places　keep　just　what　the　people　want　to　buy。　What　a　lot　of　mental　frog…pond　and　moral　slum　our　boys　and　girls　wade　thru！

There　are　ten　literary　drunkards　to　one　alcoholic　drunkard。　There　are　a　hundred　amusement　drunkards　to　one　victim　of　strong　drink。　And　all　just　as　hard　to　cure。

We　have　to　have　amusement；　but　if　we　fill　our　lives　with　nothing　but　amusement；　we　never　grow。　We　go　thru　our　lives　babies　with　new　rattleboxes　and　〃sugar…tits。〃

Almost　every　day　as　I　go　along　the　street　to　some　hall　to　lecture；　I　hear　somebody　asking；　〃What　are　they　going　to　have　in　the　hall　tonight？〃

〃Going　to　have　a　lecture。〃

〃Lecture？〃　said　with　a　shiver　as　tho　it　was　〃small　pox。〃　〃I　ain't　goin。'　I　don't　like　lectures。〃

The　speaker　is　perfectly　honest。　He　has　no　place　to　put　a　lecture。　I　am　not　saying　that　he　should　attend　my　lecture；　but　I　am　grieving　at　what　underlies　his　remark。　He　does　not　want　to　think。　He　wants　to　follow　his　nose　around。　Other　people　generally　lead　his　nose。　The　man　who　will　not　make　the　effort　to　think　is　the　great　menace　to　the　nation。　The　crowd　that　drifts　and　lives　for　amusement　is　the　crowd　that　finds　itself　back　near　the　caboose；　and　as　the　train　of　progress　leaves　them；　they　wail；　they　〃never　had　no　chanct。〃　They　want　to　start　a　new　party　to　reform　the　government。




The　Lure　of　the　City


Do　you　ever　get　lonely　in　a　city？　How　few　men　and　women　there。　A　jam　of　people；　most　of　them　imitationsmost　of　them　trying　to　look　like　they　get　more　salary。　Poor；　hungry；　doped　butterflies　of　the　bright　lights；hopers；　suckers　and　straphangers！　Down　the　great　white　way　they　go　chasing　amusement　to　find　happiness。　They　must　be　amused　every　moment；　even　when　they　eat；　or　they　will　have　to　be　alone　with　their　empty　lives。

The　Prodigal　Son　came　to　himself　afterwhile　and　thought　upon　his　ways。　Then　he　arose　and　went　to　his　father's　house。　Whenever　one　will　stop　chasing　amusements　long　enough　to　think　upon　his　ways；　he　will　arise　and　go　to　his　father's　house　of　wisdom。　But　there　is　no　hope　for　the　person　who　will　not　stop　and　think。　And　the　devil　works　day　and　night　shifts　keeping　the　crowd　moving　on。

That　is　why　the　crowd　is　not　furnishing　the　strong　men　and　women。

We　must　have　amusement　and　relaxation。　Study　your　muscles。　First　they　contract；　then　they　relax。　But　the　muscle　that　goes　on　continually　relaxing　is　degenerating。　And　the　individual；　the　community；　the　nation　that　goes　on　relaxing　without　contractingwithout　struggling　and　overcomingis　degenerating。

The　more　you　study　your　muscles；　the　more　you　learn　that　while　one　muscle　is　relaxing　another　is　contracting。　So　you　must　learn　that　your　real　relaxation；　vacation　and　amusement；　are　merely　changing　over　to　contracting　another　set　of　muscles。

Go　to　the　bank　president's　office；　go　to　the　railroad　magnate's　office；　go　to　the　great　pulpit；　to　the　college　chairgo　to　any　place　of　great　responsibility　in　a　city　and　ask　the　one　who　fills　the　place；　〃Were　you　born　in　this　city？〃

The　reply　is　almost　a　monotony。　〃I　born　in　this　city？　No；　I　was　born　in　Poseyville；　Indiana；　and　I　came　to　this　city　forty　years　ago　and　went　to　work　at　the　bottom。〃

He　glows　as　he　tells　you　of　some　log…cabin　home；　hillside　or　farmside　where　he　struggled　as　a　boy。　Personally；　I　think　this　log…cabin　ancestry　has　been　over…confessed　for　campaign　purposes。　Give　us　steam　heat　and　push…buttons。　There　is　no　virtue　in　a　log…cabin；　save　that　there　the　necessity　for　struggle　that　brings　strength　is　most　in　evidence。　There　the　young　person　gets　the　struggle　and　service　that　makes　for　strength　and　greatness。　And　as　that　young　person　comes　to　the　city　and　shakes　in　the　barrel　among　the　weaklings　of　the　artificial　life；　he　rises　above　them　like　the　eagle　soars　above　a　lot　of　chattering　sparrows。

The　cities　do　not　make　their　own　steam。　The　little　minority　from　the　farms　controls　the　majority。　The　red　blood　of　redemption　flows　from　the　country　year　by　year　into　the　national　arteries；　else　these　cities　would　drop　off　the　map。

If　it　were　not　for　Poseyville；　Indiana；　Chicago　would　disappear。　If　it　were　not　for　Poseyville；　New　York　would　disintegrate　for　lack　of　leaders。




〃Hep〃　and　〃Pep〃　for　the　Home　Town


But　so　many　of　the　home　towns　of　America　are　sick。　Many　are　dying。　Many　are　dead。

It　is　the　lure　of　the　cityand　the　lure…lessness　of　the　country。　The　town　the　young　people　leave　is　the　town　the　young　people　ought　to　leave。　Somebody　says；　〃The　reason　so　many　young　people　go　to　hell　is　because　they　have　no　other　place　to　go。〃

What　is　the　matter　with　the　small　town？　Do　not　blame　it　all　upon　the　city　mail　order　house。　With　rural　delivery；　daily　papers；　telephones；　centralized　schools；　automobiles　and　good　roads；　there　are　no　more　delightful　places　in　the　world　to　live　than　in　the　country　or　in　the　small　town。　They　have　the　city　advantages　plus　sunshine；　air　and　freedom　that　the　crowded　cities　cannot　have。

I　asked　the　keeper　who　was　showing　me　thru　the　insane　asylum　at　Weston；　West　Virginia；　〃You　say　you　have　nearly　two　thousand　insane　people　in　this　institution　and　only　a　score　of　guards　to　keep　them　in。　Aren't　you　in　danger？　What　is　to　hinder　these　insane　people　from　getting　together；　organizing；　overpowering　the　few　guards　and　breaking　out？〃

The　keeper　was　not　in　the　least　alarmed　at　the　question。　He　smiled。　〃Many　people　say　that。　But　they　don't　understand。　If　these　people　could　get　together　they　wouldn't　be　in　this　asylum。　They　are　insane。　No　two　of　them　can　agree　upon　how　to　get　together　and　how　to　break　out。　So　a　few　of　us　can　hold　them。〃

It　would　be　almost　unkind　to　carry　this　further；　but　I　have　been　thinking　ever　since　that　about　three…fourths　of　the　small　towns　of　America　have　one　thing　in　common　with　the　asylum　folksthey　can't　get　together。　They　cannot　organize　for　the　public　good。　They　break　up　into　little　antagonistic　social；　business　and　even　religious　factions　and　neutralize　each　other's　efforts。

A　lot　of　struggling　churches　compete　with　each　other　instead　of　massing　for　the　common　good。　And　when　the　churches　fight；　the　devil　stays　neutral　and　furnishes　the　munitions　for　both　sides。

So　the　home　towns　stagnate　and　the　young　people　with　visions　go　away　to　the　cities　where　opportunity　seems　to　beckon。　Ninety…nine　out　of　a　hundred　of　them　will　jostle　with　the　straphangers　all　their　lives；　mere　wheels　turning　round　in　a　huge　machine。　Ninety…nine　out　of　a　hundred　of　them　might　have　had　a　larger　opportunity　right　back　in　the　home　town；　had　the　town　been　awake　and　united　and　inviting。

We　must　make　the　home　town　the　brightest；　most　attractive；　most　promising　place　for　the　young　people。　No　home　town　can　afford　to　spend　its　years　raising　crops　of　young　people　for　the　cities。　That　is　the　worst　kind　of　soil　impoverishmentall　going　out　and　nothing　coming　back。　That　is　the　drain　that　devitalizes　the　home　towns　more　than　all　the　city　mail　order　houses。

America　is　to　be　great；　not　in　the　greatness　of　a　few　crowded　cities；　but　in　the　greatness　of　innumerable　home　towns。

The　slogan　today　should　be；　For　God　and　Home　and　the　Home　Town！




A　School　of　Struggle


Dr。　Henry　Solomon　Lehr；　founder　of　the　Ohio　Northern　University　at　Ada；　Ohio；　one　of　Ohio's　greatest　educators；　used　to　say　with　pride；　〃Our　students　come　to　school；　they　are　not　sent。〃

He　encouraged　his　students　to　be　self…supporting；　and　most　of　them　were　working　their　way　thru　school。　He　made　the　school　calendar　and　courses　elastic　to　accommodate　them。　He　saw　the　need　of　combining　the　school　of　books　with　the　school　of　struggle。　He　organized　his　school　into　competing　groups；　so　that　the　student　who　had　no　struggle　in　his　life　would　at　least　have　to　struggle　with　the　others　during　his　schooling。


He　pitted　class　against　class。　He　organized　great　literary　and　debating　societies　to　compete　with　each　other。　He　arranged　contests　for　the　military　department。　His　school　was　one　surging　mass　of　contestants。　Yet　each　student　felt　no　compulsion。　Rather　he　felt　that　he　was　initiating　an　individual　or　class　effort　to　win。　The　literary　societies　vied　with　each　other　in　their　progra