,illustration ,,making ,,life ,,worth ,,while ,illustration ,illustration3 ,a modern ,musketeer ,,making ,,life ,,worth ,,while ,,by ,,douglas ,,fairbanks ,author of 8,laugh and ,live0 ,illustration ,,new ,,york ,,britton ,,publishing ,,company ,,copyright1 #aiah1 ,,by ,,britton ,,publishing ,,company ,illustration ,,contents ,,chapter ,,page ,i ,,little ,,grains ,,of ,,sand #ac ,,ii ,,as ,,the ,,twig ,,is ,,bent #bc ,,iii ,,the ,,new ,,order ,,of ,,living #ca ,,iv ,,feeding ,,the ,,intellect #da ,v ,,backing ,,up ,,the ,,flag #di ,,vi ,,half-,,baked ,,knowledge #eg ,,vii ,,harnessing ,,the ,,brain #fe ,,viii ,,exalting ,,the ,,ego #gc ,,ix ,,genius ,,plus ,,initiative #ha ,x ,,the ,,big ,,four #hg ,,xi ,,applying ,,the ,,rule ,,of ,,reason #ie ,,xii ,,through ,,difficulties ,,to ,,the ,,stars #aji ,,xiii ,,in ,,answer ,,to ,,many ,,friends #aae ,,xiv ,,things ,,that ,,money ,,won',t ,,buy #abg ,,xv ,,the ,,boy ,,across ,,the ,,sea #acc ,,xvi ,,superior--,,superiority--,,super #aci ,,xvii ,,when ,,the ,,boys ,,come ,,home #adg ,,xviii ,,regeneration #aec ,illustration ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations ,a ,modern ,musketeer--7,frontis7 ----and his brother ,john ,teaching his dog to smile 8,and her name is ,maud0 ,a pointed argument 8,smile when you say it0 ,companions 8,what ho60 says the ,king4 8,ho1 hum60 replied his guest ,tweedle-dee--,tweedle-dum ,where once one equals two ,a quick getaway ,a rattling good story ,a one-minute reverie ,a studio confab ,alone with the ,grand ,canyon 8,in tune with the ,infinite0 ,decorations by ,harold ,a4 ,van ,buren ,illustration ,,author',s ,,foreword ,in ,laugh and ,live1 my sole purpose was to emphasize our first duty toward ourselves1 which consists of doing our level best at everything we undertake1 and making the best of every situation that arises to confront us4 ,all through my early life ,i read inspirational books and liked them best of all4 ,they seemed to beckon me on4 ,i could feel myself being pulled along by an unseen hand4 ,let there be no mistake about ,making ,life ,worth ,while4 ,it has no particular plan or sequence whereby to back up its title4 ,nearly everything has to do with such a subject and that is what the book contains--everything in general--and nothing in particular--just such things as came to mind that seemed worth while4 ,as a follow up to ,laugh and ,live here's hoping that it will fill the bill4 ,d4 ,f4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,chapter ,i ,,little ,,grains ,,of ,,sand ,holding down a seat in the rocking chair fleet out on the shady piazza is most certainly not making the most out of life4 ,we all remember the line--8,if wishes were fishes we'd have some fried40 ,that is the answer to those who rock and dream1 and hope for something to turn up instead of turning up something on their own account4 ,of course1 there is a time for everything1 even the stealthy1 creeping rocking chair--and that's about bedtime4 ,in the estimation of an eminent neurologist there is no crime against nature in the home that cannot be traced to this monstrous thief of time1 which1 while apparently screeching and groaning under its load1 is1 in reality1 shouting with joy at the job it is putting up on its occupant4 ,taking the most out of life is the proper label for this old squeaker--breeder of idle contentment1 day-dreams1 inertia4 ,like everything else that saps the energy from mind and body1 it counts its victims by the score1 and throws them up on the sands of time4 ,illustration3 ----and his brother ,john ,speaking of sand may serve to remind the reader of a well-known poem handed down from ,grandmother days1 which holds a lot of precious wisdom--probably more than any poem of its length--its breadth and depth being equal to the world in which we live4 ,in childhood days this poem took my fancy1 being short1 to the point1 and easy to remember4 ,i was ready to recite it immediately and automatically upon request4 ,i had no thought then as to its meaning1 but as the years rolled by it tagged along in memory until now ,i find in it a sort of statement of fact upon which to build my theory of making life worth while4 ,here it is3 ,little drops of water1 ,little grains of sand1 ,maketh the mighty ocean ,and a pleasant land4 ,to those who adopt the idea of finding out just why little drops of water and little grains of sand accomplish so much1 will come the greatest reward in the way of mental satisfaction--and1 meanwhile1 they'll keep busy4 ,there is unbounded happiness in the pursuit of knowledge2 a wonderful satisfaction in building up one's treasure house of information4 ,it's all so easy1 requiring nothing more than a healthy1 enquiring mind--and a zest for the sport4 ,zest is a big word4 ,it has to do with get up and git1 which has been most appropriately boiled down into the word pep4 ,lazy people1 mentally or bodily1 seldom get anywhere4 ,what they do get is either accidental or by absorption--if by the latter process1 more likely through the pores than the brain4 ,no use to talk to them about making life worth while4 ,illustration3 ,teaching his dog to smile ,the greatest of human possessions are a well-trained mind1 a body to match1 and a love of achievement1 without which a man is old before his time4 ,after that comes energy--the great propeller6 ,what the brain directs the body will carry out--if the propeller is working4 ,no hesitation--when the will commands the body acts4 ,they synchronize--they are attuned1 harmonious1 fraternal1 so to speak4 ,and to hitch them together is just as easy as getting wet by standing bareheaded in the rain4 ,there is no intention of littering up this chapter with ways and means of putting one's upper story in fine working order--or the physical structure below4 ,that is first-reader information4 ,if we treat ourselves right1 the brain will behave and the body will follow suit4 ,activity1 mental and physical1 is the meat in the cocoanut4 ,seeking knowledge leads along the sunlit paths of life where happiness abounds4 ,the alternative is mental shiftlessness1 leading from nowhere to nothing at all4 ,cain killed ,abel because1 undoubtedly1 of the shiftless life he led4 ,indolence and ignorance being the order of his day1 he lacked the stamina with which to control his mind4 ,his physical forces merely acted in consonance with his rage at ,abel's popularity4 ,cupidity led him on1 but if ,cain hadn't lost his head through lack of will to control himself the example of murder might never have been set before mankind4 ,centuries have come and gone and still the passion to kill continues upon the face of the earth4 ,to stop it is but a matter of correcting human thought through physical and mental training so that those notions which interfere with a normal1 healthy brain tendency1 will cease to exist4 ,this done1 the degenerate born of indolence somewhere along the line1 will disappear from the face of the earth in jig time4 ,new intellectual forces will do the trick2 forces built up from healthy1 right thinking1 energetic investigation1 and consequent acquisition of knowledge4 ,how the world will wag a few years hence depends upon ,mothers and ,fathers of today4 ,as great trials are strengthening to character1 the prospect seems bright4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,chapter ,,ii ,,as ,,the ,,twig ,,is ,,bent ,temperament looms large in the game of life1 and1 like all other human brain tendencies1 is subject to regulation through the exercise of ordinary horse sense4 ,we often hear one person speak of another's temperamental qualities in the light of an incurable disease1 and more than likely in an apologetic way4 ,a faulty tendency is usually laid at the door of a doughty grandsire on one or both sides of the house and left there as a piece of ordinary table gossip to be resumed any old time without notice4 ,we've all heard someone dispose of another with quick dispatch by the casual remark1 8,he's temperamental40 ,it all depends upon the inflection of the speaker's voice whether his words are intended as a knockout blow or an apology in behalf of the culprit4 ,but any time you want to pursue the subject you'll hear about some obdurate old ancestor who passed the buck on to his posterity4 ,while we most assuredly do inherit various mental attitudes from our ancestors1 there's nothing we cannot get rid of if we resolve to do so4 ,there is nothing fatal about preconceived notions handed down to us4 ,mental culture through education and association is the royal road4 ,if1 through ignorance1 or narrow-mindedness1 one should prefer to hang on to certain personal or mental crudities just for the sake of posing as a 8chip off of the old block10 then let the punishment fit the crime4 ,temperament plays a big part in making life worth while and is more largely due to the time in which we live and with whom we associate than to inheritance4 ,it is the physical department that is really handed down to us--the blood in our veins rather than the dents on our brains4 ,to be subject to scrofula from infancy is no fault of our own1 but to continue an eccentricity under the claim of inherited temperament is excusable only upon the score of ignorance4 ,people do inherit brain tendencies1 but they are all subject to control through the will to do or don't1 as the case may be4 ,supposing grandfather used to swear like a trooper--and he probably did--the habit was temperamental to the extent of being in tune with the times in which he lived4 ,but what grandson of to-day would think of claiming exemption by reason of inherited temperament if addicted to the same vulgar habit8 ,on the other hand1 if we are born with rheumatic tendencies we may expect to fight with them all our lives4 ,one is a brain tendency1 subject to control2 the other is a blood-inheritance that we may never correct4 ,personal habits of thought or action are temperamental according to the avidity with which we cling to them4 ,george ,ade has said that a man might be born with a hair lip or a club foot1 but whiskers were his own fault4 ,thus we were handed the best possible line of demarcation between the inherited tendency and the personal temperament4 ,so1 if we were of the temperament to wear a beard because our great grandfather wore one we could1 if the notion struck us1 take it to the barber and have it cut away4 ,just so we may get out from any other temperamental habit1 or thought1 or action1 through the very simple process of becoming masters of our own minds4 ,grandfather may hand us a line of tainted blood that we can't manage1 but temperament is our own to manage as we will4 ,control over one's temperament is positively necessary in making life worth while4 ,if we are bent on securing full happiness for having lived1 we are bound to contribute our share toward an ultimate world sanity in which the word temperament may not serve to cloak mental deficiency4 ,college life takes the kink out of the untrained mind and makes it behave normally4 ,it makes no allowance for the accentuated temperament4 ,fool notions brought along from the dear old home town are soon sifted into the chaff barrel and common sense comes into its own4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,chapter ,,iii ,,the ,,new ,,order ,,of ,,living ,we're never old until we think we are--this ,i say1 not as a sop to those beyond the half-way station1 but as a conclusion after some years of observation and association with men4 ,i know some young men of sixty who are putting over a sample of golf that annexes my goat4 ,one forgets their age when he finds them up and coming on every proposition of legitimate sport and pleasure4 ,they've learned how to live and are living4 ,there is a big change in the habits of men4 ,the day in which we live is replete with simple enjoyments and facilities whereby to make the most of them4 ,achievement keeps them young1 and achievement is a matter of management rather than working hours4 ,organization cuts the hours off of the business day which leaves ample time for the recreation needed to insure a good appetite1 a healthy body1 and the right kind of sleep4 ,if there is any secret in this simple process then consider that the cat is 8out of the bag40 ,it's yours4 ,illustration3 8,and her name was ,maud0 ,if we see a lean1 hungry1 decrepit mule wearily dragging his load along we know at a glance that he is underfed1 overworked1 and doesn't receive proper care4 ,he works too many hours a day1 stands abuse from his driver1 becomes morose1 just the same as a human being1 and finally1 indifferent to what happens4 ,thus reduced to the depth of despair1 he actually awaits the crack of the whip across his loins before answering the call to move along4 ,but times are changing for both men and mules4 ,neither will stand the abuse and neglect of years gone by4 ,men are no longer the slaves of the big boss4 ,they have certain hours for work1 after which their time is their own4 ,fortunately the era of treating one's self decently is on4 ,the barroom has ceased to be the national indoor sport4 ,every self-respecting town or city has joined in the community of interests theory that out-of-door life is good for its citizens4 ,the result is play-grounds for children1 public parks for all of the family1 and golf courses nearby for the men4 ,it beats the old front porch rocking chair proposition forty ways4 ,it isn't more than twenty-five years since the real out-of-door era began to dawn4 ,i remember distinctly as a boy of ten how hard it was to raise a companion after the evening meal4 ,my parents held liberal views on the subject4 ,they trusted me in the matter of keeping out of mischief and about the only warning ,i received was1 8,don't go far1 and don't stay out too late40 ,with such elastic instructions ,i had very little trouble in keeping the record straight1 for my parents never held me to strict account4 ,in my meanderings1 however1 ,i found the boys of my acquaintance pretty well hemmed in during the evening hours4 ,the scene is easily recalled4 ,the front stoop is plastered with rugs2 the mother1 father1 sisters1 aunts1 and grandmother are seated about on the steps1 hammock or porch chairs4 ,bob1 ,bill1 ,dick or ,jim1 as the case might be1 was first to be noticed leaning against the front gate1 or looking dreamily over the side fence4 ,but as soon as the porch arguments began to warm up he could be seen edging along slowly1 inch by inch1 toward the rear--just nonchalantly1 two pickets at a time1 without any special semblance of hurrying4 ,if his mother had the floor in the argument he got away speedily and he generally waited for that4 ,but success was not always the case4 ,many times have ,i stood impatiently out of view giving the hurry-up signal1 when suddenly there came a loud call from the front that caused ,robert to fall back into his own yard and walk quickly around to the whenceness of the clamor4 8,what do you want1 ,ma80 he would enquire--as if he didn't thoroughly well know4 8,i want you to stay around here where ,i can keep an eye on you4 ,then ,i'll know where you are40 ,sometimes this kind of a backset would require nearly a half hour of skilful jockeying to repair4 ,after that only the boldest of plans stood a chance to succeed1 such as walking into the house from the front as if in deep disgust1 or after a drink of water in the rear of the house4 ,then out through the kitchen door and over the back fence in a jiffy4 ,illustration3 ,a pointed argument ,a nudge from sister often nullified this subterfuge when the mother seemed about to fall for the project1 and that meant the loss of another fifteen minutes during which ,bobby would actually go and take a swallow of water and come back to the porch1 there to stretch and yawn until told that he'd better go in and go to bed4 ,victory at last for ,bob1 showing that there was more than one way to win a battle even in those days4 ,the slamming of an upstairs bed-room door1 meant for his mother's ears1 a slide down the 8rain pipe0--and over the fence for ,bobby4 ,but what a wonderful change has come into the parental mind since then4 ,now all ,bob does is to announce where he is going--to the 8gym10 over to ,bill's1 motor-boating1 canoeing1 bicycling1 a hike in the park1 or a look in on the movies4 ,home and to bed by ten o'clock4 ,and what is the result8 ,boys of twelve now days become officers in ,boy ,scout companies4 ,they go in for everything likely to make them athletic1 manly and alert4 ,at sixteen they have more general knowledge than boys of twenty had twenty-five years ago4 ,and their minds are cleaner1 likewise their bodies4 ,schooling comes easier to them1 although the courses are far more advanced4 ,it takes knowledge to get started off right now days4 ,this is an age of pep1 and the competition of today means pep vs4 pep4 ,with equal mental preparedness the man with the brawn will stand the gaff that would kill his soft competitor4 ,lest we forget--recreation1 a good appetite1 a healthy body1 and the proper amount of sleep--are positive requirements in making life worth while4 ,illustration ,,chapter ,,iv ,,feeding ,,the ,,intellect ,feeding the intellect is naturally the most fascinating pursuit in this life and probably will be in the life to come4 ,there is nothing like stocking up the mind1 tickling the brain cells1 making dents in the cerebellum1 for thereby is induced the most perfect sanity and the power to think with precision4 ,it is bully to be able to think straight to the point1 and to quickly analyze right down to the bone4 ,such ability loans us proper respect for ourselves and compels the respect of all with whom we may brush against4 ,power to think begins with first realizations1 and thereafter we have only to add fuel to the intellectual fires day by day1 month by month1 and year by year1 until we arrive at that state of mental sufficiency which may happily be termed 8the fullness thereof40 ,not until we cross this bridge are we safe--not until then will we have come into a state of sane thinking--nor will we be fully alive6 ,on our march we will have learned to delve with patience1 listen with understanding1 and communicate with intelligence4 ,then we may give and take with common understanding with the best of them4 ,what we get we store away for use when needed4 ,then may we commune with our intellectual equals on the basis of quid pro quo--horse and horse--8even ,stephen40 ,but what a heartache when we cannot give6 ,what a sensation of regret when we find ourselves standing still intellectually while we watch the procession go by4 ,not capable of giving1 likewise we are handicapped in our ability to receive--we're hitched to a post1 so to speak1 along with other species of lesser understanding4 ,alongside of us in our journey through life are sure to be men of more than ordinary achievement1 who by dint of special genius have accomplished worthy objects most passing well--something that brought them wealth or fame and likely both--but left them dumb and speechless in the presence of intellectual persons1 who1 in self-defense1 must pass them up for want of mental fellowship4 ,to speak of the 8,dark ,ages0 is but a polite reference to that period of time when mankind generally was known to be 8addle-pated40 ,the light refused to shine upon his thimbleful of brains1 although the sun of centuries had blazed down upon a world of half-baked intellects--and even yet has work ahead4 ,but coming through the ages1 in the due course of events1 a few master minds coincided in the belief that a little exercise was good for the 8noddle0 and set about it to experiment4 ,the first hard work indulged in by our early ancestry1 after receiving a slight smattering of instruction1 was to kill off their teachers4 ,many centuries were allowed to skip by before education was again utilized in stimulating the understanding4 ,illustration3 8,smile when you say it0 ,pending the dawn of the new era1 man was taught only the use of his hands and feet for the sake of his stomach--his upper story becoming a warehouse for dark superstitions1 and fearful forebodings4 ,it is not unlikely that from this period descended the later day reference to certain persons as numskulls--a species of mankind known to have bats in the belfry4 ,notwithstanding the seeming uselessness of many hundreds of centuries in their relation to human intelligence1 there is no discounting the fact that we have finally come into an age when brain power is not counted a misdemeanor and made subject to fine and imprisonment4 ,from the end of our ,civil ,war to the breaking out of the great world-wide strife1 the intellect of man had expanded tremendously4 ,more important still1 intellect had been discovered to be a world-asset1 and of such mighty consequence that human knowledge progressed amazingly4 ,pity it is that the world's brain power could not have forestalled the great slaughter--impossible1 however1 at this stage of our mental development4 ,but the time is coming--our grandchildren will see the day--when intellectuality will rule the universe4 ,brains and bodies of individuals are to be developed for other uses than war4 ,until that day arrives we are bound to continue as before1 and will1 with true patriotism1 follow the flag of our cause4 ,some day when our intellects have been fed up into a higher state of efficiency and humanity is more nearly matched in brain power1 settlements between nations will be made beside the lamp of reason rather than under the flare of the cannon's mouth4 ,illustration ,,chapter ,v ,,backing ,,up ,,the ,,flag ,loyalty is one of those three-syllable words with a big meaning all its own4 ,out of the letters composing it can be spelled two other words--the preposition to2 and the adverb all4 ,loyalty to all--everything worth while2 our country1 our homes1 our government1 and the friends we have 8and their adoption tried40 ,it seems a shame to hear this fine word used in any other connection1 such as 8loyal to the gang0--8loyal to his confederates0--8loyal to the enemy40 ,it is too fine a word to be employed in a manner possessing the significance of the word 8traitor40 ,now that the word loyalty has come back into such vast everyday usage1 the time is ripe to nail it down hard and fast to the principles for which it stands4 ,why not say 8he was in cahoots with the gang0--8false to his constituency0--8dishonest with his confederates80 ,then1 in our mind's eye1 let us hang the word loyalty alongside of the flag and keep it there for all time4 ,as ,i write this chapter1 keeping in mind the subject of ,making ,life ,worth ,while1 a feeling of serenity pervades my inner consciousness4 ,i believe that loyalty practically reigns supreme in ,america4 ,i believe that the fifty-fifty variety has become scarcer than hen's teeth when measured by the whole citizenship4 ,only among the unenlightened1 the profligates1 the misanthropes and enemy aliens1 are they bound to be found at all4 ,thanks to governmental efficiency during times most trying1 the searchlight has been turned upon the meaning of the word loyalty in this country4 ,the flag symbolizes it and it hangs everywhere4 ,we take off our hats to it when we pass it on the street1 and when we hear the songs that match it we join our voices with the rest4 ,to love the flag is a soul quality and when the souls of a hundred million strong go out in support of the ,stars and ,stripes there is mighty little standing room for the mere onlooker4 ,he is either with us or against us--that's the slogan that thins the ranks of the unbelievers in our country4 ,it makes them sit up and stare at the truth4 ,it makes them blink their eyes in wonder1 which is first aid in thinking things over4 ,it causes them to look around and compare their standpoint with that represented by the ,star ,spangled ,banner4 ,in taking stock of the situation here is what they found to be true--that this great country stands for peace--not only for itself1 but its neighbors all over the world4 ,that peace is so desirable1 and so essential that it is worth fighting for to the last man and the last dollar4 ,that without peace nothing counts as of value in the entire inventory of things worth while and1 therefore1 nothing remains but to fight--and to a finish4 ,illustration3 ,companions ,when your ,uncle ,sam rolls up his sleeves preparatory to a scrap he begins to take on size that distinguishes him from the ordinary fighter4 ,he goes about it methodically1 and allows himself the proper time in which to get in readiness4 ,then he takes a running jump into the middle of the ring4 ,after this the disinterested onlooker isn't long in catching the fact that1 as a mere matter of discretion1 it is far better to be with ,uncle ,sam than to be against him4 ,also it must creep into his mind that if he doesn't want to be smashed into a proper state of mind1 the best thing to do is to join in and help4 ,if a hundred million people want peace bad enough to fight for it1 both for themselves and their neighbors1 it isn't for slackers either in thought or in spirit to stand on the side lines and watch the scrap4 ,people of that mould do not belong in ,america4 ,everybody must do his part and do it right4 ,there are thousands of ways of helping on toward victory4 ,there is more than one way of fighting4 ,the most potent of all is to back up the man who does--except1 of course1 when his time comes1 every man capable of pulling a trigger must pick up his pack and take his place on the firing line4 ,meanwhile it behooves all of us to be ready for the call4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,chapter ,,vi ,,half-,,baked ,,knowledge ,it will take more than a star shell to light up the pathway of a man who clutters his brain with half-baked knowledge4 ,pitfalls galore are ahead of him no matter which way he may turn4 ,such people are1 by nature1 of the cocksure variety1 going in where angels fear to tread1 and gaining nothing for certain by reason of their experiences4 ,in time they earn the reputation of being bull-headed and sooner or later are on their way downstream without a rudder4 ,sometimes the strong-willed fellow of fragmentary knowledge isn't to blame for his affliction4 ,every little circumstance has something to do with his future course and if he happens to be born 8on the wrong side of the moon10 his course is more or less predestined4 ,he views things through a film--hazy-like1 and inaccurate4 ,to him investigation means nothing4 ,his mind is like a sieve that will not retain the fine particles which must accumulate until a firm foundation forms upon which to bear a permanent housing for his reasoning powers4 ,the worst phase of the ever-ready reckoner of uncertain statistics is that he usually circulates among the credulous4 ,who of us is there that hasn't at some time in our variegated careers sat across from him at an old-fashioned boarding house table d'hote8 ,even now we can hear him saying1 8,my notion of that is this60 ,and wasn't it fun to watch those who drank it all in and gulped it down with their coffee8 ,the green cheese story about the moon would have been swallowed by some of them if our half-baked know-it-all persisted in its truth4 ,for such as him1 no doubt1 was composed ,kipling's wonderfully cynical line1 8alas1 we know he never could know and never could understand40 ,and also for such as him it was ordained that he should never stay in one place long4 ,something tells him to keep moving--perhaps the giggling that breaks out in the midst of a lofty peroration2 a snort of derision at some observation intended to be philosophical but which fell far short of the mark4 ,while it doesn't take long to pack up and locate elsewhere1 it must be tedious work to have continually the task on hand of making new friends--only to lose them4 ,but that is the penalty of becoming the butt of the jokester1 who will not be denied4 ,once he finds a victim it's time for that victim to move4 ,the jokester has no pity1 and in lofty speech he tells his victim so--accompanied by shouts of approval from those who hear and understand4 ,illustration3 8,what ho60 says the ,king4 8,ho hum60 replied his guest4 ,the ego of ignorance which stands by its false assumptions from sheer lack of correct understanding invites pity that it seldom receives4 ,in due course of human events the distributor of half-baked wisdom will be grafted with a twig from the tree of learning and thus the species will become extinct4 ,this1 as ,shakespeare says1 8is devoutly to be wished10 and while wishing it seems perfectly all right to express the hope that those who read this short chapter will make a point of sowing a few seeds in certain gardens where tall weeds now grow1 8just for the lack of the rake and the hoe40 ,a little sarcasm will turn the trick4 ,illustration ,illustration ,illustration ,,chapter ,,vii ,,harnessing ,,the ,,brain ,to make life truly worth while one would1 if possible1 follow his natural bent1 having trained himself accordingly1 otherwise no matter how successful he might become in a material sense1 regrets would be inevitable and likely to lead to a surly old age4 ,it is a vast mistake to believe that the possession of great wealth insures happiness--and without happiness whose life is worth while8 ,the makings of many a good butcher1 baker1 or candlestick-maker have gone to waste when a youngster walked through the wrong doorway in search of his first job4 ,that is the initial lottery ticket we buy--and sometimes pay for most dearly4 ,the situation is better now than heretofore1 particularly if the youngster has1 on starting out1 the advantage of at least a high school education4 ,to that extent he has a trained mind4 ,if he could have gone on through college or technical school his success would be practically assured4 ,to get through would mean that he had acquired proper mental balance4 ,nevertheless1 the great majority still go forth into the world of affairs with small educational equipment1 just when their minds are least prepared1 which accounts for the old saying--8a little knowledge is a dangerous thing40 ,so1 when ,john ,henry ,jones1 the hat-maker's son1 shows a disinclination to go to school his father is pretty sure to take a shot at him something like this3 8,either go to school1 or go to work4 ,you can't lay around and loaf40 ,now there was where ,john's father got off on the wrong foot4 ,there and then he missed his chance for a real heart to heart talk and at a time when his boy1 from pure lack of reasoning ability1 had worked his mind into a bad state4 ,then was the time to have dropped his tools and straightened out the kinks in the youngster's noggin4 ,a little friendly counsel might easily have shown the folly of going out into the world without brain tools to work with4 ,as for the boy1 his whole future most likely hung upon the result of an interview inside the first doorway he entered4 ,not possessing a proper amount of mental training his natural tendency became his sole guardian at the supreme moment of his career--the start4 ,surely it would be a matter of luck how he came through4 ,his future1 in a sense1 was in the hands of strangers and a strange environment4 ,in these days people are employed to fill a certain niche4 ,if they fill it1 they are allowed to keep on filling it4 ,there's little chance to look up from the job--and when the day's work ends there's little chance to look around for another4 ,thus if ,john ,henry was set to work in a menial position at the beginning he might never be regarded as eligible for a position leading toward real advancement4 ,he came without knowledge and for lack of opportunity he gained none4 ,being a perfectly good sweeper and duster he remained to sweep and dust until1 in despair1 he tries for a job at another place4 ,illustration3 ,tweedle-dee--,tweedle-dum 8,but10 you say1 8the example is not trustworthy4 ,look at the great men who started out in a small way4 ,they are now the bulwark of the nation40 ,perhaps true1 but times have changed radically4 ,it is the boy graduate that is being sought after now4 8,big ,business0 is bidding for the annual graduating classes long in advance4 ,it wants trained minds to fill brain positions--and that's why the college man and the graduates of technical schools forge ahead so quickly4 ,they literally run over the half-educated1 untrained workers who sit and wonder at their own lack of advancement4 ,it's not a matter to pout about4 ,there's only one thing to do--work out of it4 ,a special course in the thing the mind and talent is best fitted for is the way out4 ,why wait for 8lightning0 to strike us8 ,night schools abound in all branches of learning4 ,many a man has turned himself into a brilliant lawyer1 expert accountant1 or famous editor1 through night school work4 ,diligence and perseverance is the price of success1 and only through success do we find life entirely worth while4 ,i have received many letters from boys and young men who had read ,laugh and ,live1 asking me to name the requisites for success4 ,i have made but one answer to all such inquiries3--,a healthy1 clean body and a trained1 clean mind4 ,there is no other answer4 ,illustration ,,chapter ,,viii ,,exalting ,,the ,,ego ,some day ,i propose to write a novel6 ,the main reason for this determination is the fact that ,i have never written one4 ,i don't know that it will become a 8best goer0--and the chances are against it--but ,i'll do my best just the same4 ,and ,i hope to win4 ,my reason for writing a fictional story is that by so doing ,i will exercise my imaginative faculties and thus prolong their usefulness4 ,the power to imagine is an asset that must not be dulled by neglect4 ,it responds to exercise just as readily as do the arms and legs4 ,mental gymnastics are helpful1 in fact they are absolutely necessary in keeping alert the upper story of the general structure4 ,they make of the brain a spectacular trapeze performer toward which all eyes upturn when it takes its place upon the swinging bar4 ,the ability to write a successful novel would be a crowning achievement since it draws upon experience and vision in order to assemble interesting characters around an agreeable plot4 ,love1 of course1 must furnish the motif because love is the highest and most noble form of passion--and passion rules the universe4 ,when we contemplate the writing of a novel we indulge in aspiration of the highest order4 ,the fact that not one novel in a thousand is likely to measure up to a masterpiece should not halt one's determination to put over a winner if possible4 ,but novel writing is big game hunting1 requiring ammunition of considerable power--and the aim must be perfect4 ,one should try for small game first1 being careful to make a bonfire out of every effort that will not stand the test of several months in cold storage4 ,real fiction can wait4 ,it needn't be served to order4 ,any novel that is going to live through one generation of applauding readers will keep a few months while its author uses the pruning hook4 ,his judgment will be all the keener each time he goes over it4 ,when ,i write my novel ,i shall allow no close friend to read it in advance of its legitimate publication1 after having been duly passed upon by a calm and candid professional critic with a beady eye4 ,when one of these zest-worn individuals wades through my effort from first to last page and comes up smiling it will be time enough to indulge in a faint hope4 ,it is always best for success to ooze in rather than to come as a deluge4 ,it gives us time to consider ways and means of taking care of the output4 ,also it serves to ward off an aggravated case of disappointment if it doesn't turn out to be a genuine gusher4 ,we never know the real verdict until we hear from the multitude4 ,no multitude1 no verdict necessary--the book is dead4 ,illustration3 ,where once one equals two ,it isn't for the reason that ,i lack for things to do that ,i propose to try to write a successful novel1 nor is my reason mercenary4 ,there is no secret about the matter either4 ,some years ago ,i determined not to go through life with a single track mind4 ,to obviate this calamity it dawned upon me that ,i must take an interest in every little and big thing that came my way4 ,once the resolution took the form of habit1 it became a great pleasure to persist in the pursuit of information1 but the main benefit derived has been the development of a determination to do things myself4 ,determination stands in constant need of repair else it deteriorates into mere obsession and falls of its own weight4 ,the habit of investigation builds up self-confidence1 without which1 determination has no prop with which to sustain itself4 ,investigation is a two-sided activity of the mental processes--it comes in loaded and can go out loaded if there's anything inside to facilitate the movement4 ,to prove this theory is my reason for taking a fling at novel writing1 and by succeeding my case is made4 ,at least it will have been proved that one's mind is a reconverter--that what it imbibes in one form it may exude in another4 ,also it proves that if one does not exalt his own ego no one else can do it for him4 ,illustration ,illustration ,illustration3 ,a quick getaway ,,chapter ,,ix ,,genius ,,plus ,,initiative ,genius is twenty per cent idea1 thirty per cent talent1 and fifty per cent initiative4 ,ideas are small in themselves when reduced to brass tacks1 but when we put the steam behind they often turn into something tremendous4 ,even a fool may have an idea1 but it takes brains and pep to put one over4 ,most every one has had a notion worth while1 but in most cases they hold it cheap on the theory that if it really amounted to anything some genius would have thought of it long ago and put it into practical use4 ,there is where initiative was lacking--perhaps talent as well--but initiative would have brought in talent from the outside4 ,the word genius has been largely misapplied4 ,many men who were merely astute in one way or another have been placarded with the label of genius4 ,but the real genius is one whose idea has saved something for his fellow man in time1 labor1 and money4 ,who would have thought forty years ago that the whispering cups which children talked into1 and by means of which they could hear each other's voices a distance of fifty or a hundred feet1 would turn into the greatest labor-saving device in all the world6 ,such has been the fact ever since the telephone became an everyday utility4 ,the principle was discovered in a toy--the practical1 every-day application as a labor-saving device was to come--but it came soon4 ,a genius brought it about by inventing a transmitter which enlarged the sound waves when vibrated over electrically charged wires4 ,just as simple as water boiling in a tea kettle--which1 by the way1 led to the steam engine4 ,steam1 steel1 and electricity6--the playground of the world's greatest inventors--where genius abounds4 ,here were born our captains of industry1 our fabulous fortunes1 our empire building resources4 ,intertwined with these three great principles the super-genius has romped and played with nature's secrets until the age in which we live is one of touch the button--and some labor-saving device does the rest4 ,we think it wonderful to live in the present age of genius4 ,nothing seems lacking4 ,but what snails we'll seem to those who come along a hundred years from now4 ,do we think that ,arizona will lack for rain when she needs it--even fifty years hence8 ,surely the drudgery of the horse will have passed into oblivion4 ,mr4 ,ford to the rescue6 ,having taken him out of the roadway1 he most certainly will not allow the horse to go on slaving in the plough field4 ,that blessing is already in process of solution4 ,the real period for the genius is in the foreground4 ,the hardships of the past are over4 ,capital is ready and waiting eagerly for the new idea no matter how small1 or how big4 ,genius has but to shake off inertia1 build up initiative and make full use of its talents4 ,there isn't a stumbling block in sight4 ,the road is clear--and every added facility helps that much toward making everybody's life worth while4 ,illustration ,,chapter ,x ,,the ,,big ,,four ,i'm for that hard-hitting type of manhood which stands adamant for the square deal and no surrender under all circumstances4 ,it is one thing to wish for justice--quite another to stand up and fight for it4 ,probably not one man in a thousand is geared with sufficient heart action to run counter to a false public opinion4 ,it takes moral courage to do this1 even on a small scale1 whereas to ride a bucking broncho one needs physical prowess which is quite another kind of bravery4 ,we've all known men who would fight their weight in wild cats but would run like a frightened rabbit at the sight of a pretty woman4 ,to get up and make a speech would have been out of the question for them4 ,i heard of a case where a fine1 quiet fellow who had been elected as a delegate to a small county convention1 was instructed to arise to his feet at the moment of a certain nomination and shout 8,i second the nomination60 ,instead of following instructions he fainted4 ,this so excited the delegate who was to 8move that the nominations be closed0 that he forgot his part1 with the result that an opposition candidate was quickly proposed1 carried the convention1 and1 in due course1 was elected by the vote of the people4 ,men of the type of ,president ,wilson and ,theodore ,roosevelt1 each distinctly different in personality1 are about as scarce as hen's teeth4 ,there are just two such men in our hundred and odd millions today4 ,they stand unique in the courage of their convictions1 and their ability to reach the boundary lines of public opinion over the world4 ,lloyd ,george belongs in the same corral4 ,speaking of ,president ,wilson1 one is amazed at his perspicuity4 ,in procedure directly opposite from ,roosevelt or ,lloyd ,george1 he has no counterpart either in pattern or turn of mind4 ,everything yields before him--he appears to be indomitable4 ,the need of such a man at this hour is apparent4 ,he asserts the rights of the nation as a whole in such a way that the individual trails in behind him without a quaver of fear or a compunction of conscience4 ,the ,president seems to know the road and results bear testimony to the fact4 ,in the shortest possible time he has mobilized the greatest nation in the world to a war basis of such magnitude that its martial tread extends around the world4 ,this being the first globe-girdling war in all history1 who can say that any other man would have done better--or even so well8 ,fortunately1 this country has another man who1 in the absence of our present leader1 could have stirred the ,american nation into action in behalf of its own security4 ,hardly need it be said that this man is ,theodore ,roosevelt4 ,his distinguished services in the past would have proclaimed him the leader in such a vast enterprise had the emergency existed4 ,taking things as they are1 his influence has been of tremendous importance in effecting a united effort4 ,his willingness to go to the front himself at the head of a ,volunteer ,division had its own weight in determining the whole nation that the battle was ours as well as for those more adjacent to the fighting zone4 ,but1 to start with at least1 this is a young man's war1 and the four sons of ,roosevelt that went to the front constitute an ample offering from this great man at this stage of affairs4 ,if ,lloyd ,george were a citizen of these ,united ,states1 ,i'd give him a seat beside the ,president on the score of bull-dog tenacity4 ,and ,i'd give him a look in on ,roosevelt for brain activity and physical courage4 ,and a seat between both of them for his ability to scorch the hides of the recalcitrants4 ,three big men these--,wilson1 ,roosevelt1 ,lloyd ,george4 ,they sit tight for what's right4 ,they stand exalted in the estimation of all right-thinking citizens of the world1 and at this period of their lives are peerless in the beneficence of their influence upon mankind4 ,and now for the fourth man on my slate--stand forth ,general ,joffre6 ,your initiative at the first battle of the ,marne saved the world from disaster4 ,you had one chance in a hundred and--you saw and you took it4 ,your victory saved civilization a colossal setback4 ,had your beloved ,france been forced to surrender1 the dream of the enemy would have been transformed into fact with ,mad ,moloch in the saddle for many a weary year4 ,here's to the ,big ,four--long may they live to witness the gratitude of all mankind6 ,illustration ,,chapter ,,xi ,,applying ,,the ,,rule ,,of ,,reason ,during one of my four-day jumps from coast to coast recently1 ,i made the acquaintance of a very affable gentleman in his early fifties4 ,he had the advantage of me in age1 having passed through my period some twenty years back1 while my advantage lay before me1 yet to be disposed of4 ,he was a man of brains1 his eyes were alert1 his years rested easily upon him4 ,i marveled at his physical activity1 also his mental pep4 ,one thing he said to me that will hang in my memory the rest of my days4 8,i am guided by my hindsight--you at your age1 by your foresight10 said he4 ,then he went on to explain4 ,at my age he had ambitions and crowded on the steam4 ,at forty his success in all ways seemed assured1 so he rushed forward with all his might4 ,at forty-five he experienced a period of physical reaction1 which1 in the light of his present knowledge1 was a warning1 but he did not heed it4 ,at forty-seven he was a physical and mental wreck4 8,i had failed to adjust myself to my failing powers10 said he4 8,i took on greater responsibilities than ever1 bent1 as ,i was1 on rounding out a huge success4 ,i almost wound up in my grave40 ,now here was a chance for a real pointer from a man of intellectual force1 so ,i urged him to go on through the sequence of events that had brought him back to such superb health and spirits4 ,illustration3 ,a rattling good story 8,it took me three years to get by that ugly period of mental and physical depression1 the early part of which ,i spent in floundering around from one expert to another1 traveling here and there and gaining nothing in the way of respite1 to say nothing of cure4 ,then suddenly1 ,i stumbled into an acquaintance with a new adviser--a life insurance agent60 ,i broke out laughing at this point and he joined good-naturedly4 8,i knew you'd be amused10 said he4 8,every friend ,i have jokes on the subject4 ,nevertheless10 he continued1 8this life insurance agent cured me and ,i haven't taken a spoonful of medicine since ,i met him4 ,are you interested as to details80 he asked1 his eyes twinkling1 his cheeks glowing with health4 7,courage1 friend reader4 ,this isn't the beginning of the novel ,i intend to write47 8,up to my ears10 ,i replied4 8,i am interested in every little thing that happens40 8,well1 it's worth your while10 he continued dryly1 8and the #8cure' may serve you well some day4 ,i met this man at ,long ,beach4 ,i was sitting under a large umbrella-tent watching the bathers and feeling like 8,sam ,hill10 when a fine1 strapping young man came dripping out of the waves and sauntered up near me4 ,it was a hot day and noting my ample shade he came over and looked down at me good-naturedly4 ,i would have given all ,i possessed for his robust health and grand physique4 ,i motioned to some unoccupied space under my tent1 which he accepted4 8#8,not sick1 ,i hope8' said he enquiringly4 8#8,oh-no6' ,i blurted back at him4 #8,i'm feeling like a young kitten4' ,then ,i glowered at him ferociously4 ,that made him laugh1 and he was a good hand at it4 ,i turned away from him in disgust1 and let him do his worst4 ,finally he calmed down and quite soberly remarked3 8#8,you're not sick--nothing the matter with you6 ,i'll write a policy on you in a week's time if you'll do as ,i direct4 ,i am a life insurance agent and ,i mean what ,i say4' 8#8,i'll take you up1' ,i bellowed in reply1 #8and ,i'll bet you five hundred you lose6' ,i was pretty much exasperated at the fellow4 8#8,you're on1' said he1 #8but ,i won't take your five hundred if ,i win4 ,let's put it this way--if you are well enough to pass a rigid physical examination one week from today will you let me write you up for a fifty-thousand dollar policy8' 8#8,i will1 young man1 and you can start your shell game at your pleasure4 ,but ,i won't stand for any science work or nonsense4 ,if you bore me ,i shall tell you so and that means all bets are off and you go your way4' 8#8,we'll begin now1' said he quietly1 but there was a certain air of confidence in his voice that made me wonder4 8#8,first1 ,i'm going to tell you about yourself1' he went on to say4 #8,you're pretty much like an engineer who went along forty years without an accident and then his engine broke down and both went to the ditch in a heap4 ,you've been successful in business1 anyone would know that at a glance1 but you've made a mess of your physical resources4' ,i nodded4 ,he was right thus far4 ,illustration3 ,a one-minute reverie 8#8,you started in early at the game1 your affairs grew1 your responsibilities enlarged1 and you worked your gray matter overtime without stopping to oil up your machinery4 ,in other words1 you have never played1 you haven't laughed1 you haven't mingled with people in a social way4 ,so now you are pretty near ready for the scrap heap4 ,am ,i right8' 8#8,uhuh--go on1' said ,i4 8#8,you once came pretty near asking a fine woman to marry you1 but something came up and you forgot it4' 8#8,yep--you're right1 ,mr4 ,mind-,reader4 ,proceed1' ,i said1 #8and whatever you do or say don't mind my feelings4' ,he noted the resentment in my voice ,i presume1 for he waited some time before going on4 8#8,the rest is easy--any life insurance agent who knows his business could take up the story at this point and go ahead with it4' ,he laughed good-naturedly as ,i shrugged my shoulders4 8#8,you're an agent1 go on with the case4 ,what's the answer8 ,let's hear all of the horrible details4' ,i was getting peevish1 although the fellow had my interest aroused4 8#8,very well4 ,yours is the old1 old story4 ,at forty big things loomed ahead--your circle enlarged4 ,you gave yourself up to big plans4 ,they progressed famously and at forty-five you were a rich and influential man4 ,but there were a lot of multi-millionaires that had you skinned on size of pile so you took the plunge and went after them4 ,you never gave your waning physical powers a thought for the next two years1 and then you went all to pieces--mentally4' 8#8,mentally6 what do you mean when you say mentally8 ,am ,i crazy8' ,the thought made me laugh4 8#8,mentally1' he repeated with a good-natured smile4 #8,you didn't go crazy--your brain fagged4 ,it wore out just like a typewriter ribbon wears out--from constant usage4 ,you've been thinking ever since that your physical department was to blame for your condition4 ,nothing of the sort4 ,you are in fine physical trim1 or will be when you take your mind off of your ailments and forget about the old deals4 ,come on1 let's take a dip1' he urged1 and the first thing ,i knew he was dragging me along into the brine4 8,to make a long story short1 that fellow got me to laughing and playing like a boy4 ,we violated every rule of health that had been laid down by doctors and in five days were playing golf together40 8,so he won his bet after all10 said ,i enthusiastically1 for ,i had been pulling for the agent all through the recital4 8,you bet he did1 and ,i let him write me up for a half million instead of the sum he named40 8,bully for you60 ,i replied4 8,and ,i'm going to remember what you have told me40 8,that's right--at forty begin to adjust yourself to the next period--forty-five4 ,arriving there safely1 begin to adjust for fifty4 ,if you are alive then you should go on for years1 always keeping in mind that you must readjust every fifth year after you cross the forty line40 ,there is an old saying that you can't fool a percentage table1 and that was what the agent went by4 ,so1 if our lives are to be made worth while we must surely observe the simple rules governing health and longevity4 ,the candle won't burn at both ends and stand up in the bargain4 ,at forty ,i'm going to begin to adjust--,i believe what the agent said4 ,illustration ,illustration ,illustration ,illustration3 ,a studio confab ,,chapter ,,xii ,,through ,,difficulties ,,to ,,the ,,stars ,a college man not only wants his sheepskin when the great day comes1 but his letters as well4 ,to win his degree he must contribute to the sum of human knowledge--a man-sized job--considering the large storehouse already filled to overflowing4 ,but the wreath somehow rests easier upon the brow of learning when ,ph4,d4 or ,ph4,b4 are safely tucked away among the laurel leaves4 ,only the trained mind that delves its way successfully through college or university is likely to add to existing facts4 ,the vast majority only succeed in developing a severe headache4 ,their intentions were good1 but---- ,it isn't so much the doing of the thing as the satisfaction of having done it4 ,my college career was cut short before my aspiration to excel took root4 ,if ,i missed anything it didn't occur to me then1 but looking backward it has been only natural to regret that ,i didn't stick it out and try for the honors4 ,but there are many other ways of making life worth while4 ,versatility wins more 8heats0 these days than originality4 ,ideas are worth little to the man who can't put them over and are usually to be bought at bargain prices4 ,versatility and personality hitched tandem are certified winners before they start as against mere originality4 ,it is not given to all men to make a success in college4 ,but there's one thing certain1 whatever the gain coming out of an attempt is that much to the good4 ,college life in itself1 with all its joys and stunts1 is a fierce competitor of the curriculum4 ,those who would win a degree must necessarily bone for it1 never for an instant straying from the narrow path leading to the goal4 ,likewise it behooves them to keep both eyes glued upon a lucky star--for every little helps4 ,somewhere in the 8milky way0 of admonition he is almost sure to come upon that famous old signboard1 which reads like this3 8',tis naught for sun to shine6 ,contribute thy share to the oceans of human knowledge--you can if you will40 ,i must confess that this bit of poetic advice made a deep impression upon me4 ,it seemed to urge me on but not to the same extent that other matters urged me off4 ,it is a good little verse just the same and worthy of a hook in anyone's memory4 ,aspiration1 perseverance1 never-give-up-the-ship-stick-to-itivenes s is the way the prescription reads for those who would plant so much as a mustard seed of original information in the garden of wisdom4 ,illustration ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,in ,,answer ,,to ,,many ,,friends ,as ,i have stated in my foreword1 this book is not intended to adhere to any fixed plan4 ,i am writing on subjects covering a wide latitude1 many of which have been suggested by questions out of letters written to me by friendly spirits who like my picture plays4 ,although the facts relating to my theatrical career have been published over and over again1 hardly a day goes by without receipt of letters on that subject4 ,the prevailing notion is that ,i come from a theatrical family and that ,i was educated for the stage4 ,nothing is further from the truth4 ,my father was a lawyer with a knowledge of the drama such as few professionals have had4 ,from the time ,i was able to eat ,i was fed on ,shakespeare4 ,when ,i was twelve years old ,i could recite the principal speeches in most of that gentleman's plays4 ,my article in ,photoplay some months ago gave the whole story in fewest words and the same is herewith appended4 ,my dramatic education was augmented by frequent contact with great actors4 ,my father was a friend of ,mansfield1 ,edwin ,booth1 ,stuart ,robson1 ,john ,drew1 ,frederick ,warde and other famous actors who were his guests whenever they visited ,denver4 ,i once asked ,mr4 ,mansfield about the best way to prepare for the stage and he told me that there was no such thing as preparation for the stage2 but that there were certain accomplishments that were essential to great success4 ,these included a knowledge of fencing1 painting and the ,french language4 ,modesty precludes a discussion of the result of following that advice4 ,suffice to say1 ,i can defend myself fairly well with rapier or broadsword1 ,i can tell a ,corot from a ,raphael without the aid of artificial devices1 and ,i have made my way through ,france without being arrested or going hungry4 ,writers who give advice to the ambitious usually cite experiences from their own book of life1 but if any young man were to follow in my footsteps1 he'd take a rather devious path to the stage and he'd have to travel some4 ,my parents were far from convinced that ,i was cut out for the stage1 so ,i was sent to the ,colorado ,school of ,mines to become a mining engineer4 ,but there didn't seem to be any room in my head for calculus1 trigonometry and such things4 ,i could never master higher mathematics2 therefore ,i could never be a mining engineer1 so ,i quit4 ,now ,i'm not desirous of inflicting a recital of my deficiencies on a magnanimous public2 just trying to show that one may fail in many things before finding one's niche in life4 ,certainly ,i failed in many ventures1 even in my first attack on the ,american stage4 ,the first onslaught didn't even make a dent on that historic institution4 ,important results have often hinged on trivial things4 ,tiny causes have had titanic effects4 ,if a certain actor hadn't been sent to jail in ,minnesota a dozen and a half years ago1 ,i wouldn't now be writing this4 ,if you are familiar with baseball--and the chances are nine in ten that you are--you know the meaning of the expression1 8the breaks of the game40 ,given two baseball teams of equal strength1 victory will invariably perch on the banner of the side which 8gets the breaks40 ,it's much the same on the stage or in business4 ,many a good player has been sedulously avoided by whatever fate it is that deals out fame1 because the 8breaks0 have been against him4 ,conversely1 many a mediocre--or even worse player1 has tasted all the fruits of victory because he 8got the breaks10 as they say on the diamond4 ,but don't think ,i'm going to classify myself1 because ,i'm not4 ,give it any name you like--even modesty4 ,just where ,i would have wound up had it not been for a strange quirk of fate1 of course no one can tell1 but it was the misfortune of a fellow player that gave me the big chance ,i was looking for4 ,perhaps it was an indiscretion rather than a misfortune4 ,but whatever it was1 the victim of the circumstance found himself in jail on the day we were scheduled to treat the natives of ,duluth1 ,minn41 to a rendition of 8,hamlet40 ,now ,i'm not going to tell you how the star couldn't show up and ,i stepped into the breach and soliloquoyed all over the stage to the thunderous applause of the ,northmen2 that would be too conventional4 ,strangely enough ,i hadn't set my sights that high4 ,but ,i did want to play ,laertes and my colleague having run afoul of some offense which was the subject of a chapter of the ,minnesota ,penal ,code1 ,i played it that night4 ,well1 to make a long story short1 ,i played the part so well 787 that it only took about ten years more to become a star on ,broadway1 the ultimate goal of all who choose the way of the footlights4 ,seriously1 however1 that was my chance and ,i took full advantage of it4 ,perhaps the greatest pleasure ,i get out of my work for the screen is contained in the daily mail bag4 ,letters come from everywhere1 not only this country1 but from such far-off places as ,australia4 ,by the way1 ,i believe they are more enthusiastic over the screen in the ,antipodes than they are in this country1 proportionately speaking4 ,one of the most frequent questions ,i am asked to answer is that relating to success in athletics4 ,it may sound strange to some of those who have been following my work on the screen1 but ,i was a failure as an athlete4 ,in college at the ,colorado ,school of ,mines ,i did not excel in any particular branch of sports4 ,i went in for nearly everything1 but the student body never wrote or sang any songs about me4 ,i never came up in the ninth with the score three to nothing against us1 with three men on base1 and put the ball over the fence4 ,i never even ran the length of the field with the pigskin and scored the winning touchdown with only fifteen seconds of play left4 ,when ,i went to ,harvard later ,i still was active in athletics1 but while just about able to get by in most of the games1 ,i never got the spotlight in any specific instances4 ,it might have been different had ,i remained1 but the call of the footlights was too insistent4 ,there is one rule which every athlete must follow to be successful4 ,be clean in mind and body4 ,for a starter1 ,i know of no better advice4 ,i am not much given to preaching1 but if ,i ever took it up as a vocation1 ,i would preach cleanliness first and most4 ,the boy who wishes to get to the front in athletics must adopt a program of mental and bodily cleanliness4 ,perhaps the greatest foe to athletic success1 among young college men is strong drink4 ,personally ,i have never tasted liquor of any sort4 ,it was my mother's influence that was responsible for that1 as ,i promised her when ,i was eight years old that ,i would never drink4 ,i might state1 parenthetically and without violating a confidence1 that my family tree had several decorations consisting of ambitious men who had sought valiantly1 if futilely1 to decrease the visible supply of liquor4 ,i do not wish to take a great amount of credit for my abstention4 ,really1 more credit is due to a person who has fallen under its influence and fought his way out2 but ,i know that the keeping of my promise to my mother has had a powerful effect on my life and my career4 ,illustration ,,chapter ,,xiv ,,things ,,that ,,money ,,won',t ,,buy ,everything depends on something else4 ,there is no such thing as absolute independence1 and those who think differently are simply asleep at the switch4 ,of all things sought for in this world happiness stands first1 and to be sure of this estatic state of being the common mistake is made in selecting the path supposed to lead most directly thereto4 ,wealth--choice ,no4 #a4 ,the common error of the human family4 ,wealth is the great destroyer of happiness1 for it breeds discontent and worry4 ,in the first place comes the worry of accumulating wealth and once possessed of it comes the worry of hanging on to it4 ,it is but a step from worry to discontent4 ,but take away the doubt1 for the sake of argument1 and analyze wealth from the standpoint of possession4 ,now that we have wealth let's go ahead and enjoy it4 ,let us make of our lives an elysian dream4 ,all right1 here goes4 ,but first1 just what is an elysian dream8 ,answer--an elysian dream is most quickly defined by the word naught4 ,it is a figure of speech and only useful in poetic flights--no transfers issued4 ,the iridescent dream is the nearest high-sounding vagary that can be bought for cash and that has a rainbow finish4 ,it soon fades and is lost from view4 ,illustration3 ,alone with the ,grand ,canyon ,so we come quickly back to the proposition that wealth1 while useful to the stomach and the back1 has no purchasing power with the soul4 ,happiness is a soul quality--how to reach it is a quandary4 ,of things earthly we only require a certain amount2 an overplus takes away zest4 ,the sport of the hunt is no more1 when the quarry is tied up by the heels4 ,anticipations are happier far than realizations4 ,when we aspired we looked forward1 and up4 ,when we indulged to the full our eyes fell to the ground4 8,the fun of gettin' money is the gettin' of it1 son40 ,this line is the wind-up of a wild ,western solo one of the boys in camp used to sing with banjo accompaniment4 ,that is all ,i remember of the song4 ,it struck me as funny and also as being gospel truth4 ,after having satiated one's utmost desires1 every luxury seems trivial and vain4 ,anticipation1 which is a species of joy1 no longer dwells in the heart4 ,thereafter we hunger for the unattainable--contentment4 ,very seldom do we change our ways when we have waxed fat and soft--and money won't buy everything4 ,note the 8if0 in old ,aunt ,dinah's ,camp ,meeting ditty3-- 8,if ,heaven was a place that money could buy ,the rich would live and the po'r would die----0 ,and there we are1 blockaded with a measley 8if40 ,there are things that money won't buy--for instance1 a good night's sleep4 ,our 8open sesame0 to the higher level is via the ,self-,denial line4 ,money won't buy a ticket--only the good and faithful servant may pass through the turnstile4 ,illustration ,,chapter ,,xv ,,the ,,boy ,,across ,,the ,,sea ,paraphrasing a well-known song to fit a new emergency one of my good friends1 on learning the title of my new book1 sends the following lines which he hopes may find a place in ,making ,life ,worth ,while4 ,and so they shall1 with many1 many thanks to the contributor4 ,keep the home fires burning1 ,for our boy across the sea1 ,then he'll know1 when he comes home ,things are as he hoped they'd be4 ,loving hearts are yearning1 ,eager eyes grow dim1 ,many are there bowed down in prayer-- ,hoping--longing--calling for him4 ,there is a wonderful pathos in this lyric4 ,al ,jolson1 in a serious moment1 could put enough soul stirring melody in the last line to bring an audience to its feet4 ,and wouldn't 8,rodey0 make a ,billy ,sunday meeting fairly ring with it8 ,there is more than sentiment in the verse quoted--there is duty1 loyalty1 fidelity4 ,our boys have a right to expect that nothing untoward shall be allowed to disturb their dear ones while they are absent1 and that whatever the misfortune to themselves over there1 the welcome home will be whole-hearted and genuine4 ,if ever there was need of cheerful sympathy1 the genuine article1 it should come forth now for distribution among the homes from which husband1 son1 or brother has gone forward in defense of civilization4 ,one need not fear to show an interest1 which is heartfelt1 to any wife1 mother1 father1 or other relatives of an ,american soldier4 ,it is a relief to them to share their hopes and fears with friendly neighbors4 ,they are brave as they never were before4 ,they are fortified by the spirit of the manly fellow who went forth to war through the very gate you lean upon as they tell what they know4 ,one very dear mother1 much too young in appearance to suggest the idea of having sent a son to the front1 told me as she smiled through tears that he had brought down two in a single action1 but unfortunately was forced to land on enemy soil and was made a prisoner4 8,i hope they don't starve him10 said she sweetly1 8nor treat him cruelly4 ,he is so gentle and kindly himself4 ,i believe they will be good to him40 8,of course they will10 said ,i1 joining my hope with her own and wishing with all my might that ,i could really share in her belief4 ,then her wistful look changed into one of confident expectancy4 ,i had added to her store of hopefulness and left her laughing heartily at my prophecy that her boy would probably 8kidnap his guard some night and ride him back to camp40 ,no doubt about her keeping the home fires burning1 nor of the strong heart within her--8hoping1 longing1 calling for him40 ,illustration ,,chapter ,,xvi ,,superior--,,superiority--,,super ,this word super is getting its name in the papers every day in the week4 ,the super-human effort required to keep things moving along toward the final triumph has needed just such expressive terms4 ,it is a last word in inspiration--big1 effective--over and beyond--and it fits the job we're engaged in exactly from super-dreadnaught to super-abundance of will-power1 mainstrength1 and get there4 ,when our boys went over and lined up alongside their war-worn ,allies1 the whole situation changed4 ,the pep and snap they brought along completely banished the waning spirit which1 nevertheless1 still held in check a relentless and overpowering foe4 ,no tonic is there so productive of renewed energy as the entrance of a friend who quietly takes his place by one's side4 ,to merely say that the boys in khaki have won the hearts of their comrades over there is inadequate4 ,they have sealed a compact that is destined to shape the orderly course of the whole world for a century to come4 ,their induction was not of the 8make way for the conquering heroes0 kind4 ,nothing like that--more of the fashion of those who are tardy and quietly take the places reserved for them4 ,once in the ranks1 comradeship was a matter of course4 ,no one could hold out against ,american good nature4 ,no chance that these new soldiers ranging themselves alongside of veterans would resort to grandstand play4 ,there would be no chasing after the medal4 ,if it came1 well and good1 but the job in hand would be the first consideration--and in that respect the men of the ,allied armies and navies are well met4 ,to my way of thinking the every-day athletic sports of the ,english-speaking races make for a gallant hardihood4 ,no braver are they1 but hardier perhaps1 and more agile than their ,latin brother-in-arms because of their all-of-the-year-round season of out-of-door recreation4 ,baseball1 golf1 hockey1 polo1 motor-boating1 rowing1 skiing1 football1 riding to hounds and what not1 even down to the game of marbles1 which1 after all1 is out-of-door exercise for the small boy4 ,take football1 for instance4 ,if medals of honor were given out for daring physical action and bravery that occurs on the 8grid-irons0 of ,america1 ,england1 ,canada and ,australia each year even the ,kaiser's ,iron ,cross factory would be unable to supply the demand4 ,in other words1 out-of-door sports make for alertness of mind and body4 ,in this respect they differ from the labor of the soil which1 while hardening and muscle-making1 is inspiriting from lack of competitive prowess with a goal in sight to work for4 ,it is fine to read about our boys over there4 ,they have taken hold of their end of the big job without splurge or pompous bearing4 ,they have aroused no jealousies1 no heart-burnings through competitive ambitions--they go where sent4 ,their inborn initiative spurs them on to deeds that terminate to victories they least expect4 ,it is not a part of their dispositions to 8grab all0 for honors4 ,they will give rather than take from the credit of their comrades in arms4 ,the old charge of ,american brag will fall of its own weight on the battlefields of ,france4 ,to excel is an ,american trait no less and no more than their brothers in the field of action4 ,one of the blessings that must surely follow in the wake of the great slaughter will be the common understanding that every ,allied soldier did his duty like a man4 ,since writing this chapter1 ,i came across an editorial in the ,new ,york ,evening ,telegram1 which backs up my theory exactly4 ,it reads as follows3 8,american soldiers and sailors have won the hearts of ,england and ,france4 #8,i like their keenness1' said a pain-racked ,british sergeant through his bandages4 #8,it's good to be fresh and alive to every little happening for you and your boys who can plunge into hades for the first time and keep their heads4 ,you may be sure they will go a long way4'0 ,at ,hamel1 where the ,americans went in with the ,australians1 ,lucien and ',arry and ,paul and ,tony and ,pat and ,izzy stood shoulder to shoulder1 one loyally helping the other4 ,the commander-in-chief of the ,anzacs1 ,lieutenant-,general ,sir ,john ,monash1 is a ,jew4 ,hovering over our fighters were an aviator from ,fort ,wayne1 ,ind42 one from ,new ,york and another from ,nogales1 ,ariz4 ,of a surety1 as ,kipling sang3-- 8,for there is neither ,east nor ,west1 ,border nor breed nor birth1 ,when two strong men stand face to face4 ,though they came from the ends of the earth40 ,illustration3 8,in tune with the ,infinite0 ,illustration ,,chapter ,,xvii ,,when ,,the ,,boys ,,come ,,home ,mighty powers are at work in the world today4 ,mighty changes are taking place within the depths of our natures4 ,we are not satisfied with the old order of things that have trailed along with our opulent years4 ,the great holocaust of war has sobered our senses and we find ourselves taking stock of the past with particular reference to the future--the near future we hope4 ,we are thinking of the day when the boys will come back home and we have it in mind to tidy up considerably by the time they begin to arrive4 ,we believe they will approve of our work1 and unless they do we may as well look the situation squarely in the face--they'll do some cleaning up on their own account4 ,they'll finish the job4 ,the order of the day is change4 ,there are old1 worn-out labels that must give place to new ones1 particularly one which has outlived its usefulness1 entitled--the inherent rights of man4 ,it needs revising4 ,its by-laws must be revamped1 recast along modern lines in order that liberty shall not be mistaken for license nor any man claim immunity on the assumption that because this is a free country he may do as he may please4 ,when the boys come home they are going to ask for an accounting4 ,they will want to take more than just a peep at our stewardship4 ,where are the loafers hanging out8 ,they'll ask us that4 ,and they'll ask about the dives and dens and thief-making sports that boldly flaunted themselves in the days before the great change4 ,a lot of the boys won't come home4 ,they'll be asleep1 over there1 but the big majority will return and they will be men of brawn--resolute and brave4 ,they will begin at once to ask questions that will make some of us wince1 and they are going to insist upon truthful answers4 8,what about the profiteers80 ,they're going to insist on knowing all about these fellows4 ,they will seek them out and compel them to disgorge their ill-gotten gains--profits taken from the families of these men who crossed the seas to rid the world of just such a piratical crew4 ,and what about booze--have we given that traffic the final punch8 ,if it wasn't good for soldiers to fight on how could it be useful in civil life8 ,these are questions we've got to answer when the boys come home and it looks as though we were going to be able to give a good account of ourselves--thanks to the government4 ,things are changing--many things have already changed4 ,the big crucial tests upon our national conscience are coming to a head4 ,our government is far-seeing and alert4 ,abuses still exist1 but the eyes of able men are upon them4 ,a government that is capable of sending millions of men under prime conditions to foreign lands in behalf of our most precious rights need not be expected to fall down on the task of cleaning things up at home while they are away4 ,the whole world is to be made safe and clean1 including the ,u4 ,s4 ,a4 ,illustration ,,chapter ,,xviii ,,regeneration ,when the great war broke upon an unsuspecting brotherhood of fellow humans1 we were1 as a nation1 from prosperity and self-indulgence1 perilously near the brink of disaster4 ,it is only in the light of events and a backward glance toward the precipice which had yawned for us that we may now indulge in a certain sort of solemn consolation4 ,at least1 we have been saved from a worse fate1 one that has bells on its toes--our national intellect was on the wane2 likewise our national conscience4 ,but we were not alone--all nations were afflicted1 ours no more than the rest1 but we were the younger and more opulent4 ,regeneration or degeneracy8 ,that was the uppermost question in the public mind when the king of ,berlin turned loose his hosts of degeneracy1 thereby bringing back to its sober senses the brain power of civilized mankind4 ,and with it came the brawn4 ,now when brain and brawn hook up together the danger of getting stuck in the mire is well nigh impossible4 ,men who had gone sordid while amassing great fortunes and looked on passively while their families cut the swath to which wealth and position seemed to entitle them1 jumped to their feet with a new light in their eyes1 while men just entering upon the threshold of success stood in awe of consequences beyond their control4 ,but the main thing to happen was that the world turned its face toward the great intruder and1 thereby1 its heels toward the fatal abyss into which millions would have fallen from sheer crowding from behind4 ,we had been following the modern tendency and had gone the limit in quest of that will-o'-the-wisp called pleasure--which we never quite found4 ,we nearly did1 or thought we surely would1 but in our hot pursuit we heard the blast of a war trumpet and we stopped in our tracks6 ,the weakest link in the chain of self-gratification had broken--the ,war ,lord and his hosts had gone stark mad6 ,now was the time for the cohorts of insanity to wreak vengeance upon the joy-seeking1 peace-loving people of the world4 ,we who were on the brink of another kind of pitfall--too much opulence--paused in awe and horror to gaze upon the oncoming hords4 ,and right here began the regeneration of mankind4 ,no one1 taking the larger view of the world's greatest catastrophe since the flood1 will hesitate to believe that1 even unto its most horrible detail1 it represents the working out of some great plan4 ,the world was far better off after the flood1 for when the waters receded it was found that the valleys had been enriched by the washings from the mountain-sides and the hills4 ,a new virginity had entered into the soil1 the future value of which1 to mankind1 being wholly beyond computation4 ,and so in the final reckoning this tremendous letting of blood will have long since shed light upon its true significance4 ,to-day we estimate it upon the basis of its horrors1 its seeming uselessness1 the blight of its trail across our own dooryards4 ,but we've all heard of the fungus growth which blights the progress of plants and trees2 and parasites which destroy the grains of the field1 bringing famine upon the population4 ,in the present case the tentacles of the great ,octopus of ,degeneracy took such strangling hold upon the body politic that half a world seems doomed to die that the other half may live in aid of the great plan of the universe4 ,in the meantime1 no life is worth while that takes no part in the titanic struggle1 which must go on and on until1 in the words of our leader1 8the world is made safe for democracy40 ,a ,series of ,six ,inspirational ,books ,,by ,,douglas ,,fairbanks --containing especially chosen chapters from his famous book 8,laugh and ,live40 ,each booklet contains #cb pages1 printed on paper of extra fine quality2 also a special picture of the author never before produced4 ,,list ,,of ,,titles #a4 ,whistle and ,hoe--,sing as ,we ,go #b4 ,taking ,stock of ,ourselves #c4 ,initiation and ,self-,reliance #d4 ,assuming ,responsibilities #e4 ,profiting by ,experience #f4 ,wedlock in ,time ,boards1 ,illuminated 7boxed7 #j4ej net ,leather 7boxed7 #a4jj net ,,britton ,,publishing ,,co4 ,,new ,,york ,transcriber's ,notes ,punctuation1 hyphenation1 and spelling were made consistent when a predominant preference was found in this book2 otherwise they were not changed4 ,simple typographical errors were corrected2 occasional unbalanced quotation marks retained4 ,ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained4 ,redundant chapter titles have been deleted from this e,book4 ,the first uncaptioned illustration represents the cover2 the other uncaptioned illustrations are semi-decorative line drawings of the author4