in mind and heart.
In the normal ways of an uneventful life, people do not often have a chance to find out how much pain they can endure, or how long they can wait. Here they can take their own measure, and discover their strengths. Many a man, in peace-time, has wondered how stalwart he might be on a battlefield, facing danger, risking agonies. Circumstances may provide him a chance to learn, in the hospital, whether he has what it takes to be a good soldier. We do not conduct these examinations. The patient examines himself, and marks his own grade. Ever afterward he will be pleased and proud if he passes with credit. No matter what may happen to him, in the future, he will always know exactly how much disappointment, anxiety, inconvenience, and pain he can stand. It’s worth something to a man to find that out. So if you have been informed that the doctor is taking out your stitches tomorrow, you can do yourself a good turn, that will last you all your life, if you face up to this in the morning without flinching. You have always wondered, when you saw others in trouble, whether you could take it. Now you know. It’s a very gratifying thing: almost everybody finds out that he is braver than he thought he was. It’s worth going through a lot of perplexity and pain, just to be assured on that matter.
Sometimes people who hadn’t succeeded in making anything very important of themselves, either inside or outside of themselves, have discovered, during the enforced leisure of a convalescence, certain neglected gifts which they have thereafter exercised to their immeasurable satisfaction.
In many instances, this self-discovery has resulted in such a marked expansion of interest and success in afterlife, that the beneficiary has wondered whether Destiny had not shunted him off his course in order to let him take stock of his resources.
We suggest, therefore, that you give a little thought to this subject while you are with us. Was it an accident? Was it a misfortune? Was it a mishap that brought you here? Think this over. We think about it a great deal.
Young Watson’s case vividly recalled my own first acquaintance with Detroit. It was in mid-August. We had threshed the wheat, the day before, and my father and my uncle were starting, that morning, on a few days’ fishing trip. I had strongly hinted that I should like to go along, but there seemed no room for me.
Bamum and Bailey’s big show was to be in Detroit that day. I knew better than to ask if I might go. I had saved something like six dollars, which would be ample to cover expenses; but I knew I should be reproached if I squandered my money in this manner. But, having been left out of the fishing excursion, after a hard summer’s work, I felt that I was badly treated and would be quite justified if I helped myself to a day’s outing.
Father and Uncle Jim were to start at five. I quietly sneaked out of the house at four, walked three miles to the little station at Wimple, and waited for the milk-train to come along. Arriving in Detroit at noon, I took a streetcar to the circus grounds where I spent one of the most exciting days of my life. I saw it all; the menagerie, the demobilization of the garish parade, the circus and spectacular pageant ‘The Burning of Rome’. I also patronized several units of the side-show. It was six-thirty before I left the grounds and boarded a crowded streetcar for the business district. My train did not leave until nine-thirty.
After a long ride, we were clanging through brighter lights and heavier traffic, so I got off and sauntered along the edges of the crowd on the broad pavement, staring into the shop-windows. Besides my return ticket, I had a little money left, and decided to look for a cheap restaurant. There didn’t seem to be one on this street, so I turned the corner and walked a couple of blocks, looking for an eating-place that might fit my resources.
Presently I came to a café that had a very imposing
In the normal ways of an uneventful life, people do not often have a chance to find out how much pain they can endure, or how long they can wait. Here they can take their own measure, and discover their strengths. Many a man, in peace-time, has wondered how stalwart he might be on a battlefield, facing danger, risking agonies. Circumstances may provide him a chance to learn, in the hospital, whether he has what it takes to be a good soldier. We do not conduct these examinations. The patient examines himself, and marks his own grade. Ever afterward he will be pleased and proud if he passes with credit. No matter what may happen to him, in the future, he will always know exactly how much disappointment, anxiety, inconvenience, and pain he can stand. It’s worth something to a man to find that out. So if you have been informed that the doctor is taking out your stitches tomorrow, you can do yourself a good turn, that will last you all your life, if you face up to this in the morning without flinching. You have always wondered, when you saw others in trouble, whether you could take it. Now you know. It’s a very gratifying thing: almost everybody finds out that he is braver than he thought he was. It’s worth going through a lot of perplexity and pain, just to be assured on that matter.
Sometimes people who hadn’t succeeded in making anything very important of themselves, either inside or outside of themselves, have discovered, during the enforced leisure of a convalescence, certain neglected gifts which they have thereafter exercised to their immeasurable satisfaction.
In many instances, this self-discovery has resulted in such a marked expansion of interest and success in afterlife, that the beneficiary has wondered whether Destiny had not shunted him off his course in order to let him take stock of his resources.
We suggest, therefore, that you give a little thought to this subject while you are with us. Was it an accident? Was it a misfortune? Was it a mishap that brought you here? Think this over. We think about it a great deal.
Young Watson’s case vividly recalled my own first acquaintance with Detroit. It was in mid-August. We had threshed the wheat, the day before, and my father and my uncle were starting, that morning, on a few days’ fishing trip. I had strongly hinted that I should like to go along, but there seemed no room for me.
Bamum and Bailey’s big show was to be in Detroit that day. I knew better than to ask if I might go. I had saved something like six dollars, which would be ample to cover expenses; but I knew I should be reproached if I squandered my money in this manner. But, having been left out of the fishing excursion, after a hard summer’s work, I felt that I was badly treated and would be quite justified if I helped myself to a day’s outing.
Father and Uncle Jim were to start at five. I quietly sneaked out of the house at four, walked three miles to the little station at Wimple, and waited for the milk-train to come along. Arriving in Detroit at noon, I took a streetcar to the circus grounds where I spent one of the most exciting days of my life. I saw it all; the menagerie, the demobilization of the garish parade, the circus and spectacular pageant ‘The Burning of Rome’. I also patronized several units of the side-show. It was six-thirty before I left the grounds and boarded a crowded streetcar for the business district. My train did not leave until nine-thirty.
After a long ride, we were clanging through brighter lights and heavier traffic, so I got off and sauntered along the edges of the crowd on the broad pavement, staring into the shop-windows. Besides my return ticket, I had a little money left, and decided to look for a cheap restaurant. There didn’t seem to be one on this street, so I turned the corner and walked a couple of blocks, looking for an eating-place that might fit my resources.
Presently I came to a café that had a very imposing
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