CLEANLINESS OF BODY AND MIND
If we interview many of life's failures we will find that the
overwhelming majority went down because of their neglect to get out of
an environment that was not stimulating and because their ambitions had
grown rusty and inefficient to cope with depressing circumstances. The
prisons and other institutions are filled with people who did not make
any attempt to get away from the vicious surroundings in which they
lived. They were like tadpoles that had never grown to frogs ... they
just kept swimming around in their muddy puddles and, not having grown
legs with which they could leap out onto the banks and away to other
climes, they continued to swim in monotonous circles until they died. In
other words, the failure is a man who dwells in muddy atmosphere all his
days, who is content to remain a tadpole and who never attempts to take
advantage of any opportunity. He becomes unclean, so to speak. And that
is what we mean by this chapter heading "_Cleanliness of Body and
Mind_." It was not intended to point out the proper way to keep our
faces and hands clean, or as a sermon, but rather to show ourselves that
_the clean body begets the clean mind_, the two together constituting
compelling tendencies toward _the clean spirit_. A move in the direction
of these takes us out of the rut of life.
No matter what cause we dig up with which to explain our success in life
we cannot neglect this most important one--_the careful selection of our
acquaintances_. And this doesn't mean that one must be a snob. Far from
it. It only means that the successful man, the man who wishes to rise in
life, should not spend his days in the company of _illiterate
companions_ who do not possess _ambition of heart or the will to do the
work of the world_. It means that life is too short to hang around the
loafing places with the driftwood of humanity listening to their stories
of failure and drinking in with liquor some of their bitterness against
those who have toiled and won the fruits of their toil. It means that we
will not go out of our way to seek the friendship of men and women who
are simply endeavoring to gain happiness in life without paying for it.
It means that we will do all in our power to win friends who _aspire
nobly_ and by so doing inspire those with whom they come in contact.
Such men are naturally clean of mind and body.
We must remember always to live in a world of clear thought that will
_stimulate our ambitions_. Dwelling in the dark corners of life and
traveling with the débris of humanity will not arouse us to action and
give us that swinging vigor of heart and mind so necessary to the
accomplishment of great things. While we will ever lend the helping hand
to those who need it we will naturally associate with those who have vim
and courage. We will not be _dragged down by our associates_. Until we
meet the right kind we will hold aloof, and we will not be morose and
gloomy because it happens that at this moment our acquaintanceship does
not include these successes. When we have succeeded in doing something
big they will come to us and _if we think big things we are likely to do
them_. It is all a matter of the will to do.
"Nothing succeeds like success," said some very wise man and if there
ever was a phrase that rang with truth this does. It means that the
_thought of success_, the courage that _comes with success_, leads to
_more and more success_. It means that the thinker of these thoughts is
living in a clean, wholesome atmosphere along with those who are
determined and in earnest. It means that they have caught the fervor of
true life ... a healthy, contagious fervor which permeates the blood
swiftly once it gets a hold, and like electricity it vivifies and stirs
the spirit with renewed energy _day after day, year after year_. Once it
wins us it will stick with us. The success of those about us will shake
our lethargic limbs and stimulate us to a desire to do as they do. We
will be in a world of clean thought and action and our lives will mirror
their lives, our thoughts will be filled with wholesome things and with
good health. We will win in spite of all obstacles.
Cleanliness is _the morale of the body and the mind_. The man who is
careful of his linen and who does not neglect his morning plunge is not
apt to be gloomy and morose. We notice him in the car or on the street
in the morning. He comes striding along, fresh and full of _the zest of
living_. His mind is clear and unclouded. His eyes are full of that
vigorous light of conscientious desire to win and do so honestly. He has
none of the hypocritical elements in his nature strong enough to rule
him. There may be and probably are many weaknesses in his character. His
very strength consists in his ability to _crush them and make them his
slaves_.
The man who has taken his morning plunge and dressed himself agreeable
to comfort and grace, has his battles of the day won in advance. He
knows the value of keeping himself in trim. He does it for the sake of
_his own_ feelings. Our approval of his appearance goes without saying.
If a man thinks well of himself in matters of appearance his general
deportment is likely to coincide. Such men never overdo. They are at
ease with themselves and thus impart ease to others who come in contact
with them. They have, in other words, a distinction of their own and
_their distinction is their power_. They know that the highest moral law
of nature is that of cleanliness, that filthiness should not be allowed
to dominate any man's ethics or physical condition. They rule such
things out of their lives.
A vast magnetic force comes out of those friends of ours who are _doing
things_ and making the world _sit up and take notice_. The mere fact
that we live near to them, know them and associate with them is
proof-positive that we, too, shall go through life with clean minds and
bodies. They would not tolerate us if we were to slip into shoddy ways.
Nothing is revealed quicker to our intimates than _the losing of
ambition_ ... the slipping into careless habits. We cannot conceal it
from them. We fool only those who brush by. The loss of this
self-respect has a terrible effect upon the system and every tendency
toward success is thereby stunted and weakened. _We have fallen into
unclean ways!_ It will not be long before we sink to the bottom or else
remain among the vast crowd who have neither the courage to fall nor the
courage to rise.
Nothing produces failure quicker than filthiness of mind and body. Those
who are successful keep away from the very thought of such a condition.
They live as much as possible _in the open_. They take morning and
evening exercises. They read good books, attend good plays and are
continually in touch with the finer developments of thought and art in
the world. Their faces are open and full of sunlight. They are
determined that life will not beat them in a game that only requires
sureness of aim and the ability to take advantage of the thousand and
one opportunities that surround them on every side.
Cleanliness stands _paramount_ in its importance to _success_. Perhaps
no other one thing has so vital a hold upon the individual who succeeds.
The general of an army first looks to the _morale_ of his troops. He
knows that with clean minds and bodies his soldiers are capable of doing
big things. The battleship, that efficient and highly-developed
instrument of war, is so immaculate that one could eat his meals on its
very decks. Its officers are wholesome, athletic fellows; its crew
consists of hardy men who live sanely and vigorously and who have plenty
to occupy their minds. And if cleanliness is fundamental in their case
why not in our own?
When we come to analyze ourselves we find that we are like a great
institution of some kind. Here is the brain, the heart, the lungs, the
stomach, the nerves and the muscles. Each department acts separately and
yet is connected absolutely with all the others. The entire system is
under one supreme department ... _the mind_. Now if this ruling
department is kept clean and full, of kindly, beautiful thoughts does it
not seem natural that the rest will follow its lead being so completely
in its power? We realize this and the mere realization is something done
towards the accomplishment of an ideal life in a world of cleanliness
and beauty.
System is one of the finest tools in existence with which to build one's
life into something worth while. The _body_ must be run on a system as
well as the _mind_. The stomach must not be overloaded with unnecessary
food. The lungs must not be filled with impure air. The nerves must not
be worn threadbare in riotous and ridiculous living. The muscles must be
kept in trim with consistent exercise of the proper sort. We must
recognize the wants, the needs of the physical system and see that they
are supplied.
Roosevelt, perhaps more than any other living man today, has given
vitality to the supreme necessity of _cleanliness of mind and body_. He
has, by reason of his great prominence, been able to emphasize these two
vital essentials. He called a spade a spade and his message went far.
From those who knew the value of his words came nods of
approval--_others took heed_. From boyhood he has systematized his life,
taking the exercise needed, filling his mind with the learning of the
world, winning when others would have failed, profiting by experience
allotted to him through fate's kindly offices and association with the
_healthy, true men_. What has been the result? He has risen to the very
pinnacle of human endeavor ... _no honors await him_. He has lived
consistently and cleanly and he can look any man in the eye and say
honestly: "_I have lived as I have believed._"
It is not necessary to become President in order to live sanely, to gain
from circumstances the fruits that are ours for the asking and which
have fallen into Roosevelt's hands with such profusion. We cannot all
become Presidents but we can all _emulate a shining example of mental
and bodily morale_.
Just as we plunge into the cold water in the early morning so should we
regularly during the day plunge into the society of those whose splendid
enthusiasm is helping to make the world a better place to live in. They
are the kind who go into the struggle with heads high and with clean
hearts. Their eyes see beyond the daily toil of life. They are in touch
with the big things and it is up to us to keep step with them. They want
us and they will give us the "glad hand." All they want to know is
whether our courage is equal to our ambitions and whether our _house of
life is kept in good order_. And so we journey along together in all
good nature, not forgetting to laugh as we live.