CONSERVATION OF HUMAN ENERGY. 401 



must meet his full share. Indeed, to escape all such vexations would 

 by no means tend to elevate the soul or ennoble the mind, but rather 

 evolve an insipid character, bereft of the essential attributes which 

 make for that perfect quality of spirit, the possession of which can 

 alone impart a desirable beauty to the countenance. " Fortitude, 

 steadfastness and the makings of character come not of rainbow 

 dawns and quiet evenings and the facile attainments of small desires ; " 

 and the defences against ugliness which wealth and position are sup- 

 posed to afford (by those who have them not) are at best disappointing. 

 A little with contentment is admittedly the ground of great gain. 

 Again, labors and the meeting of difficulties hurt neither body nor 

 spirit unless they so affect both that the habit of worry inculcates a 

 mental bias toward peevishness or despair. Nothing mars the human 

 image of God so swiftly and inevitably as fretfulness and complainings. 

 So true is this, as an item of common knowledge, that the countenances 

 of chronic invalids and real sufferers are known often to be, and remain 

 through long painful years, beautiful and satisfying. Again it fre- 

 quently happens that persons thus successful in enjoying for them- 

 selves, and presenting to their friends, a fund of pleasure and satis- 

 faction, did not originally possess the key to this boon, but acquired 

 their charm by wisely schooling their minds until the blessing came. 

 Much more could be said to demonstrate that features, mental or 

 physical, which one may greatly desire can often be gained in spite 

 of original shortcomings and the buffets of fate. So much then for 

 the higher possibilities which lie open to those who earnestly desire 

 to do, or be, or get something better than their circumstances seem to 

 warrant. 



In securing economy of the vital forces, admittedly so desirable, 

 the chief factor is to conserve the ebb and flow of innervation. Tins 

 is the key to the situation. The cellular waste may be estimated as 

 direct and indirect. The direct waste is simpler and less hurtful, as 

 the needless energy expended by the muscles of an arm exerted to 

 raise a weight in such a fashion that twice the power is put forth 

 required to perform a task. Indirect extravagance of energy is a far 

 too common habit (for habit it becomes whatever the original impulse) 

 by which tension is maintained in more muscles than are concerned in 

 the performance of an act, whereby a prodigality of nervous force is 

 expended. Again between the performance of all muscular acts, there 

 should be periods of complete relaxation of tension, by which alone 

 prompt repair is secured. Back of and controlling all this is the 

 emotional balance whereby the nervous energy is made to act to an 

 undue prolongation, or to a squandering of the cellular consumption. 

 Thus it is that two persons, or the same person on different occasions, 

 set forth to do a bit of work requiring precisely the same effort. One 



vol. lxv. — 26. 



