506 GENERAL SCIENCE 



little excuse for saying, " I was in such a hurry." Such a phrase 

 often tells us that people are not doing things thoughtfully, con- 

 scientiously, earnestly, and in a well-systematized way. To hurry 

 means to waste energy, physical and mental. This characteristic 

 hurry is responsible for most of our accidents. Thought is the corner- 

 stone of conservation and efficiency. Use thought. Eliminate hurry, 

 worry, carelessness and injury. 



FIG. 388. " Oh! Look, look, quick! " What do you think might happen to a 

 driver who is in the habit of looking in directions other than the direction 

 in which the automobile is traveling? What should he do before he fol- 

 lows the direction of the other fellow's finger? The fellow who sits beside 

 the driver is careless, thoughtless and indifferent to his welfare as well as that 

 of other people. Thousands of terrible accidents are caused every year 

 through this kind of carelessness. 



Do things well. 



Accidents do Not Happen; They are Caused. What we are 

 in the habit of calling " accidents " can not occur except through 

 lack of thought; the child intent on its play, the adult intent on 

 other matters, is the victim of an " accident." People who give no 

 thought to the danger permit the child to play with a bonfire or 

 matches; permit the child to make the highway a playground, not- 

 withstanding the fact that there are vacant lots, yards, and, in 

 many municipalities, regularly maintained children's playgrounds. 

 The automobile operator, the horse driver, the motorman and the 



