What Men Live By

What Men Live By A Philosophy of Life hy Dr. Richard Cabot* Reviewed by ELSIE TALMAGE BRANDLEY THE basis of this most ex- cellent and stimulating vol- ume is the theory that life, in order to be complete, and to be lived abundantly, must combine four phases — Work, Play, Love and Worship; and these are inter- dependent upon one another, no one of them being enough by itself. Work, beside being work, must have in it elements of play, love and worship. Play must con- nect with the other three, and so on. Work \70RK, according to Dr. Cabot, ** to many is mere drudgery, made worse because if it ceased, life would be more miserable than if it goes on. Work makes up a large part of many lives, with other elements sprinkled in. While it sometimes seems to be a galling yoke, to which we submit blindly or angrily, and with revolt in our souls, one rarely finds work so overwhelming that it crushes out play and humor and fellowship. We work because we want the results it brings; if we force our- selves along without any desire for attaining a goal, it is drudgery in- deed. 'Learning to work is training imaginations to feel the stimulus of distant futures, as large cities get heat, light and power from distant mountain streams. Work is always justified by faith. There is a queer pleasure to work — a grim exhilaration in taking up a heavy load and feeling our strength adequate to it. Work dis- pels discouragement because it turns consciousness away from disheart- ening littleness, and lights up the world of possible achievement. Any work which leaves part of us unused must either be changed or supplemented by other activity. Terms like "physical culture" and "mental training" should be abol- ished, for they are concerned with mind and body, which is morbid, for all tasks should make us forget mind and body in a higher union than both. The typical laborer of the pres- ent day is soaked with the spirit of his work, and respect for the materials with which he works. He is essentially industrious, and his mind is absorbed with the work in hand. Stoicism js his protest against sentimentality; he fears the flames of love, worship and faith, and has no sympathy for talkers, believing that idealism talks about things it never ac- complishes. He loves a fight with the elements — with knots in tim- ber, frost which spoils crops, aridity of soils, earthquakes, fires and other such obstacles. They kindle his fighting spirit and spur his imagination to inventiveness and valor. He does not recognize the fact that just as great opportu- nity for combat is offered by stupidity, the franchise, illiteracy, etc. Radiations of Work 'T'HERE are two parts to effort -*- — that which one knowingly and consciously does, and that The first of a series of reviews and articles to be studied by Community Activity Committees as their reading course assignment. A Nineteenth Century Solomon 1. HE following story is told of the late Paul Kruger, former presi- dent of the South African Republic: A wealthy father left a large landed estate which was to be divided equally between his two sons. Un- able to agree on the line of division, they appealed to President Kruger. He listened to their problem, then asked: "Will you abide by my de-. cision?" The brothers agreed. "Well, then, the older brother will divide the property, and the younger brother will have his first choice." which radiates from the subcon- scious. Character talks when we are silent. The good doctor wins confidence, not by words, but by his unconscious presence; his methods. Rewards of Work BAYMENT for work is deter- ■■ mined by what some other person would do the same work for. The man himself cannot be paid, for he does much that nobody notices, but there is a spiritual value in being paid in cash, for it gives assurance of usefulness to someone. If a man is paid only in money, however, the benefit is partially lost; there should be something as well which gives courage and self- respect. Gratitude, given or re- ceived, is one of such things. There is no nobler art than expressing thanks sincerely. Artists are not satisfied with the plaudits of a great crowd, or their money. They need the heartfelt appreciation of a few friends. A sense of some- one's need is a most powerful mo- tivation force. Success, one of the rewards of work, is never the end. It is of value only when we regard it sym- bolically, as a means to something finer and further away. Play C^\UR ancestors regarded play as ^ a necessary nuisance, but today it is taken seriously. Recreation is considered something almost re- ligious. Is it possible to be both serious and playful? Yes, for seri- ousness alone is dull, and should be mixed with lightness of heart. Seriousness of purpose should be the background for everything, but in the foreground it quenches ani- mation, vivacity and effort. Many excellent backgrounds are disas- trous as foregrounds. We often insult children by imploring them to step up to the serious level of adults; rather we should realize that adults stepped down when thev gave up playfulness. The

The Improvement Era For November, 1929 53 present business of the educacors of the world is to divorce morality from dullness. It should never be bleak and solemn, and only a great interest in play can effect the need- ful separation. Recreation and Other Arts "VTANY thinkers are putting play "■ A where it belongs — the center of the garden, and not the weed- bed outlying. To understand God and enjoy him, we must under- stand the forces of nature he created, and enjoy the world he gave us. Some rare persons there are who touch work with magic which turns it to sparkling play. These radiant souls turn grey to gold. In work and love and worship we seek for goals; in play and art, we find immediate fruition. The Aim of Play "DLAY brings its own rewards, ■■ and need not be regarded as a means to health and morality, though these result naturally. Cows are means to leather boots and gumdrops, but these are not the sole reasons for the cow's exist- ence. Violin playing strengthens finer ends, but that wholesome re- sult is not as great as the joy given in the process. Play must take its place among other arts, and not be degraded into a medical instru- ment. Some of the major arts in America are drama, baseball and dancing, and they are genuine arts, to be placed with the others — lit- erature, music, painting and sculp- ture. The minor arts are humor and good humor — a form of good manners. Charm and beauty should run like a gold thread through the life-fabric. To sing at work, to do everything with swing and rhythm, preserves one's soul from drought. Pageantry and folk dancing are beginning of the introduction of fine arts and minor arts to each other. They have form, technique and beauty, and yet are done in a playful spirit by people unused in the fine arts. The Art of Seeing Beauty "DECAUSE we cannot preserve, ■- as children do, the virgin fresh- ness of the oft-repeated, we need to cultivate the art of seeing tran- sient beauties so vividly that they will remain with us. Possession decreases value; only the thing for which one is striving is truly worthwhile. Precious jewels are not really precious, be- cause they can be enjoyed by so few. There are jewels, however, which should be regarded as precious — the jewels of daily life. Daily jewels are violin notes, cool water on a hot face, thrush notes at dawn, swift laughter, lights in eyes or on the street, waves break- ing into white foam — all these set in motion trains of thought and action which we ourselves cannot ignite. A jewel-like moment can An Organ of Organizations W HAT does this mean? It means that an organization has a publication through which it will receive official messages to guide in the conducting of its affairs. And through which not only instruc- tions, council and advice will be re- ceived, but also encouragement and appreciation. The Improvement Era is to be looked to for guidance and encour- agement as an organ of the Priest- hood, the Young Men's and the Young Ladies' Mutual Improve- ment Associations, independent of education, as a source of informa- tion. The Era will be as a bugle that gives no "uncertain sound," and its columns will be a means of keeping the four fields of activity in a constant state of preparedness. — ■ Geo. H. Brimhall. sustain long hours of dullness; a shining moment centers the (mean- ing of a whole month, as a single cadence dominates the development of a symphony. These moments are powerful, for they live, in their own afterglow. Impersonation '"THERE is mystical significance •*■ in playing a game. Think of the thrill of being "it". Uniform and insignia are unnecessary, for imagination supplies them. Im- personation in art and play is bound up with symbolism, for symbolism is.,to put new personal- ity into an object, while imper- sonation is putting new personality into a person. We assume new characters in every phase of work, love and morality. In medicine, for in- stance, a man assumes the role of a solemn physician, realizing the while that underneath the disguise he is still a scatter-brained boy, and something of a humbug. If we are dull and credulous we may in time come to believe that we fill our parts well, but if any sense of humor is left, we recognize the fun in our attempts to be what a pro- fessional title proclaims us to be. In love it is the same. Every man suffers from stage fright when set to impersonate a head of a household. The spirit of jplay comes in to aid the spirit of work and morality. The abilitv to im- personate in our own minds every type of scoundrel or simpleton, priest or politician, brings us to the heights of sympathetic intelli- gence. Impersonation is an art needed to prepare and discipline stubborn individuality for the love and knowledge of all created things. From the earliest years, imper- sonation is a game we play with children. "Be a good girl, and don't cry." "Behave like a man." "Act like a little gentleman." With such solemn admonitions we bid them assume virtues whether they have them or not. Impersonation does not enter every phase of life. At our worst, we sink below it; at best, we rise above it. By-products of Play 'T'HERE is danger of obscuring the central value of play by over emphasizing minor issues. Health, grace, and victory are part of play, but should, not become abnormally prominent. Games develop the art of taking victory and defeat symbolically. Great values attach to symbols, for they enable us. to say what would otherwise be too great for us to ex- press. The essence of good sports- manship— obedience to rules, abil- ity to be a modest winner and a cheerful loser — is also the essence of self-government, good service, and spiritual growth. Love OVE has many allies. Ele- mental nature is one; sharing fatigue, disappointment, surprise, hunger, joy and good appetite, gives common interest. In hos- pitals, those who face terror, disease and death are knit into comrade- ship, ,like soldiers in a campaign. Playfulness, patriotism, loyalty to truth and honor, forge chains of love between those who share them.

54 The Improvement Era For November, 1929 Love cannot be measured, for it is an infinite current flowing out to others. Perfect response in any human relationship is almost unat- tainable. To me there is more or else less meaning than you put into your joke. I go as far as I can with you, and then faith shoots me the rest of the way. God knows what your joke meant to you; he knows what it meant to me: In him we meet, and in this con- sciousness we sympathize. We laugh, partly at the joke, and partly at the good nature and fel- lowship which pardons mistakes and is determined to make us con- genial at all costs. Laughter is intelligent contagion. There are double meanings in everybody's remarks — we must pick out the meanings that are best. In the personality of those we love, we must learn to detect their high- est possibilities; and without good nature there can never be mutual understanding. Worship \7E are all pitifully unexpressed, W differing only in the means we have for setting free flood of power within us which pushes ever for freedom: The craving to sing is but a partial and imperfect image of the craving to pray, which is present in every person, whether it be admitted or not. What song is to speech, prayer is to song. It is the supremely personal and direct utterance for which all creation longs. Worship is a permanent and necessary privilege of the human spirit. It renews the soul as sleep does the body. Worship is the capacity for wonder, the element which gives the spiritual refreshment necessary to the perpetuation of youth. Like beauty, it is a gate through which we pass toward action or prayer. The power to marvel at beautiful things gives the disenthrallment which makes worship possible; but it must not stupefy. The inspira- tion which worship gives is a cool silver shock which sends us bound- ing toward some definite and worthy task. An average man never feels so small as , when people call him great. This mingling of abase- ment and exaltation gives a new heaven and new earth. Prayer is the greatest expression of sincerity, and it clarifies thought. To pray for specific blessings is unsound, unless these are for the good of all. Every prayer should be, "If possible, give me victory; in any case give me right." All Together HTHESE four phases of life, while •*■ keeping separate individualities, should have unity. To live is to understand the whole world, and in work, play, love and worship we find ways of becoming akin. Work, love and play make, a strong team; they brace and reinforce each other. Yet they leave us rudderless and unsatisfied without worship. Each food by which the spirit lives makes us hungry for the rest. With them we live abundantly; without them, we shrivel and die. A World Traveler's Opinion of the "Mormons" DURING the past summer an eminent German writer and traveler, Dr. Otto Kruger, visited various parts of Utah and ex- pressed his delight in the follow- ing words: "I am thrilled by the beauty of Salt Lake City. Your wide streets and fountains are most attractive and something I have not seen elsewhere." Dr. Kruger had flown from Danzig, in Germany, to Marseilles, France, via Berlin and Paris. From this point he had traveled by rail and water, visiting Port Said, at the mouth of the Suez Canal, Jeru- salem, Bombay, Singapore, differ- ent parts of China and Japan, and then across the Pacific to Seattle. In Seattle the noted doctor had an experience similar to that given "Mormon" missionaries in times past by his own country. He was put "behind the bars" for sixty hours while immigration officials ascertained the validity of his pass- port. He took the delay good- naturedly and said he was well treated and actually enjoyed his first experience of being "inside looking out." Dr. Kruger concluded his in- terview with this statement: "I am glad to find a people here who teach that it is not good for the body to drink alcohol, coffee, and stimulants, to use tobacco in any form, or to eat much meat. I should like to see the day come when the world will accept this doctrine." On at least one previous occa- sion Dr. Kruger was in Salt Lake, and visited other surrounding points of interest. He reported this visit in a talk made over the radio in Stuttgart, Germany, on July 24, 1927, the eightieth anniver- sary of the arrival of the pioneers in the valley. A conference was being held in Stuttgart at the time, and the missionaries, seeing his lecture on "Utah and the Mor- mons" advertised, installed a loud speaker in their hall. They had tried vainly to see the doctor, with the view of learning whether his talk would be favorable or other- wise. By diligent effort they se- cured a large attendance, feeling that if an unfavorable report was made, they at least would have the last word. However, there was no need of refutation. The speaker told of the miracle which had been wrought in this land through the industry of the people and the blessings of heaven. He was im- pressed by the spirit of peace and contentment which hovered over the community. After visiting the Temple Block and listening to the tabernacle or- gan, with which he was deeply impressed, he made an effort to gain access to the temple. Ad- mittance of course was denied him. "I had visited shrines and holy places the world over," he said, "and could not believe there was one on earth so sacred that a good- sized tip would not open its doors for me. But I was to learn some- thing. In Utah things are differ- ent. I soon found that money has no effect upon the guardians of that building." The attentive missionaries wished that all Germany, indeed the whole world, could have heard Dr. Kruger's talk, and especially its conclusion, when he said some- thing like this: "People may call Joseph Smith an impostor and his successors clever deceivers. They may say the Book of Mormon is a fraud. But such statements do not explain to my satisfaction the miracle of Mormonism."