We are all careful to safe guard our money and our other valuables. We are also careful to safe guard our lives, and it is probably on this account we lock the doors of our houses at night to protect ourselves and our valuables, on account of the fear we have that someone will take our valuables or threaten our lives. As an experiment the following is worth a trial: -

Instead of putting your watch or other valuables under lock or key, or under the head of the bed, as is so commonly done leave them exposed or hanging up in the room. In doing this, hope and believe that no individual will become possessed of such an evil idea as to think of stealing from you. In the morning you will awaken to find everything just as you left it. One's fears are oftentimes groundless, yet we find it hard to get rid of, or to free ourselves entirely from, fear. We are so afraid of our fears, which are but vain imaginations.

This simple exercise of faith inspires one with confidence and faith. Faith dissipates fear. Fear or nervousness is unknown among Japanese women. They know nothing of indigestion. They have perfect control of their nervous system and are calm and self-possessed. Perhaps we can trace their placidity and cheerfulness to their simple, wholesome diet.

Self control is purely a matter of practise in repression. If one gets angry easily, he must repress or control himself: if impatient, he must practise patience not only with himself but with others as well, not forgetting the children. One of the most difficult individuals to understand and get along agreeably with is one's self. Self is sometimes like a bucking broncho - unruly.

The watchword of the ancient philosophers who were striving to ennoble themselves, was "Know Thyself," and the maxim which was engraved in letters of gold upon the front of the temple of Delphi, was also "Know Thyself." and the words of the Oracle were: "If thou knowest thyself, thou shalt live happily," which are equally true to-day as in the days of yore.

Self-pity is one of the greatest afflictions that can happen to any individual. It begins by a surrender of one's pluck and moral courage in combating the battles of life. It is the giving up of hope, the loss of which is dangerous. Without hope life would not be worth living. In becoming the victims of self-pity we invite disease, mental disease, and its resultant condition of "chronic invalidism." We become cowards in our own estimation.

Adversities and afflictions sometimes come thick and fast, but we must not fear "though the earth be removed and the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea." We must help ourselves.

One form of self-pity or selfishness is shown in those who mourn, nursing grief month after month or year after year. This is a crime against one's self and against all others with whom one comes in contact It does no good to anybody, either the living or those who have gone before. It is positively harmful to the one who grieves, as well as depressing to one's friends. The attitude to be maintained in such matters should be one of resignation, and is wholly expressed in the words "Thy will be done."

The world presents equal opportunities to every individual. It all lies with one's self; we must trample and crush down obstacles. We must be self-reliant, courageous, energetic, indomnitable. The one who succeeds is the one who works - incessantly.

Seneca has said: "Beware of aggravating your troubles yourself, and of making your position worse by your complaints. Grief is light when opinion does not exaggerate it; and if one encourages one's self by saying 'This is nothing,' or, at least, 'This is slight; let us try to endure it, for it will end,' one makes one's grief slight by reason of believing it such." And further : "One is only unfortunate in proportion as one believes one's self so."

Whining. Someone has said: "Whining is poor business; it identifies you at once as the under dog, and does not get you any sympathy at all." The man who whines confesses his weakness, his inability to match his environment. He is unable to equal his neighbour, or if so he fails to accomplish it for some reason or another. It is too much for him. He can not command the situation. All he can do is to kick and complain. The habitual whiner never gets anywhere, never accomplishes anything.

The man or woman who uses up vitality in complaining, finding fault with circumstances, kicking against fate, who is always protesting that there is no justice in the world, that merit is not rewarded, that the times are out of joint, and that everything is wrong, is put down, and rightly, as a weakling with a small, narrow mind. Large-minded men and women do not spend their energies whining. If they meet an obstacle they go through it and pass on about their business. They know that all their time and strength must be concentrated on the work of making a life. The only individuals worthy of sympathy are the sick, the crippled and maimed, who are handicapped in life's struggles. Even many of these, doubly handicapped, are more successful than many able-bodied, listless men, who are too shiftless to help themselves.

The man who succeeds is the one who works incessantly - works incessantly.

Sometimes it is a difficult thing for a man to be agreeable to or live with himself. Affairs are not always improved when he takes a partner unto himself. As a lack of understanding between the parties, this, in some instances, may lead to differences which are commonly called marital incompatibilities. This infelicity usually occurs in what is called a "misfit" family.

"Misfit" families are not so numerous as some people would have us believe, but they are certainly to be found more or less frequently. One writer states it thus: -

"They are composed of people who are incompatible in temper and uncongenial in behavior, and who have not enough of either philosophy or religion to get on together without friction and antagonism. If it happen that in our home there is one person who darkens the sky by her cloudy words, or another who disturbs the peace by dynamite explosiveness, and if, in God's Providence, there is no other home to which this peculiar person can go, then she must be accepted and borne with. Never should her frailties and foibles be exposed to the public. Every family should turn the key upon its skeleton, if there be one, and keep its infelicities, small and great, from the knowledge of the neighbors. Nothing is gained by exploiting one's misfortunes, and if there is a basis of love and self-respect, even a misfit family may secure a good measure of contentment as the days go on."