5577 Know Thyself
The ancient Greeks knew that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Over the Greek Temple at Delphi the words were inscribed: Know thyself. They knew the importance of self-knowledge as the key to all other knowledge.
5578 He Takes Himself Along
One asked Socrates why it was that Alcibiades, who was so brilliant and able a man, had traveled so much, and seen so much of the world, was nevertheless so unhappy a man. Socrates replied, “Because wherever he goes Alcibiades takes himself with him.”
5579 Pythagoras’ Requirements Of Students
One of the greatest teachers of all time, Pythagoras demanded that every night his pupils examine themselves on their progress that day. They were to ask themselves these questions:
“How did I succeed in my studies today?”
“Could I have learned more? Could I have studied better?”
“Is there something I neglected?”
As a result all his students became eminent for their learning.
—Arthur Tonne
5580 Two Daughters Using The Mirror
A gentleman in California had two daughters in their early teens. One was fair and attractive of features; the other was rather plain.
One day as they were getting ready for school the better- looking girl peered into the mirror beside the face of her unfavored sister. The latter complained to her father that this was done as a reflection on her lack of looks. Instead of growing angry or taking sides, the father called both girls to himself and gave them this excellent advice:
“I want both of you to look in the mirror every day. You who are favored of feature that you may be reminded never to dishonor the beauty of your face by the ugliness of your actions, and you who lack beauty that you may hide your lack of it by the superior attractiveness of your virtue and beautiful conduct.”
5581 For Good-ness, Ask The Child!
A painter Barrie draws a picture of a mother putting her little one to sleep at night, looking down on him when he is half- asleep, with unspoken question in her eyes. Caption: “My child, have I done well today?”
If a child thinks a person good, then likely that person is good. And if a child shrinks away, a man may be great, but certainly not Christlike.
5582 Painter And Christ’s Eyes
Camillo, the artist, after a long and sinful life, painted a picture of Christ as “The Man of Sorrows.” But he gave the eyes such an appealing and searching look, that he had to veil the picture. He told a preacher of the painting and of the effect the eyes had upon him.
The preacher told him to unveil the picture and let the eyes do their work. And what a work they did! They seemed to look right into the artist’s heart. They told him to make reparation to all whom he had wronged. They told him to buy up and destroy every inch of canvas he had ever painted that might suggest evil thoughts. For many days he tried to repair the damage he had caused. Yet, in his heart there was still no peace.
One night he knelt and told Christ he had sinned against Him as well as against fellow men. The artist was ready to give his heart to the Lord. The peace and joy and love that filled his soul, changed the artist into a new man.
5583 Japan’s Pillow Education
A group of children in rural Japan are said to meet their difficulties in a way which could be very helpful to us.
Pillow education it might be called. Whenever the child has a difficulty or difference with another child, he is taught to sit on one side of a pillow. His hand is placed on it and he says, “I am all right and my friend is all wrong.” Then he moves to another side of the pillow, places his hands on it, and says, “My friend is right and I am wrong.” Next he moves to the third side, places his hands on the pillow and says, “Both my friend and I are wrong and both of us are right.” Finally, the child moves to the fourth side of the pillow, places his hands on it, and often in deep thought says, “I am partly right and my friend is partly right.”
5584 Those Uneven Capitol Stairs
Coming down the main walk from the Capitol at Washington, D. C., towards Pennsylvania Avenue, there is a group of steps very confusing to the average pedestrian. In watching the crowds a man discovered that people were continually stumbling on this group of steps, while they did not do so on others.
The attention of the Capitol architect was called to the matter, but he was incredulous until he had satisfied himself by personal observation. He was amazed to see how many people stumbled in going up those steps. He said: “I cannot account for it, for I spent weeks in arranging those steps. I had wooden models of them put down at my own place, and I walked over them day after day until I felt sure they were perfect.”
“Isn’t one of your legs shorter than the other, Mr. Olmstead,” inquired someone. He was dumbfounded when it flashed over him that owing to the inequality of his own limbs he had made steps for the Capitol unsuited for any except people who had the same defect.
—Mrs. Goodnight
5585 Mirror In Casket
In New Jersey was a preacher who announced an unknown funeral. The congregation came, not knowing whose funeral it was.
The preacher preached, and as sometimes they do, the people began to get wrought up and there was a lot of weeping.
The preacher continued: “It is sad that the man in this casket is so sinful and so corrupt that he is going to hell. This is a most wicked person.” The minister had preached and preached before, but no one believed himself to be lost and headed for hell.
He closed his sermon, saying, “And now, it is time to view the corpse.” He moved the flowers aside and had two of his deacons help him open up the casket.
One by one, they filed by—and to their utter surprise, there was nobody in the casket. But the entire bottom of it was filled with a big mirror. Every one who looked in saw himself in that casket.
5586 Not Her Business To Diagnose
Jerome K. Jerome, one of our greatest thinkers and writers, tells:
“One day I had a finger that ached in the joint and I decided promptly that I had arthritis. So, I went over to the public library and got a medical book and looked up arthritis. By the time I got through reading two pages, I had arthritis in every joint in my hands, and my knees besides. It scared me and I turned the pages and there was leukemia, and I read everything about it. Before I had finished, I knew I had leukemia. I turned the page to ulcers and I said, “So, now I know what causes those pains in my stomach I’ve wondered about. I’ve got ulcers.”
“I turned to pellagra, and I just knew I had pellagra. The only thing I found in that medical book that I didn’t have was housemaid’s knee, and I wondered why I didn’t have that. I went straight to the doctor who had examined me lots of times and had always told me there wasn’t anything wrong. I told him about all of these things I knew I had.
“The doctor sat there for a long time before he said, “And now that you’ve diagnosed your case so well, I’m going to give you a prescription. And you can take it to the drugstore and get it filled.” He wrote it out and folded it up, and I headed for the drugstore. The druggist took the prescription and looked at it. He frowned and made out like he was scratching his head; then he folded it back up and said, “You know, I’m sorry, but I don’t have any of this in my drugstore.”
“I said, “What? Don’t you have the biggest drugstore in this part of the city?”
“ “Yes,” he said, “but the things the doctor has prescribed for you don’t come in a bottle.” He handed it back to me and said, “You take it and read it for yourself.”
“I opened it and this is what it said, “Walk eight miles every day, come home and eat a beef steak for supper, and stop reading things you’ve got no business reading.” It is a dangerous thing to look down at yourself. You get to feeling sorry for yourself.”
5587 Children Search For Themselves
In Quincy, Mass., the mothers of two seven-year-olds, Jane and Richard, searched for an hour, finally reported their offspring missing. Police organized volunteer searchers to beat the nearby marshlands. In the midst of the hunt a couple of youngsters joined up. They were hard at it for almost an hour until they were recognized as Jane and Richard.
—This Week
5588 Pilot Searches For Himself
The wife of the Nootka lighthouse keeper reported that a light plane had skimmed low over the lighthouse on the east coast of Vancouver Island and appeared to crash. The air-sea rescue center radioed all planes in the area to begin a search.
But after an hour, the pilot of one of the search planes suddenly realized that the description of the lost plane fitted his craft exactly. He had flown low over the lighthouse earlier. The pilot had been searching for himself!
5589 The Truck Driver’s Faults
Shepway, England (UPI)—Damon Robinson says he is not upset about being fired as a garbage truck driver for the local council.
On Monday last week he drove his truck into a ditch. On Wednesday he ran it into a brick wall. On Thursday the clutch on his truck burned out. On Friday he tipped the truck over in a country lane.
“I don’t feel bad about them kicking me out,” said Damon, a former British army tank driver. “I don’t think I’m a good driver any more.”
5590 Fooling The Politician
Former Congressman Brooks Hays told of a bishop who advised a politician to go out into the rain and lift his head heavenward. “It will bring a revelation to you.” Next day the politician reported, “I followed your advice and no revelation came. The water poured down my neck and I felt like a fool.”
“Well,” said the bishop, “isn’t that quite a revelation for the first try?”
—Wooden Barrel
5591 Recognition Based On Wrong Notes
Pianist Artur Rubinstein prides himself on missing almost as many notes as the great Anton Rubinstein, who used to say he could give another concert with the notes that fell under the piano. Once when Artur was on a radio quiz program, a record was played and he was asked to guess the pianist. He confessed he was puzzled. “It sounds like my playing,” he said, “but there aren’t any wrong notes.”
—New York Times
5592 The Mood Watch
Gifts Unlimited of Scarborough, Ontario, recently advertised “the Mood Watch.” Here is part of the ad:
“You’ve seen the remarkable mood-ring with its ever-changing colours; now you can own an exciting new watch with the same mystical properties! The watch face changes colour from an ominous black through six distinctive stages to a vibrant blue. … Many people believe that the colours do reflect inner moods and feelings. Judge for yourself, test the watch’s colour against your own emotions.” A key to the colours was also given: “Black, heavy stress. Brown, tense. Yellow, anxious. Light green, average. Blue-green, you’re relaxing. Blue, you feel good. Royal blue, you’re at your best!”
—Prairie Overcomer
5593 “Hope You Get Pregnant”
A San Franciscan inched his car between two others in a supermarket lot, squeezed his way out, and came back to find a note on his windshield: “I hope one of these days you get pregnant and someone parks that close to you!”
—San Francisco Chronicle
5594 Smithson Dying To Know!
The five doctors who were attending James Smithson, founder of the Smithsonian Institution, all had different opinions as to what was ailing the English chemist.
Their dignified wrangling finally caused Smithson to observe:
“Why don’t you perform an autopsy to discover what is the matter with me? I am dying to know what my ailment is.”
5595 Elephants’ Rubbing Stones
In the jungles of Africa, here and there, are big stones which have been rubbed smooth by elephants. Known as “rubbing stones,” the elephants rubbed them simply because their sides itched. They seem to know where the best rubbing stones are, and they go there often, standing in line to wait their turns to rub themselves.
5596 Epigram On Self-Examination
• As one grows older, one realizes that the things our enemies find hateful about us are hateful.
—Mauriac
• The greatest freedom man has is the freedom to discipline himself.
—Bernard M. Baruch
• When you see a good man, think of emulating him; when you see a bad man, examine your own heart.
—Confucius
• There is nothing noble in being superior to some other man. True nobility is in being superior to your former self.
—Hindu Proverb
• I am more afraid of my own heart than of the Pope and all his cardinals. I have within me the great pope, SELF.
—Martin Luther
• If you love men and they are unfriendly, look into your love; if you rule men, and they are unruly, look into your wisdom; if you are courteous to them, and they do not respond, look into your respect. If what you do is vain, always seek within.
—Mencius
• His idea of soul-searching is looking through his record collection.
—Richard E. Marino