How To Put The Subconscious Mind To Work
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Many people are sick because they have nothing constructive to occupy their minds. Work is one of the greatest blessings to humanity.

All work should be play.

If a man plays at his work and lives in conformity to the laws of hygiene, right eating, exercise, breathing, sunshine, fresh air and right thinking, he never will be sick.

The soldier in battle does not feel the pain of his wound, and in an emergency everybody develops powers of which he was not aware. The same effect which religion produces may thus be secured by any other deep interest; service for a great human cause, enthusiasm for a gigantic plan, even the prospect of a great personal success.

If the invalid, semi-invalid or convalescent is engaged in no particular occupation, has, in fact no business connections, no special tasks to perform, he will find himself with time on his hands, more than sufficient for all the requirements of regular exercise, affirmations and due attention to proper diet. Let him then be up and doing work of some sort, paid or unpaid. Let him get busy let him bestir himself, let him acquire an object in life. Work is the natural condition of man. "With- out it he cannot be happy and certainly does not live long. This is evidenced by the statistics of successful men who retire from active business to have a good time for the rest of their lives. Records show that they retire only to die. There are certain metaphysicians who, in my opinion teach the most absurd doctrine imaginable namely that the way to get well is to do nothing; to enjoy yourself; to go on an extended vacation; to take life easy; to go to a "Do Nothing" heaven. But the first premise of such advice is false. Toil is not a curse but a blessing.

Man cannot be happy without some useful vocation or avocation.

To have had a healing, then to eat properly, to exercise regularly, to cultivate proper hours of sleep--all this is good, but not enough unless accompanied by some study and congenial occupation.

In the case of an individual who (because of the possession of great wealth or otherwise) has been raised in idleness, a pre-requisite to the accomplishment of any lasting cure is, in plain language, for the patient to go to work. Too much time on his hands gives him opportunity to think of his aches and pains, to brood over his real or fancied maladies, to ruminate upon his misfortunes.

Some metaphysical, psychological and mental science dreamers, idealists and impracticalists have a very peculiar way of living in the flesh where certain economic conditions and natural laws exist, and treating the ills that flesh is heir to.

You hear them say "Sit down. Do nothing. Treat. Have a good time. Go on a vacation.''

Dr. W. A. McKeever, widely known lecturer and author, as well as a national author on juvenile problems, says:

'' Work levels all. Work as service elevates all. Teach your child to work as faithfully as you would teach him to say his prayers or his reading lesson.

'' Show your boy that the man who retires during middle life--no matter how wealthy—thereby enters upon a period of decay. Only the compelling pressure of work, business or philanthropy can possibly hinder a slow acting dry rot.

"Explain to your boy or girl how work happily done acts like a medicine, clears his eye, hardens his muscle, aids digestion.

"Explain to your children how work which fits their age or grade is a wonderful stimulant to the mind, enabling one to think clearer, faster and with a sense of joy."

Take your choice. Do nothing or work. If you can do nothing and be happy, I believe you are a world beater. I have never known a single person to do it successfully.

I have never heard of any one who has led an active life going on an extended vacation and being happy. We are not so constituted. We follow the example of the Creator himself. It is recorded in the first chapter of Genesis "In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the seventh day he rested." The very people who quote the Scripture, who tell you to treat and do nothing, to go on an extended vacation and be happy, seem to have overlooked the fact that the name Scripture says "'work" and proves it by representing the Lord as taking an earned rest after His labors.

Those who accept the teachings of Jesus as a philosophy of life will remember that Jesus said: "My Father worked hitherto and I work." In fact, it seems to me that the gospel as well as practical common sense are punctuated by work. From a religious angle McKeever may not be right, but he is right from a common sense basis, and my own opinion is that any religion that has no common sense in it is a religion that ought to be put on the bargain counter, sold at auction, knocked down at half price and whoever gets it buys a dear article at that.

The time may come when work will not be necessary to our enjoyment of life, but we are going to be a long time "evolution' " to that stage. The most unhappy man in the world is the man who has no work. If you don't believe it, try going for a year or two without anything to do, just making an effort "to be happy" by doing nothing and see how unhappy you will be at the end of your "vacation."

But we are not dogmatic. We lay down no strict rule or pedantic principle that any one has to swallow. Each fellow ought to have the right to swallow whatever he wants to. So, far be it from us to tell any searcher after truth that he must do a thing because we think he ought to. But we believe it would be most interesting for somebody who can be happy without work to organize a lodge, an institution, a party or a Union to be called the "Non-workers of the World."

If he could get enough agriculturists to join his new-fangled institution, he soon would rid the world of all its ills that flesh is heir to by starving everybody to death. If the farmers were all to join the "Non-workers of the World," there would not be enough food to keep us alive twelve months. But if the farmers did not all join and the railroaders did, if the farmers had raised enough to half feed us, and the railroaders became members of this "Non-workers of the World," how would we get the food stuff to the cities? And should there be railroaders enough to get part of the vegetables, grain and eatables to the cities, what would happen if all of the store- keepers, clerks and merchants were to seek membership in the "Non-workers of the World?"

There would be no way of distributing the food, if all joined the '' Non-workers,'' so most any way you take it, if all became "sit-downers, treaters, extended vacationists and have-a-good-time-bugs'' could get enough of their "buggy bugs" to make their "buggy bugged" institution a real "buggy house," if we didn't all become "bugs" the world would soon starve to death, and there is not much difference between a dead bug and a live bug any more than the dead bug would probably be a better member of the "Non-workers of the World" "buggy outfit" inasmuch as he would be on an ex- tended sleeping excursion and would not even have to exert enough energy to wake up in the morning to dress to continue on his extended vaction or report at the N. W. 0. W. Union headquarters.

But far be it from us to prevent the organization of the "Non-workers of the World." If anybody can be happy without work, let him go to it; as for me and mine, we are going to work for the next few years. That is, we are planning on it now. '' Great men change their minds'' (and fools also), and who knows what the future holds? I suppose a man can be happy though crazy. Some of them are. Maybe the "Non-workers of the World" are just as happy as though they had good sense.

Take your choice--the "Non-workers' Union" or McKeever's plan of work. As for myself, I believe McKeever is right. If I were to make a humble suggestion, I would put it something like this: Work and treat. Visualize and concentrate. Plan and labor—combine the two and be happy. Take your vacation when you want. Rest when you feel like it. Work between times. As for me and my house, we will work and treat. "Be good, sweet child. Let those who will be clever,

Do noble deeds, not dream them all day long, And so make life, death and the vast forever, One grand sweet song."

It is only when engaged in work which we like that we can attain the maximum amount of health and happiness in life. Carlyle was right when he said, "Blessed is the man who has found his work." Your work should be systematized and outlined, your goal staked out, and faith underlie your efforts if you would have the maximum of success. Every normal man or woman has a certain amount of ambition which needs to be realized. This is God-given. It's the dynamo which keeps the machinery in the human power house going.

Your subconscious mind when instructed for success, for prosperity in vocation or avocation, will work as many wonders towards accomplishment in your business affairs as in the realm of health and physical well-being.

If you find yourself becoming a slave to your work, if you are getting no play out of it then cultivate a hobby--an avocation. Find one that you can ride lickety split.

A barber who has been off his job for only three days in fifteen years says that he gets his recreation monkeying around his Ford. He would rather tinker with the Ford, oil it, paint it, take it apart, put it together, polish it up, wash it, play with it long hours on week days and nearly every Sunday morning until noon than drive it. Fifteen years steadily employed in a barber shop, working made endurable by monkeying around his Ford, riding his hobby!

Have a hobby. Ride your hobby. Talk your hobby. Live your hobby.

After healing what? Work! Have a hobby or avocation.