tle by little
he allows his ideas to become changed and distorted without any one's
being able to advise him of the misconceptions which he keeps closely to
himself.

It is for this reason that all timid people have a marked tendency to
distort facts and to acquire false ideas.

It is often with perfect good faith that they affirm a thing which they
believe sincerely, not having had the opportunity to control the
successive changes which have transformed it absolutely from what it was
at the outset.

It is a lucky day for timid people of this class when fate prevents them
from entering into competition with those who are possest of poise.

Were these latter a hundred times weaker than they are they would still
end by triumphing over their feeble antagonists.

It is above all in the affairs of ordinary every-day life that poise
renders the most valuable service.

If it becomes a question of presenting or discussing a matter of
business, the timid man, embarrassed by his own personality, begins to
stammer, becomes confused, and can not recall a single argument. He
finally abandons all the gain that he dreamed of making in order to put
an end to the torments from which he suffers.

He is to be considered lucky if under the domination of the troubles in
which he finds himself, he does not lose all faculty of speech.

This failing, so common among the timid, is a further cause of confusion
to the victim.

At the bare idea that he may become the prey of such a calamity he
unconsciously closes his lips and lowers the tones of his voice.

The man of poise, on the other hand, feels himself the more impelled to
redouble his efforts in proportion to the need his cause has for being
well defended.

He knows how to arrange his arguments, and to foresee those of his
adversary, and, if he finds himself face to face with a statement which
he can not refute, he will seek some means of softening the defeat or of
changing the ground of the debate in such a way as to avoid confusion to
himself.

In any event, such an occurrence will have no profound effect upon him.
Vanquished on one point, he will find the presence of mind to at once
change the character of the discussion to questions which are at once
familiar and favorable to him.

He who goes forth into life armed with poise has also the marked
advantage over the timid that comes from superior health.

This phrase should not be the occasion for a smile. Timidity is a