ot give you strength and courage. Do as Pippa did. Do not let the
devil take possession, as he is always ready to do at this time.

This battle must be fought at once. There must be no delay. Idea will
link itself to idea by the law of association of ideas, and we shall
soon form a habit of negative thoughts in the morning.

The great point to note is that we should live rational lives, that we
should give our attention and apply our own scientific knowledge and
reason to the every-day duties of life, and not disregard the duty we
owe to ourselves.

Men are continually doing something which they know to be wrong. They
indulge in thoughts which they know will poison their minds and
characters. They eat food which they know is not good for them. They
pour into their stomachs stimulants which they know will dull their
higher faculties and powers.

Some tell us that life is a continuous battle. It may be looked at in
that way, but if we look at it from a more rational point of view it is
a continual reaching up for higher enjoyment. Every day and every hour
we must be on our guard; our theories must be a rule of life to be
really obeyed and lived. Therefore, to apply our own knowledge to the
restoration or maintenance of life demands that we avoid that which is
injurious, and that we joyously, gladly accept that which is helpful.

Life is a sacred gift, a privilege, and an opportunity to be enjoyed, it
is to be lifted up, and filled with high experiences.

To accomplish all these ends, we should study those moments when we are
in greatest danger,--those moments which are most important and when we
are best able to control our attention and to command our feelings.

The one supreme hour is the hour of awakening. If we can occupy a few
minutes of this time in right thoughts, and right movements
scientifically directed and as simple as those of the animals, the
effect will be astonishing.

To come down to a few specific things that everyone should practice in
order to be stronger, to be more efficient, to enjoy more and to live
longer, let us summarize a few general points.

(1) Express joy first with laughter. If you cannot laugh aloud, laugh
with an inner chuckle. It is not enough to have joy, it must be actively
expressed to have an effect upon the organism.

(2) Maintaining the joy and laughter, express, therefore, all harmonious
extensions of the body, that is, all simple stretches. Maintaining the
laughter and