C3 77 FLASHLIGHTS FOR CONCENTRATION • - The Masterpieces beautiful gift volumes exquisitely bound in Green Silk Cloth and Mottled Board printed in two colors The Progress Series On The Heights by C. D. Larson The Hidden Secret . . . . by C. D. Larson The Great Within . . . . by C. D. Larson Mastery of Fate by C. D. Larson Poise and Po\ver by C. D. Larson Mastery of Self by C. D. Larson As A Man Thinketh . . . . by James Allen The Great Stone Face by Nathaniel Hawthorne Murad The Unlucky . by Maria Edgeworth Joy Thoughts for Every Day by Helen BtTrue and Elcy M. Latimer How Great Men Succeed . by C. D. Larson Flashlights For Concentration by Ella E. Dodson Price — postage paid — 50c each Any ten volumes in a box, postage paid — $5.00 Published by The Progress Company Flashlights For Concentration By ELLA E. DODSON L. N. FOWLER & COMPANY 7, IMPERIAL ARCADE, LUDGATE CIRCUS LONDON, E. C, ENGLAND 1909 THE PROGRESS COMPANY CHICAGO ■ \V ^ Copyright 1909 BY THE PROGRESS COMPANY /2'3/fyf ©GLAa'.'r'ibsT o. AR itself, is the thing most to be ^ feared [bW to be beautiful— Brighten the eyes with intelligence* clear the complexion with the balm of cheerfulness, anoint the lips with prayer and praise, and whiten the hands with loving deeds. ERY man must eat the fruit of his own thoughts. T HE best antidote for Ignorance is instruction. There is by far a nobler aim. Than search and striving after fame ; It is a bright, untarnished name. Man is in the world to overcome himself. V/OU admire beautiful monuments. — Why not become one yourself ? In- spired by your example, others will then build statues of love, patience, and other virtues until your city will become a city beautiful. Time never sleeps Nor wails nor weeps. But hurries along Swift as my song. And so should maij Who ought and can Follow his course. Without remorse. /^ONTENT is found not in money v>. but in mind. ^ Flattery and servility both base bribery. /S The shortest sermon DO! ^,^ I can — and I will — if I please. ' 12 17 VERY good principle is strengthened •"-^ by a corresponding good action. Owls are wiser, we all know. But peacocks make the greater show. It is more difficult to bear success, than failure. 13 For what he is or would become. And as the number of his days. His own ideal is the sum. u TTHE man who does more than he says •*• is the upright man. On what soil does virtue grow ? On the path strewn with abandoned f auhs. a There is as much difference between the theory and practise of reHgion, as there is between the skeleton and the Hving body. jH Precious thoughts are more precious than precious gems. ^ 15 /^UR minds are tablets on which daily, ^^ we record our actions. By this in- scription, some day we must stand or fall. Every man could do what any man can do. a Work is a rare gift to mankind. 16 w HAT is the utmost limit of man's Power ? Self-control. A soul, fretted with care, A heart, filled with despair, A mind, of discontent, A life, foolishly spent. 17 OP£ is a voice, so stiU and small and faint, the soul's ear scarce perceives it. Yet 'tis strong enough to drown the din ,of every obstacle, and lead us on. Mingling with first and faintest sounds of victory, till finally, completely merged it swells triumphant, '^ and becomes ^ one N- grand harmonious and victorious shout. r^O you read to improve, or to weaken •*-^ your mind ? GILDING looks like gold, but will not stand the test. The desire for the possession is father to the theft. a Who can solve the equation of luxury ? a The world needs examples, not exhorters. The company, not the victuals, is the feast. IF w ITH what great care should we select our companions ! Never once ought we to forget that thoughts and actions are expressions of the real man : in fact, constitute the very man, himself. Vice and virtue are alike contagious, and associations form habits which are engrafted into our very nature. Neither in our friends nor in ourselves should we countenance any act which will not bear anticipation, realization, and repetition. Let us live always above the atmosphere of evil. A star fallen to earth, becomes a dull, dead stone. 20 'T'HE theory of good, without the prac- -■• tice, is of Httle worth. Exercise the principles by which you may become master of yourself, and bestow on them the proper care. Apply the arguments always and in every way. Passion is the half brother of insanity, both tending to upset our reason. Beauty's slave, a slave will always be; Duty's slave, will sometime be set free. A slow response to duty is but half response. IGNORANCE is the father of evil. True success comes from within. not from without; neither by changmg the order of things. Seeming impossibiHties can be accom- pHshed by you. if in the poWer of man. If your strength is not yet equal to the task study to make it so. HTHE world's a play. And for a day. In some part we must star; Our motives show. And all may know That what we act, we are. Not what we do. But what we are. The all important fact: But now to be. We have to do. For what we are, we act. 2S nPHE most neglected spark may become the most destructive fire. The smaller the chances — the greater the achievement. Inattention is the highest rock between the toiler and success. Happiness grows best on the field of toil. 24 npHE hours of today will be in the -'■ moments of tomorrow. The richest in worldly goods may be the poorest in happiness. Defend yourself most against yourself. 25 E VI L seeks lodging in an empty brain. The thing coveted, could not possibly be so profitable as the act of coveting is harmful. What opportunity lacks, earnestness supplies. Do not preach to an angry companion. If a soft answer fails to turn him from the wrath of his way — bear with but leave him. 26 creators r hinder, on our way. Themselves in turn, creators of the acts, Which, good or bad. we meet again some day. By just unfaiHng h 27 JJ the water, and a selfish man mixed in affairs disturbs/^^ '^ nrT-v'^^// Ta^ t^e universe. 28 THE dead leaves hang on the tree, until the new Hfe stirs through the branches. The ascent of any mountain begins at the foot. Drop that burden of ignorance; you can then walk at your true pace. Stinginess is sometimes extravagance. 29 DE good today. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Gifts to the poor are not transferred, but simply changed, from a material to a spiritual form, remaining in the hands of the giver. The world is all around as well as within you. 30 nPHE voice of Nature speaks, •■• Why will not mankind hear. And heed the notes of warning. And catch the songs of cheer ? The stone lives out its sermon. In a submission blind : The tree obedient upward grows, A lesson for mankind. While he, the most exalted. Even above the stars. Alone finds in his heart qf hearts. The mind and will to war. 31 T TSE your good qualities, ignore your faults. Thus faults become good qualities. a How about glorious achievements in the prosaic now? Today is the same as the day when Wellington conquered Napoleon. The nation's wealth should not be estimated in coin but in good men. 32 npHE door of success is guarded, and no one is permitted to enter who has not worked and waited and overcome. Many a crown has been forged from fetters. a Are we discontented ? Let that all circumstances are ' for our best development. us remember exactly suited a 33 I ET your work contribute to the welfare of the soul — not to that of the body alone. a Because the boy is not already wise, shall he not enter school? Because you are not already perfect, shall you not cultivate the virtues ? The true friend, like a faithful watch- dog, tells us of our faults, but the flatterer, as a ravenous beast, blinds the eyes of the soul to its own destruction. 34 A H ! How improvident, to waste even one precious moment ! The path to virtue, although steep. Is not so hard to ciimb. The mountain top can soon be reached, By one step at a time. The smallest insect struggles for its Hfe as much as we for ours. 35 r\ISTRACTION— concentration's deadliest foe. The most beautiful mosaic is but pieces of broken glass. With divine aid, the scattered fragments of our lives are joined to make success. a Unless you have been developed by failure, one side of your character is uncultivated still. Sfj C AY not ** I am unfortunate," but rather, ** How fortunate, that I have learned to bear this seeming ill so bravely.*' Man has tw^o lungs, with one he should breathe praise to God, and with the other, love to man. Be always open to conviction. Then change your actions when convinced your view is wrong. To be good is as much a universal law for man as to see, to hear, and to walk. a 37 I IKE fire, in touch with powder brought. When all the air with noise is rife ; Malice and anger thunder forth. Confusion loud, and bitter strife. In one short moment mind can span the earth. ALL nature changes constantly, and so we think we do. Monotony is but a state of weariness, therefore lose interest, and your work will appear tired. 39 WHITHER bound, oh, stranger ! With such restless mind? Hastening through so blindly. Rushing on so madly. Swifter than the wind ; Mortal, born to mortal woe. To thyself a powerful foe ? Foolish whims and fancies. Met at every turn. Some fresh sorrow bringing. Poignant arrows stinging ; Will he never learn. That this way of darkest night. Leads to land of glorious light? This life, preparation. For another realm. Conquest strong and bracing. Gained by simply placing. Conscience at the helm. Thus so wisely guided o'er. Reaches soon th* eternal shore. 40 pHILDHOOD, the bud of life, un- folding forms the youth; full-blown, becomes a man. Undertake to sell ambition, and it will vanish. What pleasure find you mortal, pray. In idling precious time away ? a A guilty conscience is the greatest calamity. a YV/OULD you make your name im- mortal? Write it in love and kindness on some human heart and it will live forever. Fault finding retreats as understanding advances. 4^ 'X'HREE kings in three kingdoms : Inertia — of stones. Fruition — of trees. Inexhaustible energy — of man. a In every ounce ' of duty there is a pound of happiness. What a stupid stand without world it is the sacri ! Nottounder- fice of so much Hfe-blood. 44 "T^HE pleasure that purrs today will scratch tomorrow. Give bad, get worse. The long hard path, — the path that leads from duty. a Obstacles are the muscles of achievement. Excuse must vanish out of sight. No chance mistaking wrong for right. When conscience undertakes the fight. a V/OU would not shatter a looking-glass for showing you a homely counten- ance ; so do not break the philosopher's head, for showing you to yourself, as you really are* Does another wrong you? It is impossible. He wrongs himself, but you he cannot reach. Oppose base notions with noble ones, and after some of this exercise, your moral nerves, and sinews will develop rapidly. '"PHE dying candle lives in -*• the soft light. The dying fuel in the blazing flame. The form is changed in each, but that is all ; Both proofs that death is nothing but a name. The thing is really nothing but the idea for which it stands. 47 .■^T) EMPTATIONS gather, Black clouds o'erhang the sky ; The soul disheartened, struggles Dire failure nigh. Then rings a voice, bell-like and clear, "Faint not, deliverance is near.*' 48 T^HE miser buries his better self beneath a weight of gold. a A noble failure is success, a mean success is failure. Serve small matters faithfully, then great matters will serve you. 49 DLAZE out brightly. Why smolder under the fire of inertia? Work — for perfection, wait — for speed. Look for good, and you will surely find it. 50 I HAVE within my heart an inmate, * even my thought, which shapes for me my destiny. a To try is to do. Little by Httle we absorb the world. Which of us would dare to pray this prayer at night : — **Oh, Lord ! Treat me tomorrow, as I have treated all the world today.'* 51 /^NE moment of time is enough to ^^^ change the course of a whole hfe. a Happiness and Duty are synonyms. Virtue and love are strong crutches on which the soul may safely lean. Chameleon-like, some men change so often it is difficult to determine the color of their minds. a Suggest kindness. 52 ^ lORK for the work*s sake which is its own great reward. Were it not so intended, our meals would be already cooked, our rivers spanned with bridges, — without study, we then could under- stand the most abstruse of sciences. Brains exercised with problems become strong, and all our work returns to us as mind. let good intentions fall asleep. % S3 B Definite Purpose, Strong Resolution, Honest Enthusiasm. Mix with action. Directions ^Take large doses of the re- sulting success. DR. NEVERFAIL. a *■ 54 V87HITHER so fast? To the eternal shores. Base riches are baser poverty. An ounce of work Is worth a ton of wishing. 55 I STAND, a tiny speck of human dust, upon the verge Of an abyss, so terrible and dark, I dare not turn To right or left. Beneath me yawns an awful chasm. open- jawed. Blackness of darkness all around, and thunders of despair. I shudder. Move I dare not. as one single step might fatal prove. But harici What voice is that. Piercing the gloom, making the wild night ring? ** Lift up your eyes!.'* *' I will not,** sullenly responds my stubborn heart. •*Accustomed to my ^tate I will become.** Again the voice, again my peevish 56 " No, I will not.'* ' — ^Yet another time The voice is heard, Once more it speaks persistent, more commanding, when reason whispers, **Why not?*' Then my gaze turns slowly upward toward the skies; When lo! A gleam of Hght. ever so dim, but — hght. Hope dawns at last Another flickering ray appears, another, and still others, gathering strength, An angel in the midst of each. Until a great and blazing flood of white- ness shines all round me. S7 T HE desire of gain spoils the gain of desire. Each generation builds the bridge over which the next generation must cross into the future. Phoenix-hke, the'soul rises from the ashes of its own dead self. A GOOD countenance is the best recommendation. Although the path be dark. Walk bravely all the way; The quiet fields lie just beyond, Where all is one bright day. Let the interest of all humanity be con- sidered in the performance of even the smallest action. 59 •yHOUGHT guiding action, shapes and moulds eternity. Allow no thought of evil to intrude within the sacred sanctum of your mind. a The eyes and •• ears both testify to the condition o fthe soul. T^HE present moment, precious link that ^ binds the past and future, contains all that has ever been, creates what is to be. Not for strength or beauty is the reward. Why be dissatisfied? The meanest thing in nature obeys law. The greatest, too, the sun, would not even dare to deviate from his accustomed course. Man is the only rebel. 61 'X'HE next best thing is next to the best ''• thing. Every occasion may be a great occasion. Hour after hou^:, mile after mile, on the weary journey of life before we catch even a glimpse of the final goal. a dying bud. 63 E XPERIENCE is the truest interpreter of knowledge. The fault lies oftenest in ourselves. If every man reform one, all shall be reformed. To try to do what you know how to do, is good. To attempt what you do not know how to do, is better; but to keep on until you learn how to do what you do not know how to do, is best of all. 64 •y EMPTATIONstartedback abashed. When on the rounds he came Across a worker at his task. And slyly called his name. A sturdy voice made clear reply, A heart that knew no fear Framed answer, and the tempter knew That conscience hovered near. 65 QVE in earnest, hate in jest. n) ANY folks live as in dreamland. In a v/orld of their very own; Striving and planning to please themselves. Shut up — in their prison, alone. ACTICE first, then theorize. ^^REAT examples give birth to great emulation. I will listen to your advice, but I will follow your example. Love of misfortune is tranquillity. Perhaps your neighbor's circumstances might not fit you. A man's most precious privilege is to love. HTHE soul of man, by him so lightly prized. Was once heaven's RICHEST treas- ure; fragile then. And light enough to soar ethereal skies. But straying wings were crushed by loads of sin. Virtue alone, that heaven-sent healing balm. Can mend and make them whole again, and strong; Remove the weight that holds them down to earth. Sending them back again, with joy and song. 68 nrHE soul surrounded by good •■■ principles is impregnable, and secure from evil. To him who simply does nothing but hoard. Gold wisely refuses to profit afford. Persistent efforts aiways bring success. !VING examples, like the living voice. Most sway the soul: The influence of one living act is felt From pole to pole. ISE a nev^ man each day and start afresh.^>g> 70 FIRE sifts out baser things, but purifies the higher elements. Thus souls, tried with temptations, rise as flames ascend. '^^'^