Going back, therefore, to the prescription, we find that a sound body, a good mind, an honest purpose, and a lack of fear are the essential elements of success.  So, when we have conceived something for the good of the world and have allowed it to go by default we have dropped the monkey-wrench into the machinery of our preparedness.  We must look about us for a reason.  Have we fallen by the wayside of carelessness?  Have we allowed ourselves to be discouraged by cowardly “ifs”? Did we lack the sand?  Exactly so; we didn’t have the courage of our convictions.

Life is the one great experience, and those who fail to win, if sound of body, can safely lay the blame to their lack of mental equipment.  What does it matter if disappointments follow one after the other if we can laugh and try again?  Failures must come to all of us in some degree, but we may rise from our failures and win back our losses if we are only shrewd enough to realize that good health, sound mind, and a cheerful spirit are necessary adjuncts.  As Tennyson says: 

    “I held it truth, with him who sings
      To one clear harp in divers tones,
      That men may rise on stepping-stones
    Of their dead selves to higher things.”

All truly great men have been healthy—­otherwise they would have fallen short of the mark.  Prisons are filled with nervous, diseased creatures.  There is no doubt but that most of these who, through ignorance, sifted through to the bottomless pits could have saved themselves had they realized the truth and “taken stock” of themselves, in time—­of course, allowing for those, who are victims of circumstantial evidence.

The prime necessity of life is health.  With this, for mankind, nothing is impossible.  But if we do not make use of this good health it will waste itself away and never come back.  It often disappears entirely for lack of interest on the part of its thoughtless owner.  A little energy would have saved the day. A little “pep”—­and we laugh and live. Laughter clings to good health as naturally as the needle clings to the magnet.  It is the outward expression of an unburdened soul.  It bubbles forth as a fountain, always refreshing, always wholesome and sweet.

[Illustration:  Over the Hedge and on His Way]

In taking stock of ourselves we should not forget that fear plays a large part in the drama of failure.  That is the first thing to be dropped.  Fear is a mental deficiency susceptible of correction, if taken in hand before it gains an ascendency over us.  Fear comes with the thought of failure.  Everything we think about should have the possibility of success in it if we are going to build up courage.  We should get into the habit of reading inspirational books, looking at inspirational pictures, hearing inspirational music, associating with inspirational friends and above all, we should cultivate the habit of mind of thinking clean, and of doing, wholesome things.