Laugh and Live written by Douglas Fairbanks
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Douglas Fairbanks >> Laugh and Live
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7 [ILLUSTRATION: _Laugh and Live_]
Laugh and Live
By DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS
ILLUSTRATED
NEW YORK
BRITTON PUBLISHING COMPANY
1917
TO MY MOTHER
CONTENTS
I. "Whistle and Hoe--Sing As We Go"
II. Taking Stock of Ourselves
III. Advantages of an Early Start
IV. Profiting by Experience
V. Energy, Success and Laughter
VI. Building Up a Personality
VII. Honesty, the Character Builder
VIII. Cleanliness of Body and Mind
IX. Consideration for Others
X. Keeping Ourselves Democratic
XI. Self-Education by Good Reading
XII. Physical and Mental Preparedness
XIII. Self-indulgence and Failure
XIV. Living Beyond Our Means
XV. Initiative and Self-Reliance
XVI. Failure to Seize Opportunities
XVII. Assuming Responsibilities
XVIII. Wedlock in Time
XIX. Laugh and Live
XX. A "Close-Up" of Douglas Fairbanks
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Laugh and Live
Do You Ever Laugh?
Over the Hedge and on His Way
Preparing to Pair With the Prickly Pear
A Little Spin Among the Saplings
Over the Hills and Far Away--Father and Son
A Scene from "His Picture in the Papers"
A Scene from "The Americano"--Matching Wits for Gold
Taking on Local Color
A Scene from "His Picture in the Papers"
Douglas Fairbanks in "The Good Bad-Man"
Squaring Things With Sister--From "The Habit of Happiness"
A Scene from "In Again--Out Again"
Bungalowing in California
Demonstrating the Monk and the Hand-Organ to a Body of Psychologists
"Wedlock in Time"--The Fairbanks' Family
Here's Hoping
A Close-Up
LIVE AND LAUGH
CHAPTER I
"WHISTLE AND HOE--SING AS WE GO"
There is one thing in this good old world that is positively
sure--happiness is for _all_ who _strive_ to _be_ happy--and those who
laugh _are_ happy.
Everybody is eligible--you--me--the other fellow.
Happiness is fundamentally a state of mind--not a state of body.
And mind controls.
Indeed it is possible to stand with one foot on the inevitable "banana
peel" of life with both eyes peering into the Great Beyond, and still be
happy, comfortable, and serene--if we will even so much as smile.
It's all a state of mind, I tell you--and I'm sure of what I say. That's
why I have taken up my fountain pen. I want to talk to my friends--you
hosts of people who have written to me for my recipe. In moving pictures
all I can do is act my part and grin for you. What I say is a matter of
your own inference, but with my pen I have a means of getting around the
"silent drama" which prevents us from organizing a "close-up" with one
another.
In starting I'm going to ask you "foolish question number 1."--
Do you ever laugh?
I mean do you ever laugh right out--spontaneously--just as if the police
weren't listening with drawn clubs and a finger on the button connecting
with the "hurry-up" wagon? Well, if you don't, you should. _Start off
the morning with a laugh and you needn't worry about the rest of the
day._
I like to laugh. It is a tonic. It braces me up--makes me feel
fine!--and keeps me in prime mental condition. Laughter is a
physiological necessity. The nerve system requires it. The deep,
forceful chest movement in itself sets the blood to racing thereby
livening up the circulation--which is good for us. Perhaps you hadn't
thought of that? Perhaps you didn't realize that laughing automatically
re-oxygenates the blood--_your_ blood--and keeps it red? It does all of
that, and besides, it relieves the tension from your brain.
_Laughter is more or less a habit._ To some it comes only with practice.
But what's to hinder practising? Laugh and live long--if you had a
thought of dying--laugh and grow well--if you're sick and
despondent--laugh and grow fat--if your tendency is towards the lean and
cadaverous--laugh and succeed--if you're glum and "unlucky"--laugh and
nothing can faze you--not even the Grim Reaper--for the man who has
laughed his way through life has nothing to fear of the future. His
conscience is clear.
Wherein lies this magic of laughter? For magic it is--a something that
manufactures a state of felicity out of any condition. We've got to
admit its charm; automatically and inevitably a laugh cheers us up. If
we are bored--nothing to do--just laugh--that's something to do, for
laughter is synonymous with action, and action dispels gloom, care,
trouble, worry and all else of the same ilk.
Real laughter is spontaneous. Like water from the spring it bubbles
forth a creation of mingled action and spontaneity--two magic potions in
themselves--the very essence of laughter--the unrestrained emotion
within us!
So, for me, it is to laugh! Why not stick along? The experiment won't
hurt you. All we need is will power, and that is a personal matter for
each individual to seek and acquire for himself. Many of us already
possess it, but many of us do not.
Take the average man on the street for example. Watch him go plodding
along--no spring, no elasticity, no vim. He is in _check-rein_--how can
he laugh when his _pep_ is all gone and the _sand in his craw_ isn't
there any more? What he needs is _spirit_! Energy--the power to force
himself into action! For him there is no hope unless he will take up
physical training in some form that will put him in normal physical
condition--after that everything simplifies itself. The brain responds
to the new blood in circulation and thus the mental processes are ready
to make a fight against the inertia of stagnation which has held them in
bondage.
[Illustration: _Do You Ever Laugh?_ (_White Studio_)]
And, mind you, physical training doesn't necessarily mean going to an
expert for advice. One doesn't have to make a mountain out of a
molehill. Get out in the fresh air and walk briskly--and don't forget to
wear a smile while you're at it. Don't over-do. Take it easy at first
and build on your effort day by day. A little this morning--a little
more tonight. The first chance you have, when you're sure of your wind
and heart, get out upon the country road, or cross-country hill and
dale. Then run, run, run, until you drop exhausted upon some grassy
bank. Then laugh, loud and long, for you're on the road to happiness.
Try it now--don't wait. _Today is the day to begin._ Or, if it is night
when you run across these lines, drop this book and trot yourself
around the block a few times. Then come back and you'll enjoy it more
than you would otherwise. Activity makes for happiness as nothing else
will and once you stir your blood into little bubbles of energy you will
begin to think of other means of keeping your bodily house in order.
Unless you make a first effort the chances are you will do very little
real thinking of any kind--_we need pep to think_.
Think what an opportunity we miss when stripped at night if we fail to
give our bodies a round of exercise. It is so simple, so easy, and has
so much to do with our sleep each night and our work next day that to
neglect to do so is a crime against nature. And laugh! Man alive, if you
are not in the habit of laughing, _get the habit_. Never miss a chance
to laugh aloud. Smiling is better than nothing, and a chuckle is better
still--but _out and out laughter_ is the real thing. Try it now if you
dare! And when you've done it, analyze your feelings.
I make this prediction--if you once start the habit of exercise, and
couple with it the habit of laughter, even if only for one short
week--you'll keep it up ever afterwards.
And, by the way, Friend Reader,--don't be alarmed. The personal pronouns
"_I_" and "_you_" give place in succeeding chapters to the more
congenial editorial "_we_." I couldn't resist the temptation to enjoy
one brief spell of intimacy just for the sake of good acquaintance.
_Have a laugh on me._
CHAPTER II
TAKING STOCK OF OURSELVES
Experience is the real teacher, but the matter of how we are going to
succeed in life should not be left to ordinary chance while we are
waiting for things to happen. Our first duty is to prepare ourselves
against untoward experiences, and that is best done by taking stock of
our mental and physical assets at the very outset of our journey. What
weaknesses we possess are excess baggage to be thrown away and that is
our reason for taking stock so early. It is likely to save us from
riding to a fall.
There is one thing we don't want along--_fear_. We will never get
anywhere with that, nor with any of its uncles, aunts or cousins--_Envy,
Malice and Greed_. In justice to our own best interests we should search
every crook and cranny of our hearts and minds lest we venture forth
with any such impedimenta. There is no excuse, and we have no one to
blame if we allow any of them to journey along with us. We know whether
they are there or not just as we would know _Courage, Trust and Honor_
were they perched behind us on the saddle.
It is idle to squeal if through association with the former we find
ourselves ditched before we are well under way--for it is coming to us,
sooner or later. We might go _far_, as some have done, through the lanes
and alleys of ill-gotten gains and luxurious self-indulgence, but we
would pay in the end. So, why not charge them up to "profit and loss" at
the start and kick them off into the gutter where they belong? They are
not for us on our eventful journey through life, and the time to get rid
of them once and for all is when we are young, and mentally and
physically vigorous. Later on when the fires burn low and we still have
them with us they will be hard to push aside.
"To thine own self be true," says the great Shakespeare and how can we
be true to our own selves if we train with inferiors? We are known by
our companionships. We will be rated according to association--good or
bad. The two will not mix for long and we will be one sort of a fellow
or the other. We can't be both.
There was a time, long years ago, in the days of our grandfathers, when
men went to the "bow-wows" and, later on, "came back" as it were, by
making a partial success in life--measured largely by the money they
succeeded in accumulating. That was before the "check-up" system was
invented. Today things are different. Questions are asked--"Where were
you last?"--"Why did you leave there?"--"Have you credentials?"--and
when we shake our weary head and walk away, we fondly wish we had "taken
stock" back there when the "taking" was good.
"To thine own self be true; and it must follow as the night the
day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
When we can analyze ourselves and find that we are living up to the
quoted lines above we may safely lift the limit from our aspirations.
Right here it is well to say that success is not to be computed in
dollars and cents, nor that the will to achieve a successful life is to
be predicated upon the mere accumulation of wealth. First of all, good
health and good minds--then we may laugh loud and long--we're safe on
"first."
So, with these two weapons we may dig down into our aspirations, and,
keeping in view that our policy is that of honesty to ourselves and
toward our fellow man, all we need to do is to go about the program of
life cheerfully and stout of heart--_for now we are in a state of
preparedness_.
We are at the point where vision starts. Along with this vision must
come the courage of convictions in order that we may feel that our ideas
are important, and because we have such thoughts, _we shall surely
succeed_. It has often been noticed that when we have had a large
conception and have with force, character, and strength of will carried
it into effect, immediately thereafter a host of people have been able
to say: "I thought of that myself!" Most of us have had the same
experience after reading of a great discovery that we had thrown
overboard because it must not have been "worth while" or someone else
would already have thought of it.
The man who puts life into an idea is acclaimed a genius, because he
does _the right thing at the right time_. Therein lies the difference
between the _genius_ and a _commonplace_ man.
We all have ambitions, but only the few achieve. A man thinks of a good
thing and says: "Now if I only had the money I'd put that through." The
word "if" was a dent in his courage. With character fully established,
his plan well thought out, he had only to go to those in command of
capital and it would have been forthcoming. He had something that
capital would cheerfully get behind if he had the courage to back up his
claims. To fail was nothing less than moral cowardice. _The will to do_
had not been efficient. There was a flaw in the character, after all.
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.
"Guard thyself!" That is the slogan. Let us "take stock" often and see
where we stand. We will not be afraid of the weak points. We will _get
after them_ and get hold of ourselves at the same time. Some book might
give us help--a fine play, or some form of athletics will start us to
thinking. Self-analysis teaches us to see ourselves in a true light
without embellishments or undue optimism. We can gauge our chances in no
better way. If we grope in the darkness we haven't much of a chance.
"Taking stock" throws a searchlight on the dark spots and points the way
out of the danger zone.
CHAPTER III
ADVANTAGES OF AN EARLY START
It is the young man who has the best chance of winning. Then why
shouldn't youthfulness be made a permanent asset? We have recovered from
the idea of putting a man into a sanatorium just because a few grey
hairs show themselves in his head. We should not ask him how old he is
... we should ask: "_What can he do_?" The young man may have the
advantage of years but the older one has the advantage of experience and
knowledge. Now if this older man could carry along with him that spirit
of youth which actuated his earlier activities he would be prepared
against incapacity. Our fate hangs on how we conduct ourselves in youth.
The world has great need of the sober, thoughtful men _above the fifty
line_. By right of experience and knowledge they should become our
leaders in the shaping of our policies. It is all a matter of how a man
comes through, mentally, physically and spiritually. Age should not
count against him.
The first thought is to keep healthy. In fact, we cannot harp on this
too much. The second requirement is confidence in ourselves, without
which our career is short lived.
Already we perceive that one must keep track of his _inner self_. This
breeds confidence. The very fact that one stops to probe into that
hidden land of thought shows that he is keeping tab on himself with a
sharp eye. That's the stuff! _We mustn't fool ourselves._ The majority
of failures come as a result of not being able to trust one's self. The
moment we doubt, or acknowledge that we cannot conquer a weakness, then
we begin to go down hill. It is a subtle process. We hardly realize it
at the time but as the days go by, the years roll on, the final day of
reckoning draws near and relentlessly we are swept along as driftwood
toward the lonely beaches of obscurity. And all because _we lacked
self-confidence_! We did not realize it until it was too late. We were
too busy with self-indulgence to struggle for success.
Most of our troubles in later life started with _failure to take hold of
ourselves_ when we were young. It may be that we put off making our
choice of something to do. If we had been companionable to ourselves we
might have thought out the proper course while taking long walks in
pursuit of physical development. That would have been a _fine_ time in
which to fight out the whole problem--the time when optimism and _the
will to do_ are as natural as the laughter of a child, or the song of a
bird. That was the time when the world appeared roseate and beautiful,
when success lay just beyond the turn of the road, when failure seemed
something illusory and improbable. Then was the time to jump in with
both feet and _a big hearty laugh_ to solve the problem of what to do
and how to go about it. It is surprising how readily the world follows
the individual with confidence. It is willing to believe in him, to
furnish funds, to assist in any way within its power. And that is where
the man _with a smile_ is sure to win--for the man who smiles has
confidence in himself.
So long as we carry along with us our atmosphere of hearty good will and
enthusiasm we know no defeat. The man who is gloomy, taciturn and lives
in a world of doubt seldom achieves more than a bare living. There have
been a few who have groaned their way through to a competence but in
proportion to that overwhelming number of souls who carry cheer through
life they are as nothing--mere drops in the bucket. If the truth were
told their success came probably through mere chance and nothing else.
Such people are not the ones for us to endeavor to follow. _We cannot
afford to allow our visions to sour._
Beginning early takes away timidity and builds for success while we are
young enough to enjoy the benefits. Although it is never too late to
start a cheerful life we don't have to kill ourselves in the attempt.
There is no necessity for throwing all caution to the winds, but we
should press our advantages. With _self-analysis_ comes a certain
poise, a certain dignity and kindliness that tempers every move with
precision.
Once we get the proper start we have only to take stock now and then in
order to keep our machinery in a fine state of repair. If we have chosen
wisely we love our work and stick to it closely--not forgetting the home
duties and our share in its success. Right here we run up against the
danger signal if our business success wins us away from the hearthstone.
_Love of home_ is a quality of the workers of the earth. "What doth it
profit a man to win the whole world if he _loseth_ his own soul?"
To sum up the case--once we have made up our minds to win and how we are
going to do it, the next step is to act. _Health is synonymous with
action._ The healthy man does things, the unhealthy man hesitates. And
when we get ready to act we will act with the air of a conqueror. We
must supply from our own store our atmosphere of confidence in order to
win confidence. The successful man is the one who _knows he is right_
and makes us realize it.
It is always worth while to study the successes among our
acquaintances. Are they gloomy, morose and irritable? If they were to
that extent they would not be successful. On the contrary, they are
robust, confident individuals who have taken advantage of every rightful
opportunity and possessed _the power to smile_ when all about them were
in the dumps. When everyone else thought that there wasn't a chance to
win these fellows stepped in and took charge.
When we interview the failures we find that all of them give one excuse:
"_I didn't have the confidence._" They may not say it in exactly these
words but the meaning is plain. They ran through the whole gamut of
_self-distrust_ which is the natural result of not having started early
in the study of self--the serious realization of their own capabilities.
[Illustration: _Preparing to Pair With the Prickly Pear_]
This makes it easy to understand their plight. If we know ourselves we
are strengthened that much, because we can bolster up our weaknesses. We
will know enough to combat timidity. We can then know what we are
capable of, and thus become conscious of our innate powers that only
need to be called into action in order to become useful. We cannot
imagine for an instant a great violinist going out on the concert
platform in ignorance of the condition of his instrument. And yet
failures go out on the stage of life knowing nothing of their strengths
and weaknesses--_and still expect to win_!
If we are to become successes we must _keep success in mind_--banish all
thought of losing. Success is just as natural as anything else. It is
only a matter of the mind anyhow. We are all successes _as long as we
continue to think so_. Self-depreciation is a disease. Once it gets a
hold on us--good-bye!
And that is why it is wise to begin early--to take hold of affairs while
we are young. Superiority over our fellow man comes from a superiority
of mind and body. A healthy mind breeds a healthy body. The most
superficial study will convince us of this fact.
Appearance counts for much in this world. We judge largely by
appearances. We haven't time to know everyone we meet intimately and as
a result must base our opinions upon _first impressions_. The fellow who
comes in an office with his head hanging down between his shoulders and
a frown upon his face doesn't get far with us. We find ourselves looking
over his sagging shoulders toward the individual behind him who comes in
with a swinging step and the confidence born of health and good spirits.
Self-confidence in youth makes for self-confidence in after years. This
is far from meaning that one can be brazen and inclined towards
freshness and get away with it. It merely means the marshalling of one's
forces, _the command of one's self_ and the ability to make others
recognize that we are on the map because we belong there. And one of the
quickest ways to accomplish this is to have a smile tucked away for
instant use. Again, this does not mean that we are to carry round a
ready-to-wear grin which we wear only as we are ushered into the
presence of another. _A real smile, or a hearty laugh, is not to be
counterfeited._ We easily know the genuine from the spurious. A real
laugh springs naturally out of a pure, unadulterated confidence and a
good physical condition. What triumphs, what splendid battles, have been
won through the ability to laugh at the right moment.
Whenever we find that we are losing our ability to smile let's have no
false notions. We are neglecting our physical well being. Let us then
and there drop the sombre thoughts and get out into the open air. Run
down the street and if possible out into the country. If we see a tree
and have the inclination to climb it--well, then, climb it. If we are
sensitive about what our neighbors might say--too bad! But we can romp
with easy grace. If we but knew how gladly our neighbors would emulate
our gymnastics if they knew the value of them the laugh would be on us
for dreading their opinion. One thing we do know--_they will envy us our
good health and spirits_.
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