[Illustration] MAKING LIFE WORTH WHILE [Illustration] [Illustration: A modern Musketeer] MAKING LIFE WORTH WHILE BY DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS _Author of “Laugh and Live”_ [Illustration] NEW YORK BRITTON PUBLISHING COMPANY COPYRIGHT, 1918, BY BRITTON PUBLISHING COMPANY [Illustration] CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I LITTLE GRAINS OF SAND 13 II AS THE TWIG IS BENT 23 III THE NEW ORDER OF LIVING 31 IV FEEDING THE INTELLECT 41 V BACKING UP THE FLAG 49 VI HALF-BAKED KNOWLEDGE 57 VII HARNESSING THE BRAIN 65 VIII EXALTING THE EGO 73 IX GENIUS PLUS INITIATIVE 81 X THE BIG FOUR 87 XI APPLYING THE RULE OF REASON 95 XII THROUGH DIFFICULTIES TO THE STARS 109 XIII IN ANSWER TO MANY FRIENDS 115 XIV THINGS THAT MONEY WON’T BUY 127 XV THE BOY ACROSS THE SEA 133 XVI SUPERIOR--SUPERIORITY--SUPER 139 XVII WHEN THE BOYS COME HOME 147 XVIII REGENERATION 153 [Illustration] LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS A Modern Musketeer--(_Frontis_) ----and his brother John Teaching his dog to smile “And her name is Maud” A pointed argument “Smile when you say it” Companions “What ho!” says the King. “Ho, hum!” replied his guest Tweedle-dee--Tweedle-dum Where once one equals two A quick getaway A rattling good story A one-minute reverie A studio confab Alone with the Grand Canyon “In tune with the Infinite” _Decorations by Harold A. Van Buren_ [Illustration] AUTHOR’S FOREWORD In _Laugh and Live_, my sole purpose was to emphasize our first duty toward ourselves, which consists of doing our level best at everything we undertake, and making the best of every situation that arises to confront us. All through my early life I read inspirational books and liked them best of all. They seemed to beckon me on. I could feel myself being pulled along by an unseen hand. Let there be no mistake about _Making Life Worth While_. It has no particular plan or sequence whereby to back up its title. Nearly everything has to do with such a subject and that is what the book contains--everything in general--and nothing in particular--just such things as came to mind that seemed worth while. As a follow up to _Laugh and Live_ here’s hoping that it will _fill the bill_. D. F. [Illustration] [Illustration] CHAPTER I LITTLE GRAINS OF SAND Holding down a seat in the _rocking chair fleet_ out on the shady piazza is most certainly not making the most out of life.