"The direction of my career was com?
pletely changed," said United Btatea
Senator Albert J. Beveridge to the
writer, "by a careless laugh. When I
was a youth in Illinois 1 heard that the
congressman from our district intended
to hold an examination to determine
what youug man be should appoint tc
West Point. I pitched in and studied
hard for that examination, and I found
it easy when I caine to take it. Most
of the other fellows seemed to be still
struggling with It when I had finished,
nnd I was so confident that I had made
few mistakes that I was iu a pretty
cheerful frame of mind. This is why I
laughed when ono of the struggler!
asked a rather foolish question of the
professor in charge. The latter evi?
dently felt that the dignity of the oc?
casion had been trifled with, for ht
scored 1 per ceut against me. When
the papers came to be corrected this
loss caused me to fall one-fifth of 1
per cent below the boy who stood high
est on the Hst. Ile ls a captain in thc
army now, where I suppose 1 should
be had lt not been for that laugh. 1
believe In the power of cheerfulness
Looking back, I nm rather glad that I
laughed."?Success Magazine.
Conalnteu.y.
Herbert McFadden, at thc funera
directors' annual convention In Phila
delphia, declared consistency to be nr
overrated virtue.
