dream, a building of air castles, which lasts
for a long time and recurs with distressing
frequency.

_Such attention is action in the line of least
resistance. Though it may suffice for the acts
of animals and children it is sadly deficient for
our complex business life_.

Even here, however, it is easy to relapse
to the lower plane of activity and to respond
to the appeal of the crier in the street, the
inconvenience of the heat, the news of the ball
game, or a pleasing reverie, or even to fall
into a state of mental apathy. The warfare
against these distractions is never wholly
won. Banishing these allurements results in
the concentration so essential for successfully
handling business problems. The strain is
not so much in solving the problems as in retaining
the concentration of the mind.

When an effort of will enables us to overcome
these distractions and apply our minds to the
subject in hand, the strain soon repeats itself.

It frequently happens that this struggle is
continuous--particularly when the distractions
are unusual or our physical condition is
below the normal. No effort of the will is