Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1855-07-26
THE BEAUTY OF cHEERFULNEss

| THE BEAUTY OF CHEERFULNESs.
''Is it not worse than vain to close our eyes
Upon the azure sky and golden light,
Because the tempest-cloud doth sometimes
rise,
And the glorious day must darken into
nightT
tits sad thing to be peevish, fretful
and discontented. There are times and
seasons when it is almost impossible to
rally remarkable flow of spirits, even
when there is apparently little or no
cause for dependency. But these,
with the great majority of the human
family, are, or should be, few and far
between. There are some persons who
are constantly making themselves un
happy, and without reason. They see
nothing but the dark side of life, and
close their eyes and their hearts to the
bright. They get up in the morning
out of humor, not only with themselves
but with all mankind; and wherever
they appear, or in whatever circle they
have power or influence, they chill, dis
courage and repulse. They permit them
selves to indulge in idle jealousies, fool
ish fears and vague apprehensions, and
even if prosperous for the present, they
predict some sad calamity in the future,
and thus prove themselves morbidly in
firm, and, in fact, insensible to the bles-
sings of Providence. The effect is not
only to distress themselves, but to an
noy and disquiet others. They are in
the moral world, what passing cloud
is in the physical. They cast a gloom
over everything for the moment, and
serve to drive away the sunny infuen-
ces which are so admirably calculated
to brighten the pathway of life. In
what happy contrast is the cheerful spir-
1.-THE individual whose heart is full of
kindness and generosity, who is ever
ready to say good word, or to do a
benevolent act, and whose daily life
may be likened to constant beam of
sunshinel He may be disturbed and
depressed for the moment, but it will
only be for the moment; a shadow may
pass over his brow, and silence may
seal his lips, but his natural buoyancy
will soon acquire the ascendant, and
his joyous laugh and cheerful smile will
soon be heard and seen again. If he
cannot say anything kindly or compli-
mentary, he has the good sense and
manly feeling to keep his peace. If he
cannot praise he will not blame. Sean
dal has no charms for him, and malig-
nityis utterly foreign to his disposition.
He constantly tries TO gladden. and en-
courage, to cheer the desponding and
unfortunate, to assist and relieve to the
extent of his ability. The head of a
household, or the master-spirit of an ex-
tensive establishment, possesses, to a
considerable extent, the means of MAX
ing or marring the comfort and happi-
ness of all who look up to, depend up
on, or feel the exercise of his influence.
Imagine peevish, fretful and dissatis-
fed individual under these circumstan-
cesl His very appearance creates
shudder, for he is certain to say some
thing harsh, cold or uncivil, and thus
to irritate feelings, trample upon sensi-
bilities, or stimulate prejudices and pas
sions. He is miserable himself, and,
according to the old adage, misery loves
He moves about like a
troubled spirit, and instead of smile,
a cheering word, or an encouraging look,
a frown, a rebuke or a grumble are
certain to characterize his progress
How much better the gentler, the mild
er, the generous policy. How beautiful
are cheerfulness, benevolence and ap-
probation under these circumstances
In the one case, the heart shrinks back,
the feelings revolt, and the sympathies
turn away; while in the other, the cheek
ylows with pleasure, the fountains of
emotion are filed to overhowing, and a
cordial welcome and an involuntary
blessing, are sure to attend, like invisi-
Die angels, the coming and the presence
Of the cheerful, the kind hearted, the
appreciating and the good.
Phil. Inquirer.