The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1859-03-31
d" A Hard World"

BY VIRGINIA =. WNsEND
ATS a hard, dreadful world to &c, along with" p"
We hear these words very Often in mourn1l
tones, with due accompaniment of dismal faces
and deep, drear signs, and there's 10 denying the
truth Of them.
What with mortal pain and wcarness and dis.
appointment, with misapprehension on one hand
and treachery Oh another, with all the daily an
noyances aud trials OF life to say nothing of those
weighty griets which fall like dcsolating storms
upon the garden of the soul, this is "a hard
world"
And yet; there are two sides to the picture, and
happiness is far more in ourselves than we fancy.
Those who look TO outward circumstances for
their enjoyment will generally find it failure, a
path of broken reeds and failing csters of wa
ter; and the soul that is at peace with iself will
generally be so with mankind; certainly, this
hurting anathemas against the world encourages
that spirit of misanhropy which, above all things,
is TO be deprecated and which becomes at last a
great fountain of bitterness, blighting and poiS-
oning all that is fair and fruitful in the soul
And we never yet met with man, or woman,
who was habtually severe and satirical upon o til.
ers, who was always |, oking for the cold dark,
colors in this chiuroscuro OF life, who was not
false to him or herself and who did not carry
within the narrow visions Of the malignant pas
sions which make their own blindness and torment.
sage Of gladness, whOmsoever you are, whatsoev-
er be your circums tanoes; so long us your eyes
can wander along our words, you hold right and
an interest in them, for il lies with you to make
this poor, unhnged, sell-dcflcd world little
better.
1t is q glorious thought, a thought worthy of
living. that each one Of us may leave the world
little better than we found i, filling it with
some sweet fragrance such as H+atS softly round a
traveller jouneying through forest. and he
knows that it comes from wild flowers, hidden in
deep emerald hooks and around the roots of tie
trees; flowers which he may never behold, but
whose perfume fills his heart with gadness and
joy,
And so, the world needs loving words and kind
y smiles, and gentle, sef.sacrdcing deeds, filing
its highways and broken forest paths, with sweet
fragrance, as though, perchance none may tell
"whencc they come or whittier they 60"
And may be this is all you can do, reader, for
the time and skill to achieve great and heroic
deeds is not given TO many, but by all sweet and
gentle charities, by little acts of tenderness and
iorbcarance, the world is refreshed and blest and
herein you make it little better.
Then don't, VIC besccch u, stay way down in
the cellar Of your soul, where life is painted in
low, dim coors don't stay among the back clos
cts OF Care, aud Suspicion, and Jealousy and Dis
content, but go up into the broad parlors, gra.
ciously adorned and made meet for guests; open
the windows and doors that the sunbeams may
crowd in like flock of golden winged birds, and
llumina' e the glorious paintings and the huted
columns, and the carved ceilings, aud that sweet
airs may come in like the far Off lyrics of angels,
tossing their trebles and altos back aud forth.
Oh, after all, the world-the hard wo Id, is
much what We make Of it, and no unwisdom and
folly is greater than sitting down and broodng
over its Might have beenS
There is a world of truth and philosophy in
these words of Trcgrdvas, and something more
than these, too" Whats done you can't mend
what's left, you can: whatever has happened is
Gods concern, now and none but His. Do you
see, that as far you can no such thing can hap
pen again on the face OF His earth" Oh, because
God lives and Christ reigns, there is joy and glad
ness for every son and daughter of man--Honse
MugGzine.