The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-08-04
Cultivate CheerfulDess.

CuIt1vate CuceTIulUrsss
IL we but make up our minds to it,
we can be cheerful under any circum-
stances. no matter how adverse and dis
couraging they may appear for the
time being. And by how much we do
this. by so much we increase our
own and the happiness of those around
us. Charles Lamb used TO say that
"a laugh is worth thousand groans IN
anv state of the market" DIR. johnson
maintained that the habit of looking on
the bright side of every thing was bet
ter than $1,000 salary year." Cheer.
fulness and diligence, says Samuel
Smiley, are the life and soul of success,
as we'll as of happiness perhaps the
very highest pleasure in life consists IN
clear, brisk, conscience working. Bishop
Hall wrote; For every bad there
might be worse and when one breaks
his leg, let him be thankful that 1t was
not his neck There are few, if any,
persons who find things just as they
would like to have them. Annoyances,
vexations, and trials are incident TO the
life of every one. We may allow them
to constantly fret and irritate US, sour
ing our dispositions and making us un-
happy generally, or we can rise above
them and be cheerful in spite OF them.
1t should be the aim of all to cult
vate a habit of cheerfulness to look
upon the virtues and not the faults Of
those around them to refrain from
brooding over the past, and study how
the future may be bright and CHEEKY.
We should keep depression and low
spirits at a distance, and not permit
ourselves to indulge in melancholy
moods or repinings because matters are
not so and so.
In this busy, busting period, there is
great danger of men being worried by
the friction and wear and tear of busi-
ness life into chronic condition of ir
ritability and peevishness. In their
eagerness to acquire Mealth, they over
tax their energies, encroach upon the
necessary hours of sleep, and become
fretful, fdgety, and wappish. Those in
large cities particularly should be on
their guard against falling into this
condition of constant anxiety and APP
prehension lest something is going
wrong. 1t is an excellent resolution
which some make to leave the "shop'
behind them when returning home at
night, to dispel all thoughts Of the days
cares and anxieties, and surrender
themselves to the soothing, quieting
influences which should be found in
every family circle. Whoever will do
this is bound to be cheerful. Rest, re-
creation, and participation in amuse-
ments were designed by our Creator to
counteract the effect Of hard labor on
mind and body. Whoever refuses to
recognize this fact and conform to it,
will suffer both mentally and physically.
How much better is it for one to pass
down to old age with limited COM
petence, feeling that he has enjoyed
life and contributed to the enjoyment
of others, than to secure riches at the
sacrifice of all the better instincts of
nature and all enjoyment! There is no
more pitiable object in the world than
the sordid, grabbed old man who has
devoted life time to moneygetting
simply, and sacrifices every trait of man
hood in his endeavors
As cheerfulnes is essential to
happiness, so regular habits and
plenty of sleep are essential 10
cheerfulness. We cannot violate
physical laws with impunity. The Al
mighty has arranged in his physical au-
tonomy that his creatures must have so
much rest and nourishment in order to
maintain health and mental elasticity
and buoyancy. There is such an init
mate relation existing between the body
and mind, that the former cannot be
out Of gear without disarranging the lat
ter.-Heorth and Home.