The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1880-02-26
Optimism.
Webster thus defines optimism:

in the affairs of this life, is the cause
of nearly all the financial disasters
that ruin individuals.
We remember a man with whom
we were very well acquainted years
ago, who had optimism in its worst
form. He often confded his plans to
US. as he had full confidence that we
could keep secret. Once when In
his company he was absorbed for some
time in figuring upon a piece of paper,
when at length he stopped, saying to
himself: "Yes; it can be done.
Then he asked us, in all seriousness, if
we thought that man whose proper
ty was worth million and half dol
lars, could get to Heaven. He said he
could realize that amount, honestly, IN
a few months. He was not a fool, or
crazy, by any means. Optimism was
what allied him.
On another occasion this man con-
fded to us one of his schemes for get
ting rich. He proposed to take us in
as a kind of silent partner. He had
read an advertisement that there was
new kind of wheat that would yield
perhaps five hundred fold. 1t branch
ed out like tree, and each stalk would
have dozen or more heads upon it.
The seed was for sale by some party
at Abbeville, South Carolina, and was
sold at a marvellous price. He had
sent for small sack of it, perhaps
about quart, for which he had paid
over fifty dollars. Now if one and a
half bushels, the amount that should
be sown upon an acre, would produce
seven or eight hundred bushels, it
would really be worth fifty dollars a
quart, or sixteen hundred dollars per
bushel, until it became generally in
troduced among farmers. He gave us
small portion Of the seed, with the
injunction that we must keep it pro-
found secret. We planted the seed in
the garden, and it came up, grew,
branched out, all in accordance with
the programme; but when it came to
filling out, the grains failed to appear.
Some of the heads had few shriveled
grains in them-some had none. Our
friend lived three miles from the place
where we did, and his soil was differ
ent, but the result was the same. He
only realized few quarts of wheat,
such as is found when wheat is attack
ed with rust He employed agents to
sell it, and tried it next year, with like
result. It was total failure-a mis-
erable humbug.
Our optimist friend was not in the
least discouraged by this failure, he
had often failed in other like schemes,
and he at once took up some other
scheme, and was as sanguine as before.
We have described this man at
length, to illustrate this delusion.
The world is full Of such men.
We have written the foregoing as a
kind of prelude to our Sunday night
lay sermon, the same as Joseph Cook
introduces his lectures by prelude.
What is to be said of optimism in
religious matters? Perhaps it is a
greater evil than pessimism. Your re-
ligious optimist is always hopeful
always sanguine. He has no fears
about religion in this country, he only
feels sympathy for the poor benighted
heathen in foreign lands; but he is
sure the heather can all be converted
in very short time, if the pecuniary
means to send missionaries could be
had. He believes fully in revivals of
religion. He cares but little about a
steady, every day religion, that crops
out in all the affairs Of life, every day
in the whole year. If man processes
to ''get religion" every winter, our op-
timist does not care what he does
through the warm weather. or, in fact,
during the revival season, if he only
makes big professions of piety. He
may fall by the way not only seventy
times seven, but seven hundred times
seventy, and the optimist still believes
he is a model man, and any insinua-
ton about his immortality, or rascality,
will be declared to be an attack upon
the church-upon religion-in fact,
rank infdelity. Ask your optimist if
he does not know that man who is
always making professions Of CONVEX
sion, and holiness, and purity, and
sanctifcation, and who is all the time
liar and scoundrel, ought to be
treated as his character, and not his
professions merit, and he will look
upon you as ''heathen man and a.
Republican.
We have often talked with the reli-
gious optimist. He will meet you
with the most beaming, heavenly
countenance, and say: Did you know
that Mr.. A. got religion last night?"
mo" 'WelI, he did. He had hard
struggle for it, but he got through" ="
We shake our head, and tell him that
we have known Mr. A. for forty years,
and in that time we have known him
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