The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1880-02-12
The PeSsimiSt.

write and publish lay sermons? we
will tell you. Our ministers cannot
reach the great masses of the people;
we can. One of the ministers recent
ly told us that the church In which he
officiated would seat 400 persons, and
it was generally well filled. He said
there were three other churches in
which there were regular services.
One of them would seat about as many
as would his church, while the other
two would seat about 200 each, or 1900
in the four churches. Now there are
at least 5000 people residing in Jack
son, thus leaving 1900 persons who do
not attend church. 1t is much worse
than this. All these four churches
are not filled every Sabbath, and good
many of those who do attend, come
from the country.
The average number of subscribers
to THE STANDARD during the past ten
years, has been about 1900. 1t has
not gone below 1900, and has run up
during political campaigns to over
22OO. Put the average at 1900. 1t is
well established fact that there are
at least five readers for every subscrib-
er. This is caused by all the members
of the family reading the paper, and
MANY who are not subscribers reading
it at hotels, public offices, etc. Five
times 1900 gives 5000. There is our
congregation, in contrast with the
1900 at all the churches in Jackson.
Have we not a great opportunity OF
doing good?
What about our text? Webster
thus defines the word Pessimist:
Zone who complains Of every thing
as being for the worst; opposite to an
Optimist."
There are pessimists in all the avo-
cations of life, but the most hopeless
and unhappy of all, is the pessimist
farmer. He comes to town in the
winter, and we, being something of
an optimist-always hopeful and san
guine, say to him: beautiful winter
did you ever see such winter? Fine
for the wheat, is it not?" 'Well-
yes''-says our pessimist. Il never
saw such winter, but then-we will
pay for it in the spring, and then the
wheat will be so forward that the fly
will destroy it" And thus he goes Oh
and worries, and complains, and des'
ponds, from one month to another
the entire year round. In the spring
he declares that the late frosts will xii
the fruit, that the dry weather will
: ruin the corn crop; and in the summer
!! he says that the wet weather vii
= bring rust upon the wheat, and spoi
; the hay, and rot the potatoes. In thu
, fall, if it be cool, he declares that th'
early frost will ruin the corn; and i
it be warm he will be equally despond
! ent, and say that now the warm, we
weather, although fine for the wheat
will surely rot all the corn in the shock
Farmers ought to be ashamed to b
pessimists, for they have special oppor
tunities to appreciate the wisdom o
Divine Providence. They ought to b
convinced that seed time and harvest
day and night, summer and winter
will continue.
. When business becomes depressed
and times are hard, the pessimist VIII
has real estate to sell, rushes it int
market, and causes further depres
: sion. Tell him that this is not tn
time to sell, but the time to buy, AM
he will shake his head, and declar
that land will never come up an.
: more, and unless he can sell now, a
) some price, he will lose it entirely.
The shrewd, far-seeing iron manu-
facturer, is also liable to this folly O
, pessimism. Some six months ago pig
iron sold in Jackson for only S14 pc
tsn. Tt came up to SIS, when you
pessimist producer sold all he could a
that price, to be delivered in the fu
ture, as he could manufacture it. For
tunately for him, the buyer was ais
pessimist, and they both declared
that iron never would come up to tn
former prices-never They did no
: desire that it should-if it would onl.
come up to 500 or $25 per ton, the,
could be happy. Now, in less THAI
six months, iron has gone up from 81.
to $45, and still going up, and tn
:. pessimist pigironist is more unhapp,
than ever. Now he is sure it mus
take tumble, and he refuses to b
comforted.
This folly, or misfortune, or what
ever it is, of pessimism, tends largel.
to bring about the very trouble it ap
prehends. Men have died of cholera
or hydrophobia, who in reality neve
had those diseases, only as the.
brought them on by their fears. w
read once of sound, healthy criminal
who was condemned to death. Som
physicians desired to try an expert
ment upon him, and they told hin
that they were ordered to put him t.
death by opening vein in his arm
They took him to darkened room