The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1888-03-22
ON BEING PLEASANT.
IL Makes People Jolly and Changes FrownI
Into PIeasaut Smiles.

Into Pleasant Smiles.
Says Mr.. Thackeray about that nice
boy Give Newcome, "Idon't know that
Give was especially brilliant, but he
was pleasant.
Occasionally we meet people to whom
it seems to come natural to be pleas
ant; such are as welcome wherever they
go as flowers in May. and the most
charming thing about them is that they
help to make other people pleasant too.
Their pleasantness is contagious
The other morning we were in the
midst of three days rain. The fire
smoked, the dining-room was chilly.
and when we assembled for breakfast,
papa looked rather grim. and mamma
tired, for the baby had been restless all
night. Polly was plainly inclined to
fretfulness, and Bridget was undeniably
cross, when Jack came in with the
breakfast rolls from the bakers. He
had taken off his rubber coat and boots
in the entry, and he came in rosy and
smiling.
Here's the paper, SIR" said he to
his father with such a cheerful tone
that his fathers brow relaxed, and he
said "Ah. Jack. thank you." quite
pleasantly.
His mother looked up at him smiling,
and he just touched her cheek gently
as he passed.
''Tne top of the morning to you, Pol
ly-wOg," he said to his little sister, and
delivered the rolls to Bridget with
Here you are, Bridget. Aren't you
sorry you didn't 90 yourself this beau
tiful day?"
He gave the fire poke and opened
a damper. The smoke ceased, and
presently the Goals began to glow, and
five minutes after Jack came in we had
gathered around the table and were
eating our oatmeal as cheerily as pos
sible. This seems very simple in the
telling, and Jack never knew he had
done any thing at all. but he had in
fact changed the whole moral atmos-
phere of the room, and had started
gloomy day pleasantly for five people.
.'He is always so," said his mother
when 1 spoke to her about it afterward.
lust so sunny and kind, and ready all
the time. L suppose there are more
brilliant boys in the world than mine.
but none with kinder heart or a
sweeter temper, 1 am sure of that"
And thought: Why isn't cheerful dis
position worth cultivating? Isn't it ones
duty to be pleasant, just as well as to
be honest, or truthful, or industrious.
Dr. generous? And yet, while there are
I good many honest, truthful. indus
trious, and generous souls in the world,
and people who are unselfish too, after
fashion, person who is habitually
pleasant is rather a rarity. l suppose
the reason is because it is such hard
work to act pleasant when one feels
cross. Very few people have the cour-
age of that cheeriest of men, MIR. Mark
Tapley, who made it point of honor
to keep jolly under the most de-
pressing circumstances.
People whose dispositions are natur-
ally irritable or unhappy. think it is no
use trying to be otherwise; but that is a
mistake. If they will patiently and
perseveringly try to keep always pleas
ant, after while they will get in the
habit of smiling instead of frowning,
of looking bright instead of surly, and
of giving kind word instead of a cross
one. And the beauty of it is, as l said
before, that pleasantness is catching,
and before long they will find them
selves in the midst of world full of
bright and happy people, where every
one is as g2od-natured and contented as
they e.-Christiqn at Work.