Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-08-31
THE PAINS OF FEAR.
The Arch Enemy of Truth. OF Happiness
and of Success.

The Arch Enomy of Truth, OF Happiness
aud of Success.
1t would be an interesting bit of
statistics, could IL be drawn up, which
should show many poor creatures have
died of an epidemic and how many of
fright. giving themselves the disease
through fear Of taking it. Is thcre not
an Eastern apologize which tells how
the Angel of Pestilence was questioned
MS To the ten thousand victims he had
slainP And did he not answer: "Nay.
Lord. took but n thousand; the .tst
were slain by my friend Pnnic?" How
many. too, have sunk into the deep
waters of the black river and been
lloated on to the ocean of eternity for
very paralysis of hope when the evil
hour was upon them and they had Just
wctted their feet on the brink They
rould and they would. have stepped
back To the solid shore; but they had
no courage to make the attempt, no
energy 20 strike out to the land The
waters closed over their bowed head
and they sobbed away their breath in
the very supinencss OF terror, the very
lethargy of hopeless fear Death is
like every thing else--a foe to be
fought, wild beast to be kept at bay.
They who contend with the most spirit
live the greater number of days. The
will to live and the determination not
to die make the most ctlicacious anti
doto against the poison of the "lethal
dart " The hopolcssnoss of fear is
that poison itself, SO is it with the
torment of fear during II financial
crisis. There are men and women.
too, God bless them! who, when the
wolf prowls round the house door, open
that door wide. issue boldly forth. and
do battle with the hungry beast of
poverty with any weapon that lies
handy. Aud these always
succeed in the long run. The pluck
that braves danger and the
energy that overcomes dillicu' - are
the two pots of gold CA which tlIc rain
bow rests Bat the hystrrical despair
which folds its hands aud weep, when
crash comes aud the wolf bowls near
and ever nearer which takes Ia bed
with the fever born of anxiety with
the Softencd fiber, the paralyzed nerves.
also borne of anxiety what can YOU
do with ite What can You say of itp
Fear and Hope there they
stand, the two presiding de-
tiles over mems minds, formid-
able rs Apollyon when he met.
assaulted, and sought to de-
stroy Christian; to the optimist Fear
sinks into II dusky shadow of non
terrifying aspect. while Hope
sings like lark and shines like a
star above his head. The pessimist,
standing stock-still in his own past,
sees naught but evil in every change
public feeling or private custom that
has taken place since Plancus was
ais counseli the optimist forgets
himself and looks both be-
fore and after. and before be-
cause he looks after He sees where
humanity stands to-day. and where il
stood when the paleolithic man Clipped
his tltnts and learned to keep himself
upright. He contrasts the times of the
great Pharaoh. when slaves were held
rs machines, and not treated with So
much humanity as we treat our beasts
of burden. and says: The term has
not been reached. What has been will
be, and those dead selves ever lie as
stepping stones for higher things
The pessimist gives up all as lost wher
society seeks to readiust old conditions