Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-06-06
SOME SOCIAL NUIsANcEs.
The Young Cynlc in tho Drawing
Room.

lllSy Sdll a. b4OLOuSh hhOMlSuBopl VIC
world" and then declare that all men
are base deceivers, and women friends
are Jealous foes to be regarded with
suspicion. Young boys moralize over
the depravity of humanity, the falsity
of woman in particular, and folly of
love or friendship.
Almost daily / meet in drawing
rooms some beardless youth who tells
me life is a horrible bore, and that
society ennuies him, and that he has
worn out all human emotion, and would
give the world for q real sensation,
which he never again hopes to expert
ence.
Each OF these youths imagines his
remarks TO be quite original, and looks
TO see his listener start with astonish-
ment at such prodigy of experience, or
to melt with sympathy.
Some very young girls grow senti-
mental over the base airs and cynical
assumptions of these callcw youths.
Small boys emulate them, and sensible
men and women who think of them at
all despise or pity them for their lack
Of common-sense.
We can but wonder why this speci-
men of youth so persistently seeks the
society that bores him. have met
him numerously at three afternoon teas
in one day and again in the evening,
everywhere posing as an emotionless
stole and hopeless ennui. Frequently
he makes vague references to "sinful
past" or TO tragedies through which he
has passed, only to issue SCARED and
| hopeless wreck. One is inclined to
! l. l., ~, -
! his mothers pantry-and his tragedy
of the accidental overturning Of his
crib at midnight.
All these nondescript creatures dis
trust woman, dislike humanity, and
sheer at love and marriage. They are,
of course, atheistical in their tenden-
cies, consider this life sad mistake OF
nature, which death will end. They
! pity you for entertaining any belief in
a future existence, or sigh and say,
Dear me, how delightful it must be to
have any such faith; quito refres hing,
really, but Of course, wholly with out
reason!"
! A somewhat mature specimen of this
! genus homo said to me recently, II
! fancy it must be such a pleasure TO be-
! lieve in God and mankind, in love and
! goodness, the way you do. No founda-
ton, of course for such belief exists,
save in your poetic Imagination, and
l have great faith that you will yet
change your ideas, and believe in
nothing at all.
/ must confess at that moment II |
| had not been able to see beyond this
! shodow of man who stood before me,
! giving utterance to such rude and USE
! less platitudes, that | might easily have
! believed in nothing at all. so excel
! lent an illustration was he of nothing
ness.
There is no moro painful object in
! life TO me than the spectacle of pes
simistic youth or maid, devoid of the
| hopeful dreams, the bright outlook,
/ the trusting confidence which naturally
! belongs to youth. They develop into
! disagreeablc friends, and uncomfort-
able wives and husbands and unsuc-
| cessful men and women.
Not many months ago | was ques-
toned regarding my idea of Santa
Claus. Did / not think the illusion
cruel one, and the awakening painful?
Should not this mythical being be
! abolished? | said. No; / recall the
happiness the belief in Santa Claus
! gave mel do not recall any succeed
! ing misery. Let us keep our illusions
while We may, and not awaken until
we must. Too many parents nowadays
seem DESTROYS Of tearing away tho veil
of illusions-or what they fear may be-
come illusions-from their children's
eyes. To the young girl they say,
"Do not expect happiness in love or
marriage; there is little poetry and
much humdrum practically about you
you may as well know it soon as
late" So, at the first shadow on the
sunlight Of her dreams, the girl is pre-
pared 10 believe that the end of happi-
ness has arrived, and she makes no eff
fort to rescue her ideal from complete
destruction.
Were l the mother of Young daugh-
ter, would say, The world is mainly
as you make it-people are, as rule,
what you believe them TO be-and YOU
receive from the world what you give
TO it, The greatest possible earthly
happiness lies in a congenial marriage.
Clouds may shadow your pathway at
times, but the sunlight of love can dis
sipate them If it shines persistently
and warmly enough"
IL seems TO me such utter bad breed
ing TO go about the world scattering
the seeds of distrust and scepticism.
We get quite enough of these ideas in
the novels of the day, without being
obliged to hear these failure-breeding
theories expressed in every parlor and
drawidgroom. l say Failure" breed
ing advisedly.
have theory-the result of obser-
vation-which is quite my own. AL
most without exception | have seen
chronically inclined pessimistic people
degenerate. or only achieve partial
success in life, while the optimist, even
less richly endowed by nature, reaches
his goal more rapidly and achieves n
more complete success, with the same
amount of diligence only.
i believe the tendency of the world is
strongly optimistic. Even the mani
mate things of Nature are helpful and
kind toward one another. The breeze
and the bee aid the flowers to propa-
gate and bloom. The sun assists more
yearning germs 70 grow up into beauty
fbop oil tho, foynpccta 1lirrbt rla NJ