The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1891-10-03
The PeSsimiStS.

Some are born pessimists and
some are born optimists, and that
demonstrates itself all through ev-
erything. 1t is cloudy morning.
You meet pessimist and you say !:
"What weather to-day?" He an
swers: "It's going to Storm" and
umbrella under arm and a water
proof overcoat show that he is hon.
est in that utterance. On the same
block, a minute after, you meet an
optimist, and you say: what
weather to-day?" "Good weather
this is only a fog and will soon scat
ter" The absence Of umbrella and
absence ofwaterproof overcoat show
it is an honest utterance. On your
way at noon to luncheon you meet
an optimistic merchant and you
say, "What do you think of the
commercial prospects?" and he says
"Glorious. Great crops must bring
great business. We are going to
have such an autumn and winter
of prosperity as we have never seen."
On your way back to your store you
meet a pessimistic merchant. "What
do you think of the commercial
prospects?" you ask. And he an
swers: "Well, l don't know. So
much grain will surfeit the country.
Farmers will have more bushels,
but less prices, and the grain gam
blers will get their fist in. There
is the Mckinley bill; and the hay
crop is short in some places, and
in the southern part of Wisconsin
they had q hail-storm, and our
business is as dull as it ever was"
You will find the same difference
in judgment of character. A man
of good reputation is assailed and
charged with some evil deed. At
the first story the pessimist will be-
lieve in guilt. "The papers said so,
and that's enough. Down with
him |" The optimist will say: II
don't believe word of it. | don't
think that man that has been as
useful and seemingly honest for
twenty years could have got off the
track like that. There are two sides
to this story, and will wait to hear
the other side before / condemn
him." My hearer, if you are by
nature pessimist, make special
effort by the grace of God to extir-
pate the dolorous and the hypo-
critical from your disposition. Be-
lieve nothing against anybody
until the wrong is established by at
least two witnesses of integrity.
And if guilt be proven find out the
extenuating circumstances, if there
are any. And then commit to mem
ory, so that you can quote for your
self and quote for others, that ex-
quisite thirteenth chapter of Cor
inthiane, about charity that suffers
: long and is kind, and hopeth all
things and endureth all things. BY
pen, by voice, in public and in pri'
vate, say all the good about people
you can think of, and if there be
, nothing good, then tighten the chain
of muscle on the back end of you'
tongue, and keep the ivory bars Of
teeth on the lower jaw and the ivory
bars of teeth on the upper ia"
, locked, and the gate Of your lips
{ tightly closed and your tongue shut
, up. What place Brooklyn would
be to live in and all the other cities
, and neighborhoods to live in, i
, charity dominated. What if th'
. young and old gossippers were dead
Il The lord hasten their funerals
=Whatif tittle-tattle and whispering
, were out of fashion. What If ii
, cyphering out the value of othe'
peoples character, in our mora
. arithmetic. we stuck to addition in
! stead of subtraction. Kindness
e Let us, morning, noon and night
8 pray for it until we get it. Whe'
}. YOU can speak a good word TO
r some one, speak it. If you ca
o conscientiously give letter OF com
!. mendation, give it. Watch 70
!. opportunities for doing good fift..
c wears after you are dead. All M.
. life has been affected by the lette
of introduction that the Rev. ID
Van Vranken Of New Brunswic
Theological Seminary, wrote 10
l. me, q boy under him, when | wa
), seeking q settlement in which t
. preach the Gospel. That letter CAV
o me my first pulpit. DR.. Van vral
. ken has been dead more than thirt
,e wears, yet feel the touch Of thu