The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1895-01-31
.43 WE SEE THINGS.
INFLUENCE OF THE INNER LIFE ON
The EXTERNAL WORLD.
How an Individual or n Scene May Have
an Entirely Different Appearance to Two
Persons Happiness and Sorrow Made by


an Entirely Different Appearance to Two
Persons Happiness and Sorrow Made by
Ourselves.
There have been philosophers who de
cared that the earth ON which we stand
and the stars ON which we gaze have no
real existence. but are merely the out
comes of our inner selves. Perhaps the
best answer TO this is that the mind It
self, at least that of most people, refuses
to receive tho idea. The difference be
tween tho me and tine not mo is too
sharply defined in the inner conscious
ness to permit Bishop Berkeley's notion
from taking root within Us.
Yet we cannot afford to overlook the
germ of truth which this idea contains.
Though not literally the creation of our
thought, the outer world Is to each one
of Us largely that which we make it.
Nature herself IL all her varied scenes,
whatever she may tie III reality, shows
herself to us IN the light which We
throw upon her. One man looks at 4
Landscape and sees land and water, grass
aud trees, hills aud plaia', and nothing
more Another. a farmer, sees the grow
ing crops, the fallow land, the noXious
weeds the prospect for future tillage
and the Obstacles to lo overcome. An
other, with a painters eye, sees every
variety Of form and color, proportion and
? respective, harmony and contrast,
beauty and subimity To the mclan-
eholy man all Is tinctured with gloom
"a lcadn pail covers even tho gayest
seenes-while to tho JOYOUS everything
seems bright and glad. and even. the
dreariest Of November days only sue-
gests the radiant sunlight that is sure
later ON to struggle through the clouds
So with the sights of city. For each
of us rs they take on the aspect of our
own mental condition How differently
they impraaS the citizen who has spent
his life among shem from the foreigner
who views then for the first timei What
a different message the stately and mag
nificcnt buildings bear to the absorbed
man Of business and to the architect
who appreciates every detail of Their
construction!
aspect which ina;imate Things hayo fof
us, the difference is still greater in TEE
way we regard tho men and women b
whom We are surrounded. Character is
u complex thing, difficult to detect, inn
possible to fathom, yet we presunIptu-
ously venture To gauge and pronounce
upon 1t with the smallest modicum of
T. -,
differently the same person will impress
various individuals. His friend will per
haps see no fault in him, his enemy no
virtue. Ono will put faith in him; an
other will suspect his every action. Ono
will deem him cold hearted; another
will think him affcctionato and kind.
1t must be that their own personalities
are reflected in him, and that to'a GER
tain eXtont no docs thus become for a
timo, while under their influence, what
they suppose him to be always. 1t il
certainly true that the good and gentlo
find far more goodness and gcntlenesS
in tho world than those who are def
cient in such qualities. Il Is tho st 5ish
man who is the keencst to detects iish-
ness in others; it is 4e overbearing who
complain most of the arrogance and
pride with which they are met, and tho
unjust who murmur ut the injustice
they receive. On thB other hand, tho
loving and sympathetic discover love
and sympathy everywhere; the noble
and true bring to light nobility and
truth which might otherwise be hidden,
Thus to Il large extent we develop the
character Of those we meet. Pv subtle
magnetism wo draw like to Ike and
evolve out If other personalities the
characteristics of our own
Even the outward circumstances OF
life are largely what we ourselves mako
them. Wo gre accustomed to consider
prosperity blessing and adversely a
curse, but quito frequently they Change
places. 1t is tho spirit in which thoy are
received that determines their result
The rich and self indulgent man. sur
rounded by luxury and opportunity, may
be far loss happy than his poorer noigh
Dor who brings industry, fidelity and
generosity into constant exercise. Tht
same privileges that raise one young
man to honor and usefulness are a snare
and temptation to another. The same
recreation that invigorates one enfeebles
another The same sorrow that softens
one and leads him out of self to works
of kindness and helpfuness prostrates
another and renders him valuoless. 1t
is that which is within man that so
acts upon tho externals of life as to de
eide their results to him, and through
him to others
If this be so, then happiness or wretch
edness is largely in our power, and
most of our complaints only bear wit
ness to our own remissness. We may
rightly recognize the futility of strug
CLING against outward events which we
cannot control, but we can always bring
to bear upon them such a spirit and in
fluence as shall turn evil into good and
bitter into sweet. -Philadelphia Ledger.
A Startling Announcement.
An English literary man who was on