The record-union., 1895-07-15
CHEERFULNESS IS A GOOD THING.
So Thought and Said Paul While in
Captivity.
The Theme of a Thoughtful Discourse
Delivered Yesterday by ReV'
w. s. Hoskinson.

At the Sizteenth-street Church yester-
day Rev. Mr.. Hoskinson delivered SER
mon on the subject of "Cbeerfulness,
selecting for his text Acts xvii, %
"Be Of good cheer"
These are the words. said the speaker,
of Paul to the seamen OF little craft that
was carrying him prisoner 10 Rome'
The ship was tossed about by the waves
of the Mediterranean and liable at any
moment to be torn in twain. Then the
strange prisoner stood up in the midst OF
these hardy, trembling sailors ana saio:
''Be Of good cheer"
The words had been used before and by
auother II was the night after The excit-
ing scene in the presence OF the hlgn
priest, Ananias, the person who COM
manded his men to snite Paul on the
mouth for his boIdness. "God shall
smite thee, thou whited wall" was PauFs
reply, and be continued his defense until
the feelings OF his enemies were wrought
up almost to the point OF moODlns Inc
preacher. Soldiers rescued him and
hustled him off TO prison. LIZ was mar
now escape from death, but the fearless
preacher had night visitor who brought
q message from the throne. The night
following the Lord stood by him and
said: "Be of good cheer. Paul; for as
thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, SO
must thou bear witness In Rome also. !"
1t was good cheer to the prisoner.
Some have spoken OF our religion as
gloomy and giving no place for laughter.
They say Christ was never known TO
laugh. OF this neither we nor any one
may speak with certainty. Jesus was
cheerful, and this was better than hllarlty.
Laughter would not have brought the
comfort TO Paul that night in prison that
those words OF cheer gave him. Other
instances there are in which Christ
brought cheer.
care not whether the voice Of Jesus
was ever heard in uproarous laughter
Give me the bright, perpetual sunshine
which we can GET from bis cheeriuinesS
This brings light and joy and perpetual
calm-just what this great world OF ours
needs to-day.
It is lust as much a mans duty to be
happy as il is to be honest and virtuous.
Making the best OF what comes III lie Is
planning the plank the proper way of the
grain. Go about this world saying and
feeling that luck is against you, and
you'll be planning against the grain ali the
time. Just keep saying little while
that luck Is against you, and soon every
body will believe it and help to make it
so. This is the kind Of talk that does not
take much advertising-it floats freely.
No man or woman should be a scruple's
weight less happy than his circumstances
will permit. 1t shows weak mind, or q
want of faith in men and things and God;
or a disposition which needs some edu-
cation.
Throughout the world the cheerful
man is the useful man. lie says that
there is enough misery in this world
without any addition from him, but that
misery is not the rule of life. He sees
that people may be cheerful in every con-
dition. 1.-The lambs skip, the birds fly
joyously, puppies play, kittens are full Of
ioyance. The whole air is full of career
lug and rejoicing insects-that every
where the good act balances the bad;
that every evil there is has its compensat-
ing balm"
These cheerful souls are not soon for
gotten. They live long In memory. We
remember joy more readily than sorrow,
and always look back gratefully upon
the brave and cheerful.
Doing nothing, setting at home in idle
ness Will bring gloom to a man; but
work, honest toll. will cause the sun to
shine. It is the reaction that comes over
u man from sense OF duty done.
Each DAY finds some task begun,
Each evening brings its close:
zone.
Has earned q nights repose.
Here is a prescription which BAN
ishes care and discomfort and leaves the
mind in perpetual calm and cheerfulness.
1t is better than mirth. The man
most given TO mirth is often a stranger to
cheerfulness. Mirth is an act. Cheer
fulness is habit Mirth is short and
transient Cheerfulness is fixed and
permanent. Those are often raised to
boh o.t traF Of trth yI,f,
subject 10 the greatest depressions OF
melancholy"
Cheertulness may not give US such ex-
quisite gladness, but it prevents us from
falling into great depths of sorrow.
''Mirth is like the flash of lightning that
breaks through gloom OF clouds and
glitters for moment: cheerfulness keeps
up kind of daylight in the mind and
fills it with steady and perpetual seren-
ity."
You see the ivy climbing up and COW
ering old castles and temples with It's
fair green robe, making what was un-
slightly TO appear green and beautiful.
Just SO we have seen patience and cheer
fulness spring up and adorn the wrecks
and ruins OF fortunes.
Cheerfulness brings health and helpful
ness. Work becomes lighter, home be-
comes brighter, and there Is a healthi-
ness in the whole atmosphere surround.
ing such persons Carlyle thought so,
and said: give us, on. give Us the man
who sings at his work! Be his ocoupa-
tion what it may, ne is equal to any OF
those who follow the same pursuit in
silent sullenness. He will do more in
the same time; he will do it better; he
will hold out longer. One is scarcely
sensible of the fatigue while he marches
TO music, The very stars are said tC
make harmony as they revolve in theii
spheres. Wondrous is the strength OF
cheerfulness. altogether past calculation
its power of endurance. Efforts, to be
permanently useful, must be uniform
ally joyous, spirit all sunshine, grace.
ful from very gIadness, beautiful be.
cause bright"
Such it is, too, that lightens the pains
Of sickness, eases the pressure OF poy-