The Kosciusko star. (Kosciusko, Miss.) 18??-1898, 1895-10-11
Cultivation of a Fine Spirit.


credited, and there is anincreasing
unwillingness to decide cases quick
~ Or only on the most visible evil
dence. Tone aad atmosphere de-
termine more than facts do for Us,
and even coarser minds uncon-
sciously decide against all tangible
evidence, and yet ~sdecide right.
Whether it says so in words or
not, there is no one thing about
which the world is more decided
than its recognition and apprecia-
ton of a right spirit. The vindlc-
tive hate vindictiveness, and the
unchalitable love charity in others.
and the unmerciful are won upon
oy mercy. New faith in life and
God is always springing up by our
finding how even the wicked bear
their indirect testimony to the
power of righteousness, and how
even these for whom men do
wrong tout their wrong at last.
We hear no phrase used with
more delicate conclusiveness than
the phrase He shows a fine spir-
IT," Blundering and failure the
world can stand, fit catches be-
hind it all the sense Of a rightspir-
il. There are many persons whose
success has been wonderful with
out objective and visible accom-
plishment to accountlfor it. The
most really objective thing about
US in the long run is the spirit in
which we work, and with which
We Judge life The world will
put up with a good many lacks iii
matters of intellect, but it will not
long put up with bad spirit.
Hosts of men who have failed,
have apparently had all the abili-
ties that bring success, but they
have never had success. Their
great powers stayed by them, but
the world has gone away from
them. Looking over the field of
their failure, they have doubtless
in many cases been unable to find
a reasonable cause for it, and have
laid it to the injustice of the hu-
man heart. But if there is any
thing that can be trusted in this
world year in and year out, it is
the universal heart. Hurry it.
and be in too great haste to try
conclusions with it, and it will
very likely speak wrong; but give
it your lifetime to think you over
in. and the chances are that it will
say about the right thing. No
man ever permanently succeeds
who does not trust the heart of
mankind.
We naturally tend to cultivate
our abilities OF mind more than we
DO our abilities OF heart, and pride
ourselves Oh them because of their
brilliancy and tangibleness; but
there lie limit to the appreciation
that goes out to that. TO show
wrong spirit in the affairs of life,
TO meet di saster or reproof with
continual defiance, and our fail
ures with the pride which can nei-
ther see nor own them-in short,
to he unduly fond Of our own way,
and duly exaggerate our place in
this world-are signs of a bad spir-
it. On the other hand, We see
men who, as they grow older, seem
to grow in the power to minimize
the evil that comes to them who,
as they grow in importance, grow
equally into the belief that they
are of little Importance. and who
dc not think it a life and death
matter whether every little whlm
OF theirs is carried out; who do
not think all who opposd them are
their enemies; who separate be-
tween man and his opioions, and
who still keep their faith in the
world even when the world has
gone back on them. They are not
scared by defeat. nor do they sulk
at lack OF appreciation, but 90 a
vigorous way, bound to do some
thing, even though that on which
they prided themselves most
proved unacceptable They do
not make commodities of their
judgments, which are traded of in
kind for like judgments of them
selves; they retire sweetly when
they are not wanted, and come
back without coaxing when their
usefulness becomes again apparent.
They take any place rather than do