The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-08-02
LET ALL Be CHEERFUL
SERMON BY AN EMINENT NEW
YORK RECTOR.
Bear Up Under All Difficulties-The
Time to Smile and Be Glad-Kindly
Human Nature.

Human Nature.
BY REV. Theodore c. Williams, ID. d.,
Rector All Souls Church, New York
City.
Bless the Lord, o my Soul, and for
get not all His benefits!-Ps., ciii2.
Cheerfulness in our daily fletcher
fulness in word and manner, but most
of all in our real feeling-is evidently
one of the most important, as it is for
some people the most difficult, of all
our duties.
Objections to cheerfulness! How is
that possible? What philosopher in
his senses could ever have argued
against SO charming and innocent a
quality? Object to cheerfulness? AS
well protest against rainbows an1
spring flowers; as well hush the
laughter of children at play; as well
suppress every CLEAN of beauty, even
thrill of pleasure that ever flashes
mental existence! Suppose this world
were really vale of tears-that all
is vanity and veXation of spirit-shall
we improve the gloomy situation by
whining and complaining? 1t is the
manly part, ii is the womanly grace,
to bring into this earth home of ours
such treasures as we may find of in
nocent JOY. of honest laughter, of the
warm, quiet light which true hearts
make around them; and however dark
the way, to brighten it as much as we
can with love and courage and a graf e.
| full heart.
| If what you want, my friend is SYM
pathy and pity in your troubles, what
ever they may be. l assure you that
people will have far more of real SYM
pathy, of real pity, if you meet your
troubles bravely and cheerfully. Show
that you are making stand against
your troubles, show that you are stri~-
! ing toward the light, and generous
hearts which are near you will try to
help you in the struggle. Show that
in your pain you are trying to be glad,
and not only your friends, but even
strangers, will be honestly eager to
put some gift of gladness in your hand
or to strew flowers in the hard path
way of your life.
All, yes! human nature is very kind
ly. Men love to raise up the fallen and
sing a song of cheer to one another
when the night is dark. But before
Others can help you, you must show
that you will help yourself. Before
others can encourage or soothe you,
you must show that you yourself are
trying to be brave, trying to be cam
trying to be cheerful.
Ny observation has been that the
people whose cheerfulness is most re-
markable are usually those who have
the best reasons for groaning and
sinking of heart, if they chose, or Il
they dared.
AS l call to mind the people ] have
thought most lacking in the charm
and virtue of cheerfulness, | can see
Habitual lowness of spirits, a com
planning tone in the voice, a sour as
pect i'm the countenance, are most in
variably due to some blameworthy
weakness of character, to lack of
faith. or feeble, self-pity, or ground
less fears, or bitter pride.
My friend, how is it with yourself?
When were you most lacking in decent
self-control. most inconsiderate of the
feelings of others, and, in your un-
cheerful mood, most disagreeable? II
was not in the hour of your great trial
and your most arduous strife. Oh, no.
i God sustained you then. Was it not
vexation, under the discomfort of
some trifiing illness? Was it not the
day when, for some reason or no rea-
son, you We're disgracefully absorbed
in the thought of your own feelings or
your own dignity, and therefore for
getful of your duty, slack in your
prayers, cold in your affections, and
altogether gone astray from your bet
ter self?
While / ask you, then, to strive for
cheerfulness as IL virtue, | ask you
also to think of its opposite as sin,
and as something which can be rem
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