Middletown transcript., 1897-10-30
A MATTER OF HABIT.

F, After all, it is the little things of the
world that wear one out or go, to make
one happy, the great events of life are
so soon lost among the countless little
worries and cares and little happinesses,
if one may call them such. 1t is with
the little things that we have to do all
the time and every day, in our business
or in the home. and and in all our
intercourse with our fellow-workers,
and it is as we deal with these SEEM
ingly unimportant matters that we
can help or be stumbling-blocks to
those with whom we spend so much of
our lives.
No matter how willing we might be
to sacariice ourselves for the sake of
others. the opportunities to do the
great, the heroic things, do not come
to lis often, but we can always try to
be cheerful and encouraging, and to
keep ourselves from useless complaints
of others faults, and when we see an
opportunity, perhaps can give word
of praise. Who can say just how
much that little word of praise may
mean to some one who ha been striv-
ing hard over difficult task that has
worried him and that he is glad to
have finished, how it will add to his
satisfaction in the work he has COM
pleted, and what long way it will go
to repay him for having put the best
that was in him into his labor? Moth
ing is more discouraging than to have
done our best and then be met by criti-
cisms that we feel to be thoughtless
and unmer tied, or to be dictated by
momentary pique or desire for little
self-fattery. And how often harsh
criticisms spring from nothing else!
There are employers who make the
lives of their subordinates continually
miserable by their fretfulness and
small complaints, and it is to be doubt
ed if they ever get the best work out
of those whom they employ. Their
clerks are always worried and worn out
by the fear that some little matter may
go wrong. Nothing ever seems to
please these people; they never speak
kindly of anything we'll done. Their
attitude is always that of looking for
something, no matter how unimport-
ant, that may be construed into mis-
take or fault, and when they find one
they work themselves up into state
of irritability over it, that is entirely
disproportionate to the offence. All
the real merits of the work are possibly
overlooked for this insignificant matter
that kind suggestion, rather than
harsh criticism, could have set right.
It is so easy to find faults, and so pleas
ant to feel ones cleverness in seeing
them and ones own superior ability.
Not that careless and slovenly work
should ever be tolerated, but there is
wide difference between that and inad-
vertent errors, such as we all are bound
to make, and when they occur, how
much better it would be if we should
point them out pleasantly and ask that
they be corrected!
OF just and helpful criticisms we are
glad. Without them there would be
little chance of improvement, and in
stinctively We feel their value. 1t is
not these that wear one out and take
away all the joy in ones work, but it
is the feeling that, no matter how well
we may do, there possibly may ba
something we have overlooked for
which we shall be brought sharply to
account.
In large measure tits matter of
habit, this querulousness and fault
fnding-a habit easily formed and
/ hard to break-but we can prevent
ourselves from falling into it, and
ought we not. hard though it may be,
to try our best to keep from it, if it is
only for our own sakes? We wear our
selves out by the constant friction.
A nd hou hard IL ia nnon all thnea with
whom we associated The burdens upon
many of their shoulders may be 1ready
as heavy as they can carry and we who,
by,being pleasant and cherry and keeping
our tempers, might tighten these, are,
instead, making them all the harder to
bear.
All of US have enough of the serious
troubles of life, and where We can,
even in the smallest degree, make
those around us more hopeful and con-
tented by our presence, it would seem
worth any effort to do do.