The Indianapolis journal., 1899-01-11
THE GOSPEL or CHEERFULNEss.
AS shown in the Everyday Life OF
the French.


Max ORell in North American Review
In our family life in France we preach a
delightful philosophy. We preach the gos-
pei, the duty of cheerfulnesS. This is not
the sort of gospel which is usually taught
in England. Although the Anglo-Saxon peo-
pie hear it given with apostolic authority.
that we are to rejoice always ard again re-
joice they listen with listless eye and un-
moved hearts. They find life very serious
and often very sad. "Ths is a sad world
say all the AnglO-SaXon teachers. And they
sigh. Thomas Carlyle scolds the world for
trying to be cheerful and happy and sneers.
The world is made up of fools ahd rogues,
he eXclaims, and he was neither q fool nor
a rogue; The world has never been inn
proved by seedlings. Josh Billings and
Artemus Ward have been greater benefac-
tors to mankind than Thomas Carlyle. To
us French the world is not at all sad. We
preach moderation, calmness and liberation,
in order that we may be cheerful. IF some
Of US are doubters," said Ernest Renan, the
great apostle of the gospels of cheerfulness,
I'VE urge people who are quite sure of eY-
erything to let other people be wrong" We
have no particular respect for people who
make a fat living by their belief, and we
have far more regard for that Christianity
which manfestS itself by deeds than for
that which spends all it's time in eXpound-
ing theories about the next world and does
not help TO make this happy and beautiful.
If there is something which is bound 10
strike the foreigner who pays France a
visit 1t is the cheerfulness written on the
faces of the people. There is pervading the
whole country an air of contentment and
happiness that comes from the satisfaction
of aims that are attainable because they
are not too high Most Frenchmen work
to secure the comforts of life, material and
intellectual When they have attained that
object they knock off work and take life
easy. Very few, indeed, run after wealth;
practically none 90 outside of Paris. The
race after wealth, with it's anXfeties and
falls, the very attaining of it. with its sup
preston of any more desires, kills cheer
fulness. Thanks to their artistic tempera-
ment, the French are able always to look at
the bright side of things and see their
beauty. Always childish (and who can be
cheerful and happy without being little
chfldish?) and of a gay philosophy, they
have more than once accepted q bon mot
as a consolation for a national disaster.
They are glad they are alive, and with that
feeling the battle of life IS won. They
desplse from the bottom of their hearts the
sad man, the narrow minded Small-hearted,
small-souled, small-brained man who signs
and breads joy and cheerfulness, and walls
over the sadness of this vale of tears. ="
Away they cry, away with the conscious
of his voice that he may be called at once
to heaven to occupy the special place
that is being reserved for him, and VINO
would be particularly grieved to see his re-
quest complied with at once? Away with the
man who is not cheerful, who is not CRATE
full to God that he is allowed to breathe
the perfume of flowers to enjoy the hall
lowed joy of pure woman'S love, to hear
the prattle of children, the sounds OF
BeethoVen'S symphonies, to set his eyes on
Raphaels pictures to contemplate the
glorious beauty of nature.
The world is full of joy, full of beauty,
and want the great thinkers to make US
discover II. We do not want the Carlyles
to scold US; we do not want prelates with
incomes of 100000 a year to lecture on thrift
to poor factory girls sweated ON sS a week.
The masses of the people hear good deal
of the joys that await them in the next
world. BY and by they will want a bit OF
nay, they will demand it, and, believe me,
they will get it.