The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1899-06-29
PERSONAL INFLUENCE.
It's Great Silent Power,
CANNOT ESCAPE IT.
Saturday Evening Post.

| Saturday Evening Post.
The only responsibility that man
cannot evade is this life is the one he
thinks OF least,-his personal influence
Mans conscious influence, when he is
on dress parade, when he is posing to
impress those around him,-is woefully
small. But his UNCONSCIOUS influence,
the silent, subtitle radiation of his per-
sonality, the effect of his words and
acts, the trifes he never considers,--is
tremendous. Every moment of life he
is changing to degree the lie o. the
whole world. Every man has an at
mosphere which is affecting every 9th
er. So silent and unconsclousIy is this
Influence working, that man may for
get that it exists.
All the forces of Nature, light
electricity and gravitation,-are silent
and invisible. We never see them ::
we only know that they exist by see
ing the effects they produce. In all
Nature the wonders OF the "seen" are
dwarfed into insignifcance when com
pared with the majesty and glory OF
the "unseen." The great sun itself
does not supply enough heat and light
to sustain animal and vegetable life on
the earth. We are dependent for near
ly half of our light and heat upon the
stars, and the greater part of this sup
ply of life-glving energy comes from
the invisible stars, millions OF miles
from the earth. In a thousand ways
Nature constantly seeks to lead men to
a keener and deeper realization of
the power and wonder OF the invisi-
BILE.
Into the hands of every Individual
Is given marvellous power for good or
eyll,-the silent, unconscious, unseen
influence of his life. This is simply
constant radiation of what man really
is, not what he pretends to be. Every
man, by his mere Lying, is radiating
syfnpathy, Or sorrow, Or morbidness, Or
cyniclsm, or happiness, or hope or any
OF hundred other qualities. Life is
a state OF constant radiation and alb
sorption to exist is to radiate; to
exist is to be the recipient of radia-
tions.
There are men and women whose
presence seems to radiate sunshine,
cheer and optimism. We feel calmed
and rested and restored In moment to
a new and stronger faith in humanity
There are others who focus in an in
stant all your latent distrust, morbid
ness and rebellion against life. With
out knowing why, you chaie and fret
in their presence. You lose your bear
ings on life and its problems. Your
moral compass is disturbed and TN
1t is made untrue in an
instant, as the magnetic needle Of
ship is detected when it passes near
of iron ore.
There are men who float down the
stream of life like lcebergs,-cold, re-
served, unapproachable and self-con-
tanned. In their presence you invol-
draw your wraps closer around
you, as you wonder who left the door
open. These refrigerated human be-
lngs have most depressing influence
On all those who fall under the spell
Of their radiated chilliness. But there
are other natures, warm, helpful, gen.
ial, who are like the Cult Stream, fol-
loving their own course, flowing un-
1aunted and undismayed in the ocean
Of colder waters. Their presence
brings warmth and life and the glow
Of sunshine, the joyous, stimulating
breath of spring.
There are men who are like malarl-
ous swamps,-poisonous, Oppressive
and weakening by their yerv presence.
They make heavy, oppressive and
gloomy the atmosphere of their own
homes the sound of the chlldren's
play is stilled, the ripples OF laughter
are frozen by their presence. They |
20 through lite as if each day were
new big funeral, and that they were
always chief mourners. There are
other men who seem like the ocean !;
they are constantly bracing, stlmuia-
lating, giving new draughts, OF tonic,
life and strength by their very pres
ence.
There are men who are insincere in |
heart, and that insincerlty is raidiated
by their presence. They have a won
drous interest in your welfare,-when
they need you. They put on "prop-
erty" smile SO suddenly, when it
serves their purpose, that it seems the
smile must be connected with some
electric button concealed IN their
KIDNEY Is q deceptive disease
thousands have it and