The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-05-13
c. (Ubieb Glass Do You BELONG?

fear of evil. The pessimist, looking at
the good through the big end of the
telescope, reverses the truth and morbid
" imagines everything to he wrong; that
evil has more. potency than good and
that the world is growing worse instead
of growing better and better every day.
Optimism is essential Christianity at its
best. The teachings OF Christ were op-
timistic, and the optimism of the New
Testament shows the evolution of life.
light and immortality through the gos-
pei, and the assurance Of the ultimate
triumph OF good over evil. Pessimism
still clngs to belief in the fall OF man,
and very reluctantly gives up its faith
in wtehcraft and demons; and at this day
many church people believe so little IN
God that they hug to their bosoms their
belief in personal devil, In luck and
the efficacy of horseshoes. Optimism is a
cure for such superstitions, by banishing
fear from the world. and gives higher
and truer conception of God. A great
deal OF the theology of the pagan and
Christian has been pessimistic. including
much of modern orthodoxy. as, for in
stance. the chapter of the Westminster
Confession Of Faith. which treats Of cleo
tion and Reproduction. 1t is not only
perversion of scripture, but II Is a pessi-
mistic conception of God, more so than
any paganism was ever guilty of, Moloch
is a saint compared with this monster of
their creation, for he at least could some
times be propitiated by human sacrifice
through fire. but the other Is implacable.
Among the distinguished theologians
Calvin and Jonathan Edwards were pessi-
mists with them may be contrasted the
optimism OF Theodore Parker, Henry
Ward Beecher. James Freeman Clarke
and our own Alfred w. Martin.
In politics 1t is easy to draw the line
The Republican party is optimistic. 1t -
thoroughly patriotic. and its patriotism IS
kind that will wash under all c'reun'-
stances, II has faith in itself. In the gov
eminent and the virtue OF the people. Be
cause IL is optimistic T. mas been the saliva
ton az the country IN the dark DAYS Of
civil war and in times OF distress and
public peril. II il capable of great Things
in the future az in the past, and tod1y
as always 1t stands for good government.
individual rights and a real, not sham, do
mocracy. On the contrary, the Democratic
party exists only to oppose, find fault and
critcise under any and all circumstances.
without regard for consistency; ana 1t and
all its congeners, the Populists, single tax
ers advocates of the initiative and referen-
DUN Socialists, Nlhilists ana Anarchists,
march under the banner Of pessimism. In
dviduals of any party may happen to be
optimists or pessimists, out as soon as
we recognize them we know where each
one naturally belongs.
Washington and his associates In the
dark DAYS of the revolution were optinists
and the copperheads of their day, who
opposed and houuied him personally, were
pessimists. Everything was wrong politi
caly and personally to their Jaundiced
eyes Their opponents were always venal
and purchasable. They clamored that
washington was working for q monarchy
instead of a republic, and he was accused
of being a thief and stealing public mon
eys.
Mr.. Lincoln and the people who stood
by him during the four years of civil war
were optimists The people who declared,
as the opening sentence OF the Democratic
national platform OF 1854 expressed IT, that
the war for the restoration Of the Unicn
was a failure" and who did their level best