The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-05-13


Julius Caesar, for convenience
Il of description. divided the ter
ritory of Gaul into three parts;
LIZ but the world comprising the
human race may be divided
most conveniently into two grand classes.
namely, optimsts and pessimists: the for
mer believing that everything in nature is
ordered for the best, and therefore willing
to make the best of life and circum-
stances the other making the worst Of
everything and living solely to find fault
To my view this is the most eomprehen-
sive and far-reaching classification that is
possible. 1t Is "a broader distinction than
race, color, shape Of the section Of hair
whether oval or CIRCULAR, religion or any
other means of differentiation among man
kind. It Is an analysis that will bear close
thought and investigation. and has a prac-
teal every day in the week value to every
reader of the Sunday Post-Intelligencer
The distinction between these two classes
is valuable and important, because by I'M
Outstanding others we learn to understand
ourselves. Based on a broad and sound
philosophy, which is a generalization OF
individual knowledge and experience. It
furnishes US good working rule by which
we may probably measure others and
ourselves. For convenience we have gen.
eral rules and cardinal principles in the
ordinary arts and sciences, without which
we WOuiu make very SLOW progress IN
their acquisition; but IL is vastly more inn
portant that we should have correct dis
tinctions and true standards when we
come to the science of life and the art OF
living, which IL the supreme science
When we have OWNED a general truth
and are able to resolve our everyday life
into one or more elementary principles
which furnish an unfailing standard of
conduct We have thereby taken short
inf 90 n fn nr1tG n1 M
and we may not only accelerate our devel-
opment OF character, but save ourselves
forty years of aimless wandering in the
desert and the slower processes Of ordi-
nary evolution. The distinction, then, be-
tween an optimist and a pessimst is radi-
cal and important and therefore It is i'm
portant for each of us to determine to
which class we belong Are you an opti-
mist or a pessimist?
The subject is capable of vast analysis
investigation and illustration, and fur
nishes food for thought. 1t takes in the
whole realm of human experience; divides
business, politics, religion, church and
state, nations and individuals, societies
and institutions IL Is illustrated In the
family and every relation of public or
private life. Even among animals these
two opposing characteristics find express
sion and illustration and reflect the char
acter of human beings. The tiger and the
rattlesnake are essentially vicious and the
mink that delights In killing for the sake
of killing is a type of pessimsm. The
dove, the lamb and some dogs depending
upon which class their masters belong tor.
with their almost human intelligence and
with affections which approach to those
of spiritual beings, are opposite types
furnished by nature herself. Plant life
also divides itself into those which are
noxious and poisonous and those which
furnish gracious nourishment to man and
beast. But, while all nature is made up
of good and evil, each necessary to the
other and good In its way, evolution,
which Is a process Of unfinished creation,
constantly subordinates the bad to the
good and we know that good is steadily
making its conquest over evil and thu