The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-07-29

SI1TNoNlS III
ingenious and astute COM
Il mands attention IL not high
measure of personal esteem.
But after all 1t Is the cheerful, hopeful
and charitable man, always smiling
and full of sunshine, whom healthy
people love. In every vocation in life
a smile Is preferable to a frown.
There is a sunny optimism about the
August issue of the Worlds Work, that
splendid magazine chronicle of Ameri-
can achievement, which shines forth in
every article but Is especially reflected
in the admirable editorial department.
Witness these five propositions offered
as fitting preamble to the annual
summer vacation time:
1. The social welfare of the masses con-
tinues to deepen and to spread. The prac-
tical art of living healthfully and we'll is
acquired every year by an increasing null
titude., The sanitary conquest over ig-
norance and neglect goes on at a rapid
rate. The American children of today
have not only u better chance of health
full life than the children of any preced-
Ing generation had, but they have also a
more natural childhood; more of them
grow up close to nature; more of them
have good training and fair start in
life. So, too, the building-up of American
womanhood goes on. A saner and better
balanced and more cheerful social life
exists in almost every part of the land
than existed a generation ago. Let any
man who is world-weary and who, by rea-
son of his own disappointments or of the
squalor that he sees in densely settled
cities, wanders in Europe to escape from
himself
such man go into a hundred small towns
in any dozen Of our great commonwealths.
He Will find that civilization. far from
being outworn, is only beginning for the
great masses of mankind. lie will see a
more hopeful and inspiring spectacle than
any social philosopher has yet written
about.
2. The next great force of American life
is its continued mobility; for every man
may yet find his aptitude and work for
his own development and for the good Of
his fellows along the line of the least
resistance. 1t is this fundamental quail
ity of democratic society that is making
us the most efficient people i'll the world
at all practical tasks
3. The growth of the religion Of hon
est dealing and of good deeds is bringing
higher ethical standard, although the
authority of dogmatic religion declines.
4. The most important democratic fact
of our time is the continued and accel-
Grated development of the South-both
the land and the people.
5. And the purity of our public life (in
spite of the backwardness of municipal
government is greater than 1t was at
any preceding time in our history.
Is this optimism overdrawn? Oc-
casionally circumstances cause one to
think so. Reading of scandal and
domestic infeicity, which always at
tracts more publicity than family life
which is clean and happy, inclnes some
minds to doubt that our social life is
"saner, better-balanced or more cheer
fur' than generation ago; the engross-
ment of the age in material things,
with its inevitable sighting Of things
which are spiritual as shown on every
hand In the diminished zeal of men in
church work, may blind some to the
growth of the religion of honest deal
ing and of good Deeds" and the eX-
ceptional facility of modern journalism,
and more especially the yellow fraction,
for eXaggerating and distorting the |
facts as to public life and service for
partisan effect may mislead in respect |
to the last of our contemporary |
yet they are all true. And |
down in their hearts the people know |
they are true; otherwise they could not |
be So heart-whole for holiday time and |
so earnest and happy in their pursuit |
IF recreation.