The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-01-22
On Shaking Hands.

How much there is of self in the way
we shake hands. One man takes your
hand as if he had neither life nor time
to spare. in such foolish operations as
shaking hands. He gives your hand
feeble touch, drops it quickly, and is
gone. leaving you sick and sore at heart.
Another meets you. says Philadelphia
Young People, with a kindly smile in his
face, looks you squarely in the eye, and
puts his whole soul into the warm grasp
is a friend to all mankind. Your heart is
warmed and helped for all the rest of the
day. For think of the words of the
preacher of old where he says: "a wise
mans heart is at his right hand, but a
FOOLS heart is at his left" So many men
have their hearts at their left hand and
you never have a chance to get at it.
What is the use of hiding the heart away
where no one can see or know what is
going on there? | am afraid of the man
who shuts himself up so that nobody can
by the most strenuous effort break through
the shell and reach his heart. l do not
know what to do with the person who
says to me, if not by words at least just
as plainly by actions: keep away from
me. i am in here, wrapped in this little
crust | have built about me; but don't
touch the covering. 1t will break very
easily, and ] must have it to hide myself
from you. Go away and stand there
Look at me. if you will, but don't try to
get into nv heart
We all like the frank. outspoken man
or woman. This does not mean the one
who .prides himself on saying what he has
n mind to on every occasion, no matter
whom it hurts or helps. This is weak
kind OF egotsm. The man who fires away
at everybody right and left is as danger
Gus as a gatling gun working with
spring and left with no one to regulate
Rpt tho al.
his heart always in his right hand. You
know he is all purity within. He thinks
the world is doing the best it can. He
wants to see things go well. and by every
word he speaks and every action of his
life he tries to help them along. He has
secrets; who OF us has not? But he makes
us think he has none. which is a sure
sign of greatness. We feel like sitting
down and telling such man all about our
little cares and asking his advice about n
thousand and one things we never would
for a moment think OF talking over with
a man with the shut-up-heart.
This world has enough and more than
enough to keep it looking blue and dis
couraged ii we put as much of ourselves
into our everyday lives as we can. Hedges
OF cross purposes barbed wire fences of
trial and temptation reach out after us
everywhere we go, tearing us and pulling
us back.
IHOTn trees OF trouble anu genuine
heart sorrows do their best to make us
think there is little OF real worth in life,
but God bless the man whose CHEEKY words
and brave, inspiring ways help us to forget
for little while all these miserable beset
ments, and who says always: This is a
pretty good old world OF ours. We shall
never find a better one this side of the
pearly gates. The more of blessing we
get out OF this the better we will be off
when the door swings inward for us and
we get up to there where He will tell us
what this dream is all about Cheer up,
III go with you little way. We will
walk hand in hand and heart TO heart
for few moments and we will tell each
other how we have been blessed
How much OF good cheer we bring into
the lives OF those we meet from day to
day! What kind of an idea do they get
from our way OF living? Do we make
Others think OF heaven and better things
as we speak with them by the way? Do
we rest them with our strong, manly way
of looking at things? Or are we always
pulling down and depressing our friends OF
the earthly pilgrimage:
1t really is worth while to think of this
honestly. Far more than we sometimes
think our lives lerze their imprint on
the souls OF others. Tell me now, truly, is
your heart in your right hand?