Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1904-07-15
YOUR HEART IN YOUR HAND
Far More Than You Think Your Life
Leaves Its Imprint On the
Souls Of Others


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
a feeble touch, drops it quickly, and is
gone, leaving you sick and sore at
heart. Another meets you, says Phil
aGelphia Young People, with kindly
smile in his face, looks you sGuarely
in the eye. and puts his whole soul into
the warm grasp Of his hand. You know
he loves you; he is a friend to all man
kind. Your heart is warmed and
helped for all the rest of the day. You
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
Know what is going on there? I 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. 1 do not
5now 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. l am in here, wrapped
in this little crust l have built about
me; but don't touch the covering. It
will break very easily, and must have
it to hide myself from you. Go
away and stand there. Look at me, it
you will, but don't try to get into my
heart"
We all like the frank, outSpoksn
nan or woman. This does not mean
the one who prides himself on saying
what he has = mind to ON every occa-
sion, no matter whom it hurts or helps.
This is a weak kind of egotism. The
man who fires away at everybody right
and left is as dangerous as a gathng
gun working. with a spring and left
with no one to regulate it's action. But
the frank man carries his heart always
in his right hand. You know he il
all purity within. He thinks the world
il doing the best it can. He wants to
see things 60 we'll, and by every word
he speaks and every action Of his life
be tries to help them along. He hes
secrets; who Of US has not2 But he
makes us think he has none, which il .
sure sign Of greatness. We feel like
sitting down and telling such . man
Ill about our little cares and asking Ais
advice about . tAssand and one things
we never would for = moment think Of
talking over with . man with the shut
up-heart.
This world has enough and more
han enough to keep it looking blue
and discouraged If we put as much of
ourselves into our everyday lives as
we can. Hedges of cross purposes,
barbed wire fences of trial and tempta
ton reach out after US everywhere we
go, tearing us and pulling us back.
Sharp thorn trees of trouble and
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, inspir-
ng ways help US to forget for little
while all these miserable besetments,
and who says always: "This is a
pretty good old world of ours. We
shall never find q 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 in
ward for us and we get up to there
where He will tell US what this dream
S all about. Cheer upi I'll go with
you little way. We will walk hand in
hand and heart to heart for few mo-
ments and we will tell each other how
we have been BILE ssed."
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 leave their
imprint on the souls of others. Tell
me now. truly, is your heart in your
riuhf hanGS