The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1904-10-13
he is fraud and an illusionist.


man who only sees the bright side of
things and refuses to see the dark side,
cheats himself and tries to cheat others.
On the other hand, the man who tries
to make you believe that darkness is
universal and unrelieved by spots of
brightness, is man willfnlly blind to
the state of things as actually existing.
The optimist would have you believe
he is the salt of the earth, but if so, he
is as salt that has lost its SAVIOR. The
pessimist gives it out that he alone
sees things Alright, but the fact is he is
Intellectually weak-eyed, and cross
eyed, and his mental vision is blurred,
and he can't think straight. The opti-
mist and the pessimist are both false
prophets The optimist is satisfied
with conditions as he finds them, and
content to let good enough alone. But
such contentment breeds inaction,
stagnation. The pessimist is not only
dissatisfied with existing conditions
but he also discourages every effort to
improve the conditions Hence pessi-
mism also leads to inaction, stagnation.
The optimist and the pessimist are like
two opposing lawyers who both strive
to present their respective clients
case in the best light regardless of the
truth. The optimist, generally speak
ing, is but heartless sort of fellow
who pretends to see good in the sweat
shop, in child labor in mines and fac
tories, in corruption in high places, in
the mistreatment of unfortunates, and
in every other phase of evil as known to
man. We do not need to be reminded
that things are not as bad as they
might be, but we need to be reminded
that things are worse than they ought
to be. And the pessimist, generally
speaking, is also heartless chap, be-
cause he "coldly chokes every hope at
its BIRTH" and would have us believe it
is useless to try to improve the estate
of man. But we can easily do without
the man who is ever ready to cool our
what we need is man who will say to
us when we are in doubt, "try, try, and
if you don't succeed at first, try again.
And if he takes off his coat, splts on
his hands and 'digs in" to help along
the good cause.-the welfare of man
kind-it is all the better for us and fol
himself.
1 advise you therefore to pay no heed
to the pessimist or the optimist. Dc
: not try to discover the bright side OF
the dark side of things only. Lei
! your constant aim be to discover tht
, truth, and in order to do so you mus
look at all sides of things or questions
r Truth, my boy, is the greatest thing il
q the universe. 1t has been said tina
q Justice is the one essential attribute
+ necessary to the development of th'
r. peculiar traits of character that lif
I man above the rest of created things
But Justice is the child of Truth ant
6 Wisdom, and Injustice is the offspring
: of Error and Folly. In as far as Opt
q r,ism and pessimism deviate from tn
O plumb line of truth they must be re
O garded as forms of injustice. Whel
n the optimist tells you that everythin!
! is all right, that there is nothing to i'm
). prove, he lies; and when the pessimis
4 tells you that there is nothing that Cal
d be improved because every attempt o
v improvement is hopeless, he also lies
J. Strong words, these, but the only word
# that fit the occasion. Do not delud
!. yourself We are growing little wiser
II and perhaps we are growing a llttl
v better, but the world is still full of el
# ror and injustice, and misery is sti
70 the lot of the greater part of mankind
d But do not be discouraged, either. Tr
n to do something to remedy existing e1
g. lis. If you cannot be leader be TO
,, lower. You may not accomplish mucl
# but every little helps. This world wa
i not made in a day, nor was it made fC
ID your special benefit. Therefore, kee
ID everlastingly at it, and if you benef
# yourself but little, you may incidenta
ly benefit others very much. But a
ways make the beacon light of trut
the regulator of your course, and shu
: the rocks of pessimism, and the quicl
;. sands Of optimism.
se There is story in the Bible, Hirar
or that has ever had singular charm Fl