The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-24
MOTHER SMILE-AT-W
OLD INDIAN WOMAN ONE HUN
DRIED AND SEVEN
cheerfulness Is Conducive to Long Life
and Happiness and Yet Few Modern
Women With Everything That Mon
5. ey Can Buy Are Satisfied-Time
Smooths Out the TangIes

Te illustrate the relation of cheerful
ness to longevity there is told in one
OF the October magazines the story of
an old Indian woman in Nebraska who
is now 10Y years of age and her name
Is old Mother Smile at-Woe" There
is great lesson contained in that
name. How few of us can smile at
woe, or even smile at times when
things are going well and everything
possible is being done for us. But here
is an Indian woman, and surely just to
be that would be woe enough for many
persons, and yet her disposition has
been so optimistic that she has earned
the. sobriquet mentioned. Now at a
wonderful old age, it is told of her.
she sits patiently knitting and waiting
for the summons which is not likely
to be long delayed All the friends Of
her youth and middle age have long
since passed away, and she remains
alone. Yet she is a real philosopher,
is ever smiling and pleasant, an ex-
cellent example of what mere cheerful
ness can do The story of her long
life and wonderful disposition is told
to the children of her tribe, and they
are taught to emulate this interesting
old lady.
Only a savage? Well, if this is saw
agery, give us more of it. For the kind
of, cheerfulness which Old Mother
Smile at-Woe is possessed of is not a
thing that comes with civilization and
often not with religion, although it
should. There are women who have
untold millions, and everything. that d
woman's heart Graves, and yet are
neither cheerful nor satisfied. This old
11a a "a
long life that worry is foolish, nay de-
Structive of peace and of life, and that
everything comes out right somehow.
She has learned that time straightens
out nearly all the tangleS of this world.
and that if one can only wait and see
try to hurry events, we will see the
rough places Smoothed out. But the
trouble with us poor humans is that we
want to manage things ourselves, and
we proceed to hasten matters and
nuddle the wise plans over which we
have no real control. One does not
have to live over century to realize
what a great cure-all is time. How
it soothes modifies and changes by a
gradual development, is most interest
ing to watch as the years go on. Also
how it Furnishes and avenges us. The
futility of getting even for an injury
done US is we'll known to the wise man.
For if he lives and watches he will see
1t Done unto the H1dH WHO injured MINI
as he did it unto him
To be cheerful, TO look on the bright
side and refuse to worry is a great
virtue. Not only is it conducive to a
long life, but it lengthens the lives of
those who live with or come in con-
tact with, that sunny disposition. And
in spite of the increase of wealth. of
the laber-saving machinery and the
fact that life is easier now than ever
before the number of worrying wom-
eR- does not seem to have decreased.
They worry about everything from
the size of their shoes to their chances
of heaven. Worry literally kills, not
to mention the wrinkles it puts on their
faces.
Of course it is easy to say, don't
worry, when everything is going
wrong, for, humanity speaking, there
are times when it is almost impossible
not to, but it is the most useless thing
in the world. If one does right, things
usually mend, and should we live as
long as Old Mother Smile at-Woe we
can see how foolish we We're to imag-
inc that worry can alter anything.
Let us ponder once in while upon
that name which was given this cheer
full old woman simply because she was
hopeful, and by believing that things
will come out right we will be work
ing toward and helping to consum-
mate that desired end.