The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-08-10

iooh liberty OF t~elegraphing to
Will come 10 you tomorrow
II wished He RENTS all fees"
whatsoever IS born OF God oyercom-
etn the world; and this is the victory
that overcometh the world, even cur
falth.'-The Presbyterian Banner.
THE MAN WHO LOOKS FOR GOOD
Have you ever seen him? Do YOU
know him? If not, | want TO tell Won
that he is a good man TO know.
met him on the train one day when
every one | had talked with for hours
seemed TO have been a born pessimist.
He came along smiling in such a pleas
ant way, that | was glad to share NV
| seat with him.
There was a baby just across he
way that had been crying and fratting
for an hour, and although | had been
much disturbed over it. my new nc
Quaintance did not appear TO notice ar
all, but he presently asked me whether
| had noticed how patient the mo.he-
was. | could see it very plainly hen.
but | had failed to observe il before.
The brakeman called out the stations
so in~distinctly that no one could tell
what he said, but the optimist beside
me remarked that he had a very pleas
ant voice. The newsboy talked through
his nose in a way that made me glad
when he was gone, but the man who
looked for good discovered at once
that his hands were clean. | had not
noticed that.
After a number of this kind of things
had happened, | turned to the man AMI
said:
You seem to see good everywhere"
and he replied:
well why shouldn't |? The world
is full of it, and it is hard to miss it."
"Were you born that way?" l VEN
tured to ask.
"Oh, no." ne returned. "Tll tell you
how it is. l used to be just the other
way. In fact. l looked for bad every
where, and l always found it, too l
vas like a man | knew when | was a
boy; who made a business Of looking
for thorns, and it is astonishing how
many he could find. He wanted them
for something or other for ONE kinl
of a factory, but his constant search
for thorns made him blind to about
everything else. 1t just seemed as
though he couldn't see n other kind
of a tree; and as for fruit and flowers
and sunshine, and so on, he was as
blind as a bat.
well there was a time when [ was
like that thorn-hunter. I couldn't sec
the good at all, but 0! how easy il
was to see the bad. One day | said
t o myself: This way Of living is fool
ishness. I've had enough of it, and so
it's got to stop | determined that |
would quit looking for things which
made me feel cross and surly
and see if | couldn't find something
that would make me feel more like
living. And so | turned over a new
leaf. and started out right then and
there to look for good.
The day happened TO be Sunday, and
I went to church. The preacher roared
in a way that was d%eafening, and there
was nothing worth while in his sermon,
and vet [ was able to find more than
a dozen things about the man and mis-
preaching which were cOmmendabie.
In first place, his necktie was faultless,
and mis- coat fit him perfectly. His
pronunciation was good, and his speech
was grammatical. His gestures were
good and he stood sQuarely on his 1eet,
and didn't run his shoes at the heel.
| would rather see a preacher a little
weak in his theology than in his an
klo bones anyhow. His theology VIII
come all right in time, but his feet new
er Will.
The choir sang wretchedly that morn
ing. but | had gone to church to look
for good. and l had to see that thare
were some very few good looking Poop G
among the singers. The girl who sang
the solo seemed 10 have neither life
nor music in her, but her dress was
very becoming. There was a woman
in the next pew TO me who had a very
coarse look, but she had very pretty
buttons on her jacket.
I'm the next room TO mine that
ar the hotel was a man who Snored like
a sawmill. but in a few n |
noticed that both his time and tone
we're very good-for snoring. AS an
unstudied effort. it was certainly n
In spots it was as full Of expression
and surprise as any Of Wagner's music
As | fell asleep | was more than nail
wishing that | could snore as We'll
When | arose in the morning,
was struck with the thought my
dreams had been pleasant a very IN
&s-t1-