The Washington herald., 1907-09-28
THE OPTIMIST

Summer is done and autumn is with
US once more-the reaping time. fruit
laden autumn" as the poet sings. We
may. If we are pessimists, cry
The meiancboiy days are come the saddest Of The
year.
Of wailing winds. erd naked woods. and meadows
brown and scar.
That IS one aspect in which to regard
it. Too many have been the poets who
have regarded it thus. with moan ard
a sigh, as Wilson in his Autumn Song"
The Wind means in the Wood.
The Leaf DROPS from the Tree;
The cold rain falls on the graves 0f the Good
The cold mist comes up from the Sea.
But The Optimist likes 70 think Of the
autumn in its relation 70 nature as a
halting time, a time to take stock Of the
beauties. that have been enjoyed, Of the
beauties that are yet to come. l Ike
to think Of II with LongfellOw:
That beautiful season
The summer Of AlSaints!
Filled was the air with dreamy and magical light
and the landscape
Lay if naW-Geated in all the freshness Of child
hood
~
heart q the ocean
Was for moment coDsoled. al sounds were IN
harmony blended
and the great sun
Looked with the eyes Of love through the golden
vsp0rs around hin;
While arayed In It's robes Of rIsset and scarlet and
yellow.
Bright with the sheen Of the dew, each gIittering
tree q the forest
Flashed ike the plane-trce The Persian adorned
with mantles and Jewels
If we will but think Of the autumn in
its relation 10 our lives, George Will
tam Curtis once said: In the journey
Of the year the autumn is Venice. spring
is Naples, certainly, and the majestic
maturity OF summer is Rome" So In
I thinking Of autumn In relation TO llfes
Journey. spring is the time OF starting
forward. summer the time for labor, and
autumn suggests a period Of rest and OF
looking backward and taking stock
Have we made the fullest possible use
Of the golden days Of summer? No, OF
course not. for whatever we may have
meant 10 do we have failed in, 70 some
degree. That much is inevitable in hu-
man affairs, But though IL is we'll To be
disseminated at our failure. so that we
may take heart Of grace and resolve q
I do better next time, IL is not Well to fall
into the "sere and yellow leaf sort OF
mood, TO let our minds become tinged
with tho somber colors OF the season
| Instead Of that. il is for US 10 remember
| that autumn may be, should be. q
! strengthening time a time OF preparation
/ for the rigors OF winter. The trees ana
{ Al
/ time when winters blasts. the frost. the
/ hail. the snow shall assaH them. and wC
1 may well learn q lesson from these.
/ We. too. as We shoulder our burden OF
life and strive for progress through the
/ shortening days. should arm OUTselve:
/ and strengthen our souls TO bear valiantIY
/ whatever ills may fnont US II we hav,
/ lived. surely We have fought through
many fights. and in some OF them, NJ
/ doubt. we have come Of but second-best
/ in the fights to come fights against temp
/ ta,ion, against slothfulness. desire o
/ ease. the call Of pleasure-surely we shal
/ fail again. and the winter Of despair VII
] seem for a time 10 settle upon US. Bu
/ well for Us that optimistic faith ha'
taught US 70 hope on, strive on, keep N
the fight.
The one thing necessary IS that ",
should not cease to strive. No matte
/ now often or how hard we fall, let u
be up quickly and of down the roa'
once more. And above all let US no
dwell too strongly on the sins and fail
ings Of the past We were meant TO sin
1 else We should have been born gods
not men! We have sinned. well then
let us cry "peccayi." and resolve 10 siI
no more. We know. even before we Try
that the resolution will be broken ant
our leap toward virtue will fall far shOr
Of what We may desire. but let us max
/ the leap nevertheless, remembering that
Time Is Fastening on. and We
What uUr f7-efathsrs are shall BE-
Gz-shapes 0f memlry
Joined % that great multitude
Where the great are tut the good.