The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-07-10
THE OPTIMIST.
Fortune is female; from my youth her faVo's
Were not withheld. the fault was mine to hope
fIar Eor-r.nr Ill .n.a- - tl.ls Late hour /"

Fortune is female from my youth her tavoss
Were not withheld. the fault was mine to hope
Her former smiles again at this late hour
So sang Byron in the long ago. AMI
yet, who Is there that gets too old to
hope for fortunes change? Real, ol-i-
mistic hope OF a change for the better
In ones affairs does not necessarily imply
too great a trust in mere luck, for he Is
wise who, Instead Of sitting down with
folded hands waiting for fortune 10 throw
her favors In his lap. rises briskly and
with brave spirit goes forth to search
Dame Fortune from her haunts. In King
john" Shakespeare wrote:
When Fortune means 10 men most good
She LOOKS upon them with threat'ning eye
A view that has been shared by many
another wise poet 1t is. though, rather
a pess.mistic view that one has endured
so many OF misfortunes knocks that the
time is due for a change:
Il am not nos in Fortunes poser.
lie that il down can fall no lower
Was the groan OF Butler, who expressed
likewise his hope Of compensation. thus
His only solace was. that now
His doEbOlt fortune was 80 low
That either IL must quickly end
Or turn about again and mend.
1t is astonishing to find that most Of the
writer's who have dealt with Fortune
treat the sorry jade as If she were an
al-powerful deity. comforting her favors
whittier she listed, without regarding at
an individual worth. deserving. or effort
To follow them in such line Of reasoning
IS 10 find ones self IN a slough of despond
with feet held down to earth by pessi-
mistie clay. The true optimist. knowing
that Dame Fortune Is, as Byron says, o
female. knows also that she can be wooed
and won. She is an eccentric spinster.
though, and instead of fine clothes and
well-turned compliments or honeyed
words, she needs the persuasion Of a
strong man; one who can dominate her,
laugh at her coquetry. jeer at her pre-
tensions-win her. in spite OF herself.
''Blessd are those
Whose blood and Judgment are 50 well comminsed,
That they are not pipe for fortunes finger,
To sound what stop she please.
Not any music that you imagine Dame
Fortune likes must you play. To win her
you must pipe your own tune, whether
she enjoys II or no.
Fortune lies in the hands Of every man,
then, who VIII strive bravely, honestly.
and manfully toward an appointed goal
1t does not lie in riches. nor In the love
Of woman, nor the applause Of man True
fortune man finds within HIMSELF IN
the sublime consciousness that such duties
as he has found to do he has done with
all his might. Such an ideal Of life may
leave a man poor in this worlds goods
at last. but rich in his own esteem.
The sane, no 1eful Optimist is salways
ready 10 receive Fortune when she
knocks; her Bullets cannot harm his soul;
her smiles Of friendship will not unsettle
him. When the tide turns. (which. taken
at its flood. leads on 70 fortune" he is
ready TO go with IT, Until that time, ne
viii struggle bravely and hopefully
against the stream. To 1T ourselves for
the supreme moment is the business of
hopeful men: so TO live that when the
choice Is offered US we may choose wisely
and we'll
Once to every man and nation cones the moment
70 decide
In the strife Of Truth with Falsehoed for the good
and evil side:
Some great cause. Gods new Messiah Offering each
the bloom blight
Parts the goats upon the left hand, and the sheen
upon the right;
And The choice goes by forever twi1t the darkness
and that light"