The Washington herald., 1908-03-07
THE oPTIMIsT.

The final word In the argument for top-
timism-if. indeed. argument be needed
Is, that without hope in our hearts life
becomes a thing futile. dreary, and weari-
some Who is there that is satisfied with
to-day; with to-day's accomplishment?
Ali that has been Is as nothing; Il is what
is yet to be that makes the daily strug-
gle, the fine aspiration. the set determi-
nation TO 80. worth while. Always
We speak with the lip and we dream in the soul
OF some better and tairer day:
And our days. the meanwhile. 70 that golden goal
Are gliding and sliding away.
Nov the world becomes old. nov again II Is young,
But the botters' forever the Tord on the tongue
says Schiller, and Il is in some such phi
losophy as this that men have striven,
sometimes for themselves. but more often
for the world al large: and always by
their strivings toward higher and better
things-whatever the motive behind the
struggle-they have made the world a
better place 10 live in.
Hope Is the power that keeps US looking
forward that helps US 10 resist the ever
present temptation 70 look back where
we may see. happily. something Of great
Joy. bat great sorrow. too. Exaltation
over the joys we have known, or depres-
sion over the sorrows We have endured
these things cannot help US in the battls
Of to-day. AS Longfellow said:
Look not moumfully into the Past II comes noi
PACK again. Wisely improve the Present: II 4
thine. 60 forth 70 meet The shsdowy Future with
out fear and With manly heart
To obey that injunction one must hug
hope very closely to hts soul. The man
who has not courage 20 look ahead and
20 see there IN his day dreams the ful-
fiilment Of his desires IS fOredoomed "a
live in the past; in what little he has ar
conpished; in what large measure he mas
failed. To such a man il would be i'm
possible 20 cry with Tennyson:
Let the past be past:
care not while we hear
A trumpet In the distance pealing news
or better. and Hope. posing eagle hurrs
Above tie unrisen tomorrow.
One glGZious thing about hope is that
in spite OF the uncertainties Of the future
il leads Us 10 take pleasure in that very
uncertainty; II enables as. who are hun
cry Of the present, 20 make a meal on the
time to come: IL leads Us 10 turn our
back on disagreeables and to have q
clear eye for the good things IN the world
You remember Charles Lamb:
Who is 50 inexperienced as not 70 know that an
ticration Is always Of higher relish than reality
which strikes a balance both IN oar suherings and
enjoyments. The fear Of 81 exceeds the III VI
fear and fruition invariably falls short Of hore
He is Wisest who keeps feeding upon the future and
re'rains as long possible from uDdccriring himself
by converting his pleasant sIecllanons into dis
agreeable osrtaintieS.
Hope. real hope, implies the possession
Of many other Qualities-Virtues indeed
one might caE them. and OF these. per
haps the chiefest is patience. The Bible
tells Us that If We hope for that we see
not. then do we with patience wait for it,
and Bulwer Lytton:
There IS one form q hore wbieh IS never unuisr
and which oeTtaiuly does not diminish with the in
tTease Of knOWledge- IN that forln i changes ~
name ard ne call il patience
Some Of us-the outsiders speak OF US
as oPtimists-have what might be called
an excess Of hope II so, thank God
for il: for no man can have too much OF
hope I'm his heart and soul. And n Cod
has implanted in our breasts an excess
OF that most benign quality. hope. let U.
believe that IL is put there in order thai
We may have some 10 hand on TO tht
brother who is despOndent and cast down
The CHEEKY word aptIy spoken costs
nothing, and yet. sometimes II means Sc
much, The happy smile; the sure belief
that all Is working FOR the best. this
communicated 10 the hearts Of others Is
what makes this good old world a place
OF JOY and comfort-not merely place OF
/ toll. And We. OQtiInists CT the hopeful
creed, have by the very acceptance Of ouI
unwritten creed. this duty laid upon Us: &c
wear a shining. smiling face: 10 have q
hearty handgrip for our feIiow-voyagers
through life: TO hope. on. strive forward
/ cling close 10 duty and trust 10 Cod
Hath left His hope 70 al.
who loving an Bis works