The Washington herald., 1908-04-14
THE OPTIMIST.

When the spirit of optimism should take
fast hold Of Us; should make Us look az
Gods beautiful world with smiling eyes
and with joy in our souls; for 1t seems
these glorious days Of promise are filed
with the message Of hope. Nature has
striven through the bleak winter and has
atteined to this most wonderful glory
To such an end may the human soul at
tain by striving!
What change has made the pastures sweet
And reached the daisies at my feet,
And clouds that wear a golden helmi
This lovely world, the hills the sgaTd-
They all look fresh, a. il cur Lord
But yesterday had finished them
On such mornings as we are blessed
with now. a man comes from his waking
bed to find the earth all smiling. the air
invlgoTating, with but just hint Of the
dFear days gone still in it; and all about
him, in the blue heavens above as In
the crisp earth under his feet, he finds
life striving with all its might to ex-
press itself-and happy in the task
Scarce a thing on which the eye Of
man falls in these days Of spring but
bears d message Of hope to him. The
trees that in black. gnarled. and seem
ingly dead forms have bided their time
through the season Of SNOW and Ice. are
stirring themselves; the sap is coursing
through their arteries, the bolghs sway
in the breeze with renewed elasticity, and
the grateful buds burst with the pride
of their survival and come out in beauty
to WOO the sun.
The dryness and the yellowness have
gone out Of the grass, and now the earth
is carpeted with a wondrous green, as
soft as velvet. over which you may see
the winds play And as the spring
breezes, laden with health and vigor ana
with each zephyr bringing a message of
good cheer. turn the longer grass aside.
those who look down in humble graft
tude may see where violets blow and
yellow primroses. Well may one
sing tn iufusive force Of spring on man;
When heaven and earth as il conteading vie
To raise bis being. aud screen his SOUL
Tan he ioThezr 20 i1in the general smile
Ot nature. Can fierce passions Yex his brcastg
This is the season Of the year when we
are reminded that il Is not well 10 waste
much time on dwelling on what We have
come through. II should take all our
energy to make the most OF the present
ana TO giTd ourselves up for the duties
that are 10 come. The example is set
for US by all nature: the trees, the ami
mails, the dOwers. These. too, have pass
ed through a bad time; time of snow
and sleet and Stimulating death. but ali
this Is forgotten now, and in the warm
embraces Of the sun and the kisses Of the
south wind. all nature Is glad and beauu-
ful and expressing the JOY OF life
That is the lesson OF the spring for US,
also. What we have come through let
us think Of lightly; let US spend these
new powers Of ours in fitting ourselves
for the end 10 which We were made:
The Captain Of the Port win ask
Not. how faTea the soul through the trials sh'
But. what is tie state Of that soul at the last3
And the springtime is. if we will but
make il so. the seedtime of faith for US
he proof Of the value Of the philosophy
OF optimism The miracles are about us
on every hand. the miracle Of the resur-
rectlon of the dead things of the winter
that are now so full OF life. II is a time
Z 10 remember Emerson s.
The whole o1arss Of things goes 10 teach Vi
faith. Belief and l0ve-a believing lore win re
hefe 0f a vast load of care. o NJ brothers
God exists little consideration of what take
place around rs every day would show US that
higher law than that q Cur viii regulates events
On every hand are the strongest evi-
dences OF Gods goodness, The best
gifts OF the spring are held out to US
freely, and they appeal TO every sense
/ but what they give is not. or should not
/ be, so dear as the wondrous promise
and optimism Of them. The balnay breeze
laden with health and perfumed by God
f bears TO Us all the message of work ant
4 life ard faith. For other springs shall
/ come and so and We shall not be her,
/ TO know them. but the work that We hav,
4 done shall voice us. and-the time Is now