The Washington herald., 1908-03-14
THE OPTIMIST.


No, brother optimist, the fact that you
have failed In whatever undertaking you
siarteo IS no sufficient cause for pesslm-
ism The great value of the doctrine OF
helpful optimism lies in the fact that
it is philosophy which teaches US that
even in the most dIscouraging aspects of
life there is some hope 10 be found. II
one has failed optimism teaches US TO
take the point Of view Of Kingsley:
So am content 70 have failed. have learned
n the experiment Of priceless truths concerning NY
sei. my ielioE-men. and the city q God.
I think that perhaps the most helpful
thought that comes to US facing defeat
after honest and worthy endeavor. is that
after all how exceedingly little II mat
ters whether We fail or not. The main
thing-the one hopeful and helpful thing
IS that we should have striven in honesty
os purpose and sincerity OF soul: keeping
our eyes fixed on high ideals II then. IN
spite OF all our struggles and striving we
have failed TO arrive It is mere rank
pessimism TO believe that eli our effort
and worthy ambition have been wasted.
Every hopeful thought sends an impulse
out into the world which is not lost II
may take root on some soil which other.
wise would be barren and bear fruit II
the years to come.
We can take, if we will. and have tho
courage. the very fragments Of our
failures and out Of them build up new
hopes and new energy. And the exampl'
that we set by marching steadily forward
instead OF sitting down. as a pessimist
would, bewailiug our nl-luck. Is bound Il
be another force for sood and may spui
weaker souls on 10 heights which they
had thought IT impossible to attain. As
/ Dean Farrar says:
A mar must have made very small p-ogress N N,
/ true estimate of life If he has not learned tha
what most men regard failure may be the mos
splendid success. and what they revard as enviab
siccess may be the most abject q failures Th
worst 81 failures Tor any human belng is not % b
poor or Insignificant. or outwarily unfortunate bu
/ % be the slave ot his lower nature.
/ The greatest thing in life, OF course. il
the work that a man is able 10 do. Al
real effort tends in the direction Of accom-
plishing something tangible. and worl
/ that is done. or that is attempted to b,
done for the works sake Is in q way
about the highest and best praise thai
\ one can tender 70 the God who made
l him.
Always there viii come times 10 every
| earnest man when ne feels that in N,
work he IS trying 10 do he is accom-
\ piishing much less than he hoped for
/ that though he Is striving hard he Il
/ making little appreciable progress are
\ the mood OF sUllen failure VIII set heavily
/ upon his soul But the optimist shOuIC
I remember that even II one loses hear
/ about ones work there is no such thinl
as the work itself being lost-the good o
/ every good deed lives on and breeds, an,
/ works on forever. and all that there is o
] failure is the outside husk. the shell o
/ the thing. which might. perhaps. hav.
/ been better done
/ IN Gods world for those who are earnest. ther
/ is 10 failure. No WORK truly done M word ear
nestly spoken no saerifce freely made vas eve
made in vain
Optimism. then, teaches Us above al
/ else 20 strive on. fare forward. fgh
steadily upward. and 10 kick our failure
under feet. using them as stepping stone
/ 70 higher things Forever an,i ever IN
/ movement OF the world IS toward IN
eternal stars, and IL is the right effor
Of mans heart. the earnest aspiration o
the human SOUL and the fixed determine
ton which acknowledges no failure. ad
miJs OF no defeat, that carries il onwar,
and ever upward.