Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-05-22
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By Rev. Guy A. Jameson.

By Rev. Guy A. Jameson.
Why art thou cast down, oh my
soul; and why art thou disquiet with
in me?-Psalm xiii, 16.
Perhaps David's dependency was en-
gendered by the ingratitude and rebel
lion of his SON, dissatisfaction with his
own life, remorse for his sins. He had
cause a-plenty for being cast down.
And so with most of US If we be honest
with ourselves the cause of our de-
preston of spirit will be found in our
own acts.
We have refused to live in harmony
with the laws of our physical, mental
and moral well being. An exhausted
body. an overworked brain, a guilty
conscience are the answers to the hours
Of gloom that so unaccountably steal
upon us. And yet the seasons of deJec-
ton that occasionally dominate the
brayest spirit are not always a sign
that we have sinned or displeased God.
They may spring out of the inevitable
circumstances of life, trying relation
ships, the narrow, monotonous routin,
of work, for which we are not respon-
sible and from which we seek to escape
In vain. But whatever the cause we
cannot entertain or indulge gloomy
thoughts
Nothing is so bad for man-ibody,
mind soul-as dependency. 1t clouds
the intellect, dampens the ardor of
life, saps the will power. 1t will put
colored glasses on his eyes; everything
will be seen distorted. Molehills viii
| be magnified into mountains. Man can
| yield himself to moods of depression
till the vitality, the Joy and beauty OF
life are gone and he untitled for its
duties. He can live in shadows and
darkness until he becomes unable to see
the rainbow in the clouds and forgets
that the sun still shines above them.
"Why art thou cast DOWN." We must
assert OUT intelligence aud will power /;
seek to forget ourselves; think of the
condition of others. Go on the street
and see the aged washerwoman bending
over her load, the cripple hobbllng to-
ward the passer-by to ask an aim, the
| thin, fear haunted faces OF half-starved
children; think of the hundreds of In
| durable shut-ins, the hospitals over
| flowing with the sick and MANNED and
benighted, the thousands who tramp
| the streets looking for work: read the
newspapers of the disasters by fire and
food and accident that blast homes.
break hearts ard cast thousands upon
the mercy Of the world. and perhaps
| in contrast with the condition of your
neighbor you will feel ashamed of your
own complainings.
But we must not only look upon the
woes Of others; we must seek actively
to lessen them, SO far as lieth in MS,
If we would escape our own. II we
can do nothing else we can cultivate
the habit of hopefulness. We can fol-
low the good example Of the man who,
when assaulted by the blue devil,
sought occasion to speak cheerfully to
some one who looked as gloomy as he
felt. A pleasant face, a sympathetic
word, hopeful prophecy may do more
good than hundred sermons about
heaven. No higher compliment can be
paid one than to speak of him as good
hurnored and good-natured. for these
qualities usually spring from HEALTHY
body, n healthy mind and healthy
soul.
Laugh, and the world laughs with
you; weep, and you not only do not
weep alone, but you cause others to
weep; so woe begets woe Just as joy
BUSINESS begets joyousness. 1t Is more
difficult to maintain q bright spirit
than to say bright things, and much
more conlmendable.
Then drive away gloom with glad
ness. Many man has laughed himself
into health, into friends, into success
| and into heaven.
Finally, "Hope in God" But 1t
| won't do any good to pray and wall
| your complaints to the Eternal until
you have done all in your power to
overcome the cause of your despond-
| ency. If the cause is overlooking, lack
| of pure air and exercise, exhausted
body or mind, remorse of soul, reforma-
ton of habits must come before prayer.
i If we live soberly, keep a good con-
science toward God and man, the spirit
of gloom will take its flight, life will
/ seem worth while and we will have en-
tered the kingdom of heaven, the king
| dom Of goodness.
THE FRUITS OF RELIGION.