The Washington herald., 1908-01-14
THE OPTIMIST.


I first met my good friend, Mr.. Richard
Steele. when. in company with little Henry
Egmond. cadet Of the house of Castle
wood, and, like him, a lonely lad, that
doughty captain came down to the big
house on a searcn for Father Holt Since
then I have welcomed every opportunity
to know more Of him. The other day l
ran across a paper he had left in which
he said, speaking truth, as was his wont,
though perhaps he could not live it al
together
II is a very melancholy reflection, that men are
usually 20 weak that it is absolutely necessary for
them 10 know sorrow and pain 70 be IN their
right senses Prosperous people for happy there
are nonel are hurried away with fond sense of
their present condition. and tboughtless ot the
mutabhty Of fortune.
! seem to see In this essay Of Mr.
Steele that, wise man as he was at times.
he was yet much in need OF a touch Of
that optimistic philosophy which en-
phatically denies that there are no happy
men. Richard himself was not one. |
admit. and yet, methinks, In spite Of his
debts and his love affairs and mis- duels.
life had somewhat a rolicking air with
him.
He sHtd truth when he declared tina;
Sorrow and Pain are by no means evils
for il is indeed through such aids as
tfese that man comes truly TO know
himself his own limitations his own
powers. AS Horace Bushnell orce wrote.
And 50 it is that by thls fact Of pain, We arrive
az the only sufficient discovery n the goodness Of
God. He conld not be more tendery close 70 us
or mere ad0Tabiy great. than He is IN this most
earnest way Of fidelity Thus il IS that a great
many Of the best and boliest examples # pisty are
such have been tried and finished IN the crucibls
Of suffering.
And Whittier has something to the
same purpose:
Over the crucbls n pain
Watches the tender eye of Love.
The slow transmitting q the chain
Whose links are iron below 10 gold above.
To the pessimistic soul these things
Pain and Sorrow-must seem unmitigated
ills, 10 bC rallied at: grOWlingly 20 be en-
dured; grounds for questioning the whole
Joy Of life. For long years. under his
sufferinEs job was one Of the finest ex-
T
holds record.
And Amiel in his Journal has told US
that
/ So Ions a. Job mUTmurs and rs Providence is
thought % be TOO severe, 50 long there is any
inner rotestati3n against fate OF doubt as 70 the
perfect justice q God there is not entire humility
or true repentance. Il Is when Ee accept the eI-
piati7R that % can be spared Us. il is when We
submit sincerely that grace can be granted 10 us.
fF- rrf. e-reEr SD
+ pense Us from il
/ There are many anti6otes against sOr-
TOW. and the chiefest OF these / think.
/ is emplOyment-and the true optmist will
/ see often that sorrow sent 70 him and
/ driving him 10 busyness was, in spite Of
/ his first resentful thoughts. a blessing in
disguise. Sorrow comes oftenest 10 the
soul that is still and practically dead in
+ life, as stagnation comes 10 the pool that
+ Is unrUf1ed by the winds, unmoved by
ebb and flow. Byron said:
sorrow preys upon
rs solitude. and nothing more diyerts Il
From its sad visions of the ether world
Than calling it al m0ments hack 70 this:
The busy have no TINE f0T tears.
/ II is all very well for the poets who
live IN the clouds and who. by the very
nature of their calling. should be above
the real things OF earth. TO cry:
But O for the touch # a vanished hand
Ana the sound q q voice that Is still!
It will not do for men OF a workadaJ
world 10 spend their time in such vaiT
signing Optimism IS not vain senti
mentality and emotion: It is a philosophy
that bids man armoT his soul against
the fears and terroTs of what may chance
/ to befalli 10 look happily forward. not
timidly and regretfully back 10 do ones
work in the world; 70 do il honestly
sincerely. hopefully. and TO trast God
for the rest
Sorrow and Pain must come: "IntC
each life some rain must fall" But one,
your mind is made UP 10 that fact and
the fact IS accepted, accepted, too, mus
be the philosophy that. whether We car
see fl or not. understand fl or not. every
thing works with God for the best Then
and not TIL then. may we turn evel
pain and sorrow to our great advantage
and find glorious life in spite Of these.
And so 1 come back by this devious
pathway. TO my old friend, Richar,
Steele, who discourses thus:
Tully tells rs a story after P5mpey. which Fire
Us good taste Of the pleasant manner the men O
sit and philosophy had IN Old times. Of slleyiatin
tie distresses Il life ly the forcs of reason an
philosophy P0mpey. when he came 20 Rhodes
had a curiosity 20 visit the famous Phil0s0phe
Possidonius; but finding him IN bis SICK bed. d
beWaIed the misfortune that he should not hear
/, discourse from him. But yog may. answered Pos
sidUuius- and Immediately entered into the point
~toical philosophy, which says pain IS not an evil
During the discourse. upon every pIncture he fel
from his distemper. De smiled and cried oIt, Pain
, Pain. BE as impairment and Troublesome as yO
please. 1 shall never own that thou art an evil