The Washington herald., 1909-04-25

r Parkhurst the above nasssE Ee appears.
and how PoignantIy It strikes home L
Is a passage 20 read and read again and
Jc ponder upon
To believe in things, To know that
nothing in this life is accomplished with
ont faitf-not the fsiJh o. psssivi;y. q
waiting and hoping FOR the best. which is
2 weak and unworthy kind % optimism.
think. but the faith that with endesvor.
with perseverance. with work and pray
er. comes the sure reward Faith Is buoy
ancv 10 the soul and without il We
should be poor creatures indeed And
vet. feHow-optimists. what do We see al
about Us in the world to-day?
cynical civilization has practically
banished faith from its category Of v;T-
tues. Traditions are battered down. and
in the worldly strife in the battle for ex-
istence going on all the time men have
come 10 have what they ignorautiy deem
10 he q sort Of self-given self-TelianCe
which Is TO carry tEem everywhere and
20 bring them everything But they 30
rot stop To think that IL is faith in them
selves and in the talents. and abilities
given to them by the Creator that gives
them the vigor and she power which Is
theirs
Whining and CRYING over fancied fall
ures shows a lack OF faith. oh. ye o.
little faith Must men give up before
the battle Is over. turu aside before sue
cess has time 70 coGle9 The principal
part of faith Is patience. nothing Is ever
gained by giving up the task before it he's
been completed. The failure OF a finished
task IS melancholy spectacle enough.
but the work half done. thrown aside IN
despair without faith without the pa
tience 70 stick by IT, IS far worse. Il
shows q lamentable weakness. a fUnda-
mental insUfTc!ency. for which there Is
but one cure-"faith.
Voltaire declared that faith Is obedi-
ence- but 4 Is something more shan that
II IS a wide and al-embracing principle
I, is. IN the first place. one OF the foUnGa-
tions OF every religion. and 81 Is this abid-
ing confidence which is. so sweet 10 the
heart-wesrv who turn for comfort 10
spiritual things II Is extraordinary. ss
many OF you NAV have observed, how
quickly the unbeIiever in religious mat
ters viii taunt the believer with the
statement that everything must be taken
on faith Dr. Holmes. in The Professor
a, the Breakfast Table. answers that in
this wise. Faith always implies the dis
belief Of a lesser fact in favor o. q great
er 4 little mind eften sees the unhelief
without seeing the belief Of the large
ones
Optimists are among the faithful When
We say we hope" We imply a certain
doubt in our minds as to the truth of a
matter. but when we say we have faith
NC mean that We know Whether or aOt
WC can show evidence upon which 10 base
om faith II We still have faith We need
nothing else As brother optimists We
believe in things. We believe in the up
hit. We are helping each other and our
selves. and we are helping those about
Us Who have not yeI learned the lessons
OF cheerfulness and heipfulness that We
have. We believe that the world. il spite
% its frivolity and It's carelessness. Is stin
peoplsd With good. honest. working folks
whose constant striving and endeav0r
must surely sooner o. later have its
benefeiaI effect on progress The faith
full people who deIve away not only TO
benefit their own ends, but 20 give help
Ing hand or every side. are optimists:
they realize faith IN its highest degree.
iEeN nave commence ~ tleir let4eF%-
men. in their work. and above all. in
themselves confidence born Of the de-
sire to get out and fight for the right. re-
gardless OF the odds against them Tup-
per says in mis- ''Proverbial Philosophy
OF Faith"
Co7hdcncc is conqueToT # men. victorious hosh
over them and on then.
The iron VII q one stout heart shah make
thos,-ard quail
\ feeble lwaTf dsuntlessly resolved VII 5un TIE
tide ci bottle.
snd rails tc uotlcr strife the Ssuts that had ass
The tenderFsf enid unconscious oi = fear uil
shame the man 20 danger
Ard when he dared I; darEeT eied and faf.i had
yarquished fear.
The supply Of buttons. the emblem of
The Washington Herald Op;imist Club
has not been entirely exhausted. and
Wish If any Of the members have not yet
received a button for his own use or de-