The Washington herald., 1909-05-09
Should Strive
to Live the BrOadeSt
Life, to Cultivate the
NobLest Traits of Char
acter, and Thus Help
a Weaker Brother.
~ THE oPTINIsT.

6y IhE OEAAMASA
Dear FeIlow-Optinists: The excellent
words Of announcement which 1 havs
received from many Of you regarding
the helpful contributions on Courage
which were printed last week has moved
me 10 begin to-day's talk with few
words OF appreciation for the manner in
which the members Of The Washington
Herald Optimist Club are keeping up the
excellent work Of optimism for which
the club Is sponsor. Each week
brings In new members, and each
week suggests a new thought for
future contests. The club was never
In a more fourishing condition than it
Is at present This IS, I am sure, due
more TO the hearty cooperation Of the
members than to any personal efforts,
for without the members and their help
there would be no inspiration for me. The
club serves admirably It's purpose in thus
making a sort Of endless chain OF mutual
benefit
I hope you VIII appreciate one Of the
greatest duties Of an optimist that Of
spreading the doctrine around among
sacrifice Of time, but the good that can be
done our fellow creatures IN this way is
very great 7 wonder # any Of you have
the trouble in wearing and keeping
your cIuo buttons that have.
Every tine 1 wear one I am obliged
to give it away. for some one IS
sure 20 ask for s., aad then I have
D
member. II any one asks you for your
button. give it 10 him rather than run
the risk Of his not taking time 70 send
for one for himself Buttons distributed
in this way VIII be replaced by me on
application. The button you hand 20 your
friend makes him an oprimist, and IN this
way ne wiz soon become a member.
To live the broader lie. which Is the
aim of Us all. We cannot overlook the
noble trait CT character we call "seif-sac-
rifce~ We understand By the term an
unseldshnsss that stops ar no personal
sacrifice in order tnat others may benefit
Self-sacrifce is one OF the nOblest emo
tions OF which the human soul is capable.
The giving IN 20 others. the courageous
seff-ehacement for the sake of loved
up Of the true man and woman Il does
not mean that one must be humble and
bow the neck meekly 20 the yoke or step
timidly 10 one side and let others take
ones place in the race for existence. But
Sc does mean the deep sentiment. born Of
an undyiag love, that permits one 10
cheerfully aid IN the betterment Of the
condition Of his fellow-creatures-
Do You not suppose that the father who
works early and late. whether in the per
Torrance Of manual labor or az work
with his brain in the COunrng-hOuse or in
trade. is sacrificing his own pleasure and
inclination for the sake Of some one that
he Ioves2 Maybe ne Is trying 10 send his
boy through college or give 10 his daugh-
ter the BENEFITS and the surroundings
which he wishes her 20 enjoy.
There is no unselfshness ike that
which parent viii gladly practice where
his children are concerned. and whether
this condition IS due 10 the natural IN
stincts Of humanity or not, Il IS neverthe-
less q creditabls one and one that viii
{ command the admiration Of the whole
world in general and optimists in partic-
ular We know that Il IS a weak argu-
ment to excuse a human being for his
/ faults By attributinE them 10 the natural
instincts TO which the flesh IS heir Il IS
far more logical TO commend those who
have such intelligence and such fine
sense Of inherent morality that they are
able 10 discriminate between their good
and bad impulses. II q man or a woman
practices seIdShness all his lie, he IS in
excUsabIe- There is no condition Of hered-
( ity or environment which can blind a
human being who has the advantages OF
latter-day civilization and its increased
moral obligations 10 the difference be
tween right and wrong. Therefore. the
man who practices self-denial. instead OF
gratifying his whims OF his inclinations
/ for careless living. is one OF the noblest
creations Of nature
Not that It is good OF logical for any
one 10 so completely sink his personality
as to become q mere automatOn. laboring
for others. Loss Of seIf-respect may fol-
low too much reimbursement. Too often
we read the stories Of men who have
made large fortunes by earnest and con-
slant application 10 their business and
their profession. Most OF this work is
done for the sake Of others Il has been
aptly stated that the luXGries OF one
generation are the necessities Of the next.
and it is this very thing that often keeps
q man working early and late IN the en-
deavor to make both ends meet, that his
family may keep up with the procession
This is a sort OF seif-sacrifce that is al
most criminal Il makes the growing
generation lose that independence which
should be the heritage OF every human
being: but 1t destroys the true cOupan-
IonShip that should exist iE every family,
and it makes Of the father mere money
making machine. which sooner or later
must run down.
Mutual self-sacriice should be the rule
OF the present generation. and as opti-
mists we cannot help but recognize that
IL IS our duty 10 spread the doctrine as
much as possible It is not fair that par
ests should alone be UnselfiSh- II makes
selfish children. In the same way. misdi-
rected philanthropy often pauperizes the
objects Of its charity Children should
make sacrifices for their parents. If only
IN the way Of laying Up for the future the
obligation and meeting il fully when II
must inevitably fall due. Il is true that
genuine self-Sacrifice looks for no return
and thinks Of no reward. True self-sacTi-
Zee IS only the strong right arm Of love
Henry Ward Beecher said: IN this
world it Is not what We take up. but what
we give I'D that makes Us rich. To en-
JOY lIe cpuienCe u z Cteal CoiiSC4eiiCe We
must eliminate selnshness from our char
acteristics Only IL this way can We
hope to better ourselves and aid IN the
moral uplift of the universe. All NY fel-
iow-optirnists feel thai they have a mis-
sion in life to perform From the trend
Of the letters which I receive daily from
the members I cannot but realize that we
have a band OF noble workers here whose
steadfastness an6 pUrposefUlness are
great. Only those capable OF self-sacri-
Zee OF pure unselGshness. can become
real optimists. Selfshness has no place
in the doctrine cf our helpful and hopeful
brotherhood. The motto OF the club.
Lets help. implies an unSelfshness
ane q devotion TO others that can prop
erl,. be rlacsd ,..,ser he hsaalne- .of seIf