The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-10-17

! breathed a song In the air;
u fell % earth, l know not where.
For who has sight 40 keen and strong
That It can follow the flight o. q song7
Long long aftervard in an oak
I found the arrow sin unbroke
And the song from beginning to end
I found again in tho heart Of a friend
These verses from Longfellow came into
my head when the subject OF the aim OF
the optimist was suggested 10 me. and
they have been running there ever since.
and there seems to me to be a strong
connection between them and the topic
to-day. It carries rare promise with it.
for It teaches us that no matter how
humble or how Feeble our efforts. we can
never tell Just how much good we can do
Unlike the arrow and the song, however,
the good deed frequently is never heard
from The benefit just has to be taken
on faith
And faith IS ono of the optimIst's
strongholds He not only aims high. but
he has faith enough to believe that he
sometimes. perhaps always. reaches the
mark, even though he may not be made
aware OF IT,
Tho cause OF optimism having taken
such a great hold on us-so great, In fact
that it is everywhere attracting wide
spread attention and increasing It's FOL
lowers every day-it seems 70 be in
order for some or US to define generally
what the principles and aims Of optimism
consist Of. An exact analysis Of opti-
mism might perhaps be impossible; it Is
such an al-pervading quality, a sort OF
sixth sense. as it were. to give the pos
SCISSOR Of It an outlook on life which can
not be gotten through any other means.
The optimlst. first OF all. aims toward
self-improvement and self-study. In or
der TO carry out the broader principles OF
his belief he must first SEQ that his own
habitation Is ready. One cannot invite
visitors into his house and allow them 10
find there disorder and evidences Of a
hnphazard existence. That life which Is
lived IN a helter-skelter fashion is bound
20 have more stumbling blocks in its way
than the one which IS lived according TO
principle and common sense.
IL is not right 70 be a Crouch" II
certainly Is not common sense. The world
gladly passes by the man who has q
frown on his face and black thoughts IN
his heart, for somehow the mind is re-
fected in the countenance. You can tell
whether man Is an optlmist or not just
by looking at him. And I don't mean
by that. either. that you can tell he Is a
member OF The washington Herald OPP
l.mist Club, for there are q great many
people who are optlmists who don't even
stop TO find out whether they are or not.
They are the people who just go about
doing good They don't need any instruc-
ton on the delights OF cheerfulness and
the benefits Of right living. They know
all about it, because they we're born that
way Perhaps many OF them could come
right in and give the members Of this
club few object lessons in practical OPP
timism.
So YOU see that optimism, Ike charity.
begins at home. and when you have
cleared on the musty. dusty corners OF
your heart and feel that you can turn
around without humping up against the
corners Of disagreeable thoughts. and you
have made things so shine within that
they are reflected on the outside. you are
ready 20 start out with the Optmlsts
next aim, which Is % let every one see
what good thing is a cheerful view OF
life and how pleasant II Is 10 think only
good and progressive thoughts.
I don't mean. Of course. that you shall
wait until you are thoroughly satisfied
with yourself-there is room Tor self-im-
provement every day-but there comes a
time when you are so brimful Of happi-
ness and good nature that you simply
must help 70 pass It along to some one
else. Did you ever stop 10 think Of the
hundreds and thousands OF poor folk IN
the world who haven't any optimism in
their lives. who never even heard OF II. so
far as we know?
rThfpr- of fcnrnfuo r11ulfftTr6pg who
slave early and late for means 20 keep
alive. Think Of the little children VINO
work work, work, and who never have
any sunshine IN their lives. who hardly
know what a kind word or a smile Is.
Isn't Il enough 20 shake the faith of even
the bravest optimist? But these are the
things that test the optimist and make
him stronger in his aim TO help humanity
as much as he is able. For the highest
aim Of the optimist Is doing his duty to-
ward his fellow-men.
No amount OF self-imprOvement or any
number of smiles, no matter how engag-
ing. can compare with the actual doing
OF the work which Is laid out for the op-
tinist Cheerfulness IN ones daily work.
a purposefulness IN life, amount to a
great deal. but the real true optimist is
the one who helps those who need help
and those who are I'm sOrest need Of It.
Surely there is not a member Of this club
who has not felt the Joy, the satisfaction.
the exaltation which comes after doing
something 70 uplift fallen or stumbling
comrade. I can conceive Of no higher
aim or duty IN the cause than the accom-
plishment OF daily acts OF kindness and
love
Love your neighbor as yourself" yes,
and love him better than yourself II you
want to fulfill the real mission OF life. II
Is all very well 70 look after number one,
and the selfish man gains many thing
which the unseldsh one has 70 do with
out But the man or woman who lives
for the sake Of others and has the I'M
bounded satisfaction OF knowing that he
does not live for himself alone, would
not trade II for all the selfish mans gifts.
There are so many ways in which you
can prove your title 10 being an optlmist.
BY word and deed the opumist can lift
himself high above those who persist IN
groveling in darkness. He can make
himself a power in his community, so
that every one will be able to single him
out from among others as having his
heart IN the right place. There is no
happiness that is beyond the reach Of the
optimist. for he makes happiness out Of
everything. and where he encounters mis-
cry OF body or uncertainty OF mind he
leaves behind him comfort and hope.
Even though you have TO hitch your
wagon TO n star" as Emerson says, that
IS not too high. For the power OF good
thoughts and the strength Of good deeds
we'll dono VIII lift you higher than the
stars. The optimist aims 10 be a friend
20 humanity, a power for the benefit OF
all who need helping. He believes "a
things that are good and true and recog-
nizes the weaknesses and the needs OF
his neighbors. He has aimed at and mas