The Washington herald., 1910-02-06

4 throb Il love a thrill Of hate;
A long long waiting az the gate
For dawus that break an hour TOO late
And yet a splendid round: a strife
That man may win Who dares the knife
And Rays the game-the game Of lie.
&C. NJ. Gauet.
7 ran across these powerful little verses
In q current magazine and print them
here, not because they had a special bear
ing on the subject of to-day, but because
they are intensely interesting from the
optimists standpoint They express in
general way something we feel with re-
gard 10 life-that it is a splendid strife.
We, as optimists, know what the battle
means; we are in the thickest Of it and
fighting for the good and the riGht,
"GeniaHty'' is the tie that binds you to
your fellow-man. 1t is sweetness Of dis
position, a kindly temper turned toward
the world. It is the thing possessed by
the man who always has his hand out
stretched 10 grasp that of some one else,
whether that person needs cheering up or
not. The genial man just can't help ra-
dating happiness and sunshine every
where he goes. Geniality is the sunshine
Of everyday life. II is something that
keeps a man sweet and optimistic
through adversely; and by adversely I do
not necessarily mean the big sorrows and
disappOintments of life.
Little things often count for more than
big. a little snag in the current may
wreck the boat if the steersman doesn't
keep a sharp lookout. The big rocks
ahead are often in full view. and being
anticipated may be avoided.
Geniality helps us TO overcome the
petty annoyances Of life. How often we
see people who seem crushed and broken,
and discover that their gloom is often
over things that are hardly worth MOTTO
ing Frequently the ills are only imagin-
airy.
I wonder how many Of you saw that
splendid play The Dawn of a To-mor-
row." written by Mrs. Burnett Those OF
you who did will recall that Glad, the
child of the streets. who had learned 10
be cheerful in spite of her rags and her
poverty, said: Things are never as bad
as you think they are"
the mouth Of a child, but they are words
that will do for us, fellow-optimists, to
remember and to say daily Things sell
dom are as bad as We think they are
Fear, cowardice, and egotism combine Ia
make US fretful and unhappy when things
go wrong; but as we have said so often
in these columns the blacklist cloud has
its lining OF pure silver and We have
but TO wait and summon optimism 20 ou
aid, and 10, the cloud has passed and left
US the better off for valuable experience
BY refining process We get pure gold
Human character is formed pretty much
the same way, so we have only 70 be
lieve that there is much that is good II
store for us, and trials and hardship:
viii not bother us or sour our DISPOSE
tons.
There is no place on earth for SOU
folks. The man who hasn't geniality IL
his makeup finds fault with everybody
and everything except himself. So, You
see, to be lacking in geniality is TO have
the worst form of egOtism. II you arr
mad at the world you cannot help being
unhappy. And the best part Of It is tina
no matter how mad you get at the world
the world doesn't care. It passes by III,
crouch and the ill-natured man easil!
and unregretfully. The worldly whicl
is meant your fellow iaen, of course
hasn't time TO pause in its pleasant wa
TO inquire into your troubles, old SOU
face.
If you chose 10 punish yourself in orde
III ...FT1
I fear. get left. And you ought TO &c
left. The man who is in real trouble AM
makes a brave fight to overcome it an,
who shows a smiling face finds man,
willing hands stretched out in his aid
Oftentimes he is embarrassed BY tn
number Of friends who will come to hi
rescue.
And how do You make these Willing
friends? BY geniality. by cordiality an
good will toward your feIlow-men. I
friend was never made by a frown It i
the smile that wins them every time
Behind the smile there is pretty apt t
dwell a cheerful disposition and a happ
character The sour person cannot ex
pect 10 win in the race Of life; he doesn'
even stand a chance of getting away a
the start
And geniality pays. too. II is a bust
ness asset. A genial man Is always wei
come. People like to greet him; they liz
to linger and talk to him and have hir
talk to them, 20 bask. as it were. a littl
while IN the warmth Of his sunny goo
nature. The genial man is bright spc
IN the daily life, and he leaves a trail q
good will and fellowship wherever n
goes.
He Is the man that has the successfl
business. the large circle Of friends, an
the happy home. His children are brigI
and happy and his wife is the envied 4
all the neighborhood. Not merely mate
rial possessions come to the man VIII
dwells on the sunny side Of life but Do.
sessions which count for much more !
llfe-a genial spirit, a contentment wit
the world, and a wide perspective. a peaC
and understanding. harmony with a
mankind.
In brief. the genial man is an Optimis
If only the unhappy ones of this cart
could find the way; If they would onl
resolve 20 be genial for an hour. do 70
think they would ever return 10 the oil
habit Of sourness and being mad at II
world? / do not They would discove
If they practiced genialilty, a new worl,
a world Of which they never even Su!
pected the existence They would find
world peopled with kindly friends. whel