The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-11-13
By THE OPTIMIsT.


Fear has been prolific of many fine con-
tributions. and l feel that we have a
splendid page. / thought that the topic
was one that would interest many opti-
mists. for optimistic philosophy II II is
10 mean anything. must mean the casting
OF fear out of our hearts and replacing it
with shiulng hope.
Good Robert Louis Stevenson. with
grim death red-handed by his side for
so many years. stea6fastly refused to be
driven into panic fear. FOR he realized
how cruel and bitter thing it is. He
saw that It was mans duty to recognize
his precarious state in life and that the
first part of courage is not to be abashed
st the thought OF any untimely end
Said he.
We do not go TO towards for tender dealing
there is nothing cruel panic; man Who has
least fear for his own carcass has mest time to
consider others
And he draws US a picture of man un-
afraid. the man who realizes all the pit
falls and dangers that are ahead of him.
and YET will not pause because OF any OF
them. And the frame OF mind of this
man is the frame of mind that all of US
may cultivate. much TO our souls health
and to the enjoyment of every day.
Now the man who has his heart on
his sleeve. and a good. whirling. weather
cock or a brain, who reckons his life as
thing 10 be dashingly used and cheer
fully hazarded. makes a very different
acquaintance of the world, keeps all his
pulses going true and fast and gathers
Impetus as he runs Lord, look after
his health; Lord, have ears OF his soul,
says he. and he has the key of the posi-
ton, and swashes through peril and in
eOngruity toward his aim. Death is on
gu sides OF us: unfortunate surprises
grid him round; mim-mouthed friends
and relations hold up their hands in
quite a little elegieal synod about his
path, and what cares he for all this?
j Being a true lover of living, a fellow
with something pushing and spontaneous
IN his nature. he must. like any other
soldier, in any Other stirring deadly
warfare. push on at his best pace until
4 he touch the goal.
There lies the truth of the matter. and
fair guardianship against the coward
fear. II is a quality we may cultivate,
this avoidance of fear; and II IS most
desirable and necessary that We should
If we truly desire 10 set about the rea:
business of life-to do our work In the
world with an eye single to its aim and
accomplishment
The subject for next Sunday. as an
nounced last Wednesday, viii be ION the
value Of friendship Contributions should
be in by Wednesday.
The two prizes this week-s5.00 each
are awarded 10 Jacob j. Friedman, OF
1871 X street northwest, and Charles f.
Bruce, 4S7 Massachusetts, avenue. The
contributions follow:
Fear is a passion, an uneasy state of
the mind. an apprehension, or rather it
y anxiety in its most acute form. In
fact it IS really an anxiety nursed and
nurtuTed along until it has grown into a
fear. The different causes OF anxiety and
fear are innumeTable. What 20 one mind,
under the same circumstances, would be
mere trife and cause not particle of
8 fear or anxiety, TO another person woul0
be very weighty matter Again. in
i some things there is nc reason whatever
Tor either anxiety or fear, 10 an optiniis-
Tie mind, but person OF a pessimstic
tendency Viii turn q certain item over
and over Ia his or her mind. forever see
ing only the dark side OF the situation.
It'll II becomes a constant anxiety or
pr.
<@an order 10 avoid fear one must exer-
else great amount OF VIII power; ne
must look at the bright and CHEEKY side
#of all things and always keep in mind
the fact that We live but once and that
when we die we are gone forever. there
fore life is too short TO fear and fret
and worry over any matter. Just look
Around YOU and note the number of COM
rparatively young men who are prema-
Iurely old and gray, and bear in mind the
all-important fact that nothing turns
youth into old age as rapidly and thor
oughly as does worry, anxiety and fear
These three are the worst forms of dis
sipatiOn. Very often I have experienced
that when I have taken up matter on
which J thought there was good ground
for anxiety, worry, and fear, and thought
il over carefully, weighing 1t from all
points of view. I have found, upon care
1ul consideration. that my fear was
groundless and by the exercise OF a GER
tain amount OF will power 1 have cast
aside that fear and replaced il by an
optimistic view of the situation OF
course, IN instances where the fear has
become firmly fixed in the mind it Is no
easy matter to cast 1t aside. But here
II is necessary to apply q determined
perseverance. which any person who has
full control of his or her own mind can
ana should do. JACOB J. FRIEDMAN.
The more we think upon the dark side
OF life the more we magnify and multi
ply our fears and misgivings Fear is
born of darkness. 1t is natural for the
child TO fear the dark for the reason that
the dark holds things that are unseen
and so gives rise TO exercise OF the i'm
Rgination. So il is with the trouble that
we borrow from the future-it is purely
imaginary and always breeds the same
FOOLISH fear. Our inability TO see into
the future IS one of Gods greatest bless
tngs, and when we thus look upon II
we cultivate that spirit Of trustfulness
that makes us look forward 10 happiness
and the blessings IN life gust as God in
tended we should. OF course Il is true
that greater or lesser troubles are bound
10 overtake all of US, but II we win count
or present blessings instead OF locking
forward T. our possible troubles. we viii
acquire a spirit of hopefulness that will
cast out fear and enable us to live down
our troubles as they come In this way
we may even conquer that greatest of
all fears, the fear OF the Dark Valley.
and in the words OF William Cullen
Bryant, approach the grave like one
who wraps the drapery OF his couch
about him and lies down 10 pleasant
Dreams. CHARLES E BRUCE