The Washington herald., 1910-01-02
By THE OPTINIIST.

Begin right and you'll end right"
Dear Fellow-opdmists: A happy new
year to each and every one Of you.
Here we are again. right on the thresh-
old Of q new year, with all the hopes and
the promises Of its 365 days ahead of US
ours TO make or mar. Is 1t not a solemn
thought to contemplate that we have the
power to live each one OF the days Of the
coming year right or wrong?
Optimists are fun Of hope. Each man
or woman who IS a member OF this club
has a bright prospect in view. a prospect
made brighter by optimism and the habit
OF locking at things on the sunny side.
Each one Of Us has made a resolution.
Most Of these were printed last Sunday,
and a beautiful array of deep and inter-
esting thoughts they made. I am sure
there was not one among you who did
not read them all and win cherish them
for the future. for other peoples resolu-
tons are Just as helpful as your own, for
there is no reason why you should not
add your neighbor's good resolve 10 your
own and thus live in harmony together,
striving for the common good.
But, as 1 emphasized last sunday. reso-
lutions are more easily made than kept
Even you strong. sturdy optimists are not
secure after having made your promises
Only the eternal watchfulness Of a cheer
fil disposition and an adherence to high
moral principles can help you TO keep
those resolutions. made. am sure, in-all
earnestnes5 and sincerity.
How little we know Of our strength
Temptation is an insidiOus tide and
creeps about us when we least expect it,
and then unless we have a firm grasp
on the life line OF optimism. we slip down
into its depths.
You all recall the story OF poor Rip
Van Winllle. who was slave 10 the
habit OF taking a drop too much. Re
member how often he "swore or and
promised his wife and children he would
never touch another drop Of the hateful
stuff? But each time the cup was prof
erred TO him he would smile and say.
well, Just this once; I won't count this
one and he was of again IN his old
habit Of drunkenness and unhapplness.
The trouble with poor. weak Rip was
that he never made a beginning. To be
Gin right IS the main thing. The first
refusal of temptation Is. the hardest enc;
the second is a trife easier. the third is
much easier and after awhile another
and stronger habit grows up in the place
Of the old one. this time a habit of which
one can be proud because It is an evi-
dence Of strength and not Of weakness,
When we admit the growth of bad
habits. whether they be habits Of item
perance, the habit Of hasty speech, the
habit of the crouch" the habit Of self
isnness. we cannot deny that good habits
grow just the same way. The difference
IS, unfortunately. that the good habits
grow more slowly ard they need more
watchful care at the beginning.
When a man plants a garden he has TO
watch out for the weeds. The good
things that are to furnish him with food
don't grow half SO rapidly as the weeds
that choke and crowd them out. lie
must pull up the weeds every day and
see that the tender. succulent things that
he has planted get the sun. the water.
and the protection. After awhile they
will repay him for his care.
But suppose he Just goes ahead and
plants and then sits down to wait for
the harvest, never making any effort to
assist the brave plants in their struggle.
What viii his harvest be? Mostly weeds,
rank and poisonous and no good to man
or beast. only things TO cast out into the
brush heap and set fire to- And how hard
it is TO pull out the weeds when they get
their growth! They are much easier 70
dispose Of when they are new and begin
ming 10 form
So that the garden Of the heart IS Just
the same The time to cast out the
weeds is IN the beginning and give the
good things a chance. You plant your
good resolutions right I'm the same soil
with the bad and before you know IT the
temptations and the disagreeable traits
begin to peep up. perhaps long before
the good things have had a chance to
take root
Then is the time to begin 10 pull them
up. Have no mercy on your evil tenden-
cies. They cannot be made 10 yields
aught but grief and self-reproaches.
want every optimist to begin the new
year right The resolutions you have
made were made out OF g personal con-
viction that there was something in your
characters that needed changing for the
better. Commit yourselves now, as opt-
mists, to the task Of following up these
beautiful words with deeds that shall he
eloquent Of your earnestness and your
strength Of viii.
Remember our watchword for 1910, "The
spread Of optimism" This means that
each and every one Of you shall bring at
least one new member into the club for
the coming twelve months. There are
ffty-two Sundays in the coming year,
and we want TO see new name on the
Optimist PAGE on each one Of those Sun
days If you all work hard we shall even
see more than one at a time Even If
you have TO forego the pleasure of see
ing your own name there. it is optimism
put to practical test to be glad to see
there the name OF an individual whom
You have taught the uses and benefits Of
right living
I want 10 help You welcome more sub
scrlbers to the bright cause Of optimism.
! feel that our hopeful brotherhood should
stretch out hands 10 help others bear
their burdens and, in the name of opti-
mism. tighten their daily cares by teach |
ing them that there is a silver lining to
every cloud and to life sunny side, |
where optfmists are beckoning them to
come over and dwell in peace and con- /
tentment.
Begin now 10 tell your neighbor about |
optimism and the benefits Of our club.
why optimism grows' is a splendid |
subject for the club members. It will |
give YOu an Opnortunitv naxt waak 70 |