Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1912-09-07
OPTIMISTIC SIDE OF THE woaLp.

In social, as in indlvadual, life 1t Is no
good for rs to be ever looking at tn
darkest and worst side of things. Sucl
an attitude of mind only tends to breet
a generation Of chronic grumblers. Th,
genuine lover Of truth wants to SO,
things as they are, and things are Meth
er as they are painted by the optimis
nor by the pessimist The truth lies il
the golden mean between the two ex
tremes. The reader will doubtless re-
call the Quixotic legend Of the valian
knights of yore who wrangled and fough
over the color of the shield. One swors
it was white. and the other as stoutly
maintained IL was black. Both were
part right and part wrong. as the shield
was white on one side and black on the
other, and each ssavs only the side con.
fronting his own visual organ.
So it is with our views Of life. Some
see only the bright side, others only the
dark. and as result, neither is com.
petent to judge. The habit of vailinp
and ranting at existing customs and in.
stitutions as unqualifiedly bad, seems ia
make some people very big and virtuous
in their own eyes.
We are not referring to that just and
tempered criticism which is prompted
by public spirit, or a genuine zeal for
the common good, but rather to the un.
measured abuse seemingly INDUCED in
for its own sake, and by those who have
something to offer by way of substitute.
In short, it is destructive, not construc-
tive, criticism that merits our repoba.
ton.
And ever anent real reformers, we
know that they are not likely to mini.
mizs the evils which they condemn.
Perhaps We do them no injustice in
saying that, as rule, the tendency is to
let their zeal outrun their discretion
and the more earnest they are, the
more likely is this tendency to manifest
itself The perfectly poised philosopher,
who unvaryingly keeps his heart in due
subsection to his head, is rather rare
exception.
That there are in our modern life
many and serious evils, endangering
the welfare both of the individual and
of society, is truth which no one with
half an eye can question. Every stu
dent of history knows that widespread
luxury-and its natural offspring
effeminacy-unrestricted divorce-the
dissemination of in6del and immoral
literature, and official corruption, have
ever proved most potent factors in the
destruction of governments and nations.
And these ugly spectres are certainly
stalking about in our midst today. But,
in spite of that, it would be far from the
truth to say that our age is the worst
ever. Owing to the improved facilities
for communication, and the rapid trans
mission of news, we know more about
contemporary life than did our ances-
tors, and the vicious part is apt to strike
us more forcibly than its virtuous side,
for vice is ever more blatant and OBJ
trusive than virtue. Nevertheless, we
have good reason to believe that our
era could we'll stand a comparison with
the ages that are past. Notwithstanding
the lamentations of the latter-day Jere-
miahs, religion and morality are neither
dead nor dying. Far from passing into
the sere and yellow leaf, they are still
green, and growing vigorously. The
opinion of the masses-the vox populi-
is still to be found on the side of truth
and righteousness. As q counterpoise
to modern evils, we have the ever vigi.
liant, lynx.eyed and, in the main-un.
corrupted public press, which, with
comparatively few exceptions. is decid.
edly moral in tone and character, the
sturdy apponent of evil-doers and the
staunch defender of justice and right.
We sometimes forget that the very
hue and cry raised against the criminal
elements, is proof ofa thorough awaken.
ing of the public conscience, which
shows that, after all, the modern world
is not so hopelessly wicked. Never be-
fore did public opinion play such an
important role in the worlds history.
These are few of the points-on the
bright side of modern life-which we
would do well to ponder over now and
then, lest, while looking too exclusively
at the dark and evil side of the picture,
we become confirmed pessimists, and
fail to appreciate and develop the real
good that is strewn everywhere about
us.
REy. JAS. A. MOONEY.