The Washington herald., 1915-10-08
Getting Away from Trouble.
By JOHN ID. BARRY.

, conhning it within the smallest circuit, we let it
range over the broadest circuit, over the whole
held OF consciousness In this way it secures pos
session OF us and makes its prey Through
thinking about it and talking about it and inviting
others to contribute to the emphasis we further
cnslave ourselves.
it and, so far as possible, to keep thoughts
busy elsewhere.
If we can only manage to give our thoughts
wholesome work when there is mischief making
Its appeal, we have already won a victory
Much depends first relation to a trou-
BILE. If we yield, our recovery becomes at once
harder. If we resist, we have already secured an
advantage. When the trouble comes back it is
likely to have less confidence and less power. The
worst mistake make is by abandoning our
selves. We all know those people who, soon
as trouble comes at once refuse to allow them
selves to be associated with relief of any kind
Perhaps they arc just about to go out for even
ing: of social enjoyment. Now | can't go. 1
feel too bad" The meaning of all such express
sions is: 81 must stay at home and think of my
trouble and be just as unhappy as | can In this
attitude there is nearly always lack of consider
alton for others.
Ones own refusal to participate in some pro-
jected diversion may be denial to others or the
cause OF gloom. How much better it would be to
put aside the trouble for time and to do one
best to enjoy. There are of course those who
consider such course heartless immoral
They take attitude toward trouble established
by convention 1t makes them feel that they ought
to play up, that they ought to react in ways that
show proper appreciation of the trouble, = kind
of Difference.
And yet we all admire the attitude OF sei-for-
getfulness. of ability to rise above depression or
to conceal it, either for ones sake or for
the sake of others. We regard it as heroism, an
EXPIRE sson of generous and noble character. Best
of all like what call good losers" For
their chccruness under disappointment give
A case that came within my experience seemed
to me to express very reasonable attitude of
mind A guest at a large party in country house
woke up one morning and found that consd-
cradle Of money had disappeared from his
clothes He knew that, his arrival the night
before the money had been in his pocket. The
chances were that during his absence at dinner
when he had LETT those clothes hanging in the
closet someone had come into the room and gone
through the pockets Ii he to inform his host
there would be unpleasant excitement. Sus-
picon would probably fasten itself on the serv-
ants. The party would be spoiled After thinking
the matter over very carefully, the guest decided
that, under the circumstances, the only thing for
him to do to say nothing and to accept the
loss philosophicaly.
There are those who would insist that the guest
did wrong. The situation showed that there
thief in the house. If the thief happened to be
servant, the stealing would go Ought not the
hosts to have been put on their guardo
There is rather nice question involved here.
But it is based on an assumption. So often,
through being suspected, servants arc made to
suffer, particularly the women AS as that
loss became known, every servant in the house
would have been uneasy, perhaps watched. The
situation might have resulted in far-reachng COM
plications, affecting persons wholly innocent.
Then. too, the money might not have been stolen
at all 1t might have been lost. On the other
hand it might have been stolen by guest. If the
loss had been serious deprivation to the owner
of the money, there might have been reason for
creating so much disturbance. But, in this in
stance, the disturbance would have been far more
serious than the loss