The Washington herald., 1915-07-07
"A Rainy Day."


wv ucn was 10Y uSeQ 10 near ciQelS speak
" of looking for "a rainy day." At first didn't
know what the expression meant. l took it, lit
orally, children take SO many of the express
sions they hear. Gradually the real meaning
dawned upon me- Then l had my first knowledge
of one of the greatest human burdens, fear and
dread of the future.
With many people this fear and dread is a
constant menace 1t throws blight over their
lives. They so afraid of the future that they
| can never wholly enjoy the present. For the sake
OF the future to proptiate it, they constantly
| limiting and cramping the present. So they lead
pnched lives. And they develop narrow and Grip
ping qualities. And they have a distorted out
look. They deny themselves all sorts of oppor-
| tunities that would make their lives richer and
more profitable, well more enjoyable More
over, they take pride in such sef-denial From the
way they talk it is plain they regard it as virtue
We all know people who think SO much about
! "a rainy day that they make every day rainy.
They work so hard and persistently that for
them life becomes all work They deteriorate
into drudges. Their minds become dry and
dusty. They lose the SAVIOR of life. And worst
of all, they lose that broad, human sympathy
which is the very inspiration to noble and happy
living. Often, when the time comes for them to
give up work, when they are incapacitated by ILL
hSSS vi ny "SdhHSSS, tHcy QOn KNOW what 10 DO.
Work has been their only resource Every other
| resource has left them. They are like worm
out machines. They seldom think of blaming
themselves. Nearly always they blame the cond-
tons about them, perhaps life itself
The truth is, that in their fear OF rainy day,
they have not learned how to live at all
Besides. they forget that there is more than
| one kind OF rainy day, that there is such thing
| as being bankrupt in mind and in spirit for all
days in the year.
This dread of the rainy day may be responsible
tor the development OF much of the meanness in
ltc 1t excuses qualities that are in themselves
SO discreditable that but for this dread we should
all wish to hide them. Often it leads to the de-
velopment OF the boarding instinct, to avarce 1t
| causes people to take all kinds OF petty advan-
tage of another. For the sake of small saving
they will sacrifice things far more profitable and
tar more enriching to the mind and the spirit
The religions of the world have warned people
against TINS tear OF rainy day. Indeed the Chris
tan religion has expressed its warning in unmis-
taxable terms. Most of us know BY heart the
words beginning Take thought of the NOR
row. Nevertheless, few of us really believe in
pathy with the philosophy. We are constantly
trying to wiring from today gain that shall
go over to enrich tomorrow The truth is, of
course, that we have very little confidence in our
other. We have come to regard life as kind
OF warfare. We have grown possessed with de-
sire to increase our defenses against danger.
OF course. there strong arguments on
the other side. In own acquaintance we
see many examples OF the poverty resulting from
improvidence and of the misery that it entails
However, the improvident people are extremists
too. I hey stand at the other end Of the line
Instead OF having confidence in the future they
defy it. By their improvidence they weaken them
selves, becoming unfit to enjoy the blessings and
to meet the exactions of tomorrow.
There is course Of conduct that enables peo-
pie to get the full value OF each day that each
day makes them better and stronger for the day
to come. 1t gives to life wholesome and stmu-
lating development. 1t brings not less confidence,
but more. 1t destroys fear and dread. Here in
deed, is the worst effect of the concern for "a
rainy day. 1t tends to weaken personal qualities
that most valuable for the rounding out of
character and for the full enjoyment OF living.
1t converts prudence into quality not unlike
vice. 1t opens the way to influences that deny
the higher impulses of human nature, those i'm
pulses that recognize the dependence of human
beings another, that assert the brotherhood
of man.