The Washington herald., 1915-09-17
Meeting Trouble.
by JOHN ID. BARRY.

"SSSAuS AAVOOsSs
h, JOHN d. BARRY.
The adage that troubles never come singly ha
plenty OF illustration in ryday living. One rea
son is that when trouble comes we are likely t.
cooperate with in the making of another trouble
OF, perhaps, many another trouble.
when poverty comes in by the door, love file
out by the window"
Why does love fly out? Is it afraid of poverty
BY no means. If it were there would be no low,
among the poor.
The truth is that the trial caused by the chang,
from luxury or comfort to poverty is not wisel,
met by the two people that love each other. In
stead of driving love out, it might shelter low,
more closely and make it more precious. Where
lovers know how to safeguard their treasure
everything feeds love.
Some friends lately met disaster. 1t mean,
a heavy financial loss At first they were stun
ned Now they must change the plans that were
gong to make their lives SO much richer. Con,
sequently their loss represented two losses the
disappointment in the plans being by far the
more serious 4
Presently, however, they that they were
giving themselves up to an unwholesome in
dulgence in worry. With little effort and sac
rihce they could still carry out those plans. The
thing to do was to accept the fact OF their loss
to put it in its place in their consciousness and
to seal 1t up where it could do harm. Then
they could go cheerfully forward
II is bad enough for us to have troubles
But it is absurd for to add to them ourselves
by worrying and by letting them upset our days.
So many OF us, when we have a trouble, mag
nifty it and extract from it every possible drop of
bitterness.
At times perform what seems like miracle;
the more bitterness we draw, the more bitterness
there is to be drawn. The appetite grows by what
it feeds on and the supply is inexhaustible.
MY wife likes to sit up late once heard a
cynical husband remark, so as to have more time
for worry"
| have known wives who with equal truth,
might have said the same thing about their hus-
bands.
Sometime ago l became interested in the case
OF young man sentenced to a term of several
years in prison for embezzcment. 1t was the not
uncommon story of temptation under commercial
stress, leading to further temptation to cover up
the previous wrongdoing.
Throughout the trial the young man bore him
self with fortitude that was not in any way re-
idleu 10 HdrdneSS or lndlHcrenCc and that seemed
to me to express high kind OF courage. He
realized that he had done wrong and he was ready
to accept the consequences Instead OF increasing
his suffering, he tried, very sensibly to make it as
endurabe he could. When sentence was pro-
he expressed the wish to go at once to
prison so that he might lose time in paying
the penalty exacted by society In prison he con-
Quoted himself with cheerful efficiency. When his
visitors asked him if he did not find the work
great trial. he replied that outside of prison he had
worked much harder. In few months he was
given an Office position, where his ability could be
more effectively utilized
Meanwhile he was making plans for his re-
turn to the world. He knew just what he was
gong to do and, so far as he could he secured
the cooperation of former associates who still
believed in him and were eager to give him an
other chance. The last time heard from him he
was about to make application for a parole He
is likely to come out of prison. not weaker
man than he was before he went in but stronger
This illustrates the power over suffering
that every one of US work if we only take
the right point of view. What is weakening we
can turn into what is Strengthening.
The power lies not in any circumstance out
side ourselves but in own consciousness
II that young man had allowed shame and fear
10 control him, he might have been DESTROYED In
stead, his control of shame and fear gave him new
rigor. His salvation lay in getting away from HIM
SELF in thinking of the task in hand and meeting it
TO his full capacity.