The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-07-17
Seeing.
BY JOHN ID. BARRY.

OCCluSs
BY JOHN d. BARRY.
Q ENERAL years ago, in midwinter, | crossed
- the Atlantic. Our company was small, about
dozen people. So we soon became acquainted.
In spite of the season, the weather proved to be
mild and there pretty regular attendance at
table.
When had been out few days it seemed
that ship was little world by itself
The passengers and the ships officers and men
represented Society.
Our world was rolling about, not in space but
on the sea.
Those of us who were passengers sharing
virtually the same experiences
1t interested me to see how differently we were
affected by those experiences.
There was one man who seemed to enjoy every
thing. For every passenger on the boat he had
good word. And he spoke well of the courtesy
of the officers, of the arrangement and OF the
cabins, OF the quality of the food. He walked
among like radiant presence Whenever he
appeared people would brighten up.
There another man of about the same age
who complained all the time. He had his cabin
changed and then he insisted being provided
with another mattress. He criticised the manage
ment OF the ship. the food the passengers the
weather in fact nearly everything in sight. His
whole dav seemed to be spent in painful reactions.
He generally disliked and frequently snubbed.
v hcrcver he went he made depressing effect.
Then there a board who did
everything hard In walking about she was con-
tinually humping into something and getting hurt.
Or she would go sprawling on the deck through
her inability pilot herself. She would reach the
table only by series OF frantic rushes. Her eff
forts would leave her in state of great disheve-
ment and exhaustion. She kept. nevertheless, in
a state OF fairly good humor But each day Of
her lie that ship consisted OF long series OF
battles in which she was more or less damaged.
At night when she went TO her cabin she was
wreck.
These three passengers interested particu-
larry. They strikingv illustrated how differently
people could be affected bv the same things
Nov why should they be affected so differently
by the same things
On the ship used to hear the passengers speak
OF our little world as il it were something wholly
outside themselves They would pass judgments
on it. kind judgments and severe as If the qualities
they noted Law wholly in the things themselves
They did not seem to realize that those qualities
were in any influenced by themselves
And vet that week on board ship made me see
verv plainly there really no such thing as
qualities outside oneself The qualities were mainly
in ourselves. Impressions which came apparently
from without, actually came for the most part
ir-n within.
II such not the truth how could these
:hr"c people on board ship with me have been so
affected by the same thingso
Impression is after all largely an Illusion
What is real lies in minds and in our hearts
And this reality make beautiful or ugly
according to the attitude We take toward the rest
OF the world.
Haven't YOU ever noticed how some things seen
at certain angle seem hideous and how the
same things seen al another angle seem bcautifulo
Ii VIC take toward the world an attitude OF hos
t'ty VIC arc to sec the world at wrong
argyle. 1t becomes ugly. I. creates in us ugly
even painful feelings.
What give the world the world gives back
to US.
But il VIC take toward The world tolerant
and generous attitude, there results an amazing
difference. The world becomes beautiful. People
grow interesting and kind. Lie takes on new
zcSt.
Why aren't most of us wise enough to act on
this truth OF everyday experience?
Why do we choose to take toward the world
the attitude that creates unhappincss in ourselves
instead OF the attitude that creates happiness?