Omaha daily bee., 1915-02-04
Ability to Smile
by BEATRICE FAIRFAX.


Joy and sorrow arc the expressions OF
the individual In rich natures both are
included Probably Keats never wrote a
finer line from the point of view OF hu-
manitly than his Welcome Joy and well
come sorrow"
In his Sentimental Journey" Laurence
Sternc wrote Il pity the man who can
travel from Dan to Beersheba and cry
tbs all barren
With the ono exception Of health.
changing circumstances make little diff
ference in the happiness OF man. Per-
hsps this sentence sounds very radical
but 1t expresses an absolute truth. JOY
and sorrow arc actually modes Of being
Think over your list OF acquaintance;
surely you know some individual who,
without money. without position. even
without love, sings at toll and in the
normal expression OF a healthy human
being hopes for happiness and endures
pain and sorrow as part OF the very fine
whole that life is
The man or woman who says II don't
see why was ever born. don't see that
life il worth living" probably has in
finitely moro OF the worlds riches in
gold and social position than has some
person OF whom he would speak pityingly
as a poor wretch" And yet that same
poor wretch in the possession of a happy
nature Is many times richer than the
Grabbed pessimlst who pities him.
In the most splendid Joy there must
always he tho possibility OF tragedy.
That is life. There Is nothing in this
over which one must grow pessimlstic.
Because some one In whose love you
rejoice and are happy may leave you IL
no reason why you should be pessimistic
about the durability of human relations
or the kindness OF fate t
In the most terrible sorrow one need
not perish. out of sorrow grows under
standing of life, sympathy with both its
beauty and ugliness and an ability to feel
strongly and TO bear well. So " ones
portion is for long time sorrow, there
is nothing in that about which to become
pessimistic.
There is much that is terrible In life
That has to be recognized. But there Ia
nothing which is uncomfortable. And in
bearing sorrow we'll there Is as much
grandeur as In the thrill of the greatest
Joy and rapture.
Tho pessimist Is the man who looks on
life and says; "'Tis ali barren" For him
there is everywhere duh grayness. no
hope or Joy, no pride In enduring pain.
II Is not what the world does to him
that makes him pessimist. 1t is his
inability TO react actively on life. In his
own nature there Is no seed OF lite's fer
tilty. He is empty OF any real feeling
He Is sorry for himself and scornful as
to what the world has to offer him or
others, Life for him Ks a duh and arid
waste. His soul can bear no flowers
and has no respect for anything in ma
ture, be It flower or weed.
Blindness Is the terrible affliction OF
the pesslmist. He looks on life and cries
that It is bare. He simply cannot see
anything but the horrible monotony in
which the worst always happens
However much sufferlng\a strong ma
ture il called on TO bear. It reacts in the
very bearing. becomes stronger for more
| enduring. and if Joy comes at last, is
splendid and unfettered in it's happiness
| Nothing from the outslde-nothing the
world gives or takes could make us happy
or unhappy except as our own natures
reacted The nature that can find JOY in
the mere fact that a day Ia sunshiny Is
optimistic. But the nature that can find
hopeful sunshine in the midst OF dark
gray clouds is splendidly free from the
! curse OF pessimlsm.