The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1915-04-29
LIES A GAME. DO
YOU PLAY IT SQUARE?
The Game is a Failure
In Which You Put
No Interest.
"Peop|e Look Upon Life as a Game, and
It has in Common With All True Games,
That 10 Play II You Must be "Square"
To Your Fellow Men,"
By Sherlock

l was setting in my little den"
a few Sundays agone, jest "a-think-
in" and incldently marking up some
magazines and other papers, to send
out to the boys who in turn send
me a bit o-readin." l was thus
engaged when along comes the Ed
itor of this little sheet with John
Doe" story about getting an article
from me for his Mirror Thurs
day" issue. Among other little de-
tails we discussed during his short
stop was the vacation" be seems
insistent that ye humble servant
shall not take. At any rate he left
with my promise to turn in an ar
ticle, and 1. being somewhat at loss
to know what to write about, have
chosen subject touching uponlife.
Life is a game! How often have
we all heard the same words drop
ped from the lips of our friends
but did you ever stop to contemplate
the meaning that they imply in this
arrangement? This is a big thing.
1t is big subject TO handle, cover
ing great latitude. 1t is a sub
ject l may not handle to your COM
plete satisfaction. However, / shall,
with what material and capacity
have at my command, give it a try.
Life is game. Are you enjoy
ing it? Do you feel a certain kind
Of expectancy when you awake in
the morning as to what the events
of the day may bring to you? Or
on the other hand, is it with an un-
easy, disappointed feeling that you
find yourself when consciousness
returns? Have you let yourself
drift into the channels of imagina-
tion and feel positive about the in
sincerity of everybody and think
that no one can be trusted in the
world today; tIat there is no real,
true-blue religion, and that every
body is down on you, and that you
are having harder time than some
one else? If this is your state and
condition, brother, there is some
thing wrong with you. Not with
life. nor with your fate or lot, but
simply with you, with your own
character. You are one of the many
people who have, through little
adversely, lost interest in the prob
lens of life, and so have let your
self become one of the vast army of
uninteresting people to be met in
all walks of life. Wake up! Play
the game! and play it square! Buck
the line hard!
Always bear in mind that when
the world looks hopelessly black to
you, it Immediately indicates that
there is something wrong somewhere;
and usually, upon investigation, it
will show that there is not half so
much wrong with the world as with
YOU.
When person is sick and re-
ports to DIR. Newman at the sick
bay and tells him that every thing
appears yellow, the Doctor does
not take brush and pail of white
wash to whiten the whole world up
again. No. He says, my dear sir,
your liver must be out of order and
your whole system needs toning
up. He does not mention any
thing about whitening up the world.
Now what you need is to cram your
self chuck full of forgiveness, trust,
blessedress, service, faith and love, !.
and true life to you will take on q
different aspect.
Lots of people look upon life as q
game, and it has this in common
with all true games, that to play it
you must play it square; ready to
take the risks, obey the rules, and
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