Norwich bulletin., 1917-08-29
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Will Our Enthusiasm Last?

Nr. Editor: Waves of emotionalism are sweeping over the world. Valleys of dry tones where for a long, long time no breath of new life has been felt are feeling the quickening, infiu- ence of fine feeling. There is an awakening of spirit and enthusiasm Multitudes are anxious to do some thing. Women knit NAnd men fill war chests. Materials are piled up in storehouses against the tragic day when the world will need them. The difficult thing is to govern and direct this splerd did energy which the crisis the history of the wonderful oil wells where tl-e drill suddenly taps hidden reservoir and great currents of the storedup light and heat and power Of the world is all very fine, all very inspiring. It proves once more to the scoffer that we are not yet dead to the great call or the unSelfiSh devotion of heroic times. While this is true, let us remind ourselves of the weakness which is inherent in every emotional form of high experience; anxiety, our earnestness, to be of good purpose, often spectacular, warns against the waste of vital energy involved in un- directed or misdirected philanthropy. Enthusiastic efforts often result in the dearth Snd death of enthuSia Sm. It would not do to discourage any en- thusiasn for Well-doing. A sentiment
 
 less touch. may end it's beauty and it's freshness forever. And yet. how more difficult it is to preserve that fragile, fragrant emotion through trying months and years. Suppose this war lasts for years, or suppose after the war ends there are years of recon struction following; suppose the world will need our earnest, patient work of well-doiHg for a decade or a genera tion. Will our emotion last? Will our Wa visit a sick friend within the week: if that frierd is i'll for a year, there will be many weeks, as the months pass, when even the thought of that sick friend will be out of mind. Those who have had any experience with philan- thropy know that the work of minis tering to human suffering will become as grinding and nor otonouS as any other kind of work. How many of those who begin with fine idealism soon grow weary of weII-doing and fall out by the way? Not even the sitting process of Gideon's band equals cation to problems of human misery. The highway of mankind is strewn with the ruins of the gracious dreams of those who wanted to be of service to humanity. We need no warning that the years immediately ahead of us are tc be trying ones for half the world. Whatever the immediate out come of the world tragedy, there will be need for all the devotion that can be maintained. As the months roll into years only those whose high feel ings have been transformed into moral resolution and spiritual conservation will be bending over the wounded wrec1zagc of society. If we grow weary in well ll-doing, our beautiful dreams of usefulness will fade, as all dreams fade at last. There mus be the de- liberate will to go on and on, gather ing strength and momentum as we go, from the work itself It is then we shall reap, if we faint not Let the many agencies that have been cre- ated within the last decade to work for the betterment of mankind also make war upon the evils of markind What we need is saner appreciation of the facts Of life. The old maxim of "the greatest good to the greatest number" has been recast into the idea that the powers CT government should be exer- cised or withheld for the greatest good to the least and weakest of mankind 1 and it Is well. A chart showing q ] shorter course for that haven whereby | the world is better served. After ali | signs are. that the world is getting better every day; a greater number of | persons are becoming genuinely inter- ested in the well-being of humanity | some from personal reasons, but more | rom that divine fire which d pure and 1 lndefled love for even the low1iest of l IS inspires. It has been said there is 1 nore of the Christ spirit III the world l .oday than ever before, that is ma king | ,6r better things. It is to the glory of 1 ,ur race that so many have gone out | ,f their way to take part in this task, | he uplift of humanity those who un- | lvailingly have tried to snatch a few | golden moments out of a gray world ]
 J. H. CUMMINGS.
 Norwich, Aug. 2S, 1917.