South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-02-22
Getting the Most
Out of Life
REMEMBER TO r
BY Bishop samuel Fanows.

REMEMBER TO FORGET.
There is rare wisdom as well as
rare fun in those lines OF Arthur
Macy's-
Silly Susan S-cuppernonk
Cried so hard and cried so long,
People asked her what was wrong.
Susan answered, Il don't know
What the cause is of my woe;
I just feel like feeling so"
The world teens with silly Susans
of both sexes. Nothing ails them
now. but you viii find hat long ago
something did. A loss, a disappoint-
ment. or perhaps a humiliation was
real once. Daily they get out the dim
ghost OF hat calamity. hang it up
like a rug, beat it and nil their eyes
with the dust. That calamity is not
the cause OF their woe" How can
il be? II has ceased TO exist. Arthur
Macy understood them as clearly as
if ne had his finger on their temper
amental pulse and peered down their
spiritual threats. They Just feel
like feeling So"
I wish they might have walked
through Chicago the day after the
great fire. A merchant had posted a
placard. "All gone but wife, children
and energy I wish they might go
/ south. Former C~onfederates are say
ing, Lincoln was our best friend.
We are glad that the Confederacy
perished.'' I wish they could see the
Chicago merchant today; he is not
bewailing the fire, he seldom recalls
il. l wish they knew the spirit Of
the new and prosperous and happy
south: it rarely gives the lost cause
a thought.
Oh. silly, silly Susans, They en-
Joy their misery and work at il and
make a virtue of it. They plume
themselves on being great sufferers
or much abused" or victims Of
fate" with star parts in the stupen-
dous tragedy of real life. Buck up
offends them. Cheer up" invites
them TO reply with doleful humor,
THE worst is yet to come" But [
am not out of patience with Our silly
Susans. They suffer. They suffer
acutely. If they enjoy the suffering.
so much the worse. And it is possible
10 help them. They have consciences;
appeal TO those.
They admit that it is wrong to
make others unhappy. The admis-
/ sion implies-does it not?-that I'M
happiness is something evil. Cannot
our Susans appreciate. then. that if It
is wrong to make others unhappy I
must be wrong TO make ourselves
unhappy? They can.
They have heard, moreover. that
we ought never to cross a bridge till
we come to it. They honor the
maxim. VIII thy not accept an
other? When you have crossed a
bridge, burn it. In other words. for
get, We have correspondence
courses to teach the art Of remem-
boring. There should be correspond
ence courses for silly Susans in the
art of forgetting.
We all have our moments Of being
silly Susans. and the cure for silly
Susanism is to forget! Put out the
memories of loss, of disappointment,
of humiliation. Up, Susan. Clean
house and let the sunshine in. Cease
making a virtue of gloom. Make n
virtue of buOyant gladness-nOt a
| difficult thing to do, for there is evil
in gloom and strength for bright
| deeds in gladness. BE good and you
will be happy" says the threadbare
precept. Don't take me too literally
or overwork the principle, yet con-
slider if there is not a grain OF glow
ing truth in the precept, BE happy
and you will be good"
Copyright, 1879