The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-02-20
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

one.
 I have always looked on the bright
 side of life. I have infinite faith in the silver lining to the darkest cloud.
 I have too often ran into what the
 French call cul de sac to find some
 way to get around or through to worry
 overmuch about the little worries of the hour.
 l I must have gamblers blood in me
 away back among my forbears, for when fate deals me bad hand l play it in perfect confidence that in the
 end the cards will turn up right for me and that will make killing. The
 thing to learn in life is to sit in the game and play it to the end.
 l
 It's curious how every man thinks
 that with little change in his busi- ness or by going into different one
 he could get rid of petty annoyances
 which are portion of every mans lie
 whether he be merchant, farmer, manu- facturer, lawyer, doctor, preacher, la borer or employer, rich or poor, high or
 low--theres bound to be some rough spots, things needing to be ironed out. There are, however, two viewpoints 1 anent the man who can smile when things go wrong. Some accept the
 stoics philosophy of grin and bear it,
 while others say no, don't be auitter,
 but fight until things turn your way, | that it's cowardly to put up with con
 ditions which can be righted by effort and sacrifice. a
 | I heard story of Andrew Jackson which has been a comfort to me for many years It is told how his mother | in speaking of him remarked that ! when she set Andy to doing task he was sure to stick to it until it was | finished and we all know that when he grew up he was some sticker when he got on big job.
 I believe that fellow ought to have faith in himself and believe that if he is willing to dig deep enough he will turn up something worth delving for We have never yet learned in this section to blow deep enough. This is not merely aimed at the farmers who scratch the surface, but it is intended for men and women in business and in the professions. We have been cursed in America with the "surfacy.'
 But we can look all about us and see men who have come up in spite of many handicaps, men who refused to let lions in the pathway keep them from going forward. The pioneer days bred men whose daily life was the meeting and conquering what seemed to be insuperable difficulties. We ought to be proud of our forefathere. It was fine breed of men and the women were worthy of them in every way.
 You can say what you please. but war does put iron into men. Our critics were continually drumming it into our ears that our young men were q set of pleasure lovers or bunch of mollycoddles, and that the good old strain had degenerated to such an eX- tent that twentieth century men would not fight if called upon for lack of patriotism and moral and physical stamina.
 But the calamity howlers were dead wrong, for when the acid test came 1 our young men minted pure gold. The society men lined up shoulder to shoulder with, the workers and side by side they learned to know one an- others worth as they met and van quished the shock troops of a nation whose trade had been war for more than a half century. They sweated in camps and froze in the trenches but they "carried on"
 And now I get back to my first idea, and that is there is a happy optimism which runs through our American life land while we may have made @ repu- tation abroad as a nation of boosters we also have writ it large in the worlds history that we are a people who do things when we make up our minds that they are worth doing. The morale of our boys was the wonder of the armies of Europe
 like man who can both give and receive hard blows. The lowing, smirking, apologist gets on my nerves Give me the fellow who knows what he wants and goes after it and refuses to stand aside at the bidding of any one rather than fight for his rights give my sympathy to the man with the big stick who in spite of walking softly at times breaks head in prefer ence to the caneless pedestrian who is willing to be pushed off the walk by every swaggerer who comes aloagsi and claims more than his share of the roadway.
 I have faith that the men who are coming home have a pretty clear idea of what is coming to them and do not proposed to be looked upon as wards or dependents but will make proper demands to be treated justly by those who remained at ease while they fought to keep their property safe and preserve their liberties. I do not be- leve that our soldier boys want to De and We owe it to them to see that they get the chance
 Sure there are times when we all get down in the mouth but the great difference is some stay in the dumps too long while others have way of getting up when they stumble and face forward. Edward Everett Hale was right when he said, Let's look up