The courier-index., 1921-01-14
SOME GENUINE OPTIMISM

 (By Wood Painwater of the Rain i water Bank, Morrilton, Ark.)
 His horse went dead and mule went lame,
 And he lost his COW in poker i game
 And a cyclone came on a winter
 day
 And blew his house where he lived, away
 Then an earthquake came and when
 that was done,
 It swallowed the ground that his house stood on,
 Then the tax collector, he came l around
 And charged him up with the hole in the ground.
 If you've had harder luck than this friend of mine, we will present 1 you with 12-months' ready made i living.
 We have searched the papers to find out who stopped this war, or started our cotton down hill. We like the dream days of 1919. The Arkansas Methodist writer says our trouble, "We forgot God, and besides tried to skin Him out of His share of our prosperity"
 Another author says: What YOU SOW YOU reap" 'The way of the transgressor is hard" But think how blessed we are.
 We live in free country where fellow can do as he pleases, so you don't break the law Cor get caught).
 Persimmons, oceans, hickory nuts and acorns grow wild for winter food If these are troublesome to find anybody will give you a beef COW for load of wood or one half days work.
 Dewberries and polk salad grow early in spring, blackberries in summer. Besides everybody has kin folks in Oklahoma or Texas. Go visit them between seasons.
 Fellow says, what's become of the money?
 There is more money and credits than the world has ever known be- fore Last year there was S54.O0 cash for every man, woman and child in the United States. This year there is S59.00. Every day in Morrilton farmers sell about S10, 900 worth of cotton. They deposit a little in the bank, pay some on debts, trade a little and take half of it back home-to spend later, 1 guess.
 Most of our customers have plenty of corn and meat. Besides, the eight hours you sleep you are as well off as Rockefeller-the eight hours you work you are as happy as Pierpont Morgan. The eight hours you loaf, eat and play, you are as happy as Woodrow Wilson. Besides, money won't buy red whis- key and most of us don't care for clothes, and we wouldn't swap one ear or one eye for a wagon load of dollars. So money is a very poor thing to base all our happi- ness on. Hard times make better citizens of us.
 As long as a fellow has health, if he loses money some years that's mot bad. If a man never had loss it wouldn't be any pleasure to win. If you knew the day you were going to die you wouldn't have any fun living.
 Every fellow thinks he has the hardest time. We have food, cloth ing and can worship our Creator if we wish. There is ONE guaranteed rule for happiness, peace and plenty. The Bible tells you how you can get it. If you are not interested, that's your trouble. What man sows he reaps, says the Good Book, and it's true.
 Be man enough to take your med icine without kicking. There is plenty of good years to come. If waiting for them is a horrible dread, nickels worth of Paris green will take you to a country where it don't snow nor have any cotton market. Come on, buck up and be HE man. Go after what you mostly desire wealth, pleasure or happi- ness. They say there is a Creator who will assist you. You might try Him and see if it's so. What do I think of cotton? If we reduce next years acreage one half or more-raise a good living at home-keep out of debt and keep i this years crop tlll we get a decent | price, l think we are very sensible and all right.
 II The government of the United States says it's time to work for a living instead of borrowing it. believe in the government.
 Missouri farmers raise and sell more chickens and eggs than all the products of Arkansas farms. We better buy some of those educated hens.
 I've given advice (fine advice, think for ten years and made ono convert; that's encouraging. All of us had more property thar we had in 1914 or We had more fun or owned a Ford. So if we die early we had good time fol one year, anyway. So what's tht difference?