The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-04-21
Lioe Hopefully
By M. AppINcToN RRUcs

Lately, as everybody knows, Harvard University's grand old man, President Emeri- tus Charles W. Eliot, celebrated his ninetieth birthday. In statement giving his own opinions as to the factors enabling him not only to survive to this ripe old age, but to retain to remarkable extent his physical and mental powers, President Eliot stressed his habitual hopefulness.
 And that, he should thus have emphasized the vitality conserving influence of living .:calmly expectant of good" is indeed justi-' fled by the findings both of modern psychoE sogy and of modern physiology regarding the action of mental states on the functioning of bodily organs.
 Much has already been written about these findings. But, seemingly, people re- main oblivious to them. At any rate it is certain that multitudes fail to live hopefully Hive, rather, in a persistent attitude of anxious s.expectation-and as consequence suffer more or less in health. -; j.
 Many even keep themselves in state of chronic invalidism by their continuously gloomy outlook on life. And when such an beutlook does not bring the penalty of in- yalidism or semiinvalidism, it causes bodily disturbances that react to the imparing of efficiency as we'll as of health.
 Gloom renderss some So inefficient as to make them -duifs t1employable. Then they are, ssfuouisf- td the miserable existence of a grinding poverty. Others, though not de- generating to the ranks of the unemplQyable, are by their gloominess prevented from pro gressing as they otherwise would. Always gloom cripples talent.
 Nor is it an adequate excuse to plead that the circumstances of ones life are gloom- compelling. Il; Those who would thus plead have only to look about them and they will see people situated more unfortunately than themselves yet contriving to live hopefully. They had better emulate these others--as they can cigcumstanees changing for the better. z E ,sr And thousands on thousands of gloom Op- pressed have not even "a plausible excuse for their gloom. Comfortably off, with no finan- cial or other sources of stress, they plague themselves by conjuring up all manner of imaginable ills and by letting their fancy convert trifling annoyances into monstrous hurts.
 Of them it may almost be said that they "enjoy" being worried. But the "enjoy- ment'' is not real. as is evinced by the harm full effects of the worry in which they so consistently indulge. Live with them, ob- serve. them closely, and you will see their gloominess little by little undermine their health and shorte ntheir days.
 More than this, not only for ones own sake, but for the sake of other people it is important to cultivate the habit of living "calmly expectant of good" Recall, if you please, Goethe's urging
 If you have any hopes, if you have any encouragements, to give men in this world, then give them and you will become a bene- factor of your kind"
 You will so far as that goes, l4ske it easier for yourself to continue to live hope fully
 Like breeds like. Psychic states, good or bad are contagious. Move among your fel- lows encouragingly and you will by that very fact become more or less surrounded by a host of hopeful folk who, by their example, will aid you in. moments when your ability to be hopeful may be put to heavy test. Thus for more reasons than one it pays to be as resolutely, as indormitably hopeful as President Eliot has been throughout his usefulslife. It may not be the easiest thing in the world. But it has wondrOus ,recom- pense. Y f