Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-27
There is more than one way of being

There is more than one way Of being
ungrateful.
Perhaps the greatest ingratitude is
not that for a gift or service, as
boorish as such may be, but simply
the failure to be appreciative OF the
good points of ones own state in life.
Founders of this Nation were exceed
ingly wise when they established
Thanksgiving Day, when all men might
pause for few hours to think OF the
gratitude which they owed.
Almost every one knows some person
who infiicts a perpetual crouch upon
the world. largely because he has never
reflected that gratitude, in order to be
such, must be reflected in deeds and
words.
It is not enough to be secretly CRATE
full if one spills perpetual gloom upon
his home. friends and Office mates.
There is many business establish
ment made fretful by churlish worker
who seems to have a spleen against
mankind yet every one knows that ne
is one of the most fortunate of men.
He may be a successful young man
who has gotten ahead, in the popular
sense, years in advance of his age
that is, he has got to point reached
ordinarily only by much older men.
He has a beautiful wife, splendid
children, nice home, car, radio-ln TACT,
all the establishment which modern
Americans have combined to THINK es-
sential for a successful and happy lie.
He may be admired by all his friends
and associates, stand high in the COM
nIlnitv. be marked out for further ad-
yences, vet all these advantages and
advances do not prevent him from
being gloomy.
Such distillation of cheerlessness
upon others marks an ungratetul man.
Perhaps it Is not customary to look
upon such a person in such a light,
hit We are convinced that 1T is the
only fair way.
One does not have to be either a
communist or a socialist to feel sure
that one owes debt to society, ana
that he especially owes 1t to those with
whom he normally comes in contact.
Clownishness is not here considered.
The false merriment which perpetually
"pokes fun at others ;: Is not real
cheerfulness, but spurious form OF
rladness beneath which thousands
rankle in secret.
Between the common custom Of Jok-
ing and gIoominess the sensible man
would much prefer the latter. The
gloomy man at least minds his own
business.
No, it is evident that every person
owes something to others, and the
easiest, cheapest and the best way,
everything considered, is by being as
grateful as possible and treating 9TH
ers as decently and as courteously as
possible.
In speaking of ingratitude, care must
be taken not to confuse it with dissat-
isfaction. 1t is healthy sign OF pos
sible progress to be dissatisfied.
Most men are dissatisfied. take 1t Tor
a fact, although perhaps not many ot
them will admit it. Factors over which
they have no control make the success
they long for impossible, or almost i'm
possible.
They are shrewd enough to know it.
but like to fool themselves as well as
others with a show of satisfaction; but
If YOU get them by themselves In
mellow hour they will spill the works"
Often the blustery conceit which one
meets in typical cases is nothing on
earth but a big bluff Of the person
concerned to fool himself, and the
world. too. If he can, into feeling that
he surely will arrive at the goal which
his saner judgment tells him Is impos-
Sible.