Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-15

TT Is always a delight to meet a
happy person. It is always de-
pressing to meet a gloomy one.
i These two simple, almost idioti-
cally simple facts, are neverthe-
less tremendous in their significance,
and very generally overlooked by all
Of US in the course Of Our common
place days.
We encounter each other in the
office, or at school, or in the street.
or the market, and quite automatically
we exchange dismal generalities for Ave
minutes. Then each one goes her way
with her resistance, and her buoyancy,
and her hope definitely reduced, and
every wretched fear to which flesh is
heir reawakened in her poor, weak,
human heart
When Mary Smith and Kate Jones
meet In the grocery it naturally oc-
ours to neither that the moment has
its responsibility and its duty. Kate
observes lifelessly that she ought to
get her teeth fixed, but she hates to let
Joe in for the expense, and that her
mother has q real bad cold. Mary
contributes dreary facts regarding far
away persons, and parts from Kate
with a final there were seven cases
Of flu in town last week. I guess we're
going to have q lot of that this
Winter!"
Two or three other casual passing
conversations like this send both Kate
and Mary home thoroughly down.
hearted. Their cue has been taken for
the entire day. Hours later they will
regale the tired man Of the house with
the whole thing - sickness, sudden
death and epidemics. The family will
have nervous indigestion from q din
ner served to this accompaniment.
WHEN we meet each other It is not
w only q good idea, it is our posi-
tive duty to speak cheerfully, conf
IDENTIFY, happily.
That's all we ask Of each other. All
we want Is the hopeful and optimistic
attitude. # there IL plenty Of depress-
ing, news, there Is plenty of the other
Sort too
Try the effect of hopefulness, es-
pecially If, as Is likely, the hard times
did not hit you too deeply. Try the
effect Of bracing, courageous CONVEX
sation.
Dreariness about other persons
troubles Is wasted time. If you can
definitely help the less fortunate, do
1t, as thousands of good-hearted Amer
leans are doing it. If you can't do
anything tangible along the lines Of
opening factories or dispensing food,
then do the just-as-important thing
Of talking good times, talking nothing
but encouragement and hope and OPP
timism and common sense.
We would despise the soldiers Of an
army that, after dismally exchanging
statistics as to the superior strength
OF their opponents, relapsed, and wept
upon each others shoulders. We know
that in the old-fashioned days when
wars were won at all, they were won
by bold and confident men who could
bear cold, hunger, loneliness, hardship,
awaiting their opportunity to rush In,
in defiance Of all statistics and proba-
bilities, ana carry everything before
them.
The gallantry and courage of soldiers
are what we need. We need women, in
all walks Of life, on all sizes and types
OF income, who can live simply and
ignore dangers and doubts and discour-
agements resolutely.
A LMOST all Of lis have had good
times. in the past years. Almost
every family has had plenty of clothes,
movies, plenty of good food. To almost
two million families, since the Great
War, has come the thrilling day of
moving into the new home, and that
new home has meant new chairs. new
stoves. new radio, new curtains and
blankets, all so exciting and so much
fun. We've had all this. in the great
wave Of prosperity and profit.
The wave Is returning. It viii bring
the new homes, the stoves ana ice boxes.
the cars ana radio, the silk stockings