OCR Text |
Show I " s Laughter Pays Better Than Sighs or Frowns s(&i ls ''range how few of us ' ' WlTl frve any real control of vM lfi?y ourselve.s when It comes to i(S dally t,if1, s- dtjMiaKflsl 11 may be that we are 1 noble In nature big In purpose, pur-pose, wide In charity, but wo are easily (ipaet if breakfast Is a moment late, and should we mlas a car or come In contact with anv one of those dally annoyances which are a part of life the sun Is overcast over-cast and the day Is shadowed beyond a perad venture. One of the persons on whom we vent much of our ill humor at such times Is the telephone operator. Just whj It Is that we feel we may vent our tempers on her It Is difficult to define, but we do, nevertheless, neverthe-less, and many a harsh word and an unjust un-just censr.ro Is her portion because thi cook burned the biscuits or the conductor tailed to stop the very car we wanted to catch. Many a home Is made a most unhappy place t. live In because some member of the family has never learned solf-control It may bo th I father who comes down scowling eery morning, suffering with the famous American grouch, or perhars it Is tne mother whom one finds at breakfast break-fast time cross and Irritable. It may be sister who gets up late and surly or brother who starts the day with a scowl, And tho unfortunate part of It la that thla disposition Is carried by them Into the remainder of the day. which they ruthlessly spoil not only for themselves but for others, simply because thoy have-not have-not learned how to control their tempers. USE SELF-CONTROL. The big virtues are much to be prized but do no' forget that the llttlo virtues male delightful home companions. There-Is There-Is an old fashioned virtue which we are wont to associate with lavendcred old lace md which was much prized by our grand mother-!. It was called amiability. It has almost been dropped from the present da vocabulary, but It has not entirely gone out of fashion-Here fashion-Here and there one comes across it. and wherevc.- It abides near It are to be found Just na furely, laughter and kindness, peace and love. The home that has at Its head a father who has learned self-control and a mother who is amiable must In the very nature of things be a happy place, and without then" simple virtues the home cannot be aa happy as with them. Children should be taught early In life that thev must not fume and fret over rifles Teach them to laugh off little things that cannot be helped, there Is a vast dlfleiene In laughing at fortune and flgh' ing With fate. Fortune may be flouted to good advantage, even If one must take up the cudgels to fight with fate for a rightful heritage A woman who has half a dozen healthy, happy children was asked how she kep thorn and her husband In such high good humor all the time and her answer may be summed up in one word laughter Sho laughed with them and at them and for then. Sh made merry at their expense ex-pense whn she could do nothing else, but make merrv she did. "I lean cd from my own bitter cxr--rlencc through clouded childhood that most o! the tragedies of life begin with trines, and I made up my mind that I would keep the trifles on tholr own side. They should not be allowed to creep in and spof the happlneas of my family I taught my babies to laugh, and I have kept them laughing, and I hope to keep th.m always mirthful If one can only laugh huif the battle with fate la won. "I have knoivn many days when wo did not have p.enty to eat, but I have never known a moment when we found time to weep because wo had not as much as our rich neighbors Many a tlmo I have slipped off to my room and studied the funny paves of the papers or the magazines. maga-zines. In order that I might havo funnv stones ;o teil at the table In order that the children might forget that the bill of fare waa very simple MAKE LIGHT OF TROUBLE "My husband has a rather sombre disposition, dis-position, but he has grown Into the laughing laugh-ing habit, too In the morning tho children chil-dren understand that ho wants to read his paper and have his breakfast In pence, and they aro usually despatched to school before ho comes to tho table. But he does not go off to work with tho old grouch which had become his habit before we ".ore married. He begins the day In peace and quio: nnd cnrries off with him tho memory o a peaceful home and has he-fore he-fore him the picture. 0f laughing, happy, well mannered children to return to in the evening "I am not always happy, but I have 'earned to laugh, and that Is half of the battle. Make fun of your troubles, and you will scatter many of them to the four winds After nil, rnoflt troubles are entirely en-tirely Imaginary, And It Is just ns easy to laugh ns to weep If yon get the laughing laugh-ing hab't for life is made up of habits, anvhow, and so why not cultivate the happy habits Instead of the doleful ones"" |