Show I Genius and Optimism a HT Ir jA I I I I Republican S l l Copyright ht 1517 isa In thiM era era era when metaphysical New Thought Is talked more continually continually con con- than it f Is lived cd consistently we wc hear much of Optimism Yet YN who wn c can u define tilt the exact mr meanIng mean mean- on- on Ing of that word The man who was 55 told to in lonk on lh th bright side side- IlI of thine Liling replied ll that he hf looked on nn the tho siti hl that was tip up up To forever declare tin tilt side Islip Is Ij- up lip bright I though undeniably black I Is not nut optimism it lt ft l is hi nonsense c. c To turn tiling things over atH arid and Hud hint a n abright abright I bright fide to If poll them anti make I a n. bright L side felp that thai I Is practical op op- doubt the th mental attitude helps help or hinders tie the actual effort rh The The- Theman heman he- he man who w enthusiastically thinks s while worl working for or It It achieves achl more mure than double the IP results result ulu- ulu attained attain attain- ed 1 I hy by one who couples the some same effort with an nit Indifferent ent or In unbelieving mind mini Genius Is riot nol a n mere capacity for hard hurll wor work I lard Hani work done without enthusiasm m never n. slit slit-i-ed the pulse of the world nor IWI human heart I Genius Is the lie child of nt enthusiasm hut but It remains a child awl antI tilts dies mute mille and atul Ins Inglorious Unless clothed with action and crowned with persistence Enthusiasm Genius Optimism Optimism- m- m they are ure great words they art are powerful power ful CuI UI factors In th tho development dc of C the tile Individual and of of- tIlt the race ace l mighty movers r In th the world of r progress fI hut U they y p possess i e no la lasting value no real worth unless hat harnessed s 11 to concentrated ed cel effort Intense optimistic thought I is a a. mental dynamite anti and blasts an nn open i ing tig Lii through able ro i Hut Hilt of what U use e Is that opening unless we WI IHl push h through and amI proceed I along the way And of or all must come the UtI consciousness con con- jq and the acknowledgement of oC tile the rock rock the the realization of oC tho the nece necessity ne ne- ce sUy for fo mental Jl dynamite That ThatIs Is true trite optimism and und th that t Is IH the true optimist who says s 's This rock I is formidable it will vIll requite require all all all' my force Coree to open a way ft through It h hut but butI I can and I will wilL And he does iCes open olen olena a way The Tho world loday today Is full rull of or the tho self self- st styled led optimists people optimists ts-p ts people ople who smile in inthe he the face of and sa say blandly There Ther Is no rook rock no ob Tile The way will open It if r T wait walt I need not dl disturb myself nut lInt the tho wa way does doe not open for such optimists because th the purpose of creation Is t tat every atom atoll shall hall work wo out ul Its own fn Individual destiny by individual effort Until it lees does work It out it must be he ca cast t under the wheels of ot life nfl anti and ground Into Inlo the clay over which shall pass the feet feel of if Progress Tho The optimistic housewife looks on Oil her tarnished hed silver and says It is bright underneath I 1 am g going to prove pro It II IL And she sile sets herself tho the task asic of scouring oft off the She w 10 simply asserts that the s skIer skI s l- l vcr er is bright and shining and und continues continues continues con con- to use It il In its mottled state tate waiting walling for Cor some sOmo miracle cle to lo transform orm it Hr Is making herself ridiculous ridiculous lous bus and spoiling the silver er by hy neglect Verdigris will wm work worl Optimism sh should ou I ii I 1 Man Many an a a. man bell believes he Is he-Is Is an optimist optimist op op- op when heit he is only u tl drone In Natures Nature's Na Na- a- a ture's tures turcs turc's I I vc c But the I is I finally driven from UHf ii hive all LVe-all fi lIes h however wc I mAyb may j B not opinions I remember a a. w woman man who prided herself upon her optimism She was forever or projecting It like a a- a glaring searchlight into thc th eyes es of or the un tin un- protected Often Orten when I saw ncr approaching ap up- preaching I wished f r She dashed in through my door one oneda da day when a a. howling g n northeaster was laying three e days duys' on the coun oun- tr Hide Sho voie an oilskin suit and carried no v What a day she said ald rhapsodically while she held the door open leisurely letting In a blast llast l of Jf wind and a deluge deluc of oC iain Then she 8 sat don clown on a a. cushioned divan an and little rivers ri of of ai rain ran down do her hr skirt skirl upon in my Hoor It is a fi perfectly beautiful day to toEO toeo togo eo go about she J contin continued I 1 just love loveIt loveit It it- It I was glad gad she sho loved it It but hul I would have preferred a fi caller who lio disliked it sufficiently to carry an umbrella and leave it o oUtside outride my door Tills This optimIst made work for Cor others others oth oth- ers PIS b by her hr peculiar phase of optimism That is Cr frequently the tIle result of oC undiscriminating criminating optimism I aiwa always s see the silver sliver lining under clouds like hike these sho she said and I know what lo cl lovely sunshine follows this weather I knew it too but meanwhile I Iw I saw w the puddles puddle of or rain formin on the JI 0 01 and running under the edge of oC my ni rug My Iy optimistic caller tramped triumphantly tri trl- awn away to teach other benighted benighted be he- people how boss to be bc happy though wet vet anti and the Iho maid maM and anel and I I set StAt about cleaning up the flood nood ACl After r her the deluge I said Oid Then shortly after atter one entered entered entered-a a man He Hc remarked that It was a a wet da day There was another 1 word leore the adjective wet ve and aId I con con- fl I did not reprove o him for tho the remark A touch louch of profane p pessimism pessi pessi- s l- l made us its kin for the tho moment 1 I know a young man roan who wi-in wore hl his optimism like a alway always In evidence Its J relation to his mental powers W was as nR a violet to hi Ills attire One Ow day h lit hi mm In In smiling ug and wild said Id Congratulate m me Iv Ive I've lost my position You oti did not like It then 1 asked Oh Oil yes but hut 1 I am am nm SUrf sure It His is nil all for or the I best t. t I I 1 shall hall find something belter ietter soon You have an opening In Not ot at jill l. 1 J am not even looking for n n. Ilo position HIn It will come Conic to me me I 1 believe the th Inevitable Is always rl right ht I told the young man so RO so But Hut when young oung birds are pu pushed from from tho nest t I by inevitable an l I. I I they are arc ex x cx- ti to tn use 4 lr wings If tile they sit on tho gra grass crass under the tree free where wh they fall anti and wait valt for or some some- tiling thing Ii to tn come COllIe that something thin usually takes the form of olm an nn animal nn with a developed well appetite for or tender lit litlie little lit lit- tle lie hi birds Th The young oun man waited two wo y years he- he fore the Hie expected position came caine Nor or was ivan Jt it sent lent to him He lie was wa obliged to to look for It Two years lo lost t through thOugh n 4 ml mistaken understanding of or the word wont optimism And during those two tto years he lie had been obliged to borrow from Crom mm his Jess less hopeful friends who were V not IlOt as advanced as 85 he lie In metaphysics m but who be believed lh In iii seeking for what they wanted to find I- I Long nSf a ago age o I 1 took look for my motto This is 11 Gods God's supreme decree Only good o d eon can come carne jo to me toe I believe bell it should be In a a. rulo ulo for tor each Immortal soul sent into lift life to lo perfect I Itself t sal f r. r Hut But to prove pro our philosophy Wf we must make good ourselves elve V We must believe r pray aspire work and climb We c c must look in In tip liP about and nd be bt yond We c must learn to analyze discriminate dis dis- criminate and choose We f must weed veed out the garden sarden of our souls and each become a Burbank in our own domain costing man many a pernicious and poor material and perfecting perfecting- the good and valuable making It Il better and ani more valuable by our use of or It I ht believe all our troubles trouble burdens 1 HI oh obstacles arc nrc sent us for Cor or the best hest good of oC our SOli souls Is If it we turn hem to that nil end by Joy mental and physical effort That Is my understanding ol 01 optimism I J do not believe nil all these things will turn out for tho the treat best If H we go carelessly care care- lessly and cheerfully along the tho wa way with no focused thought no well well-di energy Cheerfulness and faith and anel self reliance self are great factors In I life Cr but alone the they do not make the optimism which builds character alters human destiny or turns seeming evil to good unless the Ingredient of oC well well- directed persistent t work en enters In Into to the composition Better Detter an occasional mood that is noi not optimistic optimiStic-a a night of or tears and anxiety followed by resolution grown from Crom despair and effort that calls into play all the tho latent energies energies than than this this drifting ting down downan an idi Idle sea of cheerful optimism In hi a i. i ship of oC hope to Aho shores of or Nowhere i s seen n na a a w woman i nn oT r 1 Talent l t and and ln 1 ability drifting drifting- for years years ears earson on on this tills zen con She knows know lie sho is gifted she sho believes In herself but sh she he postpones postpones from day loday today to lo da day from month to month from year ear to year all nil positive c effort so confident confident confident dent Is she that cr c everything lhing will come ome out all aU right for her by and by Well Veil for her were wre an overwhelming tidal wave of or doubt of herself a L dIstrust distrust distrust dis dIs- trust of the future to sweep her out of or her hel settled optimistic complacency and artuse ht her r to the necessity for personal personal personal per per- I effort Self reliance Is a n comrade of optimism Self conceit Is its foe toe and leads It to destruction and failure Precisely tho the same laws Jaws apply appl to th the country countr to the tho race which apply to th the tho individual It Is not the tho satisfied profoundly pro pro- Counell optimistic citizen who says My lh country is all right she can do no wrong her faults arc are the faults of let bet hei alone and she Rhe will outgrow them flIs n fl nIs nIs Is not that kind of citizen who sho ho Is the true patriot Tho The man who loves his country most Is he who strives hardest to keep her garments garments gar sar- ments from Crom trailing in tho the mud which left its Ineradicable stains on th the obes robes of or oilIer oller nations he is the man who sc sees s and warns her of or Impending Impending- dangers even at atthe atthe atthe the risk of being being- called a pe pessimist and anda a n sensationalist To look on the bright side of oC the tho oil beef coal coI railroad and political trusts is possible If one takes the thc larger view tt view which belongs to the e eyes e of ecy and sees beyond these calamities to their the abolishment the view which beholds beholds beholds be be- holds the flagrant evil working out its own destruction and giving place to a newer order and a n cleaner system That is real cal optimism and the tho only optimism op op- J possible and consistent with present present pres pres- ent nt conditions and s self respecting patriot patriot- ism The fhe conservative tool of oC capital or the slave of oC old traditions who assures u us that everything is all nil rl right ht and that the country is In better condition than thane e ever In Its history is not the patriot patriot- not the optimist who helps uphold her honor The true patriot Is he who makes makos the pathway safo for new generation generations to tread oven at the cost of or temporary disorder disorder dis order and confusion to the tile present generation senera gen sen- era lion The man who ho carries the banner through the streets and sings loudly My 1 Country of Thee Is not always the best citizen The man who carries the muck rake and amI works to clean clenn tile tho highways Is a better one Though he ho produces heap heaps of or dirt and piles s up decaying decar n corpses corps s and ael dethroned and broken Idols here and anel there and opens c cesspools which need to be cleaned vet et Is the road rond a a. safer sater one for tor the feet of or youth and ambition to pursue than wilh with all these unsanitary conditions hidden hidden hidden hid hid- den under flo flowery ery surfaces The optimist is one b by God bedight To walk through earth and help to set things right To pluck the weeds that choke the g garden gar den close cloe And nd to the sunlight life tho the smothered rose The one who walks unseeing anti and need Who le leaves tho rose to wittier wither nead the weed Though loud oud he talks the optimistic school school- That man Instead of or optimist Is Js fool |