Page:TheYoungMansGuide.djvu/457

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should find expression in deeds of kindness and helpfulness to all with whom we come in contact. We ought to heed the words of Our Lord to His followers: "Be of good cheer!" Life to-day is so strenuous that there is constant need of relief from its«strain, and a sunny, cheerful, gracious soul is like a sea breeze in sultry August or like a "draught of cool refreshment drained by fevered lips."

The author of "The Floral Apostles," referring to the crocus and the primrose as the emblems of cheerfulness, says: "Cheerfulness furnishes the best soil for the growth of goodness and virtue. It is also the best of moral and mental tonics. 'A glad heart maketh a cheerful countenance, but by grief of mind the spirit is cast down' (Prov. xv. 13). 'A joyful mind maketh age flourishing; a sorrowful spirit drieth up the bones' (Prov. xvii. 22)."

We can all acquire greater cheerfulness by assuming the right mental attitude toward our environment and circumstances, by looking habitually at the bright side of things, by training ourselves persistently to see the good and pleasant things in our common, daily life.

Some persons seem to have eyes only for the disagreeable things that happen to come into their life; they forget or overlook their blessings, and brood over their trials and misfortunes.

The soothing line in "The Rainy Day";