CONCERNING DISCONTENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 304, 28 December 1907, Page 4

CONCERNING DISCONTENT.

"It's wonderful how discontented .people are," said tile liosy l'crsou. "JJo you really consider it wonderful?' 1 ventured. " Yes, 1 do," he replied. "J think that every uody would tie much happier ii they would only look on the bright side ol things," "And supposing there isn't a bright side?" "There in always a bright side. The darkest cloud has a silver lining." "lcsAlSut that isn't the side the ruin eomesJPoin." He smiled. ■' You're like the rest ol the world," he said. ".Never happy unless you're miserable. The way people reluse to admit that things might "o worse is really very eurulrdiuarv. "l go about explaining to people Thai "what they regard as unmitigated misfortunes are often blessings in disguise, and iustcad of thanking me for trying to cheer them up, they treat me as if 1 were the cause of all their woes, 'it's easy for you to talk,' they say. ' You're one of the lucky ones.' liut L'm not. I've had as much trouble as mus t men, really Only, instead of giving way to glooin.'i have alway, tried to liud out if there "asiu something connected with my slice ol bad luck that ought to console me a bit. And I lave always found tJlilt tIKTO was.

"J-or instance, I had the misfortune to lose my parents when 1 was only two or three years old. Xow, that seemed I'ietty rough on me, didn't it? Xever u mother's loving care, you know. Xever a lathers wise guidance. JJut (|„. way I look at it is tlii rt : My parents wer ;, T'l'V ambition, youug people, and I was their only child. They destined >»" l»r a great career. Jf 'they had lived they would have had the pain of -eeing me grow up an utterlv commonI";"' 1 ' " ml "Umtcrprising voun „ ,„,,„ «,o.e only aim in lif ( . was to ~0, 0 , (1 ; •«. table and to make others comfortable. I should have lieen a horrible disappointment to them it 1 had lived A- >t is there is nobody who cares a' I"-porth <,f tar what I do or what i„- "'""';."' '"'■■ =*"«"* thus three people—-"jy-cli and my father ami mother-are "» -pared an infinity of mihappinoss " -Lilt supposing they had unfortunately no, dted" I remarked. "How would you have con-r,led y„„r>elf the,,?" " should have collided mv-elf bv refleeting whenever t |„. y „„'[ „„ ' |(|v nerves. ,], llt other poor wrotelic, liadn : ( ■">>■ parents at all." he said "Iwi* brought up by a maiden aunt. thclNKv iv.-5.,,, went on. "And -lie wn- dreadfully unkind to me. Terribly harsh anil unfeeling she was r suirered so much myself as a child (hat I could never pnssjldy I K , ~,.„,.] to ]|lv own children. I'm not married. The lady 1 wanted wouldn't have me. Of course, r was considerably cut up at the tune, but now i realise how good it was tor me to be rejected." "How. exactly;"

"She was an excellent woman. So practical. So sensible. If s)le had married me and we had had any children. I should have lK.e n .„„-,, ,„ try an(] ~ them, and she would never have per'"■tted that, and so we would inevitably have i|uarrellcd."-Edwin Pugh. i„ Ih'e l»ndon liemler.