302 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



interested in each other and in the home life. They learn the lesson 

 of appreciation, to show their love in words and deeds, and so they 

 find the real happiness of home. They plan' for a new carpet, ;i 

 desk, a set of furniture, something that is to benefit them all; and 

 all help along and rejoice in its acquisition. 



Be sunny. Do you know that a sunny disposition is the most to 

 be desired in life? We do not depreciate the value of money, well 

 knowing that in moderate amount it is very essential to our wel- 

 fare; but if we were compelled to choose between a large fortune 

 and the faculty of extracting sunshine from a cloudy day, we should 

 choose the latter without an instant's hesitation. Because it is 

 happiness, w^e are all seeking for, and money alone will not give 

 happiness; while the mind which is content and glad, which sees 

 beauty in the common things of life, is a source of joy always. To 

 wear a bright, hopeful countenance, to radiate joy and encourage- 

 ment, is a duty we owe our fellow creatures; the reflected warmth 

 and brightness of a sunny disposition is sure to make glad its pos- 

 sessor. 



Try to avoid sadness and worry. There is no more noxious weed 

 in the garden of life than worry. Another bad habit to overcome 

 or avoid contracting is that of "borrowing trouble." People who do 

 this are never the ones who do the best work or are prepared to 

 meet real trouble when it comes. There was once a man who was 

 always looking for a fire in his house and expecting one every 

 night. He had all kinds of extinguishers to fight fire. At last it 

 came, but as usual the unexpected happened. His night shirt 

 caught fire and his neighbors will never forget the sight he pre- 

 sented as he ran screaming down the street, (leaving his fire ex- 

 tinguishei's behind) j^elling for help at the top of his voice. A man 

 who seldom thought of fire, but knew what to do, caught him and 

 threw him down, rolled him over on the ground, and he rose up a, 

 singed but wiser man. 



The laughter of boys and girls is, and ever was, among the most 

 delightful sounds of earth. Truly there is nothing sweeter or 

 pleasanter to the ear than the merry laugh of a happy, joyous boy 

 or girl, and nothing dissipates gloom and sadness quicker and drives 

 dull care away like a good hearty laugh. We do not laugh enough; 

 nature should teach us this lesson, it is true. The earth needs the 

 showers, but if it did not catch and hold the sunshine too, where 

 would be the brightness and beauty it lavishes upon us? Laugh 

 heartily; laugh often; not boisterously, but let the gladness of your 

 hearts bubble up once in a while, and overflow in a glad mirthful 

 laugh. 



When an American farmer, after a protracted absence starts to 

 return ''home," he does not think of it as sim])ly a domicile, a place 

 to stop at; the word means to him far more. His affections, his 

 aspirations, his whole being are touched and wrought upon by 

 the visions in a whole panorama; the farm and its adjuncts, the 

 lowing cattle, the barking dogs, the cackling chickens, all the sights 

 and sounds made familiar to him by long associations. In the 

 centre of it all is a figure called "mother," without which home in 

 the real sense cannot exist. 



