The Yakima Herald

WOMAN'S COLUMN
EDITED BY MRS. H. M. BARTLETT
"There is a jewel which no Indian mine can buy,
It makes man rich in greatest poverty,
Makes water wine, turns wooden cups to gold,
The homely whistle to sweetest music's strains;
Seldom it comes-to few from heaven sent-
That much in little--all in nought--content."
-WILBYE.

How many of us realize what that word "content" means? I was calling on a dear little lady the other day who has been nursing a sick son in a very small room, away from home and with only a very few friends. She was the embodiment of cheerfulness and told me that she had nothing to complain of. The whole room seemed brightened by her spirit of content and I left her, having learned a very good lesson. I had gone to her with the idea that I might cheer her-and perhaps I did—but I am sure I carried away more of sunshine than I had left. Someone asked me once if I thought that cheerfulness could be cultivated or whether people were born with it. I felt very much like answering as the man did who, when asked if life were worth living, said, "that depends upon the liver." If our frail anatomy is in good order, if we have no aches or pains or indigestion, I think that cheerfulness can be easily cultivated, but if we are hampered by ill-health or any deformity, such as blindness, and yet are cheerful, I think that it is an attribute given by God to help us through a saddened life. But as we look around us at our circle of friends, how many or rather how few do we find who are so afflicted, and yet how many are there that strike us as being really contented or cheerful. Is it not nearly always the case when we are calling on some friend that they pour some little pet woe into our sympathizing ear and we are only anxiously waiting to be able to retail our own little grievances to her? As we think over the calls lately made, can we remember telling of the blessings, of the brighter, happier things which have come into our lives, though they may be trifling. The little worries seem to be so much bigger than the larger blessings and much more worth talking about. Boyce says "Cheerfulness is an off-shoot of goodness and wisdom." This would seem to imply that when we are not cheerful we are neither good or wise. Oh yes, I think that cheerfulness and contentment can be cultivated by all those who wish to try.

Within the next week or ten days the ladies of three different churches in town hold benefit sales, and give dinners and suppers for their respective organizations. If it were not for the energetic co-workers, we fear many of the denominational churches would suffer.