Wisdom & Empowerment: The Orison Swett Marden Edition (18 Books in One Volume). Orison Swett Marden

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ whom she had given the shoes, clearing away the snow from the sidewalk with an old broken shovel. When he caught sight of his benefactress at the window, he raised his tattered hat to her, and, his self-imposed task finished, went away without saying a word or even asking for anything to eat. Three times, the same thing happened during the winter, but the man never asked for compensation or food.

      A New York woman once invited a ragged, dirty beggar into her house, and after he had had a comfortable meal and some clean clothing, she sent him away with words of encouragement, telling him that he was made for something better than tramping; that it was a shame for a man of his apparent intelligence and good health to be getting a living in such a disgraceful way.

      A year afterward, when she had forgotten all about the tramp she had befriended, this lady became embarrassed financially and was in sore need of money. She asked a friend if he knew where she could borrow five hundred dollars, but he could not accommodate her, nor did he know of any one who could. Next day, to her great astonishment, a man, a total stranger, as she thought, called at her house and told her that he had heard she was pressed for money, and that he had come to lend her the amount she needed. With growing surprise she asked how it was that a complete stranger, whom she had never seen, was willing to trust her. The man then explained that he was the tramp whom, a year before, she had taken to her home and treated like a brother, that her kindness on that occasion had been the turning-point in his career, had made a man of him again; that he had prospered beyond his deserts, and that ever since he had gotten on his feet he had been wishing for an opportunity to show his appreciation of what she had done for him.

      “No man has come to true greatness,” says Phillips Brooks, “who has not felt in some degree that his life belongs to his race, and that what God gives him, He gives him for mankind.”

      Yet one would think by the way in which many of us push, drive, elbow and trample one another in our mad rush for the dollar, that there were no ties of humanity binding us together, that we were natural enemies instead of brothers. Everywhere we see men in distress, whom we are amply able to assist and do not. We see them go to ruin financially when we might save them, because “it is none of our affairs.”

      There is nothing so brutal, so hard-hearted as the man who is swallowed up in his own selfishness, who has allowed greed to eat out of his heart all of its nobler instincts, whose nature has become so hard that he can see no good in his fellow man.

      Cultivate an open nature, a kindly manner, a generous spirit. Do not be stingy with your cordiality, your praise, your helpfulness. Fling out your best to everybody, every time. Learn to say pleasant things to people, and about them, to do generous things, and you will be surprised to see how your life will enlarge, your soul expand, and your whole nature become enriched and ennobled.

      The persistent effort to give everybody a lift when possible, to make everybody we come in contact with a little better off, to radiate sunshine, cheer, hope, good will, to scatter flowers as we go along, not only brings light and joy to other hearts, but opens wide the door to our own happiness.

      There is no habit which will give more satisfaction, that will enrich you more than that of doing a good turn for others at every opportunity. If you can not give material help, if you have no money to give, you can always help by a cheerful spirit, by cordial words of sympathy, kindness, and encouragement. There are more hearts hungering for love and sympathy than for money, and these you can always give.

      A poor foreigner, who could speak very little English, was recently accosted in Central Park, New York, by a kind-hearted man who noticed he looked dejected, and thought he might be in need. To his offer of assistance, however, the foreigner replied that he didn’t need money, but that he was lonely, and “just hungry for a handshake.”

      We all like the person who flings the door of his heart wide open and bids us welcome with a warm grasp of the hand and a cordial good fellowship; who sees a brother in every man he meets, instead of a rival, a competitor, or a possible enemy.

      The whole-souled, large-hearted, open-minded, kindly-disposed person has an infinite advantage over the narrow, pinched, clam-like nature that repels instead of attracting. Cultivate an open nature. Do not be afraid to speak to strangers, to let yourself out, to give your best to everybody you meet. Do not draw within yourself and shut up like a clam whenever you approach any one to whom you have not been introduced.

      The cultivation of a helpful spirit of cordiality, of large-mindedness, a broad generous way of looking at things, is of inestimable advantage not only to growth of character, but also to progress in the world. So much of one’s success depends on the personal equation, so much upon the possession of attractive qualities, upon the personality, that the importance of those things can not be overestimated. There is nothing else, for instance, which creates a good first impression so quickly, and calls out such a feeling of good will, as a frank, cordial manner—a manner that is perfectly transparent, that conceals no guile, covers no malice; while there is nothing else that will freeze a person so quickly as an icy, formal, suspicious manner.

      I have sat down at table in a hotel or restaurant with a cold, repellent personality, when it has been positively depressing to sit there, even without speaking to the man; for his whole manner forbade one to look at him. On the other hand, I have sat at table with foreigners who could not speak a word of our language, and yet their cordial, gracious salute as I sat down warmed me for the rest of the day. Their manner spoke a language all nationalities understood. It was the language of brotherhood, of good will.

      While traveling through New Mexico and Arizona, sometime ago, in hot weather, there was a young Southerner on the train who seemed to get acquainted with his fellow-travelers without effort, and who made the hot, dry, dusty and otherwise dreary trip a real pleasure because of his sunshine. His face was so radiant and he was so full of animal spirits and simple, kindly good nature that it did one good to look at him. He seemed eager to give himself out, to help every one, and to tell all he knew about the country through which we were passing.

      That young man’s cheerfulness and cordial manner will win him a welcome wherever he goes.

      In some sections of the country, especially where the climate is severe, the soil poor, and the conditions hard, the people seem to partake of the nature of their environment. They act as if they were afraid that they might cast their pearls before swine. They are not quite sure that they want to make friends with the people they meet; there is a cold reserve, a hesitancy in giving the hand, in opening the heart. They feel that they must take every step with the greatest caution; that they must investigate one’s character, one’s standing, before they dare give themselves out without reserve; that they must not be too generous with their cordiality, or it may cost them dear later.

      Contrast this stinginess of generosity, this lack of brotherly feeling, with the cordial, whole-hearted manner of those from more genial, hospitable environments. A typical Southerner or Westerner will grasp your hand upon first introduction as warmly as though he had known you for years. He gives you his heart, his confidence, with his hand. There is no stingy, suspicious reserve, no narrow critical scrutiny of your person lest he make a mistake, or say something, make some friendly advance which he will regret later. He just gives himself to you generously, broadly, magnanimously, gives you his best wishes, and makes you feel at home, as if you had met a brother.

      Some people have a faculty for touching the wrong keys; from the finest instrument they extract only discord. All their songs are in a minor key. They sound the note of pessimism everywhere. The shadows predominate in all their pictures. Their outlook is always gloomy; times are always hard and money tight. Everything in them seems to be contracting; nothing expanding or growing in their lives.

      With others it is just the reverse. They cast no shadows. They radiate sunshine. Every bud they touch opens its petals and flings out its fragrance and beauty. They never approach СКАЧАТЬ