Just as we plunge into the cold water in the early morning so should we regularly during the day plunge into the society of those whose splendid enthusiasm is helping to make the world a better place to live in.  They are the kind who go into the struggle with heads high and with clean hearts.  Their eyes see beyond the daily toil of life.  They are in touch with the big things and it is up to us to keep step with them.  They want us and they will give us the “glad hand.”  All they want to know is whether our courage is equal to our ambitions and whether our house of life is kept in good order.  And so we journey along together in all good nature, not forgetting to laugh as we live.

CHAPTER IX

CONSIDERATION FOR OTHERS

Consideration for others is man’s noblest attitude toward his fellow man.  For every seed of human kindness he plants, a flower blooms in the garden of his own heart.  In him who gives in such a way there is no hypocritical feeling of charity bestowed.  His very act disarms the thought.  It is as natural for an honorable man to show consideration to others as it is for him to eat and sleep.  Acts of kindness are the outward manifestations of gentle breeding—­a refinement of character in the highest sense of the word.

What would we do in this world without the helping hand, the friendly word of cheer, the thought that others shared our losses and cheered our victories?  If consideration for our feelings and thoughts did not exist on this earth we would never know the depths of the love of our friends.  There would be no such thing as an earthly reward of merit.  We know that no matter what happens to us in the battle of life there will be someone to cheer us on our way.  We may be strong and thoroughly able to rely upon ourselves but there comes a time when we need friendship and sympathy.  Society would crumble into dust without these influences.  The family circle would degenerate into a hollow mockery if consideration each for the other was absent.  It sweetens and makes wholesome what otherwise might only be an existence of monotonous toil.

Consideration for others is the milk of human kindness.  For what we do for others our recompense is in the act itself ... we should claim no other reward.  Observation brings to view that they who give in real charity cloak their acts from the eyes of all save the recipient.  Givers of this type rise to the supreme heights of greatness.  It is a part of their wisdom to know what is best to be done and they go about it as a pleasure as well as a duty.