The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

he Pei. There is scarcely any conditon in the world so miserable but there are grounds for gratitude in it. There is something negative or something positive to be thankful for. We use the word "but" all too frequently to introduce some sigh of despair. I think it was really invented to intro- duce the alternative of hope and con- fidence into life's apparent defeats. It was never meant to be a handicap, but a spur. It is not the ground of grumbling, it is the theme of praise. It is the herald of blessing, not the announcer of bitterness. That really was the secret of Rob- inson Crusoe's optimism. This poor castaway, isolated from the world of happy fellowships on a lonely island, deprived of scores of the convenien- ces and pleasures of civilization, de- clared a stock-taking season. He thought of all the evil things that life had brought him and bitterly bewail- ed his sad and unfortunate lot. But he summed up all the good things as well, and then for his own comfort's sake, wise man that he was, he put all his miseries first, and in quick and sure succession blotted them all out with his mercies. This is how his book of accounts appeared: ~"T am cast upon an horrible deso- late island; BUT I am alive, and not drowned as all my ship's company was. I am singled out and separated as it were, from the world; BUT I am singled out, too, from all the ship's crew, to be spared from death. J am divided from mankind; BUT I am not starved and perishing on a barren place. I have no clothes to cover me; BUT I am in a hot climate, where, if- I. had clothes, I could hard- ly wear them. I am without any de--- fence or means to resist any violence of man or beast; BUT I am cast upon an island where I see no wild beasts to hurt me. I have no soul to speak to or relieve me; BUT God wonder- fully sent the ship in, near enough to the shore, that I have gotten out so many things, as will supply my wants, even as long as I live." When he had finished his wise and careful reckoning, setting good against evil, and discovered that the good far outweighed the ill, he wrote down for us his philosophy of life: "Upon the whole, here was an un- doubted testimony that there was scarce any condition in the world so - miserable, but there was something negative, or something positive, to be thankful in it; and let this stand as a direction from the experience of all conditions in this world, that we may always tend in it something to com: fort ourselves from, and to set, in the description of good and evil, on the credit side of the account." And what a wonderful philosophy it is. Many lives would be trans- formed if theitrlife story were written this way. Add them all up and sigh a score of . pass- erumbled to ruin. Put your difficulties first. -- sighs for them. Plunge into the bit- ter record of your hardships and sor- rows and add well the columns of gloom. Then set down your blessings in shining figures. Write about your opportunities in characters of gold. Take account of the things you still have and the things you still can do. Then place a triumph- ant "but" on the other side of your difficulties, and let your soul take holiday and exult in high mood. Every person in the world faces those trying and critical moments of life, so decisive for happiness or mis- ery, so determinative of hope or de- spair, when a firm decision to put the "put" in the right place will place the sun above the clouds and leave the light shining. A small shop keeper in the north of London found himself in great straits. His store was in shocking repair, and his landlord was a hope- less miser. The rock-bottom of hope- lessness Was reached when the door step over which his customers had to In his des- pair, with the odds loaded against him, the sterner stuff of his better self became dominant. He placed a flaming placard across the dilapidat- ed shop--'This is the only shop in the neighborhood with a worn doorstep." The odds were turned immediately into his favor and the crumbling door- step became a godsend, The author of "Ben Hur" makes Simonides the suffering Jew say to Esther--'The worst reality is never unendurable when it comes out from behind the clouds through which we at first see it darkly." Robinson Crusoe's philosophy is sound. Search the ledgers of life carefully and you will find endless accounts on the cred- it side. In spite of all your handi- caps you can rise to victory. (W.E.D.) Your Lawn Mower | Called for and delivered. Now is the time you should have it sharpened and repaired. W. E. McCARTHY Phone 781d Wellington St. DR. S. H. SUTTER L.D.S..D,0.S, DENTAL SURGEON Specialist in Prosthetic Dentistry Majestic Apartments, 93 Downie {OFFICE 602 PHONES } RESIDENCE 1051w A ------------ oO With every $1.00 purchase of Hudnut's Toilet Goods, you will receive absolutely FREE Three Flowers Acquaintance Package Containing Three Face Powder, Perfume, Cleaning Cream, Vanishing Cream and Skin and Tissue Cream. Barker's Drug Store 36 Ontario Phone 52! Flowers l Saas HATS CLEANED AND BLOCKED In any shape you Kkke. Corner Downie and Ontario Sts. in clothes. 94 Ontario Street Fashion in Furniture is just as important as fashion In our stock there is no end to variety. This three-piece suite here illustrated, with reversible cush- ions and mohair upholstering, is marked Si 7 5 00 Lg at the unusually low price of See Our Comprehensive and Up-to-Date Stock of Furniture. DOWN & FLEMING Our Special Sale of Furniture Success You are invited to come. Kroehler Living Room Furni- ture was the most successful sale we ever held. sales there is always a certain number of odd pieces of fur- niture. fields and chairs will be sold at marked down prices. The reductions on such are really worth while. and see the many Odd Pieces of Furniture Our two weeks' sale of At the conclusion of such These odd Chester- Furniture and Funeral Service Phone 314 . THE MIRROR "HERE AND THERE By "Doc." A man may be able to keep his wife in dress nowadays, but not in much dress, A pupil, when asked by the teacher to give a definition of a home, re- marked that it was the building that usually stands in front of the garage. Why is it that a man always wants to sit in the back seat in church but | always wants the front "row. at a theatre? Nothing happened to the banker who wrote a bad poem recently but just let a poet write a bad check and see what happens. Any man who can sit down at a table and eat a good meal naturally while facing a pretty girl must be real hunery. v5 It is not because men are afraid to use guest towels but because the darn things wont dry anything as a rule, A raincoat is an article that is left at the office or house on showery days and carried on the arm on fine days. We are certainly living in an ad- vanced age with airplaines, motors doing 207 miles: per hour, radios, ete., but they still use the old match to lo- cate gas leaks. At Easter. Mother had a nice new dress, _ Sister, a new spring coat, Brother got a swell new suit, ' They all got poor dad's goat. More tobacco is to be grown in Ontario this year than ever before. but we will still be paying our fifteen cents for the 12th of a pound pack- age. Charlie Chaplin hag made millions of people laugh with his ability to throw lemon pies but the United States government has handed Char- -lie a lemon in the form of a bill for a million dollars of unpaid taxes which will take some laughing off by the famous comedian. _ A local lady claims that her hus- band is so lazy that he walks in front of her in order to avoid having to raise his hat to friends they meet on the street. We often hear the remark that chickens are very stupid but we have often wondered how they know how | big our egg cups are. To burn the.candle at both ends Ts not discreet; And yet what way so swiftly tends To make ends meet? -- And that's that! Sure, Safe Investment No gamble, no chance. Buy lots on the property near the new Peace Bridge, connecting Buffalo with Get in on this now. A small deposit down Call and get particulars Don't delay. The way they are selling is nothing short of sensational. Fort Erie. double your money soon. will hold a lot for you. and full information. PETER SMITH, Windsor Block, over Harwood's Drug Store You'll positively Real Estate Phone 2292 COAL ANTHRACITE COAL POCAHONTAS, Egg Size Red Jacket, Egg Size Solvay Coke { Lennox Coal Co. Phone 44 J. S. RUSSELL] Registered Architect "Phone 1533F Gordon Block "Pen" or Punishment? Which do your shoes and feet give you ? When you put your shoes on in the morning you settle the question of whether your feet will be happy or miserable all day Painful corns or calloused feet combined with poorly fit- ted shoes, sentence you to 12 to 15 hours of nerve-nagging dis- Don't put it off but see our Foot Expert today--he understands how to give you happy, healthy feet at very little long. comfort. expense. ROBERTSON'S SHOE STORE 32 Wellington St. Opposite City Hall Stratford, Ont. DON'T SUFFER EZO Will positively relieve the worst case of ECZEMA the best baby car- riage you can buy. Here you will find the largest stock to _choose from and the most reasonable in price. See our specially Upholstered Reed Buggy : DIFFERENT COLORS Greenwood & Vivian Housefurnishings ' Phone 19 LIMITED 26 Ontario St. Phone 1580 Residence 2198 FRANK P. GIBBS Chartered Accountant 102 Ontario St. Stratford, Ont. (Beacon Building) Down&Fleming Funeral Service Rooms 94 Ontario St. -- Phone'S14 "Sk Pactwe tar an: STANDARD DRUG STORE FOR SALE If you want a good seven- roomed home in a good local- ity, central, all conveniences ; large garage ; could be made into a duplex and would make © a good investment. Always rentable. Heavy wired. Save agents commission and then some. Owner leaving city-- will sacrifice. Write Box H, 123 Mirror Office. ' COAL" COKE G. W. HEAGY Phone 176 198 Nelson Street TEACHER OF VIOLIN and PIANO Phone 1435w Studio--159 Mornington St. HENRY A. CLARK UUEUUUGLAGUEAUOAUOGOOUUAUOUAOTEAUOOUAATELOELEE Peter & Sylvester Will do your Repairsin 3 Plumbing Heating 2 Electric f Phone 210 12 Qntario 2 QOUUUOLUELAUATAUOEATESUTUGAEEE LTA