From the Rock Island Argus, January 1, 1914. By Henry Howland.
If you treat the world right, if you give it its due,
It is likely to try to deal fairly with you;
If you give it a smile when you have one to spare,
You will find that the days will more often be fair.
If you ask for no more than you honestly earn,
If you look for no more than a proper return
On investments you make and on risks that you take,
You will seldom sit nursing a foolish heart-ache.
If you pick out your friends just for friendship, instead
Of favoring those who push you ahead,
Disappointments will soon get to passing you by,
And the clouds will be fewer that darken your sky.
If you cheer where you may and give aid where you can,
If you learn that greed never has strengthened a man,
That selfishness is but a loathsome disease,
You will find less to grieve you and much more to please.
If you learn that the weak are the ones who complain,
You will find good in much you have viewed with disdain;
If you treat the world right, if you give it its due
It is likely to deal pretty fairly with you.
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