The Creative Force of Optimism

As I was organizing my genealogy, I came across a speech that was written by my husband when he was a junior in High School. He was always a stalwart defender of this Nation and it was wonderful to find that my mother-in-law had kept this speech all these years to be given to us when he died. I decided to post it here as it is close to the Fourth of July and the celebration of our counties birth.

The Creative Force of Optimism

(Written by Ned Ellsworth; presented at the South End Optimist Club of Houston (it was a speech); won area competition in Texas. He was a Junior in High School.)

"And God Said,"Let us make men to our image and likeness; and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature that moveth upon the earth."

Yes, when God created man he gave man the blessing of his own image and likeness and with that image and likeness he gave man a great force, the creataive force of optimism.

For man is the only being capable of creating a society as perfect as the one we now have. It was optimism which created the best form of conceivable government, the government of the United States. When our forefathers wrote the constitution, no doubt existed within their minds that this government would exist invincible under God. Why? Because they were optimistic, and through their optimism, they had created the most interwoven, perfect, check and balance system ever imagined by man. Soo this nation progressed optimistically and succesfully. But optimisims ability to create does not lie souly within material wealth.

Perhaps the most optimistic man ever to exist was Andrew Carnegy. by taking the better result of every event in his life Andrew Carnegy developed the greatest and most useful wealth ever witnessed by this nation.

Through optimism the greatest method of analises, and study was developed--the scientific method. As a result of its application man has placed himself far above any other creature. Man may build dams, electric lights, television, rockets, and destroy germs, viruses, and bacteria.

Optimism is the Creator of Success.

And Successful we must be. For today the United States is locked in a life or death struggle with the Communists and Communist block nations.

The Communists attack is on the minds of youth. As a result the people of the United States must build a stron optimistic youth. A youth who will look at the future, smile, and crush the Communists and their deciet. This alone will defeat Communism.

So the Communists willl be deafeated. For a new optimistic youth has appeared to establish this nation above all others, my generation.

So this nation will exist and will progress invincibly under God. (His emphasis)