The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-01-16

To truly hopeful and courageous soul
dismsy and utter abandonment % his yirtu-
Gus resolves will not followa casual loss of
the strength to keep them. There may be
humility and panilenes, but there should bs
no rsnlorse. All csmpsigns are net crowned
VIM trlunPh7. La every enterprise of great
pisn ana moment there must DO reverses "a
well Is successes. Tha most srduous Of all
senqutsts IS that Of ele's own spirit, He who
Accompanies this though Boston back ansin
ana again, ever brayeiy renewing The fght,
Is greater than the ta<cr Of cities. Life is a
warfare, and the discipline Of occasional de-
feat aud Of constant struggle, often sgaiust
formidable edds, is y condition Of its victor.
los. Neither disaster Ior surprises, the
miscarriage of his plans, Ror the proven mis-
calculation OF his own resources or those Ct
his antagonist can appal or discomft the
heroic heNt A temporary repulse in lhs
combat against the evil that is within us
should but nerve us TO the putting forth Of
more strenuous etfcIt. Thus ms7 We make
the hi1drSnces that we eacountor the step
ping stones TO higher things. Our unsuc-
cesstul efforts, rightly viewed, belong to the
necessary training that is TO prepare us for
the truitiOn which viii come il We but pegs-
vore.
II is the end that crowns the work. The
close Of 1881 rather than its beginning is the
crlIerloa by which il is to be Judged SO fsr
as our individual relation 10 il is concerned.
If on the first day Of January any one of us
SGT out with determination 10 overcome
some vice or to dsplsce some bad hSbit by
good one, he should look Rot upon the first
day, or week, or month, but upoA the whole
year SIS the appointed period Of his probs-
ton. If at the end Of Che year no has cue
ce5ded in lnslly discarding the fault ST
which he proposed to rid himself surolY his
purpose is achieved, aud re has reason to
rejoice that he did not give up the struggle
in Its earlier stages. Even if il wore possible
completely to conform our lives TO the ideal
standard cf morality, it is certsin that no
man can attain 10 euch perfection all NJ
once. Growth 10 tho uniyernal law of de-
yeopmcnt in character as in all things else.
1t is by grEdstions rather than by flights that
We ascend.
Those Of us, then, who have failed 10
strictly conform our conduct to the pledges
with which we begsn tho year should re-
Aoct that only enc little week Of it is gone,
and that fifty one weeks remain for the trial
Of our strength. 1t true keeping Of good
resolutions TO adhere to them with persist
ent purpose, undishesrted by any momcn-
tary lapse Of watchiuness and rising like
An''eus, with fresh vigor from every fall.
And if, instead Of raIyiag solely upon our
own innate resources 10 help Us, wa shall
bring our premises, broken though they DO,
10 religion. conservation, invoking the
blessing Of Higher Power upon them, and
resolving that come what may We will do or
forbsar this hing or that thing, but that we
will endesvor by His grSce to walk with ps-
tiencs in the right way as it Is given to u3 TO
see it, the weakness ofour wills shall ba sup
plementod by a supernal strength, and the
streugholds Of our temptera shall be brokea
diva