The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-11-04
LEARN FROM THE PAST.

There is a tinge of sadness IN eV-
ery picture of the past. From the
first to the last OF those sketches
which we often call up before u.s.
not ole is free from that pleasant
sorrowful tint-for what sorrows
should not be pleasant or prohta>
bile to US when past? Every scene,
every incident, which impresSes
itself upon the mind, trifiing as 1t
may appear, stands as a sentinel
to challenge our judgment
in years to come, when
that splendid attribute might be at
fault. Thus, armed against itself,
the mind is cautious, and becomes
more so when, as the years pass on,
each brings its impressions and
makes higher that which men are
not slow to henor, noble mind
Every opportunity to add to the
strength and purity Of thought
should be gladly embraced.
Let no man say that be
never had opportunities. They
come each day as regularly as
the light. There are those who
look upon the past, and sorro" is
the chief color of the picture which
they see. They drift carelessly on
nor care to retouch those scenes by
making the present more bright, or
by a determination that the future
shall witness change.
Who would not gladly return to
his youth that he might profit by
the experience he has won through
life: to do those things which would
give a lustre to scenes that now look
dark through the long since past;
to leave undone those which add to
the tinge of sorrow which is so
easily recognized in those life-
long views of what we are:
And vet how few of US are willing
to admit, by our actions, that the
future can be colored as we will. All
the pages of life need not be writ
ten in one color. Throw away that
which leaves no brightness in Its
wake. and, with another pen, make
such strokes as will be easily read
and prove profitable to the reader
Young men and aged, too, become
welded to the thought that fate has
nlaeed in their hands dummy pen.
which, as they perform the act OF
writing, leaves no mark. They DE-
More the fact, as it seems to them,
all the time forgetting to dip the
pen into the ink of honorable ambl
ton. and by their neglect and mac
ton establish in their mind a Whln
which, unless overthrown, leaves
them where they are, while Others
gradually approach and rapidly pass
them on the road to honor ant
wealth. Honest effort cannot re
main in obscurity. 1t will VII
eyery tine. a false position is BET
ter lost than retained, for by LOSING
it we may discover the signs OF de
ception and learn to discrlml
nate between the true and faist
When we look upon the finished
nages of LIES book, with each al
own biographer, and note the CON
tents of each line, trying to 1gnor
the darker portions and linger owe
the brighter, then we find that al
must be read. We would, but W
cannot escape from that whic
seemed too far in the past to be re
called. Then every picture Of IN
past will have its tinge of sorrow
while many will be all too sorrow
full and we will hope for the seem
ing forgetfulness of death that W
NAV gaze 10 more on that whlc
gives back every action OF oul
whether it be great or small
ssTske this proyerb to your heart,
Take and hold it fsst:
The mill can never grind
With the water that has passed.