Arizona republican., 1892-01-14
FEEDING THE PAST.
The Hard Work That Father Time Has
 to Do.

| to Do. was walking alone at midnight, shivery midnight, when I met him. l don't like to meet strange beings at mid night. It raises goose pimples on my soul. But make it practice always to let on that am not frightened, for in my long and varied intercourse with spooks and goblins and ghouls I have found that when they cannot frighten me they usually take fright themselves. There is, after all, good deal of human nature about ghosts.
 He wore a long, white beard on his face and bore an old, sharp scythe on his shoulder. That was about all he had on. There was something familiar about his appearance, too, but have poor mem. ory for names and forget where I have met folks. could not classify him at | first.
 Happy New Year." said I, by way of showing friendly spirit and testing his attitude.
 "Same to you" said he.
 He seemed to be well disposed.
 Haven't 1 met you somewhere be. fore?" I asked.
 Shouldn't wonder. I've been going up and down this earth for good while. Once year come around these parts and do business in small way. Maybe you've seen me now and then on New Years cards"
 "Ah," l exclaimed, "are you the old gentleman that picks up the last figure of the date line and goes hobbling of the edge of the card with it while little tot of a naked boy runs and puts a new one in its place!"
 'Tm that same old codger."
 "And your namey"
 "rime."
 "Sure enough, Father Time. ought to have known you at sight. I'm inti- mately acquainted with several mem- bers of your family. I know Hi fust- rate"
 "Who?'
 "Hi-Hi Old Time, you know"
 "Ah, yes."
 Well, we chatted on pleasantly enough until asked the old gentleman why he made it a point every year to come around and carry off the figures so that we had to set up new ones and spoil our letter heads until we became accustomed to the change.
 'I admit, said he, "there is a good deal of nonsense about it. l presume people would live as long and be as happy if there were no such thing as change of years. l suppose you don't care a snap whether this is 1889 or 1890, and to | tell you the honest truth I am convinced it is a very foolish thing to shift about so much, but must carry out my con- tract, and expect to spring a new year on the world every now and then as long as live"
 "What contract?
 "Why, my resolution" "What resolution" Did you never hear of my resolution? Well, then, I will tell you, and he leaned upon his scythe. "You see, you people make New Years resolutions, but they don't amount to anything You swear of drinking and then get as full as ticks before night. You break off smoking and begin again before the week is out. You resolve to keep diaries, but you give up before January is gone. Now with me it is different. When I make a resolution l stick to it. A long, long time ago l made resolution that would keep the past chock full of minutes and hours and days and years, and l have been tossing them in ever since. It keeps me pretty busy, and don't mind confding to you the fact that if had it to do over again 1 wouldn't make such resolu- tion, but there is no help for it now, and shall have to go on forever, suppose" |"
 Father Time gave his scythe swish, and gathering up handful of minutes flung them into the past and resumed:
 "You have no idea how l have to hump to keep the past full. no sooner drop year, or a month, or a week into it than discover that there is room for more."
 "What becomes of all these years you lecl lO ln6 past! dSheu.
 "That's it; what becomes of them? If they did anybody the least good I shouldn't mind doing this work, but they don't; they are a dead waste. True, they feed and sustain the past, but what is the use of doing that? If people knew enough to make use of the past and learn something from it there might be some excuse for maintaining it, but they don't, so all this work of mine is in vain"
 "Why don't you quit it? Why don't you let the past rip and turn your atten- tion to making more present? That is what we need. People would think a good deal more of you if you would quit carrying away the present and dumping it into the past"
 "So they would, and I should like to accommodate them, but my pride keeps me at this work"
 "Pride?'
 "Yes; am probably the only person on earth who has consistently and un- falteringly fulfilled his New Years reso- lution, and am proud of the distinction. But"-he lowered his voice and spoke earnestly to me-"if had it to do again should be very sure not to make a New Years resolution"
 Then he left me to reflect upon what I would better do in the way of resolu- tions on this first day of the brand new year.-Detroit Free Press. -------------