The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1894-09-14

People VINO DRIFT.


fullest sense Of the word. with every
tln.ling with vitality, and the joy eX-
istence throbbing in every fibre of their
being. There ale also people who
vegetate in one groove, who are content
merely to be warmed by the sun and
famed by the breeze, and who look
upon the world in very much the same
light as a cat does the hearth rue-;s
a soft place on which torepose. Again
there are the people who drift through
life like the leaves upon the bosom of
a stream 1ut'ered by the wind. Theirs
is the creed of the fataIist, and respon-
slblites and fears for the morrow glide
gently from them, as the dew drops
vanish from the grass under the suns
first kiss. They are harmless characters
enough, as rule, us far as evil habits
and vicious tendencies are concerned.
Their worst defects are an intens9 in
dolence Of character couped generally
with Il lack Of moral courage and
deeply routed aversion to answering in
the negative when it is heir imperative
duty to say no. This class of people
drift in debt with Il marvellous facili-
ty, and occasional V out Of it again;
but this latter phase is an exception,
and usually owing to no effort, f heir
own. They drift into undo sirab ir-
timacies from which Very often they
would be thankful to be eXtr Gated:
but finding themselves unable t. retreat
gracefully tt ey wait for the next puff
of wind 20 blow them in Il slfer direc-
ton.
Ieople who drift are LIS tally gwen
to procrastinatlon and the postpol E
ment of necessary duties. With them
nothing is done to-day that can by any
possibility be put off until Tomorrow
and even ,hen the srn probably Uses
and sets Oh its non-futilIment The
drifters through f. are at their worst,
however, W hen there is real. urgent
need for their tXer inc themselves
either to avert a ttre;l 6ned eat IS rophe
or to set matters righr af er tie burst
ing of the storm. Their most cherish
ell plans may De upset and their in
terests endangered, but they will fold
their hands in bel pl 5, passive resigna-
ton until the elements have regaincd
their equilibrium.
These leaves on the stream Of life
are prone to drift into mi>understand-
ings even with their nearest and dear
est. A word Is wanted to Sc: things
straight but through incidence. or
fear Of ruflling the social surface. that
word is never spoken, and they drift
on until it is too late to repair the
breach, and the flower of friendship
wlthers and dies. This irresponsible
lotus-eatlng state of existence is a very
dangerous one, for those " no are in
clined to let things IN everyday
matters of tritliEg Importance will find
that the habit grows upon them to
such an extent that when more serious
interests are at stake they will still
drift placidly along.
Perhaps there may come time in
the lives of men and women when
vague doubts begin to whisper at their
hearts, and the creed of their fathers
40 longer sufflces them. I hey are too
indolent to make inquiries and examine
into what they feel to be the true one,
and the Heaven-sent inspiration flies
away never to return.
There are many people who drift in
their money matters and whose conf
dence in the power OF time to bring
their affairs to a satisfactory conclus-
ion is well nigh limitless. In the rank
Of art and literature the army of drift
tiers is large one. They seldom if
ever scale the heights, but are to be
found lying in the sun dreaming ofthe
feats thy will achieve later on, while
o. hers are reaching over their heads to
pluck the fair blossoms from the three
of fame.
There are those again who drift in an
aimless way through their home life,
leaving in their wake IL train of unful-
filled duties. Their tast and inclma-
tons even are not powerful enough to
shape their course in another direction.
for "Jy suis ~ reste' is the motto Of
those who drift. Men and women
have been known to diff into matri-
mony, and then discover to tn If cost
that what Bllzac terms the leap in
the dark has landed them on s'eep
and rugged rocks
The habit Of drifting is hard to kill
unless the effort is made in y, nth, and
parents should be prompt in checking
the first symptoms of it III their children
Tor the propensity is often handed
down from generation to generation.
The sun glitters on the stream, and
the leaves float along its sparkling sur
face triftino who knows vhithar3