The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-01-11
A WORD TO THE WISE OR
OTHERWISE.


you feel belongs to you. You are not
bringing to pass in the various interests
that occupy your attention what you are
consciously capable of doing. Failure
and encouragement dog your steps
where you look for success. A vague
apprehension that you will fall short of
your aim, in whatever you undertake
haunts you like shadow. You are con-
etantly held by nameless discomfort
just outside the chramed circle, once
! within which usefulness, success, COM
| fort would be assured to you.
] You are not satisfied with this state of
things. Perhaps you even dare hope
that you may wake up some bright, au-
spicious morning to find your forward
way made smooth and prosperous with.
out an effort on your part to seek out
and vanquish the enemy. But as it is
hardly according to nature that this
should be so, would it not be wise to set
yourself to consider, to find and drive
out the secret enemy that hinders your
best work and robs you of the comfort
of life?
Perhaps you are housekeeper. Are
you undertaking too many things, and
so do you allow one interest to tread
forever on the heels of another, until
you are rendered hopeless of ever seeing
any one Of them brought to successful
issue? Or, if for brief space, you do SO
far forget yourself as to take one or two
of them specially in hand, carry them to
completion, does it not furnish occasion
for the neglected waits to storm you
numerically with accusations?
Or if your many duties are all impera-
tive duties, no one of which may be re-
linquished, though you be conscious of
clashing, is it not possible that your
trouble originates in lack of system?
One thing at time, and the most i'm
portant thing given the first place, has
been found good general rule. But
while it is often difficult to determine on
the instant which is the most important,
where all are imperative, it is still we'll
to adhere to the other features of the
rule; One thing at time. For any one
| thing done, is 30 much accomplished,
and not to be any longer in the way of
other things. To have done any one
thing, whatever it's place in the scale of
| Importance, is better than to have de-
voted the time consumed in doing it, to
simply determining whether it or some
other duty was first" in Importance. In
moments of such hesitancy, as will often
occur, it seems wiser to lay hold instant
| ly of any one thing that must be done,
and while doing that to let the mind be
occupied in deciding the relative impor-
lance of remaining duties.
The simple motto, Do something; do
it now; do the next thing, has often put
| to rout one of the most mischievous
enemies of household peace. So much
in favor of adopting some system, where
| system has been found wanting.
But there turks foe in the opposite
| direction. A woman addicted to the
making of poetry, in defending herself
| against friendly structure on her over
nicely in doing her homework. naively
remarked that she found herself pos
sessen Of tendency to turn everything
she did into a sonnet!
Now, while the scrupulosity of the
housekeeper as to choice of material,
economy of both space and material,
with neatness of arrangement, and fault
less menu and the rest, and all to good
end, after the manner of the sonnet, may
have, conceivably, real, value; this
high toned capitalization of the ever
recurring commonplace of every day
activities might easily be carried too far;
and the family die of "being made COM
Portable" while the poet mother, for
sooth, was singing herself away to ever
lasting bliss.
Happy the mistress who attains to the
golden mean between no system and
system to the death. Or. good friend
be you housekeeper or pot-are you in
definitely putting off some special duty,
which is in consequence forever Juggling
at your skirts, and thus not only hinder
ing your progress in other work, but cast
ing an ugly shadow over every enjoy
ment that offers? Whatsoever thy
hand findeth to do, do it with thy
might" enjoins the Scripture. And
many a human experience might be
cited to prove that one known duty still
left undone, be it never so simple in it's
nature, or never SO slight in its signif-
canoe to our limited view, has power to
weaken the strength of the hands, to
dim the clearness of intellect, and to
cloud the very sunshine of the heart.
Let such duty be instantly attended
to, and how the unburdened conscience
will exult in it's freedom, How light
will other cares seem when released
from such dragging weight!
How we come to dread a duty that
has been long postponed How the
dread accnmulatesl If "a rolling stone
gathers no MOSS" it is equally true that
duty promptly performed has no
chan e to arm itself with dread. PRO
crastination is the thief of time," and
just as truly, moreover. does it rob its
dupe of peace of mind. : Caroline r.