The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1899-01-05
NEW YEAR THOUGHTS.
Let US Now Lcok Ahead for that
Which is Best.
BETTER WEAR THAN RUST.
BYG. GROsvENOR DAVE.
Written for The Commonwealth.

! Written for The Commonwealth.
Sense for the despondent.--Perhaps
the backward glance along the path o1
eighteen nlnety-eight is very dis
ouieting one-feebleness where there
might have been strength, hesitancy
in the place Of perfect assurance, yield
ing when there should have been 8
proud resistance, >obstlnacy at time
more fit for cheerful surrender, feal
when there was the loudest call fol
bravery, bravado one day when there
was nothing to make it good. POSI-
bly, we can even see our own great
stoggy footsteps across quagmire we
ought not to have traversed-and mud
still clinging to feet that were created
to tread clean highways.
.**
All the innocent Joy of the little
ones who shout "Happy New Year" al
us seems like mockery. We say to
ourselves "Happy! Indeed how can ]
be happy? Failure over everything
until life itself seems fraud played
upon those who are unwilling to live >
The cheerful need no cheering it is
the cherries ones who should be call.
ed into little glow of warmth and
then only by those who have known
what cold Is for we often resist a pul.
pit utterance when we feel that the
speaker has no deep knowledge Of
life's hurly-burly.
| Xxx
Some time ago read poem by a
Boston man. It was strung out lot
of sentiment about GA Bird With q
Broken Pinion." His argument, and
a very. self-eyident one at that-was
that the bird with broken wing could
never soar so nigh as before the acci-
dent. Then he llkened US who make
failures to that same unhappy little
creature. Surely he was far from be-
ing correct. It read to me like the
nonsense OF comparing two things that
were utterly unlike, and then basing a
sermon upon resem mbIances that did
not, could not, and never would exist.
x*x
Truth is not in his idea. The SIM
lie was false one, and life as it is
lived by human beings-not birds
proves it so. The man who has learn
ed by serious and humlliating bumps
that he cannot stand upright unless be
looks we'll to the way of his feet, will
be greater man, and greater power
than the one who never Stun bles and
therefore fails to understand how hard
is the pathway of his fellows. Real
leadership must have humility in it,
and humility is hard to find among
those who know neither testing nor
tempting.
~
In other matters besides those OF
conduct mistakes play valuable parts.
The progress of the world is based up.
on this or that theory-sworn to We
hemently for withdrawing been
proved to be wrong. The importance
to the world Of making errors is ranked
by another quality belonging to US
complex creatures, the ability to see a
mistake after we have made it, ard to
profit by it. In fact, to have done
those things that we ought not to have
done, seems to put us in the best frame
of mind to attempt those things we
| ought to do.
Sense enough remains within you
to make you respondent over your
short-comings-beg glad of that. You
have not reached the stage of hoggish
NOA Will CdO AAAAC VI yOul
own making. You haye heart to YET
believe that you are capable of better
things than you have yet accomplished
So at this season when we are prone to
look mainly backward, summon you
to cheerful facing OF the future
Stop moaning and replning over lost
opportunities. Nothing will bring
them back. But you live, and life
means that other opportunities are yet
to be placed before you.
| az
| Put courage in your heart for this
two-fold reason-you knew the worst
that Is IN you and regret 1t, and you
must believe in better things yet tt
be, or you would not long after them
Therefore I say, aud with me speaks
every soul that has trlumphed ovel
weakness and gone from strength tt
strength-let the time of fearful diver
gence from everything that makes fol
progress, be no longer remem bered al
Many a household is saddened BY
death because OF the failure to keep OF