The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1904-01-02
New Years Resolves
Better TO Make and Break Them
Than Not to Make Them at All

. GONE facetious individual has de-
fined New Years day as "a time
when men make good resolutions
in the confidence of breaking them as
socn as possible" But he has much
to learn to his own profit who sneers
at good resolutions because some men
break them To resolve to do right
does not mean necessarily that one
will keep the promise. but such pur-
pose. whether outwardly expressed or
inwardly understood. is proof that the
individual is conscious Of abiding sin
Of some sort
II is the self-TighteOus individual
who is in danger. Good resolutions
are born Of repentance; and repent
ance when genuine is a cardinal viz
tue. The self-righteOus fellow does
not resolve to do better because his
vanity tells him there is nothing
wrong in his makeup. He may go
along committing blundeTs every day
and doing no end of mischief. Such
fellow is beyond redemption. Like
Ephraim of old. he is Joined to his
idols and should be left alone.
Doubtless there are many thought
less and some insincere good resolves
made on New Years day. Neverthe-
less IL is a good thing that many
men do begin the new year with re-
solves to strive after what is higher
and better II is a marked and glOri-
fed improvement upon the custom
once so general but now, thank God,
obsolete, of men going from house to
house paying calls and guzzling wine
or stronger drink until before the
round was completed they we're hope .
lessly drunken.
II is a great deal better for a man
to resolve a hundred times and fail
in each resolve than to go along con-
tented with his lot of sin and shame.
There is hope for a man just as long
as there abides in him desire for what
is better. 1t is we'll to enter into argu-
ment with ones self only after due
but a broken pledge 20 do
right is far better than no pledge
at all.
There is nothing strange in assOcia-
ton of good resolves with the dawn OF
q new year. On the contrary, the oc-
casion is one that suggests just such a
general practice. The old year has
ended. Its memories suggest Sins
while conscience slept"
that degraded the moral man.
'ollies that brought shame and vices ;
hat weakened body and brain. But
memory is not all. Body and mind tell
he sensible man that such practices
md in physical wreck and moral de-
'ay.
The year is new and clean. The sun,
ust risen, looks upon il for the first
ime. Men of business close up their
ages for the year ended and begin {
lew and fresh ones for the new year
hat has dawned. They figure out &C
urately their losses and their gains in O
he old year. subtraCting one from the
ther. :
AS the merchant begins his year
new, why may not the moral nature
t a man be renewed if the memories
( the past year and the physical &
Of the present suggest
he need Of a striving after wha: is =
igher and better?
That the practice has been abused
J no argument against its use That ci
Dme men have made good resolutions
My TO break them is not evidence
nat reform is impossible. Striving .
fter what is right is GOdlike one
lay raise his standard so high as not d
} be able TO attain it. but there is
irtue in every attempt to make better
mes life. Indeed one may find at the q
Osing Of long life that he has tried INT