Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1905-12-27

lenS.heEcd lEto deep sleep. tl he
knew nothing more until sister Kate
was calling him and telling him that il
was half-past seven. He didat have
time to read his reSolutiors-iu fact.
OF late he had been rather neglectins
that self-imposed duty-but hurry as
last as he could. after gulping down
his breakfast, he was unable to reach
the Office until long after the schedule
time OF $50. After that things went
from bad To worse. and sooc every
resolution on the card had one or more
bad marks against them. and some
even were beginning to be entirely
ignored. With disappointment and
encouragement at the failures came
reckless Indifference TO the fine pur-
poses of the new year. and one morn.
ing after late hours the night before
and 4 spending of the sum pledged TO
the weekly savings account. Ralph
sprang from his bed as his eye fell
upon the card-his silent accuser-
and. tearing IL from its fastening he
threw il into his waste basket.
There sister Kate found il, and as
she stood looking at il an inspiration
came to her and she took il TO her
room. She had noted her brothers
lapses, but had wisely said nothing.
feeling that the time had not yet come
TO speak. Now a novel plan presented
itself and she busted herself over the
card of resolutions. With her water
colors and some ribbon she. in n very
short time. had quite transformed its
appearance. She covered the lines of
the writing in such a way with some
OF the deeper shades that they gave
very pretty panel background effect
for the bright lettering she placed
across the face of the card. After il
was done she laid IL away. and the
next day, which was Sunday, Afforded
her the opportunity which she sought.
sis" Ralph exclaimed, dejectedly,
In response TO her appeal to him to go
with her to church. whats the use?
| might just as we'll cut that out, too.
The resolutions are all gone to
smash
But you seem to be all intact"
IL amt, thought" he snapped. Il
feel just like the record have made
| crooked and. imperfect
The trouble is not so much with
you, Ralph, as with your method" his
sister responded "You undertook to
be good by rote; you tried to live with
in the compass of a set of infiexible
resolutions. and they have nagged you,
and tripped you. and spoiled all your
natural impulses and made you feel
more like a prisoner than a son of
freedom"
Now you're preaching at me-" he
half laughingly complained.
mo. I'm not. I'm telling you how
you have been victimized by your good
impulses and led astray by the New
Year resolution fad and fallacy. You
are only one of thousands who think
there is some peculiar virtue and
charm in the opening days OF the new
year and who arrange a programme
OF life which even an angel of light
would grow weary in following; and
then when the good resolutions are all
broken and forgotten. and discourage
ment comes, the rest Of the year Is
lived aimlessly and even harmfully
while the conscience is stilled with the
promise OF fresh start when another
new year shall roll around"
But you don't mean that it's fool
ish or wrong to make good resolutions,
even on New Years day."
NO; but I'd rather walk one path
way than try to straddle half dozen.
. I'd rather have one purpose that
would lead me out and away from my
own little self and what it may of
itself attain. than follow a dozen daz-
Zling virtues that would have their
beginning and ending within the mar
row borders of my own human will.
and my own selfish ambuuons. But
must be going. or | shall be late for
! church. Perhaps the molCo hung ON
your wall this morning will help you
to understand" she said. in parting.
Ralph was half tempted to put on
his hat and coat and hurry after his
sister. but her words had strucl: deep
and set him to thinking and he felt
he wanted to be alone. And the mot
to; what was it? and how could IT help
him? he unused. as he slowly went up
stairs and entered his room Instinct
lively he looked towards the place on
the wall at the foot of his bed where
he had hung the elaborate resolutions
drawn up on New Years day. There.
sure enough, was the motto, and had
/ he not been so eager to read its mes
sage he would have noted how really
beautiful IL was, with its handsome
red bow in one corner. and the gold
letters standing out from the rich
| background as though carved in re-
! lief He read and reread the words:
This one thing do, forgetting
those things which are behind. and
reaching forth unto those things which
are before, ! press toward the mars for
the prize OF the high calling OF God
| I'm Christ Jesus.