Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1907-04-04
TO FORGET.
nv Ella Wheeler Milcox.

1y IAAu 'ia'OAs
A Young woman who has for six Years
been engaged in a love affair with n young
| man whose station Is his her than her own.
finds that he Is now becoming Indifferent
| to her and bestow!ng his attentions upon
others In HIS class. She asks me to tell
her how she can forget him. The flame
of love still burns in her heart and she
is very unhappy. She wishes to know
how she can e~xtingutsh it,
A man writes me and says: II am in
love with q girl. having deceived
and lied to me for several months. has at
last given me proof that she is unworthy
OF any mans love and respect: but the
fact remains that 1 still love her. How
can I oblitcrate this wasted passion from
my heart and her from my mind?"
My two correspondents have given me
u difficult problem to solve. AS I re-
marked once before In this column, we
have many professors of memory In the
land. but none OF forsetfulness. There
are various methods which teach us how
to recOllect. but no method teaches us how
to enace unwelcome memories from the
mind.
Yet there IL a method for those few who
have the determination. the will power and
the perseverance, to pursue II. In the first
place. throw away every memento and
token OF the person and experience you
desire to forget. II 1t Is possible. change
your location and go among new scenes
and surround yourself with new faces.
Fill every hour with work and study.
Take upon yourself new and engrossing
duties. Be occupied: employ your days
30 thoroughly that you are physically and
mentally fatigued when night time comes.
Exercise In the open air as much AS pos
sibls. and take cold ba tbs once or twice
q day. This will induce sleep.
When the Fascinating yet unwelcome
memory undertakes to assert itself turn
Immediately and busy yourself about some
task which requires all your power of con-
centration. Interest yourself In other peo-
pies lives. Do what you can every hour
of every day as you pass along the high
way of life to cheer. encourage and COM
fort every Fellow traveller.
lf you can afford the time necessary
take up some one line of study and en-
deavor to perfect yourself in 1t. Music,
language. painting. sculpture. stenogra-
ply. artistic needlework. millinery, wood
carving. no matter what-anything which
appea&s-tt,-te .t and -wtr..rh you think YOU
can we'll do.
When you have chosen your study make
II a point to read whatever you can find
regarding the lives of those who have en-
celied in this vocation. All this will help
to lead you away from the one pursuing
memory. Avoid such books and plays as
help to resurrect his memory.
Ask the unseen guardian angels who are
always accessible to our call to help you
in your efforts to forget, and never for
a single day fail to keep yourself occu-
pied.
Avoid solitude. Surround yourself with
people as much as possible. Do not talk
about your trouble to them; listen rather
to the stories OF their lives. Good listen
ers are always more popular than good
takers.
You will for weeks. perhaps for months
imagine that you are making no progres9
In forgetting. yet as time wears on o
Will discover longer and longer intervals
in which you do not think OF your sor-
row: then. again. when YOU Imagine you
have almost forgotten 1t. 1t will rise sud-
denly from its grave and confront you;
but II you do not cuddle 1t and enter
tain 1t. 1t will go back to the tomb where
all ghosts belong. and If 1t finds you busy.
active. occupied and anxious. 1t will not
so trouble you soon again.
Ghosts do not enjoy the companionship
of people of that type. but rather of the
dreamer lost in lansuorous retrospection.
The science Of forgetfulness is one OF the
most difficult to attain. 1t cannot be
achieved in a moment: it must be waited
and worked for.