The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1907-12-06
THROWING THINGS AWAY.

THROWING THINGS AvvAy.
The limo Whsn You Weary Of Heard.
Cd lneumbraness.
Il am beginning to throw away
thinys,' said Mr.. Flittingby, accord
Ing to the New York Sun-"going
! through my papers and things and
throwing things away.
Il find among them newspaper clip
pings about things that would never
have thought of again but for this re-
minder> and some things have for
gotten so completely that even the
sight Of the clippings does not recall
to me why cut them out and saved
them; so unimportant really are many
Of the things about which we bother
ourselves or which at some time we
found Of interest.
There are letters from men long
since dead, and old bills that recall
forgotten periods Of our life that now
seem strange to u.s., we live so much
In the present. And why keep these
old receipts? The men that gave them
are dead now or moved away, and
these accounts will never be sent in
again, and If they were they have long
since been outlawed by the lapse of
time. Throw them away.
Here are old birthday cards, with
pretty, with affectionate, with loving
greetings, bringing most pleasant
memories, though they do remind us
Of the years that have gone since first
they came to us. And why should we
preserve them longer? We can re-
member, we can cherish those who
sent them without them to remind us,
and they would only lie there with the
old papers in the drawers. To the
basket gently with them.
"And here, as live, are some old
valentines! Well, we'll! This does
make us young again. But, dear, dear,
that was long ago. Why should we
keep them longer? To the basket
gently. We have the valentine her.
self now.
"There are so many things that we
put away to save, to treasure. Life
seems to stretch away interminably be-
fore US when we are young and we
are going to keep these things always,
and 1t takes us happily a long, long
time to get where we can see the be-
ginning Of the end. Youth envelopes
US with buoyancy and strength that
make life seem joy that is to go on
forever, and in sturdy middle age, in.
deed, we take little account Of the
years, but then comes a time when
we begin to realize that two and two
make four and no more.
"NOw, I have arrived at that time
Of life when I begin to know. Don't,
for heavens sake, think that am
taking mournful view. Far from it.
life never seemed to me so full Of
Joy as now, and I'm good for good
long stretch of 1t; yet, with senses keen
and understanding broadening, finding
enjoyment in everything and taking
this broader view of things, not occu-
pied too much by detail, this stored up
accumulation Of long gathering truck
seems superfuous and useless, and so
I'm just going through it and throwing
things away.
"This lot that I've been going
through today is just stuff that has
accumulated in the cubbyholes in my
desk, but I've got boxes and bundles
Of such stuff stored away, and must
get 1t out, a box or bundle at a
time, and go through It and throw 1t
away, for of what use will it ever be
to anybody? What becomes of this
sort Of stuff, anyway, when people
er-r-I mean why shouldn't I sort this
stuff out now myself and not leave it
to cumber things up for somebody else
to throw away?
'"There may be some things, to lie
sure, that I'll want to save, things that
other people will want to keep, and
these things will save; but as to the
bulk Of this stuff. why, it's just so
much hindering, useless baggage, and
this I'll throw away and with the
docka c1oa rod fart 1ifo ouoxu