The Washington herald., 1908-05-16
THE oPTIMIST.

Time we have with Us, and opp0Ttun-
lty-the thought must come insis.ently to
many of us-do we make the best of
these? During the Spanish war we joked
nightly about the Spanish "manana.
the putting of until Tomorrow what
should have been attended to to-day, and
to our national alertness and readiness
to put cur hands 20 the task before us
We aseribed much OF our success.
But as indiyidualsi Do We not. all Of
US. fall BY so much short of the success
that should be ours: fan short Of aehiey-
Ing the fullest that is possible to US be-
cause procrastination is so much easier
than effort? I got hold OF g poem OF
Rfey's the other day that seemed to
voice this. Most Of us know it:
AfteFWhile- and one intends
To be geBtier 10 his friends
To walk with them IN the hush
OF siiu evenings 0eT the plush
OF home-isadins fields. and stand
Long st parting. hand in hand
One. IN time. wiz Joy to take
AeE fesolYes for some ones sake.
And wear then the iook that lies
Gear and pure in ether eyes
He VIII soOthe and reconcile
His ozn conseienee-afterwhile.
There are few greater or more fatal
mistakes than this dwelling IN the false
hopes Of the days that are TO come. 1t
is such d fatuous belief and faith, that
because We are unfaithful TO our trust
to-day we may be faithful In the time
to come.
Nothing perhaps, has so moved the
poets to that deep feeling Of the soul in
which the best work of the poets has
been done than unaYaiIing regret felt
by every man whose conscience is alive;
regret for wasted opportunities. for days
that have gone. never TO return, In which
much kindness might have been done,
much good accomplished.
Dear as remembered kisses after death
And swees those my hopeless fancy fegped
! On bps that for others Deep as lcFe;
| Deep first idse and wild with az regret
Oh. Death IN Life. the days that are no more
The point OF view taken by the younger
poet is the one that Is the more likely
to inspire those that read. and it is for
that reason that Il is well 20 call the
attention of optimists to H. For Riley
/ points out the
Aftes7Thile-we have III view
/ far soeue to journey to-
Ahere the old home is-and where
The Old mother waits as there,
PeoEing. as the time grows late
Down the cid path to the gate
How win click the latch that locks
IL the Tdnks and holiyhocks
And leap uP the path once more
Where she waits us AZ the door
HoH vel greet the dear old SMILE
And the Wam -afteTWhilei
There is not Of Us no matter how
/ bravely and honestly We have stFiven to
/ live our lives. but can find In looking
back a thousand causes for poignant re-
grst al duty left undone, time wasted,
and work that, put aside, supposedly for
the moment, has never been resumed and
worse than all-will never be done now.
/ And there are more OF such regrets 10
come TO Us, for as We have failed once,
| so, surely, bitter as IL may be 10 ae-
/ knowledge. shall we fail again:
All the endless afterWhiles-
Leagaes on leanles and nies on miles,
IE the distance faF withdraw.
| Stretching on and on and oH.
Tili the fancy Is footsoIs
And faints IN the dust before
The lest milestone's granite FACE,
Haeked with: Here Beginnsth Space.
Oh. Ear ginmering words and wings
Mystic smiles and beek0uings
| Lead u.s. through the stadoWy aisies
Out into the aftegWhiies