The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1909-01-12
LIFe'S MISTAKES
The Sqo,sYissEia Isa Question snd Roads
To The Ere, Lance

To 1he Ere, Lance
Ia the b0ok II Geursi-. chapter Il
verses 1-t. We read that hecau,- tl,,.
wlcG' une-s OF man was great IN the earth
AID ths thoughts of his heart were .vil
continually. is repented the Lord that he
had msde man. aud il grieveo him AT his
heart. This Gil came about because man
had improperly us, q his individual right
Oi freedom. be lacked wisdom. and with
exercise Oi his liberty he went Ia the way
oil error. An error we call "A mistake II
man had no selimoving power he would
make no mistakes; be would be like the
lower animals, or an oyster. a clam.
Now let US be glad that We have the
power to make mistakes. but let us NOT
exercise that power too extensively.
Mistakes may be called the growing
pains oi wisdom. The misdeals In juds
meht, the unwise investments In morals.
mortgages oil error to be redeemed by
wiser living, they are the knot-. taneles.
broken threads In HES pathway. Even
a great mistake Is only an episode. not "A
whole lie always-the misleading by.
paths irJm the road of truth Life IL
time given 20 men to be used ia learning
how 20 live and in learning We expect
failure In perfection OF work. Man grows
In dignity by right attitude toward his
own as well as his fellow man's, and IL
sausfed with not committing the same
error more than one time by letting the
sting OF the error 50 Impress him that
he VIII build more glOriOusly on the
ruins OF yesterday and with stronger
purpose and better Judgment go to
tomorrow's duties. II ike the Pbarisee
we have failed In an opportunity aud
have done wrong or left undone "A dutv
II the past is unworthy live Il down. If
worthy do IL better let what Won have
learned help you to a new parpose. TO a
larger, brighter future. knowing that the
past was not such as to store 10 memory
the best that we conld have done. The
road We have Travelled to this point IN
lille Is little or no better than n we had
been dsuendant OF a mole. Mans atti-
tude toward his mistakes Ia very varied.
Is very peculiar; he will tell you: "Do
as ssy-not as do" Such
advice comes from diseased and
unbalanced mind. to say that Others
DO this way or that when our better
Judgment says IL is wrong, and ike
smallpox, the more people who are thus
afflicted the greater the epidemic. the
more wides- -pread the danger. Some
people may Ike TO wander In the ceme-
terry OF past errors and read again and
again the epitaphs which memory has
placed TO mark the place Of past mis-
take. this paraly zes purpose and hope
dies. We cannot change the past unless
the work oi the future is bettered to that
extent that the past will not show
through. The babbliBg, unthinking
world goes on, what-why-when
should this stop the Independent thought
OF the individual thinker
The writer thinks that the spotsyl.
vania Supervisors are thinkers too
They did take two wise steps, on the
fourth day, nineteen nought nine, In the
forward movmsnt when they made the
road levy iorty cents and decided not to
build a new jsil, when more than hs;i of
the good honest people 10 the county do
not have near 50 good house to live In
The county jail only needs good cement
tloors. and the walls reinforced and a
covered drain pipe from the building and
a lew pieces Uf slate. This need only
costs IA i-w bundFed dollars. and this
thinker thinks that the county can iur.
Dish the men to do the work. First get
the isIIners near the Court House
to haul forty cords OF stone, buy a
stone hammer ard put the man
now In jail to breaking stone. lLet
him do this while he Is resting
and the county Is paying someone
else to cut bis wood and carry 1t In for
him BY the time freexing weather Is over
and the Lord begins his road work in |
the county HE does fully two-thirds
OF 1t anyhow all of the stone not used |
In repairing the jail win come handy to /
make street crossings and sidewalks ia |
your town-zthen keep the stone she'd |
going, because tho mans muscles must |
be kept strooR 80 when his time is out be |
will be In condition to make h.s living |
la bad weather let the JAIL rooster work |
10 the AL corridor, but in good weather
IN the open air. When the Lord begins |
His road work (He works very fast) IN |
March get the cement and send in place /
'or repairing the jail. A short time ago /
prisoner In our tow wn jail began clean
ing her room, and putting the old shoes,
clothes, etc 10 the stoves made such a
smoke that the fire department yas cali
ID out With .ittl. cleaning and reno
vatiDg your jail you win not ne. d more
modern isil until your roads stand a. a
monument TO your good work and pro-
sressive spirit. Who wants Jail with
a cornerstone TO read, In memory OF
The good services % - -, who for
many years were county fathers TO the
good people Of spotsylvania
Yours for good roads,
II