Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1910-01-01
new YEARS
HAIR SPLITTING.
Difference Between Resolutions
and Good Intentions.

"N I'D you make any New Years
resolutions, JohnnyT' asked
~ the cashier as the bill clerk
returned from his locker.
"What do you take me for?" asked
the bill clerk. sit may be necessary
for you, but don't quite see what I've
got to make resolutions against"
~ beg your pardon" said the cash
Ter. "As usual, l spoke in haste and
unthinkingly. New Years resolutions
are for imperfect and weak willed per
sons like me. Not for you"
1--WE made EN-, all the same"
"Then originally you had faults?"
zone or two little blemishes. per-
haps," admitted the bill clerk. Zone
time 1 swore off smoking cigarettes"
"Some people might regard that n
n blemish." said the cashier.
II guess ! kept to II for about thr|
weeks" said the bill clerk. land til
was doing pretty darned well,
Most of them don't last that long.
always makes me little weary
hear fellow say: No, l amt takin
any, thank you. I've sworn off, AN
I'm not going to begin again In >
day or two you'll see him lining up t.
the same old way at the same al
place, and that's all there is to It,"
"It is only too often the case, fear
sighed the cashier
BILLY Manchip has sworn Off from
cussing." said the bill clerk, with an
amused smile. II came In through
the alley. and he had three fellows
loading for him, and they were han
ding the cases as If they were goinp
to sleep when Billy came out. tx
pected to hear something rich and
fancy. but except that he kind of slut
tered when he came to the places
where the ornamental words would
have fitted you'd have thought he was
talking to a Sunday school class. I
said to him, What's the matter, Billyr
"It's just a fool habit, swearing
says Billy. i've sworn off,
"T'll give him just about one week"
continued the bill clerk. Say. the
walking in hades ought to be good by
this time. don't think l ought to do
/ anything to make it better, do you"
There's a difference between Inten-
tons and resolutions" said the cashier.
"a good intention is all right, but 1t
needs resolution on top Of 1t to make
1t stick. You may intend to quit going
into debt for things you could do with
out, and you may intend to get around
to the Office on time and put a little
more ginger into your work when you
do get there. You may intend to be a
little more deferential in your manner
toward your elders and superiors in
the Office and to take good advice when
your elders and superiors give it to
you, but nothlng's likely to come Of
intending. When you resolve-when
you say to yourself, Il am going to do
this or, From this time on I'm not
going to do that then there's some
hope for you"
"You think it's all right, then" que
ried the bill clerk.
ITS a good thing to make a resolu-
ton to do better any tlme," said the
cashier. ITS bad to break 1t, but it's
better to make it and break 1t than not
to make 1t at all. If Billy can keep a
clean mouth for a week it will be bet
ter than nothing and he may last
longer. If you stopped filling your
lungs with cigarette smoke for three
weeks you're that three weeks to the
good"
THANK you for this little lesson"
said the bill clerk gratefully. How
about taking up your employers time
shooting off that everlasting slack jaw
OF yoursr-Chicago News.