South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-12-31
Tea Table Talks
BY May De Witt Talmage
NEW YEAR.

Looking at my calendar the other
day. l read, so closes the year.
Peace 10 his ashes. Peace to the en-
bers OF burnt out things; fears, anx-
ieties. doubts all gone! 1 see them
now as thin blue smoke hanging
in the bright heavens of the past
year, vanishing away into nothing
ness not many illusions scattered, not
many anticipations disappointed"
So let us hope il is with most Of
us. How many memories gather
around those ashes. Memories of
happy days, some days of sorrow
and anxiety. There may be others
who are glad to see the old year go.
hoping the new year will bring bet
ter days. Others stand at the TIRES
hold, dreading what the new year
may reveal TO them.
To those TO whom the past year
only brings memory of opportunity
| lost. or 10 whom the present is a
tangle, a maze that they cannot see
the way out of, and who only have
/ feelings of incOmpleteness and un-
satisfaction, let them look for the
cause of their condition If we are
I physically i'll we call in a doctor,
he feels our pulse, puts thermom-
eter in our mouth which registers
the amount of fever. Finding the
condition he searches for the cause.
/ What have we been eating? How
have we exposed ourselves to atmo-
spheric conditions? What kind of
germ has our weakened overtaxed
body picked up? What is the i'll
ness the result of?
If our lives are out Of gear. alas
there is nc doctor we can call in to
cure US. our only help lies within
ourselves. We must diagnose our
own conditions with serious intro
spectiOn. then go Systematically to
work to strengthen the weak spots
in our character. to give new life
and impetus by positive will power
and resolve. 1t may be we have
been spelling our lives by wrong
line of thought. lax morals, no high
standard Of living, wrong ambitions.
or we have lost opportunities by
vascillating, yielding, stumbling. ANY
one OF these things can bring
wrong condition in our lives.
When we go searching for the
cause OF things, il is interesting and
astounding. The first cause OF our
success. Of our defeat. of our vices:
how far back they date. and what
insignificant things they appeared at
the time. "Trihes are trifles only
to trihers" has been said. "To the
I thoughtful they are symptoms of
peril, signs Of hope. opportunities of
/ life. To ignore trifies is TO, be ig-
norant Of the spot where decisions
/ are made the destinies determined. 3"
/ One Of the chief dangers of life is
! trusting occasions. conspicuous
events, striking experiences. We are
wrong. common days and every day
clothes tell the real story The
epoch OF life is in a thought which
/ revises our entire manner OF life.
/ This is the time. then, instead Of
turning over a new leaf 10 read a
/ bit of the history Of our lives in the
past year. and If we are not salts
fed with it diagnose the case. find
out the cause then say, peace 10 his
ashes, and with positive power and
resolve begin again But don't for
get that wishing never takes the
place OF willing. One is negative
the other positive. A resolute will
lconquers everything.
Look not mournfully TO the past
! II comes not back again.
Wisely improve the present it is
! thine.
Go forth 20 meet the shadowy
future
Without fear and with a brave
heart"