Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1915-12-31
A New Year
q Message =
By William s. Jerome

rERHAPS no better motto for the
new year can be found than that
which Longfellow pretxed to his
popular work. Hyperion" He
says he found q tablet in the church
yard OF st. Gilgen, in the Tyrol. bear.
ing this singular inscription:
Look not mournfully into the past.
1t comes not hack again. Wisely Inn
prove the present. 1t is thine. Go
forth to meet the shadowy future with.
out fear. and with a manly heart"
Here we have motto and message
for the three divisions Of time which
mark the New Year.
The Past.-It is natural to look
"mournfully into the past" The look
backward recalls 80 many mistakes
and failures that the result is always
depressing. What we have occom.
plished seems small In proportion to
what was desired and attempted. This
perspective of time enables US to
Judge more accurately our life than
we could at the time. 1t is not a bad
idea at the New Year to take account
Of stock" review the past, and seek
to learn its lessons.
Yet there may be too much intro
spection and retrospection. We should
not neglect the past or fail to learn
from it, and there is profound phi
losophy In the apostles Injunction to
forget the things that are behind"
Whether they are evil or good, the
advice is wise. If the review Of an
evil past leads us to encouragement
and depression. the thought of good
past may lead to dissatisfaction and
content, and thus prove an obstacle to
further progress. We can make no
real advancement if we drag at each
remorse frightening chain," even II
that chain be of roses, and the remem'
brance of happy days ami good deeds.
Cultivate, therefore, a good forget.
terry" Do not let the failures and mis-.
takes of the days gone by prove STUN.
bling blocks in the future pathway.
Do not let past good deeds prevent yet
nobler efforts and grander achieve
ments Whatever the past, it has gone
forever. Neither prayer nor tears can
bring it back. Let it go,~therefore
unload it's memories, that we may bet
ter run the race that is still set before
us. -ta
r. The Future.-The "shadowy future, y
our motto calls it. The word is well
chosen, for veil lies over the days to
come, which is not lifted till we reach
them. We naturally shrink from the
unknown, and not knowing what may
be on the morrow, we therefore fear
the morrow. But fear is not the same
as wise forethought. Because we dc
not know what the morrow will bring
forth we are not to boast ourselves oil
tomorrow or recklessly waste the days
granted us. But fear of the future
weakens us for life's struggles, and Is
unworthy Of one who believes that
Goods in his heaven; all's right with
the world. !"
The true attitude toward the future
is that of encouragement and faith.
The fearless, manly heart" does not
mean rashness or bravado, or insensi
bility to life's seriousness and mean.
ing. 1t means the triumph of faith
over fear, of courage over cowardice
1t expresses exactly the right spirit in
which to face the unknown. Trust
no future, howe'er pleasant" fear no
future, no matter how dark and mys.
terious. For the future is made up
of just such days as we have already
had.
The Present.-This is thine. There.
fore it is to be wisely improved. It is
literally and really all we have-the
present moment-"the inch before the
saw" Yesterday, like last year, is
gone forever. Tomorrow may never
come. ;. .@r ~
How urgent the call of the New
Year, to spend no time in vain regrets
or future forebodings, but to give our.
selves diligently to the work Of the
day! At this season we often say, "A
new year has dawned." But, really,
only one more day has come. We
have 1915, but 1916 is not yet here,
and when 1t, too. is gone il will be too
late to do anything in it. The recur.
renee of New Years day does not
really alter the ordinary conditions of
life. We are prone to think that, with
the new date and new year, things
will be in some way different-duty
will be easier and less distasteful. One
who has wasted the past year is very
apt to think that, by some magical
influence the new year will bring new
and more favorable conditions. But
to think so is to deceive ourselves.
Whatever, new experiences may come
to US, we know very we'll that the ordi-
nary laws of morals or mathematics
will not be changed by the change of
date. In 1916, as in the past, two and