Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-04-09
A2oNen tss!s. &ss lnreReS S
Dreams That Never Reach Port
BY Beatrice Fairfax

And the way to end dreams is to
break them-stand, walk, CO."
Are you drifting idly on the stream
of life? Are you a dreamer? Do
you sit and fancy what would be fine
in life-provided it could be, or do
you set about bringing into your life
the things that shall make it splen-
did.
Dreams are splendid, glowing,
glorious, wonderful things-provided
they are incentives to action. Dreams
are poor little ghosts provided they
are only fancies, and dreams are cruel
1ailers If they are permitted to weave
themselves over a life and so prevent
the spirit that should be up and doing
from forcing itself out into action and
expression.
One of the saddest effects of dreams
lies outside the three ordinary classi-
fications into which dreams and the
dreamer fall. 1t is the tendency of
dreaming to work itself out in drift
ing.
Drifting is generally an uncon-
scious process All unconscious
processes''-all processes which are
not directed and guided by the mind
are fraught with danger.
Drifting generally goes with the
current of life in general. 1t fits
itself into events and circumstances,
be they good or i'll. 1t calls for no
expression of will power, and gen
orally proceeds in the opposite direc-
ton from that which will power
would direct the individual to go.
Now, whenever will power is ig-
nored, the danger signals of u life
are set.
Develop Will Power
The way to build strength of char
acter. the way to work toward sue
cess is to develop will-for Will Is
needed to overcome obstacles, will
is needed to fight danger and to meet
privation, will is required to endure
all the hardships that rear them
selves on the path to success.
What call does the drifter ever
make on MS wifi power? He is float
ing along with the tide-perhaps the
tide is sluggish and let's him glide
into a backwatcr where there is
hardly any communication between
the movement of active and ambitious
life and the mere existence of dull
ness and stupid content Perhaps the
tide that carries the drifter is a wild
and turbulent one-it may take him
over the rapids of dissipation and
wreck him there. 1t may carry him
out into the uncharted sea of wick
edness and immortality and there de-
stroy him. OF the tide may bring him
into collision with the bark of some
other life.
Then the drifter is all too likely to
harm and wreck and destroy the well
equipped sailing vessel which had no
fault other than the misfortune TO get
into his path. or the drifter may be
whirled by the tide against some stout
craft that will cripple the drifter and
leave him a derelict on the sea of life.
Drifting presupposes defeat. 1t re-
suits from dreams gone wrong. In the
beginning we all have fancies of the
big things we will make of the events
Of our lives In the beginning we Gll
dream that we will do deeds of high
emprise. Most of us start well enough.
But if we merely dream-not DO-it
we permit ourselves to drift, defeat is
sure to be life's portion for us.
Dreams must be coined into deeds.
Lack of effort to hold ones self in
the way of ambition or TO stem ths
tide of laziness: lack of a sense of di-
rection i'm the path Of life; lack of de-
termination to move steadily ahead to-
ward some Worthwhile goal, come
quickly enough if one sits up dream
ing of what one will do tomorrow
always Tomorrow the manana' OF
lazy Oriental and Southern tempera-
ments. And out of these lacks grow
definite over-supply of the ''laisse2