The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1915-08-26
THE AGE OF DREAMS.

THE AGE OF DREAMS.
What is the age for dreams? Who can
tell? Perhaps, at first, without serious re-
Election. the answer would be 'the spring
time of life, before existence begins to I'M
fold its prosaic realities" The dreams OF
youth are but its hopes, its eager antlclpa-
tions andslofty impulses; such dreams are
common to all and without them the early
DAYS would lose much of their brightness.
Most of them are woven, perhaps, OF too
fragile substance to Withstand the test OF
time and so it happens that when expert
ence begins to handle them with more or
less vigor they crumble to pieces and are
lost forever. Their life is brief, perhaps,
but while it lasts it is full OF beauty and
the memory of its glory lights the way when
darkness sets in. We would not surrender
the dreams of our youth, futile as many OF
them prove, because they leave behind
them at least trace of something sweet
and indefinable which never again comes
into our lives. Such dreams, however, are
not the only ones that come to US from time
time and reflection will show probably that
the age for dreams has no limit We are
subject to their helpful influence at nearly
every period, and if perhaps they are not 80
buoyant in later life it is only because we
have learned by experience not to set our
hopes too high. We do not all dream;
indeed dreaming, as rule, Is opposed
to practical endeavor, yet the man who
achieves the highest goal laid the founda-
tons of his success in his dreams. He
foresaw his possibilities in way and he
developed them in Imagination into the per-
feet results that marked his daring prog
ress. We cannot build by hands alone;
our minds must indicate the methods to be
used and many of these methods are origi-
nally dreamed into existence.
While the dreams of later life may not be
as brilliantly colored as those of our earlier
days, in way they mean much more to US.
We cling to them more, perhaps, because
they do not come to US so easily and, there
fore, we prize them more and so long as we
have them and believe them possible OF
realization they afford US certain degree
of comfort and happiness which we would
not otherwise enjoy. Common sense prob
ably, would exempt all visionary influences
from our more serious existence and bid US
look to the practical affairs of life for both
our moral and physical welfare rather than
to vain imaginings. However, we do not
always like to take life seriously; we be-
come weary of the endless round of duty
and ordinary routine and we like to conjure
up the beautiful dreams of cherished de-
sires and try to believe that some OF them,
at least, may be realized. As long as we
are not subjected to rude awakenings we
feel warranted in tasting the sweet delights
Of our harmless dreams. Such awaken
ings, indeed, must come sooner or later to
all of us who have at any time trusted too
willingly to the insecure joy of our dreams,
yet for all that they are sometimes worth
the trust we place in them. When the
awakenings come and we see our dream
pictures fade away there is nothing to do
but TO accept the inevitable and to catch
enough of their sweetness and their radi-
ance to brighten the rest of our days.
Because our dreams cannot stay with US
always it does not follow that their influ.
ence ceases Some of them are very rea
while they last and turn the searchlights o.
our souls into remote places of which We
had not thought before. They work them
selves into our very lives, in way, ane
even seem parts of our existence, and ever
when the end comes and we know that WI
have surrendered them forever their ligh
still quivers atintervals about US and shows
how deep their influence was. Some of u
carry the memories of our youthful dream
with US until the end of long and busy lives
and as the years ripen we gather new dream
by the way and cling to them with yer.
much the same tenacity of spirit as w
chung to those of our budding time. Ever
when advancing years begin to tell thei
story we are able to take certain pleasur
in our dreams which, while they may b
vastly different in character from those 0
earlier periods of existence yet stand TO
much. The dreams of old age are perhap
the best Of ALL They are very sure to b
simple and trusting and full of hope be
cause, as rule, they lead to the creates
awakening of all, an awakening that
vastly different from LIES usual awaken
ings, but which yield measure of happi
ness too high and too deep for human min
to grasp. Perhaps in the great beyond on
dreams may appear to US as they reall
are and we shall then be able to distinguis
between those that were really worthwhile
and to understand why some of them wer
denied us.
UP TO THE VOTERS.
Next Tuesday, August 31st, the peopl
of Louisiana will vote for or against hold
ing Constitutional Convention. There