The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1915-11-04
THE COMFORT OF THE HOURS.

THE COMFORT OF THE HOURS.
Most of US 60 blindly on our way, rush
inc through the confusion Of the days,
spending strength and effort and passing
By the comfort of the hours. We get
wrong idea of life when we regard only its
material aspects, when we commemorative
our viewpoint, as it were, and misinterpret
LIES values. We set our hearts upon the
achievement of some worldly object and
after while its attainment becomes an
obsesson with US and we think and dream
of nothing else. We hope for nothing more
than the accomplishment Of this one pur-
pose; we believe that its successful attain
ment will satisfy our every wish and desire
and consequently, we pass by everything
else in life while we strain every nerve to
meet the outcome. Perhaps we may fail
outright in our purpose and thus expert
ence the encouragement of defeat, or per-
haps we may succeed only to have the issue
fail short of our expectations. We may
find the anticipated joys of our triumphs
but the bitter-sweets of yet unsatisfed
ambition. And because we have proceeded
in selfish manner and worked only for
our own interests to the exclusion of all
else we find ourselves unable to extract any
consolation from the passing hours.
1t is good to change our views of life at
times when we have labored too long in a
single channel. Sometimes it takes COM
pie upheaval Of our plans to set US in the
right road; sometimes simple happening
will make US look with new interest upon
the ordinary events of life, but whatever
it may be, whatever the hidden force that
changes life's aspects for US for the better
it is really blessing in disguise despite its
apparently difficult conditions. Any cir
cumstance is beneficial which takes US out
Of our selfish ways and makes US open our
eyes to the joys at hand. Perhaps at first
We may not consider the real values of life
as altogether joyous in their relations to our
lives, but as time goes on and we begin to
learn through experience something of the
ianer meaning of life's secrets our opin
ions change and those things that made no
appeal to US at first begin to take on new
significance, and we find comfort where
none was possible before. If life is too
easy and things seem to come our way
without effort on our part we are humanity
weak enough to fall into selfish ways and
into selfish thoughts that halt moral de-
velopment; therefore any change that
awakens Us to an appreciation of existing
conditions is the beginning of new life and
higher development.
II the pursuit Of our ambition makes life
too strenuous there are resting places along
the way. and restful bits to interests us,
and restfui friendships to counterfeit OBJ
stractive enmities, and restful diversion to
to take our minds away from the engross-
ing competitions and failures We meet on
every side. The secret of getting the most
from life lies in the ability to sustain our
self-poise. Without it we can accomplish
very little. We must not allow ourselves
to be carried to extremes either in the shap-
Jug of our careers or in the handling of our
rest-periods. The one is just as important
as the other in the long run and he who
goes the pace Of strenuous endeavor and
forgeta to care for his mental and physical
condition will get small comfort out of life.
The restful bits along the way, the comfort
Of the passing hours, are the smiles of life
and do more to tone US up and make US
able to withstand life's Bullets than any
thing else. They help to take our minds
away from our all absorbing interests and
to ease them for a while from the strain to
which they are subjected; they make us
find the time to think of others and to dwell
upon the things that give life and pleasure
to others and in this way to inspire us with
the desire of doing something for those
around US. We can make companions we'll
worth having of the hours that are passing
SO quickly, hours that hurry into the past for
all time, bearing our records into eternity.
Ii We once learn the secret of putting those
hours to the best possible use, of so arrang-
ing them and enjoying them that we cannot
improve upon their utilization we shall
have found both the joy and the happiness
OF working we'll and intelligently and OF
resting with profit both to ourselves and to
ourselves and to others. We need not miss
the comfort of the hours if we set ourselves
the task of learning how to posseessit. and
once having gained the knowledge there is
small chance that we shall ever be willing
again to return to the old selfish manner oil
living, with thought only for ourselves and
disregard of the rights and hopes of others
We must make the most of each hour if We
would gain happiness. There is no othe,
way which promises 80 much enduring
comfort, and when we are left to fight our
way by ourselves we shall be able to com
bine the comfort of the present with the
helpful memories of the past.
Well Done, Ladies'.
Savannah, Ca, Oct. 30.-After an ami.