Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-03-31
HORATIO STEBBINS
sPRINGrIME IN ALABAMA.

Two months ago. or thereabouts, a
beauteous tinge of green, of bronze and
of pink began to show in the far south,
| il crept through Florida thence through
southern Georgia and is showing cloth
| ing the earth with sladness. Spring
will soon be here" the lover of outdoor
| life has said with every wave that the
zephyrs have sent this way Spring will
soon be here" has been in the hearts of
| the farmers as they watched, with past
! knowledge, the looks of trees and soil,
and they straightway began to be pre-
pared for each days duties. Spring
will soon be here" said mothers and
homemakers, and their minds turned To
| little bodies that must be clothed in
! lighter garments and Indifferent appe-
titles that must be catered to. And in
every heart there is, or there should be.
| the dominant thought that
| There's a Wilderness in Gods mercy
Like the Wilderness of the sea-
and that He who watches the birds of
the air, clothes the earth in verdure
and gives us all that is needful is still
sending us another opportunity to redeem
our last years mistakes.
| Spring time in our hearts should mean
the resurrection of all that's good, and
a putting away, a casting aside the
things of the past that might hinder a
higher spiritual growth.
Spring fever" is an enemy that is
lurking in all the avenues to better
things-an enemy that whispers Its too
much trouble" and one that in plain
English is also called laziness The time
secret of success is the capacity for
taking pains, the determination to do
| ones very best and to be a litter, not
| drag on other people. If you have
not been this in the past now is the
best time in the world to begin Habits
are so easily formed and often so hard
! to be broken.
In my reading not long ago L came
across these lines, and pass them on to
you for your own edifcation just as
they helped me: Now, therefore, see
that no day passes in which you do not
make yourself a somewhat better crea-
ture, and in order to do that find out
first what you are now Do not think
vaguely about it; take pen and paper,
and write down as accurate a descrip-
tion of yourself as you can, with the
date to it. If you dare not do so find
out why you dare not.
II do not doubt that the mind Is a
less pleasant thing to look at than the
face, and for that very reason it needs
more looking at; so always have two
mirrors on your toilet table, and see
that with proper care you dress body
and mind before them daily. After the
dressing is once over for the day think
no more of it, l don't want you to
carry about mental pocket comb; only
to be smootnbraided always in the
morning. "-Ruskin.
You have all heard the famous prov
erb of Abraham Lincoln's. We can fool
some of the people all the time, just as
he said but my observation has taught
me that we can fool ourselves every
tifne-and the worst of it is that we are
like the ostrich and are hiding our men,
tai ewes to our own detriment. We make
excuses to ourselves that we dare not
even utter for the very thoughts when
put into words become foolishness. A
gossiper is despicable creature, but
there has to be grain of truth to sea-
son the gossip or nobody would listen
! TO it, And there isn't a gossipper on
face of the earth, feel sure, that real
~ has looked into Ruskin's mental mir
ror and seen the true aspect OF the mind
! that distortS facts.
One cannot be a gossip monger and be
truthful. he or she must at least bear
false witness by distorting the facts
and embellishing them with imaginary
| circumstances.
! This life is too short, and too full