Imperial Valley press., 1916-12-29
A BIT OF HOLIDAY PHILOSOPHY.
(By w. w. Morrison)

The records of your yesterdays have different as
pect when viewed through the retrospectons Oh o!.
Some words perhaps we would recall, some acUonS
change; and no doubt, would blot out the RECORD
where in some maevolent hour our better oeng apseo
and we were moved to ungenerous ano may oe, ~
some ignObe deed. But this would mean pef1ecllo au
human exDerence shows that changeess perfection WouO
fit but lily into the everchangng and imperfect schee
of human things.
Perfection is cold and lonely and unresponsive. In
deed could it be otherwise 1t counses with the law 1t
knows not mercy magnaniny, neither the lneness
of forgving nor the ennobing of him who is forgiven
1t does not know and can never know aught OF ne con-
ficts stirring mood of the soldiers mighty spirit VINO
heeds the conflicts call Neither does 1t know ano can
never know aught of fes great victories or OF lie r
defeats nor Of that eXaltaton OF the soul through W
great defeat is sometimes turned into great victory
The perfect man could have hopes no aspralons Tor
these are born of fes uncertainties and in his horoscope
nothing could be uncertain If he could sink to no great
depths he also could rise to great heights HIS Wouo
be the dead level of perfection the dull monotony OF an
eternal and unchanglng certainty. .
Those gentle and endearng virtues which relieve the
burdens along lfes checkered ways flower lndeeo INTO
their finest fragrance through the general falby OF
the human race Hence human sympathy, that klndred
the dvnest light that shone across the darker
slopes of m gets its sures inspiration not from our per-
feetons but from the faults and fraes common to us
all Who has not felt the fine subities of the hour when
some imperfect man steaded the faterng steps OF some
faint and wearied wanderer and by words OF wisdom
learned through ifes bitter travas renewed the wan
erers faith in the coming Of better and brighter day
Thus through all the ages has man by the better deed
of his doub redeemed the of his yes
terdays
There is much of gloom abroad in the world today,
and the star of hope shines but dy through an uncer
tain light The records Of the however admonlsh
us to hold firmly faith in mankind The worst Will
die the best will live the nober destiny will survive And
as it concerns those about the records admontlon
still holds true If few have been weak and lost many
ins spite of human fates, have been strong and won
If some have been bad many have been good and some
too have shown the qualities of greatness in their good
Who would not 60 beyond his way to hearten some
hearsick brother pause soften the aspeItes OF lie
to one on whom misfortune had laid unrelentng hand
Who in supreme hour would not sacrifice his own to
the common good defend his friends his country
honor as he would defend his own Who indeed OF those
among us could stay within the pale if he failed in these
Such is the code of Through all the centuries 1t
has lifted humanity still higher place. and has be-
slowed upon the memory of many imperfect mortas the
badge Of a perfect Immortality
A common dependence founded upon common I'M
perfection the genius of the brotherhood of man. 1t is
this Interpretation of the spirit of the holidays that has
lifted the universal good will they typfy into broad de-
mocracy above and greater too than all the dognatlc
creeds of man. So if our retrospectons should take
gloomy trend during these days of the dying year. let US
remodel our philosophy upon truer estimate of life and
more generous estimate of our fellow Remember,
beyond the lights and shadows the vast expanse of the
heavens are forever bending above the world its bow Of
unclouded blue.