Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1916-12-09

not quencneu!
A beautiful service it may render
to us, linking us TO the past, giving
us wisdom, to use the present. there
by guiding us and making our future.
Memory is often a storehouse of
spiritual and imperishable treasures.
Il often touches us with sadness, yet
brings to us cheer even as:
loft In the Silly night,
When slumbers chain has bound
me,
Fond memory brings the light
OF other days around me-
The smiles, the tears
OF boyhoods years.
The words of love then spoken;
The eyes that shone
Now dimmed and gone,
The cheerful hearts now broken"
We often know not how to judge
the present and prepare for the flu
ture but by the past. 1t affords to
our consciences the basis for their
action, as they approve and give us
pleasure or disapprove and give us
pain 1t was the memory of Dun
cans murder that gave to conscience
its power TO punish Macbeth. 1t was
mis- good master that walked the con
science in Judas breast and lead him
to exclaim in remorse, Il have sin
ned in that l have betrayed innocent
blood" What pleasures memory
may give us, The memory of a good
deed done is like an angel from
heaven coming to cheer us; or is like
a flower that grows in beauty and
sends its grateful odors through the
whole life The memory of wrong
received from others has made many
a life bitter, but the memory of
wrong done to others is more bitter
still
Since memory has so much to do
with our happiness, with our judg-
ment, with our use of the present and
cur preparation for the future, it is
of the highest Importance that we
know how to have good memories.
We are making memories all the
time, for what we think and say and
do and see will be brought up by
memory and we are therefore stor-
ing up happiness or unhappiness all
the time. 1t is desirable that one
have memories that will be as accur-
ate as possible, as pleasant, inspiring
and Strengthening to the heart and
the mind and the purposes as pos
sible. Two suggestions will be made
While we may never forget any
thing, we may select the memories
most worthy to be cherished, and by
effort can keep the desirable things
more vividly and powerfully in mem
ory. If the involuntary memory
brings mp unpleasant things from the
past through the mere power of as
sociation, do not cherish them, for
the voluntary memory can decide
which of these it will welcome and
oh i-h ,N1a ~
memories those that are disagree
able to think about that make you
morbid, weaken your purposes, and
diminish the unselfishness of your
ideals. We have all made mistakes,
and if we are very conscientious and
sensitive our memory may torment
us into hopelessness and helplessness.
When the thought of past weakness
or failure brings intimidation to the
mind, dismiss it with instructions
never to return.
Memories of wrong done us must
be sent away and be supplanted by
thoughts Of the goodness shown us
by others, or by thoughts of the good
of those who have seemed to mis-
treat us. Memories of misfortune
when cherished tend to gloom and
depress, till the power to be cheer
full, to form purposes, and reform our
plans is gone. Memory of an unhappy
past may keep us from putting our
whole selves into the present and
thereby paralyze us. When we can
have memories that enrich the mind
and empower the life why should we
cherish those that only impoverish
the mind and enfeeble the life?
While we send away those undesir-
able memories that come of them
selves, we may recollect the scatter
ed experiences and events that give
us pleasure or wisdom or hope. To
be sure, past failures, when we do
not dwell on them too much, may be-
come incentives to better achieve
ments, but may do so only when we
accept from them the inspirations
without dwelling upon the failures
themselves We all must have men,
ories OF efforts which we have put
forth to do worthy things, and
though we may not have succeeded
In the highest measure we may still
have happy thoughts of what we tried
to do Thousands of brotherly words
have been spoken TO us for the few
unbrotherly, and we can afford to
spend some time on the former.
GnndnacS and on,,raoo and ,,pcolfinI,