The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1916-04-13
WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO-DAY :?

Why is it that so many OF us are content
to live on good intentions rather than on
good deeds? We are all SO willing and
eager to promise ourselves the joy of doing
good at some future time and then never
find the opportunity. procrastinate our
good deeds until sometimes they are shorn
of their real value and afford only ordinary
results. We forget that there are oppor-
tunities always at hand to realize our in
tentions if they are sincere, yet we are
willing to 60 on from day to day passing
them by and trusting to the future in which
to show our good faith. ''We shall do
much in the years to come," we say and
then lose sight of the fact that "the years
to come" are crowding US even now. The
trouble with many Of US is that we are in
clined to look upon life as an endless ex
istence. OF course we know that the end
must come for US as we'll as for everyone
else, yet somehow we never seem to realize
this fact. 1t is always the other man who
will pass away while we shall live on; it is
always the other man who will grow old
while we shall remain young; it is always
of doing good while we shall always have
ours. We find it hard to realize that to-
day is ours and tomorrow is Gods. We
things that are easily within our grasp; of
the lights and shadows that flicker across
our paths as we journey onward; of the
opportunities and conditions that face US at
the time. The future can never be surely
counted upon. Such assertions have be-
come hackneyed expressions, yet we cannot
doubt their truth and the only way by which
to impress them upon our minds is by their
serious consideration.
Even our comparatively limited expert
ence teaches US the futiity of depending
upon the future for the success we hope to
achieve. AS soon as we reach maturity
common sense tells US to prepare promptly
for the battle of life and having armed our
selves as best we may, to enter its activi-
ties without delay. The years slip by too
rapidly to admit of representation, fact
that We learn to our cost sooner or later.
So it is with our good intentions. We are
never too inexperienced to put them into
instant practice. Of course as we gain in
age and experience our chances to do good
develop 10 proportion, and the good that
we are able to do when in the full vigor
OF maturity is greater, as rule, than that
which we are able to accomplish at other
times. 1t is much more necessary and much
more to the point to ask ourselves what we
have done to-day than to make plans for
tomorrow. We may intend working untold
good to others-to encourage the despairing,
to cheer the sorrowing, to feed the hungry,
to clothe the naked, to aid the penniless, to
visit the sick-but, as rule, we defer put
ting those worthy intentions into practice
until a more convenient time. The "after-
while' seems so big and glorious with OPP
portunity that we do not seriously regret
deferring our kindly offices and in fact,
many of US seem to think that we can work
to better advantage in the latter years when
we are beginning to lose our firm grip upon
life's activities. We say that we have so
many absorbing interests at present to take
our minds away from serious questions, so
many calls of one kind and another, so
many business, social and personal reasons
for not thinking seriously of our opportuni-