The Washington herald., 1920-09-27
Great Woman Writer Warns
Against Dwelling on Past as
1t Robs Us of All Lnitiatiue

used to be, ana how much style
they lived in, instead of getting up
and hustling, and trying to win
| back a little of their lost money.
And there are still other people
who spend their lives in the ghoulish
occupation of constantly robbing
their own graves and snatching
their corpses out of them, and tear
ing open the wounds in their hearts
every time they show a sign of
healing.
Now Of all the occupations in the
world, none is so foolish and so
fruitless as holding post mortems
on the past Yesterday is yesterday,
and no power on earth can bring 1t
back. What has happened has hap
pened, and all talk in the world
won't change it. When the cards
are dealt, we've got our hands, and
if we've played them badly and lost,
it is a waste of breath to speculate
about what the result would have
been IL we had done differently.
The only thing that we can get
out of the past is experience. II
we have the wit TO profit by the
lessons we have been taught we can
avoid repeating the mistakes we
have made. The Battles we have
fought in the past, the struggles we
have gone through, can strengthen
our muscles for the warfare of the
I future, but that is absolutely all
that the past can do for US. The
rest belongs to tomorrow and Is on
the knees of the gods.
But If we dwell on tho past, IL
can weaken US. it can rob us of all
initiative. 1t can sap our courage
and turn US into tlmorous towards.
And II can blot all of our happiness
out of life.
Suppose a man and woman have
made a mistake in choosing their
/ calling, and that they really are
better fitted for some other work
than the kind they are doing. They
gain nothing by wasting their lives
| in futile lamentations over what
they might have been. Let them
either shut the door of the closet
in which hangs the skeleton of
their ambitions. and make some
thing of the task they have under
! taken, or else have the nerve to
cut away from their present occu-
patton. and do the thing they want
! to do, and which they believe they
! nave genius Tor DONG.
In these days of opportunity, no
one need be mute, inglorious Mil
! ton" or a Cromwell guiltless of
his country's blood" unless he or
she really hasn't writing acquaint-
ance with the muses., or lacks the
grit to fight, after all.
Nor is there any merit in cherish
ing a grief, although there are some
peOple morbid eOouph m tbipLr N >
1t makes them interesting to be
known as one who has never got
over the loss of parent, husband, or
child" The brave action is that Of
the man or woman who buries his
or her sorrow out of sight, and
turns a smiling face upon a world
that is already too sorrow laden.
Even IL one has committed some
great sin, the wise thing is to bury
| it deep down in the bottom Of ones
| soul and roll over ii the stone Of
repentance, and forget il. I would
especially recommend this course to
| women who have pasts. II they
have turned from the wrong path
into the right road, I urge them to
quit thinking about their dark days
and especially to quit talking about
them. Confession Is weakness. Be
strong enough to bear your own
burdens in silence. The way to
build up is by atonement, not by
weeping over what Is past and
gone.
Don't indulge in post mortems Of
any kind. Old stories. old regrets.
old mistakes, old tears are useless.
And they are so messy and boring
to the innocent bystanders.