Norwich bulletin., 1921-12-31
THE MAN WHO TALKS

old year of 1921? we will waive, for the
time being. the question of new resolu-
tons; they vial be in order week from
now. If there is a lot Of unfinished odds
and ends on hand scattered about heller
SHELTER, do a little decent lrousecleaning
before the dawn of 1922. Don't Chamber
over a lot of litter into the bright oppor-
tunities OF the new year Tomorrow
brings the glory Of prospect; today holds,
the duty Of retrospect. It is just as true
today as 1t was centuries ago that we
must put the new wine into new bottles
If we want to preserve both. 1t is just
as much of a duty to see that the old
wine of 1921 is put into tie old bottles.
1t may be that your past holds things
that do not deserve preservation Then
have a glorious bonfire. Clear out Of
your minds and hearts things that are
staae and mouldy. and do it today!
The other day I met a bunch Of Acad-
envy boys and girls ON the street. a fine
set Of students in the full glory Of their
young 1fe- They were your sons and
daughters 1 began to wonder If you
were not Attle anxious about them.
Their cards for the most part are salts
factory as their Scholarship is as good
as yours rs years ago. It is not here
but along the line OF social advancement
that your doubts arise. Their attitude
toward card playing. dancing and thea
tTe-geing does not square with the stern
Presbyterianisrn and devolit Methodism
of 25 or more years ago. Remember
that it Is just as hard for yedr children
to understand your rigidfty In these
things as It is for you to understand
their faxity. That boy and girl of yours
are just as pure in heart and practice as
you were at their time of life and be-
cause, they can't see things through the
Blue haze of a former generation don't
think that they are headed straight to
perSiitien. Mrs. Darlington tried to keep
back the Atlantic ocean with her mop.
and It was as much Of success as your
efforts to stay advancing civilization
From one angle Of vision, human life
may be eivided into prospect and retro
spect. Just now l have nothing to say
Of the former, for that can wait a bit.
At this moment we may we'll look at the
moral value OF the latter. AS a rule,
nothing is to be gained by living in the
past It creates a morbid and unhealthy
condition of mind to be dwelling all the
time on filings that are past and people
who are dead. No good will come from
being made miserable from the fact OF
past mistakes, but 1t is well to look al
them squarely in the face man fashion
While nothing is to be gained by t"crying
over split milk" 1t is we'll to see clearly
why we split the milk, so that we will
not do 1t again, at least in the same way
Unless we look back at our mistakes
how are we to learn from experience? p
II we had kept a full and accurate ac,
count Of each days doings for every day
Of the year, and should read it over day
by day. we should be finding ourselves
saying: 'Oh, what a fool what fool 2
Now that will be good for us il it keep.
US from doing the same things in 1922.
Could / just whisper in your ear OF
this the last day of the old year, my IN
quiry would be this: Have you beer
straight with your church during tht
year of 1927" Now don't buster up
grow red in the face, and shake your ifs
az me, exc,aiminfg Does anybody dar,
! to say that I've been drunk or dishones
| or THAI I'm back on my church dues !?
! Ncthing, of course, along this line, m,
friend, for common deeeney would keel
! you from drinking. stealing. and Robin,
| the church collection plates Remembe
| that being straight with your churcl
! means vastly more than not being
| criminal. Every man who manages t
keep out of state PRISON is not necessari
| ly good man. When you were takel
| into the church you promised TO be
| regular attendant Are youH Don't ge
| mad again and say that the paste
makes you tired for however that ma
| be you certainly make him tired" /
preaching to the space which you CAV
| your word OF honor to occupy. Again
put the question straight to your CON
| science: Have YOU been just straigfl
| with your church?
OF course it's none of my business, bu
| can't help asking, my boy land
| wouldn't ask it If 1 didn't love boys
] have you. since the first day of last Jan
! uary, contracted any habit that 20
| would not care to discuss with YOU
mother or father? It might have bee
only my notion, but when / met you tn
last time it seemed that you didn't loo
me quite SO steadily in the eye as yo
| used to; you seemed to be slightly dis
turbed when I Inquired into your studio,
My boy. YOU are entering into the large
responsibilities Of young manhood, an
1t is of supreme Importance that you er
ter right If you enter right you are les
likely to end wrong, and if you ente
wrong you are less likely to end RICH
Don't deceive yourself for one preciou
moment that you can fool with larnpbtac
just about as march as the Eti1ioDian ca
his skin, or the leopard his spots. NJ
boy, if you have gotten into Fampblacl
are you going TO stay in? or does yor
better nature say I'm going to get OUT
nowI
While I think of IL, let me call after
ton to another thing that ought not
be carried over into the new year 1t
! not SO bad, as far as it's influence is co,
| cerned, as to carry old habits of the ba
. sort to be perpetuafed in the virgin SC
of the new year Don't carry the O.
debts over. FOR the debt burden of II
new year will be all 1T can stand If
man is burdened with a conscience
can't see how he can be burdened vii
| debts; mean the same old debts We,
| after year. should think that such
debt would be a horrable nightmare
the conscientious man. And the fact TIL
! there are so few horrible Nightmares
| a sad reflection on the human conscieno
!. With most people I am forced to belle
/ that debt contracting is more of a hal
than a necessity. Oftenti1nes mere fam
urges us to buy things that we know '
, can't afford IF we schooled ourselves
buy ne luxuries that we could not n;
spot cash for, we would soon be belc
even pre-war prices.
There are two classes of people wi
come to the close of the year with sor
Y measure of success. First, the people
a reality, the men and women of real sol
3 worth, who are just what they seem
be, What they were in the opening da
! of January you find them when Decenb
draws to a close. They are not the gus
ers who rave over everything you s.
and do; they neither applaud nor CT
9 fcise, but are the same true, relial
| friends that will say a good word and
kind deed all the year around. Lo
. out for those people who will be all ov