South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-12-31
Sunday Morning Breakfast Talk
BY Req Elmer Ward Cole

Yes. it Is the time for New Years
-esolutons but whether we Will or no
. is also the time OF universal regret.
That - If we do any thinking at all.
We viii az this season OF the year
.ook back over the past with a
sense of inventory as the bustne less
man looks over the years business.
We will ask ourselves what We have
dOue and sc viii lind that we have
come 80 far short OF the ideal that
we had In mind that we will feel like
dispair.us Of life. We VIII wish as 1
have heard hundreds OF people wish.
that we could live life over again.
All men who are not doing much
have a tendency TO live in the past
either .n pleasure or regret. Moth
ins IS quite the same as it used 10 be.
hey say. and on that basis ,fey
live The world is getting worse and
they really do not know what it is
coming 20 etc. ad inhnitum. Nothing
is good today because they live in the
yes, erdays.
The story is told OF q ship and
crew that was lost in a severe storm
a few years ago. The ship was dis
abied and they flOated aimlessly
about for several days The water
supply gave out and they were fam
isnlng with thirst rather than drink
the water in which the ship was
floating They felt that they could
endure it no longer when one OF the
-
side, raised il. took draught and
found that il was fresh and had the
life giving power for want OF which
they were dying. They were in a
fresh water arm Of the sea. and they
did not know It, They had been
wishing and praying for that which
they had only TO reach down and
accept. So is the race of men today.
Here is a great part OF the human
race today who really feel that life
has been a failure; they are heart
weary with sorrow and with sin and
they feel that If they could only have
another chance. IL they could only
live life over again, If they could only
start afresh with their present
knowledge and experience. oh what
life they could live. They look
back to the golden days Of youth and
sadly mourn the wasted chances.
They think now that their only hope
is the life Of the distant future and
with folded hands they wait for its
coming. They stand between the
two ends of life vainly waiting
that's all. Some way men can not
realize that life. great, glorious lifes
all about them and all they have
10 do IS TO reach out and take IT,.
Every sunrise is a new opportunity,
every morning is a new beginning,
every day is new chance for put
ting the great store house OF past
experience TO use and weaving it in
TO the warp and woof OF their char
acter making It tell for a life Of
power.
You have no regrets? Then your
life has been miserable failure and
YOU are a miserable failure now.
Your conceit, your colossal egotism
is only equaIed by your Ignorance of
the true philosophy Of life. If you
have nothing TO regret you have
lived I'm vain No gain in life with
out regret Regret is he light Of
wisdom lighting the way OF the flu
ture. We are wiser than we were
yesterday New wisdom rleans new
responsibility new privilege and a
new chance for better life. Regret
must not remain regret but must be-
come the revelation of new possibili-
ties of a great life yet TO be, The
past is gone and God himself can not
change the past but the future God
puts in your hands. You are the
potter moulding your own future.
You are the architect Of your own
destiny.
DO YOU sincerely want to live life
over again? Then profit from your
past failures. Have YOU wasted
golden hours OF opportunity Then
waste no more IN regret Have you
been extravagant or time and prod
igaI OF money? Then enter the field
OF present economy of both time and
means. Have YOU done another a
great wrong? Then make restitu-