FOOTPRINTS by Gilfillan Scott
from the October 19, 1913 PENSACOLA NEWS JOURNAL
"Tell me not in mournful numbers
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each tomorrow
Find us farther than today.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!
Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act--act in the living Present,
Heart within, and God o'erhead!
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time,
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
That little poem, known the world over as Longfellow's "Psalm of Life,' contains more solid sense to the square inch than any I've read. There's a punch in every line, concrete evidence of a master mind.
The sick, the sad, the weak and the weary should copy it and carry it around. I have a copy today I made twenty years ago and I've read it many times when the humor required it. Always I have felt its power and experienced a sense of its majesty and grandeur.
You'll find that the act of writing it makes an indelible mental impression, and when you've finished you'll be surprised to find how much you've memorized. I can see material in it for quite a number of articles which I intend to write. The present article deals principally with the wonderful line
"Footprints on the Sands of Time."
Isn't that a magnificent thought? Doesn't it set you thinking right away about your own footprints?
And, do you know, we all HAVE to leave footprints, whether We like it or not.
"By their deeds ye shall know them"
applies to us all; and our footprints are the trail of good or bad deeds we leave.
Honor bright, now, doesn't that make you feel small? Can't you remember all kinds of stunts you've been up to and shouldn't? I can. And I'm going to say that if there's a man who can't remember any I'll hire him right away and put him on exhibition as "The Perfect Man."
I didn't say anything about women because of course they're all perfect.
But let's talk of deeds. They're the fellows that make the footprints.
First, there's the way we begin, then the way we proceed, and the way we finish.
Most of our wrong doings are the results of a wrong start.
A man embarks in an undertaking he's not qualified for or without sufficient investigation. Sure enough he finds himself amongst the rocks and shoals before very long. His first mistake drives him into more mistakes. As a drowning man clutches at a straw so he flounders around, out of his depth; using lies, deceit, fraud in his efforts to keep afloat. That's the way he proceeds. He finishes by blowing his brains out or making a hole in the water.
So much for a wrong start.
The remedy lies at the commencement.
It would be a good plan if every man had to appear before a committee of inquiry or board of trade and exhibit capital and credentials before being licensed to embark in business. The right kind of advisers would thus save many unintentional as well as intentional wrong starts and many ugly footprints would never be made.
Another man starts all right and with good intentions. Along comes temptation and suggests that more money might be made by dishonest methods. He makes more money but makes himself miserable doing it. He suffers from loss of self-respect. He becomes sour and irritable and looks at the world with a jaundiced eye. He becomes mean and suspicious; and, from being dishonest himself, expects dishonesty from others. Suspicion begets suspicion. He lives a hell of his creation. He takes to drink and dies cursing the world he has spoiled for himself by his own mistakes.He leaves large and ugly footprints behind him.
Consideration of remedies for business dishonesty compels me to look to expert legislation applying to each line of business. But to influence the man himself is better if you can reach him. I have selected business illustrations because they are understandable by everyone; but I want to say that the same rules apply to every kind of undertaking. Every action of consequence needs consideration before starting.
Prevention is better than cure. First be sure you're right; then go ahead. Honesty is the best policy. A stitch in time saves nine. It's never too late to mend. There are all kinds of clever sayings to help us in the making of footprints.
And now comes consideration of the effects of our footprints upon others.
Here you have an added responsibility--
"Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again."
Here's something which appeals to our pride. We can influence others and we can make it a good influence to be proud of, or a bad influence to be ashamed of.
Which do you want it to be? Right here I tell you; I don't care who you are; you may be a big fellow, away up in the little world you move in; or you may be a poor little chap, away down in the gutter: you both wish, at the very bottom of your hearts, that your footprints might prove something to be proud of; and you hate to think they may be something to be ashamed of.
There lies the evidence of your good qualities.
Everyone has good qualities. Do you hear that? Everyone.
And you want to leave some nice, clean footprints; don't you?
Well, go ahead. START NOW.
That's where "it's never too late to mend" comes in. And that's where our old friend "the square deal" comes in. He's always popping up, isn't he? And a good thing too. We need reminding all the time lest we forget.
I know the impossibility of the task of going all the way back to wipe out the ugly footprints already made.
There may be some we can clean up, but the main point is NOW.
If each day can be kept free from ugly footprints our new record will of itself largely wipe out the past. If you are involved in a business which, means one long string of mean, contemptible actions, get out of it. Put on your considering cap and you'll find a way. No man ever really wished to be honest without finding a way.
If you're the weak little chap in the gutter think over your story; pick out a big, clean business man; walk into his office and tell him the truth. Tell him you're dishonest and you're sick of being dishonest and want his advice. That man will find a way for you; maybe hard at first, but honest; and you have only to keep on telling yourself what a determined little fellow you are, and, sure enough, you'll be a determined little fellow; and, my boy, you'll WIN.
I have purposely withheld the last verse of Longfellow's poem because it is the best, and I want to close with it. I have used it as a crutch many times. Take it. May it bring you luck.
"Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
LEARN TO LABOR AND TO WAIT."
(Gilfillan Scott's article in next Sunday's Journal will be "Sincerity.").
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