_If you see a tall fellow ahead of a crowd,
A leader of men, marching fearless and proud,
And you know of a tale whose mere telling aloud
Would cause his proud head in grief to be bowed,
It's a pretty good plan to forget it._
_If you know of a skeleton hidden away
In a closet, and guarded, and kept from the day,
In the dark, and whose showing, whose sudden display
Would cause grief and sorrow and lifelong dismay,
It's a pretty good plan to forget it._
_If you know of a thing that will darken the joy
Of a man or a woman, a girl or a boy,
That will wipe out a smile or leastway annoy,
Or cause a fellow any gladness to cloy,
It's a pretty good plan to forget it._
How much brighter and how much more joyful would this old world be if we
all got together and practised that old adage, "Do unto others as ye
would that they do unto you."
This world is too full of sorrow and pain already, and we are all too
ready to condemn when we ought to condone.
What is the matter with us anyway? If one has taken a false step in the
past, is there any reason why they should be given the "cold shoulder,"
especially when they are endeavouring to lead a straight life?
Man or woman is entitled to a square deal, no matter what the past may
have been.
Once the turning point has been passed between right and wrong, and a
firm endeavor is made to keep to the "narrow way," then let us help and
encourage instead of raking up the past and by so doing help wreck a
human soul.
We are all human; many are subject to temptations from which others are
immune. It is usually a case of environment, therefore judge not your
neighbor harshly.
Let's all try to practice the suggestions in the above poem; let's judge
fellow beings by the present--not by the past.