The Quiet Hour.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 307, 28 December 1935, Page 2 (Supplement)

The Quiet Hour.

Do you know what New Year's Day is particularly noted for? No, I don't moan the glad and rejoicing part of it— although that forms a very large part of the New Year celebrations—'-but more as being the day of good resolutions.

Of course, you all know what a good resolution is—or do you? It is a promise made to do something very special throughout the whole year —it might be to clean your teeth every morning, or perhaps to get up a little bit earlier so as to clean dad's shoes for him, or if you are a girl to help mother get the breakfast. In either case, whether you are a boy or a girl, the main point is that you must keep throughout the whole year the resolution vim make on New Year's morning.

A promise is looked on by most people as a very sacred thing, something that once spoken cannot be broken. The ancient people used to swear by the names of their gods, and such expression as "By Jove" and "By Jupiter" are still familiar to us to-day. Aboriginal people, too, have a manner of making their vows in the name of their idols, but boys and girls of our world to-day need neither of these They need merely say "I promise" or "On my word of honour" and people will know that that boy or girl will fiddl his word.

And so it is with our resolutions — or so it should be. Whatever the resolution is, whether it is just a small matter, or something: that will count in your life for years to come, we should keep it as a promise of the highest order. It is a promise that you make only to yourself. It is therefore twice as hard to keep, as no one will say to you "Remember your resolution" every few days until it really is firmly fixed in your mind. But the most important thing about tiiis'"promisc made to yourself" is that you must be very honest about it all, and remember to keep your word, whether it is in your own resolution or in a promise passed to someone