CHAPTER XVII.
SWIFTNESS IN DUTY.
"Life is a leaf of paper white, Whereon each one of us may write His word or two--and then comes night." -- LOWELL.
Many good people are very slow.

They do their work well enough, perhaps, but so leisurely that they accomplish in their brief time only a fraction of what they might accomplish.

They lose, in aimless loitering, whole golden hours which they ought to fill with quick activities.

They seem to have no true appreciation of the value of time, or of their own accountability for its precious moments.

They live conscientiously, it may be, but they have no strong constraining sense of duty impelling them to ever larger and fuller achievement.
They have a work to do, but there is no hurry for it; there is plenty of time in which to do it.
It is quite safe to say that the majority of people do not get into their life half the achievement that was possible to them when they began to live, simply because they have never learned to work swiftly, and under pressure of great motives.
There can be no doubt that we are required to make the most possible of our life.