A generation ago the cut of a practical person could still be acceptably described by such a homily as Longfellow's "A Psalm of Life," whose author rallied himself from deep depression with the challenge:
Act,—act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!
How does a supersensible, "Let's face it" outlook on life fare today? Many people repudiate it. Influenced by matter's self-avowed matter-of-factness, the investigations and advances of science and technology, and by their own inclinations to believe and trust physical evidence, they argue that "Let's face it" has changed in meaning and emphasis. They prefer to preface it with a "well," so that it no longer mirrors resolution, but unabashed resignation.
