Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1873-12-24
New Years.


the main outcome OF the institution but
a msn must be sirong ia the faith 10 with
stand the effect upen his moral system Of
the knowledge that New Years brings
even TO the best Of US. For il is at this
season Of the year that a man, go to speak,
takes stock Of himself He takes his
good resolutions, his good deeds, his bad
impulses and actions, bis mixed motives,
in fact his whole moral belongings aud
Accomplishments. down from the shelves,
dusis them. lsoks them over, aud enters
them in his books There they may be
profit. growth, advance; but there Is apt
to be melancholy side 10 the fairest
showing.
For suppose that, on the whole, We
have reason To be encouraged by the con.
dition Of affairs rcveaied-there are few
of US who do not 6ud with each New
Years an increased sense of limitation.
For We are creatures Of Inheritance, and
of habit; the spirit may be willing, but
D, how weak the flesh
IL is not merely that we arc too apt TO
fail 10 the spiritual, with all its striving :;
but strange barriers bring along the intel
lee tual horizon. As we grow older, the
very element Of Time, which in our youth
seems such vague, shadowy enemy--if
not friend of infinite tarse@e-- comes
bearing down upon us, mighty, resistiess,
an army with banners.
There are so many things that for so
many years | have been hoping to do be.
fore each succeeding New Years Day.
The contemplated crusades Of boyhood
even yet haunt nae as things destined to
fortunate occurrence. Surely ,he summer
day is yet to come when shall take up
my adventurous march on the Crosswicks
turnpike; ihe same night pitch my rag
carpet tent iu the mysterious Pines; sleep
to the outrancing music of the hyena and
the jackall, aud sally forth the next day
to STAY Polar bear with my ivory paper
cutter.
Shall | confess how often, since last
New Years, | have stood looking over
the Failing of the ferry boat, and imagined
that at last the r,omcnt had come; the
Child had fallen into the water l had
handed my coat to the benevolent gentle
man with a Quaker hat and blue specta-
cles, my gold watch to celebrated stock
gambIer-(who is SO much impressed by
the generous contrivance, and the general
sublimity Of the scene, that he is re.
formed man from that moment)-and am
only hesitating whether to place my pock-
ct-book in the keeping of the pretty fac
tory-girl with a pink parasol,or in that of
the clerical-leoking gentleman, who may
turn ont 10 be pickpocket in disguise. -
before taking the final, heroic plunge.
was quite certain l would have a
Christmas story ready by this time! For, |
bless you, l had found my plot at last
or at least nay theme. There was to be a
woman in white, with child in her arms,
standing on the steps of DR.. HIS. church,
across the street; kind Of appariton
you know, although, of course. the ex-
PLANTATION would be very simple, and |
would only need to be limited at in the last
paragraph in order to make it perfectly |
satisfactory, without destroying the weird
supernatural effect. You see the way l
came upon the illusion was thlS---No
rll have that done by next Christmas.
LII have that done or something better
For, after all, let me give you IL bit of
optimism, after having shown the gloomy
side OF the picture: The New Years
has helped me to this belief, that man
is very apt to get, in some form or other,
"a man is very apt to accomplish, in
this way or that the honest thing he
honestly and earnestly desires to win and
accomplish, But the story may not be a
story, remember, or else no story of mine
only good deed, such as Civ
ing the plot to SAKE Holm.--"7he Old
Cabinet,' Scrtbner for January.