The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-01-06
Hliooleburp 8egisttr.
TUESDAY, JANUARY O, 1874.
The New Year.

The New Year.
Ia this first number of the new year,
we can not resist the temptation to ut
ter one word of moralization. The old
years record Is complete, made up as
1t Is so largely of Vices, crimes, pecula-
lions, delulcations. ISLANDERS, failures
and follies, which if we were to consid-
eli alone might well lead us to believe
that Satan had got the better of God,
as in the Old Manichean duel, and that
.he world is going downward by the
most rapid decline and without hope of
recovery. But if we consult the les of
my faithful newspaper for the past
year, we shall also find record of i'm
proveiuent, discoveries and inventions.
social advancement, "A system of person.
III training an enlargement of the range
Of human thought, n diminution of di-
seasc, an amclioration of morals and
improved forms of the manifestations
ofbcnevolcnce and Christian propagan-
dism. Every person who compares
1874 with liza will be thankful that he
lives now instead of then. The young
men of that period, no doubt, were
thankful that they lived then rather
than a century previous. And so on,
from century to century, back to the
dark ages prior to the Christian era
when Christ came into the world 10
give us the full light and consolation of
tue gospel ofpeace.
To give true record ofthese passing
events, the good and the bad alike, and
to thus help in forming a true estimate
ofthe progress or retrogradation we are
making is the legitimate work of the
newspaper. In the prosecution of Its
mission it should not finch from COM
plete record. 1.-THE good alone is told,
we shall too soon forget the lessons that
should be taught us by the follies and
fobles of mankind. We must know
the virulcnce of the disease we would
check. Shutting our eyes to the fact
will not prevent the fatal consequences
of taking poison. Ignoring the faults
and follies of society, or individuals,
will not prevent their terrible effects.
Neither should we dwell alone upon
the worst side Of human character, and
detail only the evil outcroppings of all
unregcnerate nature. That would lead
to cynicism and misanthropy the lack
Of faith which is necessary to induce us
TO put forth efforts for the welfare of
our kind. A true and just record OF
events az they are is best for the world
and the cause of progress and right.
1t may not, from year to pear, be our
individual privilege to recognize mate
rial or moral progress in our immediate
neighbolhood But our faith should
not be circumscribed by the narrow
limits Of any one small community.
That 1.-THE world movesn and as whole
makes an upward progress from centu-
ry 10 century Is rs demonstrate as
Gallileo's proposition. Our individual
field of labor may be- and generally
must be, local and limited. That es.
pecial field may afford us from one year
t. another very little encouragement
by its apparent progress. Yet we are
not to be disheartened or faith!ess
Gods own good time and way should
be accepted rs best, although, in our
own narrow -,,~-. ~;eI,.~I -.;o.... --.-
aItiI, per
severance in every good work honest
endeavor everywhere and everywhen.
will at length tell, for the elevation of
those with whom we came in contact.
Perhaps the especial evil we have
now to contend with in this country,
more than any other, is the lack of in
tegrity. il sometimes breaks out in the
form of sham and pietension, some
times in hypocrisy, sometimes in dis
regard OF tho judicial oath, oftener in
politics, and sometimes in dishonesty
In business. We should fight against
This evil ne one that is endangerinc our
life.
And, now, dear readers, we close our
moraiizing, with the compliments of
the season, and wish you all n happv
ana prosperous, and useful New Year.