The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-01-01
The New Year.

The New Year.
This is a sermon, and the reader who doe
not want to read some plain, practical truths
had better pass on to the next piece. Those
who, prompted either by search for knowl
edge, commonly called curiosity, or desire
to gain wisdom, go through the sermon, vii
not find it modelled after any one, ecclesi
astical or secular, they ever read or heard.
First, it is generally supposed that the be-
ginning of New Year is the time for new
resolves. Some will resolve to drink no more
''spirituous or fermented liquors, or alcoholic
bitters,' 1--WE quote the words from the loca!
option bilI) 10 chew and smoke no more, and
become like hogs, who neither chew nor
smoke; to swear nor use protane language
any more to play billiards no more; to be
more economical, more energetic and to push
business more actively through the year than
before and it would be hard to enumerate
the various resolutions, wise and otherwise,
that are generally made at the beginning OF
each successive year.
All this is nonsense. 1t is just as proper
to make good resolves in July as January.
Lille is very uncertain. Suppose you hadn't
lived 10 the first of January, where would you
have been? GAS long as the lamp holds out
to burn the vilest sinner may RETURN" but
suppose your udu SOIC OuI q WIN o5o :
We shall not stop to inquire whether or not
Longfelow acts up to what he preached, but
commend his words-"Act, act in the living
present" The man, or woman too, who
does not always strive to do right, will not be
apt to go long in good path marked out to
be followed after certain period In the future.
The best of US, who may be always striving to
90 in the straight and narrow path, may slip
off for a time, like one of the chorsters, who
sank four feet in snow drift, going church
ward on Christmas morning.
Good resolves, as far as your moral con-
duct goes, on the first Of January, are worse
than useless. You overdo the matter for
short time, and then you back slide and get
about four notches below where you started.
But the resolutions Of some are in regard to
their worldly affairs. Their business is to be
conducted to show larger balance sheet on
the credit side. We would like here TO re-
mind them that it is easier for camel to go
througI the eye Of needle than for rich
man TO enter Heaven, but the pul pit for more
than eighteen centuries has been trying to in
culcate this doctrine, and in literal sense no
one seems to believe it, Judging from their
practice, consequently it would be useless for
us to dwell upon it.
Well, what is the business man going to do
to increase his profits The population will
not increase very much the coming year, and
consequently trade will not appreciably aug
ment. Then to accomplish his wish there are
but two ways-to cut down clerks salaries or
give short weights and measures, which none
will do. If crops are good sales will increase
somewhat, but not enough to brag on, and
generally what one gains the other will lose.
So it is not wise to calculate on any very great
increase in prosperity for 1881, recolecting
that for three years, at least, the country has
been getting along well. All business men
hereabouts have been successful this year, the
result of advertising in the ADVOCATE, and the
same course continued next year will produce
like results.
1881 will come and go just like other years.
There will be winter, spring, summer and
fall, Just as for the past four thousand years.
Seed time will be succeeded by the harvest,
the ice harvest. There will be bus
mess successes and failures. Political parties
will be agitated Aspirants will fail of NOM
nation, and nominees will fail of election.
There will be floods, droughts, cyclones, hur-
disasters on land and water, fires and
murders. There will be marriages, births and
deaths. There will be elopements, runaway
matches and the old man cunning after the
love stricken pair, when one half the time he
hopes he will not catch them.
Let no one be agitated at the advent of the
New Year. Everything will go along smooth
ly as during the past year. Harry Keifer
will carry around the express, John Keen
will cry out fresh fish, oysters, vegetables
and fruit" SomerviIle and the Mittens
will supply you with fresh meats, Huber will
give you the mall Zeber will be looking out
for the wickedly disposed, the court will SEN
lence wrong doors after Henning convicts
them, and the ADVOCATE will give you all the
news, just the same.
Men will eat and drink, grow hungry and
thirsty, sleep and wake, buy and sell, barter
and trade, as usual The world will turn on
its axis aud things move on pretty much in
the same groove. Water will not run up hill,
salt will be as curative as ever, and moonlight
will faint fresh meat Don't stand on the
brink of the New Year and view the past or
prospect the future. Your hindsight will not
assist your foresight. Experience is like
light in the stern of ship, serving to only IL
Illuminate the path over which it has gone.
1.-The thing that hath been, it is that which
shall be; and that which is done is that which
shall be done and there is no new thing
under the SUM-