The Portland daily press., 1889-01-01
The Old Year.

when one undertakes a retrospect of a
twelyemonth that is gone. how few events
come to his recollection. Every day he has
glanced over the columns of the newspapers.
and read therein hundreds of events, many
Of which perhaps made deep impression
upon him at the time. and yet today, when
he undertakes to recall them he finds that
the great mass Of them has faded from his
memory. A panorama has unrolled before
his eyes for three hundred and sixty-fiye days
yet the number Of its pictures that have
made an impression strong enough to sur
viye the year has been Insignificant when
compared with the vast number that have
passed before his eyes. Ask man today
what were the important events of 1883, and
the chances are that he will promptly an,
swer, the Presidential election, and then
will hesitate. That event is still vivid In
his memory, but almost all the others have
grown dim. Yet the past year has wit
messed events quite as important as this,
and perhaps for their influence on
the world in general, more important.
lthss witnessed the death of two German
Emperors and as consequence two corona
tons. II has witnessed the striking of the
shackles from race held in bondage in Brazil
for scores Of years. 1t has witnessed the
bursting of the greatest financial bubble of
modern times, in the failure of the Panama
Canal enterprise. These events are perhaps
the ones that stand out with the greatest
prominence. But the old year goes into
history bearing with it many other tales.
Disasters on sea and land have engulfed
hundreds of human beings, or that have
crushed and mangled them to death are
among Its woeful records. Terrific storms
OF wind and snow have swept over
our coast. stranding vessels by the score.
Indeed for atmospheric disturbances the
year has been remarkable. The great bliz-
card that blocked the streets Of the metropo-
lis and cut off for several days its COM
munication with the outside world, took
place in March 1888. And the great blizzard
that so blocked the streets of our city, was
in January Of the past year. The season
has been peculiar In many respects. A cool
summer, followed by fall In which rainy
days were the rule and pleasant ones the ex-
ception is followed by winter the mildest
perhaps within the memory of the oldest in
habitant.
The record Of the year, as far as this coun-
try is concerned, is an average one. 1t was
an exciting one politically, because of the
presidential election. In business it has
been an uneyentful one. There have been
no great financial commissions, no panics.
The earth has yielded abundant harvests.
and as rule the people have remained pros
porous and contented.
The most mournful feature of the years
record is the long roll of names against
which the fatal asterisk Of death has been
set.
Among the names in the list are Governor
Joel Parker, Grandma Garfield, w. w. Cor
coran, Henry Bergh, William l., Chief
Justice Waite, Governor Hoffman, Governor
Dorsheimer, Attorney General Brewster.
General Gilmore. DIR. Agnew Roscoe Conk-
ling. Thomas MacElrath, first publisher of
the New York Tribune, James Freeman
Clarke, Frederick Ill, Sydney Howard GAY,
BARLEY Campbell, General Sheridan. Actor
Dayidge, Seth Green, Sir John Rose, Man
ager Wallack, Professor Proctor, William
Warren, Long John" Wentworth, R. M.
Pulsifer, Prof. Asa P. Gray, David r. Locke.
Alfred Barnes. Joseph W. Drexel, Rear Ad-
miral Charles II. Baldwin, David H. Strother
Richard S. Spofford, Matthew Arnold, Oliver
Ditson, E. p. Roe, Gen. Melikoff. Kathleen
O'Meara. A. Bronson Alcott rs. ID. Warren.