The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-10-15
ALL ABOUT DATES.
An interesting Article on the Subject. z
1Gresnville News

An Interesting Article on the Soo'eet'S
lGreenville News.
Ont of each one Of the three hundred
and sixty-five days of every year things
of Importance to great many people
happen. Many newspapers print every
day the notable historical events ol
which that day is the anniversary, ana
a queer jumble they make OF happen
ings and times-great battles OF one
century. births of great men OF others,
noted discoveries, important pontlcal
achievements over range Of thou
sand years or so. These, however, are
not the dates that live in the memo
ries of most people. We learn atscnool
the'year William the Conqueror landed
the day King Charles head was chop
ped of, the time of the Diet OF W orms
and all that and forgot it as fast and as
soon as the operation can be performed.
Most OF Us know when Washington |
was born and the declaration OF lnde-
pendencs was signed because holidays
every wear remind us of them; and the
old soldiers recollect the dates Of battles
in which they fought as they come;
outside of those We are usually con-
tented to guess within few years OF
when any event of the worlds history
happened, no matter how important
they may have been.
The dates that live in our memories
are those of our own history-births,
deaths and marriages and acts making
eras in our lives. They are stamped on
our hearts in numbers increasing year
by wear as we grow older. With very
old people the year is a continual sue
cession of anniversaries, bringing
thoughts and memories sad or happy
following each other closely.
''To-morrow is the tenth Of March"
an elderly lady will say. ''My first boy
would have been forty years old II ne
had lived until tomorrow" The child
died, perhaps, when he was year oIo'
or less, and the mother has since then
seen children and grandchildren come
and grow, develop into manhood ana
womanhood and marry III their turn.
Nevertheless, the day as it comes opens
the old wound afresh for a moment.
That baby who would be now an aging.
bearded man is still baby to her and
its face smiling into hers and all its
baby tricks and ways return to her, ana
she feels anew the pang-the bitter,
despairipg pang-with which she saw
it laid in the little grave over which
Summers verdure has smiled and
Winters winds have blown so many
times. So it is with most Of US. The
dates are fixed. We could not be rid
of them if we would. We may try to
escape or forget them but they Will
surely recall themselves in their time,
perhaps with sudden flash Of recollec-
ton which stings like an electric shock
but always before the day is gone. we
may try to forget our own birth days
Many people do in that period during
which youth is fading and the dignity
and pride of confessed old age has not
vet come. It would be an admirable
scheme if birth days could be abolished
between thirty and sixty, but they
have an incurable habit ofwhirling
along with depressing swiftness and
forcing on US recollection of them and
the conviction that we have gained and
lost another year. Birthdays are NUS
ances in that time because they make
US feel older. We may be unconscious
of any abatement ofstrsngth or vitality
but the birthday comes along and
brings with it an inexorable little sum
in subtraction which insists on giving
us the same date. 1913 from 1897 will
leave 4S. We are so many years old
and already beginning to gallop with
unpleasant speed toward the next date
of the same kind and it is time for US
to be feeling old. We may lock it IN
our own hearts and fail to inform oul
most intimate friends of. the deplorable
facts; but we don't forget it-nor dc
they. They are usually more or less
interested in the matter, and guess al
it. They put US few years younger
than we are. We wish they were right
they put US few years older and dep
press US with the conviction that We
look older even than we.are. There i
usually, however, another elderly lady
or gentleman among our acquaintance
whose exasperating memory has ou1
day fixed as a sort of side issue or ac
compartment to date Of her own Inc
subject of discussion was born, she
remembers, lust two weeks and day
after or befo-e one Of her children o.
neices or precisely Two months from
the date of her own or somebody else;
abominaUle marriage. She fishes oacE
among these miscellaneous odds anc
ends of memory and dates and emerge:
triumphantly with the time of birth
fixed to the year, month, and hour
the very minute may be because sher
collects precisely what she or somebody
else was doing when the interesting
announcement arrived via the doctor
or the doctors wife or a neighbor
There by are we undone, spotted, re
vealed and our secret is no secret at al
and it behooves US to be clrcumspec'
in general statements Of the matter.
When we are past sixty most OF u'
become shameless and indifferent. A
seventy we begin to brag. At seventy