The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1894-12-29
THE NEW YEAR.

THE NEW YEAR.
How things do change with us NOR
tails as time and years leave their i'm
print on our hearts and minds. But a
short time ago the ushering in OF a
new year was occasion for great reJolc-
ings, bright hopes and noble resolves
but now, alas. the old dies and the new
is born, it is but day of twenty-four
hours, very similar to all other hours in
the calendar, very commonplace. and
might come and go without disturbing
our ordinary meditations and pursuits
were it not that lazy conscience and a
sort of half dead and sorrowful vene-
ration for youths memories prompts us
to make a show of interest. We say
times have changed; that is the vanity
and self-sufflciency of man. We say
people have changed dismally; that is
quite true and we are the people. We
haye changed, but little profit is there
in the transition. We have grown more
stoical, more cynical, more insuffer-
ably selfish, but comfort ourselves with
the reflection that it is too much wis
dom, philosophy and prudence that at
flicts us. We have cultivated mon
strous habit of life and, fguratively,
are rushing through our little span
with hook and crook in hand raking to
ourselves all that we can grab by any
scheme or trick, intent on nothing but
adding to our worldly store and pausing
but moment in the mad pursuit to
roll our eyeballs and bewail the change
time has wrought in times. Then on
we rush g-asping and pushing, tramp
ling and scrambling, stretching and
craning, wildly, madly chasing, what?
A high and worthy aspiration? Oh,
no! A noble resolve, then? Nary a
resolve! Simply and unanimously
cold, hard dollar. No wonder we think
times have changed when we choke
and smother and cast aside about all
there is of joy and happiness this old
world ever promised. No wonder
times seem to change when we wake
up on New Years morning with our
hearts shriveled up like dried pepper
pod and mighty problems shooting
through our brains as to how we can
most successfully and artistically skin
the first fellow mortal we meet, or how
we can damage some vaulting friend
politically, or ruin some enviOus Great
ure socially. But business and politics
and society must be looked after and
we are all seeing to it that no one gets
more than his share of the manage
mont without most lusty protestations.
1t is a blessed dispensation that in ear
ly life we have no premOniti0n Of
what is before US. Suppose a child of
ten were given to understand that at
Ter attaining his majority, there would
be no holidays; no Fourths of July, no
Christmases, no New Years, no moth
sxng but avid, uHholy. unremitting
Z II Ole FOR dollars, what would that
I free from the horrors of the dol
lar habit, do. He would probably cross
himself and yield up the ghost on the
spot. Yet, we are all living, at a ter
rible rate, and occasionally deceiving
ourselves with the notion that life is a
precious boon and withal jolly cir
cumstance. What utter mockery. We
eat and drink, for the same reasons and
with about as much satisfaction az a
steam engine does: our bones and mus
cles grow weary and aching and we
sleep few hours like logs. The rest
of the time is made up fretting, con-
irving, loving languidly, hating fiercely
and eternally chasing the All Mighty
Dollar. No wonder, New Year brings
no gladness to our hearts, no new Joy
into our lives-But there's bill col
lector coming-the first of the month.
The old year has died and passed for
ever away, new one is born and
stands upon the threshold, it brings no
promise of peace, no cessation of the
awful scramble. Nothing remains but
dollars or death. %.
CHRISTIANITY AND CHRISTMAS.