The San Francisco call., 1896-01-01
NEW YEARS DAY.

Man is a conventional animal. lie not
only puts garments on himself, but he
clothes everything around him with an
artificial garb. Nature has furnished no
reason why any particular day should be
celebrated as the beginning OF the year
The revolution OF the earth is continuous,
and one day TO its ordered course is no
more than any other. To the human
mind, however, conventional usages are
facts as important as those of nature her
self, and, despite all that reason may urge
men Will feel that new year begins to-
day, and that with it they enter upon a
new epoch IN their lives.
Man is ceremonial animal When
ever he desires to confer distinction on
something nature has not distinguished, he
establishes a ceremony for the purpose.
Thus, he provides special etiquette for
conduct in the presence of a King or
Justice of the Peace, in order that they
may not be confounded with other men as
nature has g fashion of doing. When.
therefore, for convenience in arranging
dates and recording the time Of the occur
renee OF events, particular day was
agreed upon as the beginning of a new
year, there grew up instinctiveiy desire
to mark it by some ceremonial observance
and make 1t a great day.
Man is a superstitious animal. He is
the creature of his own creations. When
ever he has, surrounded some individual
with an etiquette, or some day with cere-
mony, then he straightway begins to feel
some mysterious significance emanating
from the forms he has fashioned. At times
he even comes to believe there is something
divine in them. He regards them with
solemnlty or joyousness according TO his
mood, but always be reverences them
and has suspicion OF the sanity or moral
| itv of any one who mocks. at them or even
neglects them. Thus, having endowed
| New Years day with a ceremony, he
| straightway began to feel an influence in
it affecting his individual career. 1t be-
came to him new era, new start in life,
a time to begin all over again and be diff
| ferent from what he was.
Man is an aspiring animal. AS soon as
any influence is felt in his inner life be
| selzes upon 1t as a means by which he can
lift himself to higher things. Even his
| superstitions are used as wings by which
he hopes to mount, if not to divinity, at
least to loftier humanity. When he be-
| gan to conceive of New Years day as the
starting of a new life he at once became
conscious of desire for better life. He
resolved to repent, to atone, to redeem
himself and be regenerated with noble1
nature. Therefore he consecrated the day
to good resolutions. He rose to greet the
world with the glad salutation of Happy
New Year" and determined within his
heart that he would help to make it so.
Man is the godlike animal. He has in
him the creative power to will into ex-
istence much of the force by which his
destiny is made. 1t matters not to him
whether the inspiration that moves his
will comes from some vast substance splen-
| did as the sun or some poor pomp and
vanity of his own imagining. 1t is suffi-
cient for him if his will be reused. To
HIM who has resolved with clear mind and
brave heart to serve the State, the City,
his friends and himself to better purpose
this year than last, 1t viii matter little
that IN the natural order of things to-day
is not more of a starting point than yester-
day or tomorrow. 1t will be to him a
true New Years day, the beginning of a
new epoch of life, the dawn of new era.