The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-01-01
rur new YEAR DAWNS
Poor Old Rlnety-SlI uas 0urlad with
Noisy and Dlscordant Requiem.
EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND NINETY SEVEN
Steps fin With Its Vista or Hopes
Watch Night Services mt tho
Churches-FrancesB Barnes Y Social
The Monte1ore Ball-Thc Fog
First and Last-Recepsion To-day.

The Montenore Ball-Thc For
| First and Last-Recepsiou To-day.
With the mingled shrieks Of myriad
whistles, the timeless footing of a
thousand horns. the clamorous Changing
or the bells, bells, bells the unsyste-
matte whoop OF the bclated youth, the
occasional crack of an irresponsible gun.
II was anything but q peaceful funeral
they gave the Old Year last night. and
the requiem that went up to the dark
ened heavens resembled more the dis
cordant howlings of an army OF perturb-
ed and fiendish felines than O solemn ode
to the departed dead.
And, indeed, 1t was hard to believe
that the old fellow had at last shuified
OIL the coll OF his various and troubled
existence. for the dreamless quiet Of
rather Times vast and monumental
cemetery. There are those who will
nave to rub their eyes twice and read
me Nirginian even now before they
Will believe 1t, but 1t Is the sad and un-
GarIanued fact-the old year Is dead be-
yond resurrection and beyond recall
The souls of men will respond to the
.rumpets blast on that great last day,
out when the roll Of years Is called, there
Will be no answer TO the name of 1896.
by the eternal laws of nature n thing of
intrinsic existence may not utterly
perish from the face of the earth, but
the 366 days that have fled from us are
not OF this category; they have been
wlthered into nothingness by the finger
or humiliation. In the government of
the universe the sceptral principle Is the
rule of repetition; the world comes back
TO It's starting point every "a hours;
! planets have their periods Of revolution
around the sun, systems have their
cycles; even the cratic comets must re-
appear We may look again for the
! vlolets In the spring, the roses In May
for the summer showers and the winter
| SHOWS but we may not look evermore
for the dead old year. 1t will not re-
turn.
| Mans mind Is ever busy and his hands
| alert: he Is ever reasoning and planning
| for the morrow; he is a dreamer and u
fulfiller of dreams: he is n weaver of his
| own fate; but no mortal hands may un-
raVel the tangled web of yesterdays OIL
pluck therefrom one tiny strand, though
desire be Infinite and effort endless.
He had his friends and enemies. too
forsooth, this dear old year. There
were those who watched his declining
days with the colorless Joy of hopeless
ness, and there were others who were
to whom he was a. stranger We knew
him when his eyes sparkled with tn,
mirth of May, when the rudy glow o
June was on his cheek, when Octobe
wrote Its wrinkles on his brow, an,
when December whitened his flown,
locks and sent him shivering to hi
final account. He will be remembers,
for what he did as we'll as for what h
did not do; he will be remembered wit
tears and with laughter. with reminis
cence and with jest. with anathem
and with blessing.
1t would have been a strange and in
human experience could one have seel
with his own eyes his final struggle
and heard with his own ears his las
words to busy world. They woul
have been worth recording. doubtless
| They would have furnished the text TO
sermon. the basis of philosophy, tn
| suggestion for n novel, or mayhap. TIL
theme for CHASTITY joke or an idea for
colored supplement Illustration.
1t would have been curious, too, t
have known just how the funeral wa
observed by individual mankind. L
have known what resolves were made
| what hopes reklndled, what hearts mad
strong. what lives were given new i'm
| petus, what vows were made by ros
and eager lips over dying watchfires
| what promises were found In downcaS
eyes, what romances were woven In tn
| soft low answer to the ever-new Ques
| ton, and the subtle, quick flash OF tn
happy face. But these are secrets tina
are buried almost as deep as 1896 fror
| profane eyes, and some of them wi
|
themselves in due time beneath tn
orange blossoms and the roses. Blu
with collective humanity the question
is not SO hard
NEW YEARS EVE SOCIAL.
The young ladies of the France
Barnes US gave a very delightful an
altogether charming social last night n
the hospitable home of Mrs. Joel
White. No. 1877 Charlotte street. TIL
evening was passed in that enjoyabi
manner, the secret of which Is possess
ed alone by the clever members of tn
organization whose success rs entertain
erS was simply Immense. to Judge h.
the measure OF satisfaction created Il
the breasts of the masculine guests VIII
were so fortunate as to be present
WATCH NIGHT SERVICES.
Union watch night services were hell
at Centenary and Cumberland Stree
Methodist churches and were we'll at
tended. The Rev. Mr.. Boggs preache
at the former, and the Rev ]. w
Moore at the latter. The services bega
at 1890 O'Clock and concluded with til
advent of the new year