The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1901-12-26
SOME NEW YEAR THOUGHTS.
THE PAST IS mE2zLY TIE EXPRESSION OF
TIE LBING RESENT.

~ 11lfEMo2ATION % tie BE-
6 . 1. 9. ]. !: !. !. !: &. B. &. 4. J.
1lalre-.lTT 0i tie bi-ta o. 6ca.h
al sly -esg Il &. nos set apart for tie
Tf-i -uaaas g Any --eClhc dutiss. nor tie
te1cllr- Of srg fsrile--sr lesson, ye: NeE
Year -s oo-esVe1. quietly it j. trge. and
rltl1rt sry ceremonial. Iu al tzrts u ile
Ln-ie1 st-te.-
Ir le9a1z io- tbe beginning g this prse-
t.-e. one r1-- c9 into tae pre- lstgf,e Tzst.
i1r &eF ls1- {. tie most s1c.en. oi al tls
days u1i-a men have ret apart for s-eliai
C.-il1e. -5n. In tie former days. though. j.
hess1 uIt- t-e advent q .pfi-g. w1e1
t-e tsls and le4vss began 90 of,tn and the
voices Of tle .1-r biris were beard again.
IAe Latius, from wa5-n cane tie months
n1F uss1. cs .e1-l-e1 Their Ne~ Year az the
rz-i1Es older -Lsr they tad done. in Mzre1.
T-is explain. uay December. meaning
tenth loatl, s-o1ld be twelfth IL ogE
calendar
TIE dag, t1c1. neither festival nor a
ia--; ~. one % keep alive the hres o. "a
ti.3t.sll. G.. ..e FOURTH o. July. or 60 bear
lI reUeEr-e --t. ls Glfists1z-. the sublime
.iie %: C.t.-t, Is. uevert hele--, universally
observed. B. alse at gle time j, .if --sEd
;.- q r1-t beautiful seutimelt-tle rfylyi-
iFinr cf rat3se j. 1siti1gered the bauisL-
me-- gi Ed and oi tie sterile wluter. D.
gave 1.-1glaee ot a harvest :or man. wao
could zee lE t-e bursting OF the seeds su-
tu1l .--rs ei iulness
I-as 4a- .t uIth the Clz.tezn. oldest of
W.
ram. tile founder % tie JeEisn nation.
Iaey Eere -s puzzled as m9-erns are over
the mTs-e-g RI deaf. and taai greater
mystery. i-.e Ot the eenera,ive principle
t1cy made a god and uors l.ged H. Tie
prcselee q. taei- god was felt, see-, a. they
taught. ir the new zaf5 put on by ;ae trees,
l the tiny -Eears o. green grass which
ree1ei through tie sere blades Oi the pre-
v.51s ycz-. and n the nary-colored little
flowers TIA. nestled confdingiy beside tie
gFass-b.ades.
Tney knew their god lived and was pleased
wiki bis people They broke forth into re-
jo.cirg which lasted many days. There was
worship in -ae temples and the groves. and
infinite sls-ne-s everywhere. Through can
tury after century this religious and les
tival observance was had. and the remains
Of j. are seen today in the chief holy day
o; the great Catholic church during the
vernal season, although now held in com
mernora.iol OF gzander and more glorious
event.
The New Year observance, then, is the
survival q a day beyond the period Of its
effective use. Once a sublime object les
sOn. it remains solely as q record Of the
beginning Of . new year, arbitrarily fxed
By man It's position IS peculiar one. 1t
is neither the beginning Of any one OF
the four seasons, nor the end Of any one
o. them. 1t i not tae commencement,
necessarily, Of q week, even. IL doe. but
assert for man that by his choice OF comp
tation a New Year mas begun.
Yet, as 10 the ancient, 50 TO the modern,
New Year teaches, after all, the same 5s-
son. l. tells that the old year is dead. ani .1e
New Year j. born. It declares the NOR al
ity Of all things, and It proves that the
mortal snail put on Immortality. Itteaches
the higher lesson that out OF death comes
life; that the dying year does bu: make
way for he living year, and that The chasm'
iE invisible between the dying md the
dead : single tick, jus. one tick OF the
clock, and in the minute interval the Old
Year was and the New ear .. and from
this Lesson one may learn that the sum
OF all tae lives that have been j. but the
expression Of the lives that are, just as
the resui; Of all the year taat nave been
is found in the New Year just begun.
WILLIAM ROSSER COBBE.