The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1904-01-01

CUSTOM has marked the first day of
y the New Year as the occasion Tor
noting in an especial way the flight
OF time. From the most ancient times
the beginning of years as marked by
the calendars of the different nations
and peoples has been characterized by
ceremonies and observations of special
recognition. The Jews, the Egyptians,
the Chinese, the Romans, the Moham-
medans and other nations, although
differing as TO the time from which
they reckOned the commencement OF
the year, all regarded it as a day of sDe-
cial interest. Americans in the larger
cities Of the country where the Chi
nese are found in any numbers are
reminded at the present day of the
difference between the calendar COM
monty in use among the principal ma
tons of the world and that of China,
by the elaborate celebration of the Chi
nese New Year. 1t is the great day IN
the Chinaman's year, and the day is
given over to festivities and religious
ceremonies of various kinds. The Jews
to this day observe the New Years
day of their own Jewish calendar with
great faithfulness and solemnity. The
celebration of New Years day is of pa
gar origin. The early Christian ia
thers-Augustine, Ambrose and others
forbade in Christian use all festive
celebration of the day, because of the
immoral and superstitious observances
of the pagan festival. The Christians,
however, were directed to open the
year with a day of prayer, fasting and
humiliation. But New Years day is
not a religious or church day, except
in the Roman Catholic church, where
it is observed as a holiday of strict
observance and religious ceremony.
Upon the Christian of the Protestant
denominations it has no direct claims,
and yet there is scarcely an organized
body of Christians in the world but in
some manner and to some degree gives
recognition to the day. 1t may be IN
a watch night service, in which the
closing hours of the Old Year and the
dawn of the New Year are passed in
songs of praise and worship, in prayer,
Scripture reading and testimony. 1t
may be a prayer service or other man
ner of religious exercises on New
Years day. 1t may be a New Years
dinner or social, or it may be only a
thought and reference to the day at The
regular religious services preceding its
dawn. 1t is G. time of accounting, a
summing up OF days past and a thought
for the days which the New Year will
count off day by day, and only give
I'D the secrets of these days as they are
revealed by the days unfoldines.
Days should speak" and the New
Years day is the time when the days
of the veal which has gone should have
opportunity to speak and cast the influ-
ence of their experience upon the days
of the year just begun.
IT is an old and trite saying that
time is money" 1t is a sad COM
mentary upon the material worldly
standards of the majority of people
that this definition of time is consid-
cred full and complete; that that is all
thai can be said for time. But is time
to be weighed only in the worlds per
ishable gold? Time may be money;
it may give man the opportunity OF
gaining heaps on heaps of the shining
metal in barter n trade, but 1t is
more than money, it is a sacred trust
Days should speak, but they should
speak of something else than mad rush
after wealth; they should speak oil
something else besides self-seeking and
indulgence 10 pleasures and all man
per of excuses. And days do speak
III condemnation and judgment 10
those who will hear them speak IN 10