The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1904-12-23
NEW YEAR
Tho Past is Merely The Expression OF

Tho Past Is Merely the EXPRESSION OF
the Living Present.
Commemoration of the beginning of tina
year is sentimental, purely. since the first
lay of January makes ~ special epoch
In history. nor Is 1t the anniversary of tho
birth or death of any hero. 1T is not set
apart for the performance of any specific
,uties, nor the teaching pfsany particular
lesson: yet New Year is observed. quietly
IL is true. and without any ceremonial, In
all parts of the United States.
In looking for the beginning of this
practice, ono must go into the prehistoric
past. for New Year is the most ancient
of all the days which men fave set apart
for special distinction. In the former
days, though, 1t began with the advent of
spring. when tho buds and leaves began
TO open and the voices OF the song birds
were heard again. The Latins. from
whom came the months, now used. cele-
--brated their New Year as.the nations old
Ter than they had done. III March. This
explains why December. meaning tenth
month. should be twelfth in our calendar.
> The day. then. neither IL festival nor q
fast: not one to keep alive the fires OF
patriotism. as the Fourth OF July, or to
bear in remembrance. as Christmas. the
sublime life OF n Christ. is. nevertheless.
universally observed. because at one time
1T did stand for n most beautiful senti-
,~mcnt-the revivify.ng of nature. 1t har-
Fingered the Punishment of cold and OF
The sterile winter; 1t guye assurance OF a
harvest for man. who could see in the
bursting of the seeds autumn days of full
ness.
Thus was it with the Chaldean, oldest
of the civilized peoples. whence came
Abraham. the founder of the Jewish ma
ton. They were as puzzled, as moderns
are over the mystery of death, and that
greater mystery. life. OF the generative
principle they made IL god andy orshiped
1t. The presence of their god was felt.
seen. as they taught. in the new sarb put
on by the trees. in the tiny, spears OF
green grass which peeped through tho
sere blades of the previous year, and in
the many colored little flowers that nes-
tied contid!nsly beside the grass blades.
They knew their god lived and was
pleased with his people. They broke forth
into rejoicing which lasted many days.
There was worship in the temples and
the groves, and infinite %giadness every
where. Through century after century
this religious and festival observance was
had. and the remains of it are seen today
in the chief holy day of the great Cath
Ole church during the yeInal season, al
though now held IN commemorative OF a
grander and more glorious event.
The New York observance. then. is the
of a day beyond the period of its
effective use. one q sublime object les
son. 1t remains solely az Il record OF tho
beginning OF a new year. arbitrarily fixed
by man. Its position is a peculiar one.
1t IS neither the beginning OF any ono OF
the four seasons. nor the end OF any one
OF them. 1t is not the commencement.
necessarily, of a week, even. 1t does but
assert for man that by his choice of COM
putation a New Year has begun.
Yet. as TO the ancient. SO to the modern.
New Year teaches. after all. the some les
son. 1t tells tht the old year is dead, and
tho New Year is born. 1t declares the
of all things. and 1t proves that
the mortal shall put on Immortality. II
teaches the higher lesson hat out OF
death comes life: that the dying year does
but make way for the living year. and
that the chasm is invisible between tha
dying and the dead. a single tick, just
one tick of the clock, and in the minute
interval the Old Year was and the New
Year is, and from this lesson one may
learn that the sum of all. the lives that
been is but the expression of tho
live that are. just as the result of all the
years that have been is found in the New
Year just begun.
William Rosser Cobbe.