Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-30
Written for The Star.

Written for The Star.
There are some folks" said the rudy,
healthy-looking old man in the corner who
seem to think that New Year day, 1906, Will
find this country in rather bad way, and
must confess that there are some interest
ing problems just ahead of US.
.sRut bless you. everything will work out
all right.
at is true that the graft question is serl-
GUS. and that the revelations of the past
few months have given us at least tenn
porary black eye abroad. 1t Is true that
the question of railroad rate adjustment
Is likely to cause some lively work in Con-
gress and possibly to bring on still further
revelations that will not improve America S
reputation on the other side of the water.
1t is true that Uncle Sam doesn't know
exactly where he is at regarding the Pan
anna canal Just yet, and there are NUM-
her of other matters that, in the minds or
the ti.uid, seem 10 justify serious appfe-
tensions concerning the immediate future.
That's only because the umld folks
haven't acquired the right perspective.
'One way to get it is to look the whole
world over and compare the SITUATION OF
this country with that of other countries
THE most CursOry survey OF world al
fairs will show that when the worst is satl
about the United States. there are others
among the nations that have things TO
apologize for and to regret, even If none
OF them has a great insurance scandal or a
disputed election in its greatest city on its
hands.
Take a brief look at Russia, which will
begin the year with the wind-up of the last
despotic regime to exist among civilized ma
lions Just finished, and the first of no one
knows what kind of regime just ahead
of It.
Worse Off Than We Are.
Give glance to Japan, which, just now,
has the double task of recovering from
vast war and the establishment of it's Ko
rean protectorate TO perform the best it
can.
Great Britain. with it's unemployed by
the thousands parading London's streets,
merits a little of your attention.
"Austria-Hungary. held together by the
slender thread Of one old mans life, should
not be forgotten.
ITO my mind all these countries are
worse off than the United States. France
and Germany surely have their own possible
troubles ahead of them because of the
Russian situation, without going into any
other questions at all. Spain has long been
the laughing stock of the world because of
her young king ineffective attempts to
find a bride.
only the smaller European countries,
such as Portugal. Holland, Belgium. Den
mark and Switzerland, are without serious
problems pressing for immediate solution,
and most of them are badly tied up with
fected by any serious trouble within their
borders Greece, for instance, might have
a hard time If there were TO be really seri-
GUS disturbances between Turkey and the
Christian nations.
Norway alone of all the European coun-
tries is wholly hopeful at this New Year
time; she has reason TO be SO, perhaps, be-
cause of her newly acquired independence
and her new king, but Sweden is in the
dumps for exactly the same reasons.
Seven Years Ending in Six.
But perhaps throwing stones at those
who live IN other glass houses isn't a
very good thing after all. Perhaps the
best way to get the right perspective is to
compare the beginning of 1906 with some
other New Years.
Now l was born on January i, 1886. l
have seen three score and ten New Year
days Monday will be my seventy-first.
mo. Of course I don't remember great
deal about the first day OF January, 1886,
but 1 remember most of the New Year
days since then, especially those which be-
gan the years whose numerals end with the
figure six. for they have marked the dec
AIDES for me
ION several of these six New Year days
this country had as great or greater prob
lens before il as II has now In 1886 our
government was in the midst of a serious
contention with France over the famous