The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-02-05
February the Boss Month.

February is the shortest month in the
years calendar, and winds up with
Sunday holiday at that, but into its
twenty-four working days the church,
society and politics are unusually we'll
in evidence. This month is the last of
the present administrator lease of
power and executive strenuosity, as Mr..
Roosevelt gives way to President Taft on
the 4th of March, and when the former
again fills the public eye, it will be as it
were through the small end of the tele
scope, stalking lions and shooting ele-
plants and capturing rhinoceroses in
the interior of Africa.
Then on Tuesday last, the second, we
had Candlemas day, and the prophetic
weather vision of the grounding, who
according to the poet is accustomed at
that time to
Feel the vibrant stir OF spring
Run up And down his spine,
Rub all his knuckles In his eyes,
Wind up his winters snooSe.
And patent leather shoes,
Ascend the stairway OF his lair
And Join the Ananias Club
In fine and dandy style.
According to the scriptures, forty days
after the birth of Christ the Virgin Mary
took the infant Jesus to the temple and
Simeon took the child in his arms and
prophesied that he "should be a light
unto the Gentiles and the glory of Isra-
ell" Taking Christmas as the birthday Of
Christ, the day he was brought to the
temple would have been Feb. I'd. The
church chose to celebrate this temple
visit rather than keep a heathen god
dess's festival. The new feast day was
variously called St. Simeon's day, Wives
feast day, Presentation day, Publication
day and Christ's Presentation. Gradual
ly these we're superseded by the name
which yet prevails in Catholic and Epis-
copalian communities, which is Candle
mas day.
Next Wednesday the vote of the elect
oral college will be formally opened at
joint session of both Houses of Con-
gress, and it will be found that 32l votes
were cast for Taft and Sherman, and 1872
for Bryan and Kern.
Then on Friday, the 18th, comes the
one hundredth anniversary of the birth of
the great Emancipator, Abraham Lin
coin, day that will be observed with
appropriate demonstrations and cere-
monies throughout the length and
breadth of the land.
St. Valentines Day will come on the
14th, and by the young people at least
1t will be regarded as the biggest day
of the month. Safe to say it won't be
the most popular with the postoffice Of
fcials-unless methods of delivery and
sale of penny stamps and cancellation of
same have changed greatly since the
writer was a deputy of Uncle Sans.
But it is day which affords Jack an
opportunity to assure Joan that he de-
sires her to be his Valentine in some
such declaration as this
This is the day birds choose their mates
II too late and ali in vain,
IEdy ScHu luc udCh NY lONc dSdlI.
Truth to tell, it is also day too often
improved by the jealous and evil-dispos-
ed and vulgar to inflict upon their bet
ters insulting so-called comic" mon
strosities, which by rights ought to sub
ject them to arrest for violation of the
postal laws.
And then, on the 22d, the day of days
will come when everyone will try to
honor most the name Of him who never
told lie. The day on which if we may
place full confidence in the Ganderbone
Soothsayer of the Harrisburg Telegraph,
T. R. will take cherry tree and drag il
through the aisles of Congress till the
country whoops and even Congress
smiles and having surfeited himself
with this amusing skit, he'll canter Till
man out and run him up and down a
bit. At night the Ananias Club will
burgeon with ball, and all the liars viii
disport and frolic in the hall. The cheer.
full liar will consort and mingle with the
plain, the unprecedented type will TRIP
to the refrain, the willful liar will essay
the Merry Widow waltz, the suave in
fernal liar will be welcomed for his faults
the artful liar will consign the truth tC
utter Hades, and the droll dam liar will
delight the none too squeamish ladies'.
Finally Ash Wednesday, on the oath
will round out the notable days of th'
eventful little month.
LINCOLN SAID;
Do not worry, eat three square meal