The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1912-01-04
Turning the New Leaf.


and Thanksgiving are merely loca
holidays. They are peculiar TO the
United States, and they are observed
by Americans in other countries where
they chance to be numerous enough
in any spot to get up a demonstration
which will recall the days in the old
land. Even Christmas is restricted in
its range to the various denominations
Of the Christian faith, and these com
prise much less than hall of the inhab'
itants Of the world. In the United
States some OF the Jews have been OBJ
serving the day in recent times, but
aside from this exceptional case and
country, the days vogue does not go
far beyond the boundaries Of the West
ern Hemisphere, Europe and Australia.
It is excluded from the great con
tinents Of Asia and Africa, which fill a
large part of the woald's map in much
more than a physical sense. The Gre
alton of the Empire of Japan, the emer
gence OF what promises to be the Re
public Of China, and the birth Of the
Union OF South Africa, comprising sew
eral states united in a federation, and
governed on modern lines, are warn
ing to Europeans and Americans that
they comprise no longer the sum Of
the social factors which give the law
10 the world.
But New Years refuses to be re-
stricted by any lines OF geography or
race. The spirit Of the occasion trans
lates itself into every language under
the sun. It carries an atmosphere Of
hope and gladness which is not bound
ed by oceans or mountain chains, but
extends over all the continents and
spreads over the Islands Of the sea.
While our own two great holidays are
observed by less than l00,000,000
people, and Christmas is observed by
less than 500,000,000, New Years
carries a message which every one Of
the 1,60O,OO0,000 inhabitants OF the
earth can understand. 1t is the one
festival which declines TO be stayed
by meridians or parallels. Moreover,
m1re az more over the whole earth
January !, under its various names, is
converging on the same day. Russia
has Just adopted the Gregorian calen'
dar, which makes the year begin on
the same day as it does Throughout the
rest of Europe and in all the countries
and dependencies of the westean hem
isphere. The China Of the new dis
pensation is to date the beginning oi
the year as well as Of its own era from
January l. This is an evidence Of the
rise OF modern spirit which will COM
pei the world, skeptics as we'll as others
to believe that the Republic there is
something more than passing fad,
but is based on a new birth Of its peo'
pie. 1t is an expression Of a twentieth
century spirit, and will probably be
able to sustain itself. The spectacle
OF an observance of New Years ir
China and in Russia on the same day
as the rest Of Europe and as the peo
pies on this side Of the Atlantic have
it is an evidence Of the growing solid
arity OF all the races which realizes tht
dreams OF the social philosophers Garlic
than any Of them expected. Il mean
that the second decade CT the twen
deth century is all excellent time in
which 10 live.
While the Romans sod Janus, wit
presided over the beginnings Of month
and Of years, was represented by tw,
faces, one looking forward and III
other backward, il is the forward lool
which the would Of today takes at tn
beginning Of the month which bear
his name. This is the dividing lin
between old and new. Especially o.
January /, hope springs eternal in tn
human beast, All Of US see mistake
which we committed in the past /.
months, in some Of which we ere
gratuitously, and sirned against til
light. but these are all TO be avoided
as we believe in the cycle which open
+odar THE will he little limo or cha