The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-12-31
The New Year.

We sat before the fireplace dreaming over a
bed of glowing Goals. New Years eve mao come
and the hour was past eleven. Silence reigned
up and down the streets and each was purled III
dreams or sunk in reverie. The whole "orlo
seemed hushed in silent expectancy.
Presently the air stirred and we noted shad-
ow creeping along the wall. Perhaps 1t was
fancy alone but the shadow shape formed into
the likeness of an hour-gass and stretched across
the wall in the crescent of scythe. An ancient
face formed dimly before the fire and presently
a voice began softly to address us:
81 am Time. I carry the worlds with me as
7 90. 7 am constant stream without a hitch or
break in my going. The ticking of your clocks,
the ringing of your chimes, the divisions OF your
calendars, what are these! Merest conventions!
They affect me not. | gather up into my cur
rent all things as pass and carry them with me
into the future and never once do | pause or hes-
tate. The whole universe flows, forever flows,
and am the name of its flowing.
what you choose to call the past, this year
which now expires on the dials of midnight, is as
living now as when the woods blossomed in its
spring Nothing ever dies. Every deed you have
ever done is immortal. Each act is an eternal
act You cannot destroy that which has BEEN"
band of jewellers went by on the street sing
ing New Year songs. They seemed like voices
from some vast distance. But Time paid no heed
and continued speaking:
"It will not avail you to endeavor to check
mate the deeds you regret by deeds you admire.
The truths you tell today will not cancel the lies
you told yesterday. The noble impulses that now
throb through you in this solemn hour leave un-
molested those base impulses to which you yield
ed yourself in forgotten
'You cannot escape your own evil dolngs nor
c1n you counterbalance them with the credit
" INNS of present good deeds. But do not des-
HI You may cause the failures of violated
8l to serve you in the victories of the future.
IN have within you that very secret for which
alchemists sought thousand years, the pow
e1A9f transmutation. By that alchemy you can
redeem your Vast and atone for your sins.
make the lies of yesterday serve in the in
terests of truth tomorrow. Make the impurity
of the autumn grow into the vrginity of the
spring. Cause the unkindness of last year to
work in the interests of kindness next year. Fight
your enemies with their own weapons. Use the
very experience and knowledge gained from old
sin to further the interest of new goodness. You
cannot cause your past acts not to have been but
you can transform their bad influence into good
influence This is the magician's wand that gives
you power over the past Itself and makes you
lord of your own existence"
far away bell began the stroke of twelve
The fire-castles in the CRATE had become dimmed
over with ashes and now softly crumbled away
The faint shadows of the glass and the scythe
faded into the shadows of the years first morn
ing and one of the group began quietly to repeat
Henleys stanzas:
"Out of the night that covers me
Black as the pit from pole to pole
l thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
1t matters not how straight the gate
How charged with punishments the scroll
! am the master of my fate
am the captain of my soul"