Morris tribune., 1914-01-09
JANUARY

But where they had the time be-
fore
Pursued him lightly through the
door,
And laughed to see him dodge the
cops,
This time they were as mad as
hops.
The startled Tom looked back to
find
The butcher believing behind,
The State militia turning out,
And marshals scurrying about,
He felt the earth beneath him throb
With all the impact of mob,
And ran as he had never run
In all the thieving he had done.
When someone rang the village
bell,
He knew its meaning very we'll;
The fleet Boy Scouts were turning
out,
And troops were leaving their re-
doubt.
A military aeroplene
Set ZIP its poppety refrain,
And Tom turned faint and deathly
pale
When bloodhounds bayed upon the
trail.
'Alas! - he said: "My lucky star
Deserts me-I have gone too far -
With which he took one look around,
And seeing he was losing ground,
He deftly doubled on his track,
And put tFe casus belli back.
Numa Pompillus, the second King
of Rome. was very much like Presi-
dent Wilson. Having been the presi-
dent of a big university before he
was called to the throne. he knew all
about everything, and had a reform
program that kept the Roman Senate
at work in season and out. When he
got rid Of his tariff and currency
bills, he took up the calendar. There
were at that time 10 months in the
year, which began in March. Numa
proposed to increase the number of
months to IL. and to have the year
begin two months earlier. His speech
before the Senate, in which he dwelt
upon the general happiness that would
result from giving every body two
months more pay and the humane
necessity for making the 17th of
Marcn come at a season when the
people in the Irish provinces could
march without being exposed to the
blasts of winter, has been incorporat-
ed in all the works on the worlds
best orations. The bill passed IN
mediately after the Christmas holi.
days, and commission of experts ap-
pointed by Numa inserted the months
of January and February in the cal
endar, where they have remained un.
disturbed.
January takes it's name from the
Latin Januarius, which was itself de.
rived from Janus, the two-faced god,
who looked both fore and behind, anc
hence was chosen by Numa as typi
fying the new year. 1t was from thii
fact that the two-faced custom OF
sending one bill and at the same
time wishing him happy New Yeal
arose. Caesar tried to discourage il
on the ground that it was hypocrisy
but he was assassinated by Brutus
Casca and others of the more promi.
nent Roman merchants of that time,
and no one has dared question th'
propriety of the custom from that da,
to this. Marc Antony, who was tn
leading chautauqua lecturer in Rome
during the reign of Caesar, had ;
writticism on this score which ht
frequently got off to the great amuse
ment of the people out in the pro
vinces. He said that Caesar tried t
reform business and got his gal
divided into three parts.
Romulus. who founded Rome. ha
tHOuRuG ludC LIE year SAOuAO OVSAu ~
March, but after a long and blood
experience the Romans concluded tina
Mars was not proper god to presid
over so important an event. Th
peace party, which had become yer
powerful at home while the war part.
was away extending the boundaries o
the empire, persuaded Numa to adop
Janus. His announcement of his de
cision was characteristic of the ma
who invented money and did SO man.
other amusing things. He said tha
in deposing Mars he bad substitute
Janus for the reason that peace itsel
was such a two-faced proposition. H
had observed that the sentiment for
was always strongest in those cour
tries which had acquired vast territol
ial possessions and did not want
run the risk of losing them by doin