South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-01-01
NEw A-EAR REsoLUTIoNs.


The dawn Of the New Year is upon
May il TO you be happy and
fosperous one. There Is no particu-
reason why we should say this just
bw, save that IL has become custom
~, and sometime in the long ago
lliCs Caesar and Pope Gregory XIII
cided upon it as a 1eans of adjust
K accumulated errors with the least
Dasible Inconvenience TO the public.
is too but "a minor fraction OF the
orld that this Is New Years day
rs in Catholic and protestant
,untries We accept the New Year
fter the manner in which Caesar and
regory invented it-by resolving to
Drrect accumulated errors and irci-
entally 90 wish each other happiness
I'd prosperity in the experiment.
In Russia New Years day will not
Dme for almost a fortnight and the
hinese. the Mahommedans and the
ebrews everywhere. like the Greek
hurch. heve a New Years day Of
heir own.
me. one by the sun and the other by
ie moon. IL is a question which OF
hes. was the earlier. The ancient
reeks kept time by the moon, and
be early Egyptians by the planets.
4 ne early Roman year was lunar. The
Hebrew year. which is ono Of the old
IS. is also lunar. -
The great variation i'm methods Of
Keeping time comes from the failure
+ the earth 20 revolve on its own axis.
he moon 10 revolve around the earth.
Ind the earth 10 revolve around the
i IN, so that each revolution shall be
n exact multiple Of every other rev
iution II these revolutions annually
{oincided the earth, moon and sun
GOULD be in exactly the same relative
POSITIONS 10 each other at some fixed
] me. which is not the fact
The exact length OF the solar year is
& 65 days. five hours. As minutes and 46
@econds. which is the interval OF time
etween the vernal equinoXes. The
unar year is the length of time re-
4 ulred to complete II or Is lunar
|nonths. which, as worked out IN the
4 Hebrew calendar. varies from 253 to
SIS days
: IL would seem that the vernal
EQUINOX is the natural time to start
+ he new year. The awakening Of the
arth comes in the spring; the crops
tart then: the bIossoming and the
brill Of new life then begin. not only
2 the fields and woods but in man
himself.
But it matters little when the new
pear comes in. if only it finds us indi-
|idualIy ready 10 try for a new and
leaner record. We inventory our
business at this time: and might it not
be more to the real purposes of life
h. inventory our habits and qualities
f character as we'll?
our most precious assets are within
ourselves. and a lot of our heaviest
liabilities are within too.
Try for better results this time by
letting your resolutions be Of a posi-
hive. rather than of a negative sort.
Determine TO do something rather
han to leave something alone Ifyou
have vices 10 conquer supplant them
with virtues.
II is not the swearing-off, nor the
keeping sworn-off that moves the
world forward. II is the swearing
on, and keeping sworn-on.
Beware OF the man. the woman or
the child; the nation. the state or mu-
with none but negative vir-
tues Perhaps they are better than
none at all. but the positive virtues.
the virtues that do rather than refrain
uSn doing. count for most in the
stern battle
II YOU chew tobacco, resolve TO chew
gum. or better still resolve TO chew
This quitting" Is mo good.
IT puts you on the defensive, and YOU
want to be the aggressor if you would
succeed
Same if you use liquor Resolve on
settler: - pure water can auench
thirst. and the perfume is less notice
able
II YOU swear, take 10 weeping. Pro-
fanit- is a nervous impulse slipped
from the tongue. Women weep TO
keep from swearing. and men swear
to keep from weeping In either case
impulse is overcome. for better or for
worse. by doing something else
Your whole category of New Year
resolutions should follow this trail
You have been wasting time. Time
Is your greatest asset. Resolve 20 i'm
prove IL By keeping busy Loahng is
not essential TO rest Variety is the
spice OF life" II YOU are physically
tired. take a nap. and then get up and
kick the cat ont of the kitchen. Keep
busy.
Keeping busy. With brain and hand,
viii solve every problem, surmount
every difficulty. as il comes along. and
do IL right And q portion OF the time
can be devoted 20 harmless recreation,
capable OF development somewhere
f.--st tar ...-rt.r, rs fhaf sttr nar,i n -