The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1916-01-13
Winter in Maine.

claimed the fact that in my eyes there was
nothing so distasteiul as snow, weather so
terrible to encounter as zero weather, no eli
mate SO unpardonaby freakish and bad as the
winter climate OF Maine. solomon says
The heart knoweth his own bitterness" It
is lucky heart, in my opinion, that can know
and be sure of even its own bitterness. Here
am |. who only year ago was fairly cantanX-
erous about the snow and all that pertained to
it, who fled from II and no beauty in it
this year revealing in the Wilderness of 1t,
giorying in the purity of it, made happy by
every changing effect Of light and shade upon
it. rejoicing to see the familiar hills and val
leys clothed with it; eeing miracle OF beauty
in the delicate trscery of leafless branches
against it, and feeling that amount of zero
weather could cause me to wish to turn my
back upon it or to depart from it. What
caused this change? do not know. Possibly
it began away back last winter down IN Flor
ida, when watching the little colored children
at play, always clad in summer garments, al
ways with green grass and flowers and fruit
around them and summer skies above their
Is,
these: ''You poor little pickaninnies, you
don't really have any fun at all Santa Claus
never brought you any new red mittens
or new wooden muller" or new fur
cap with "ear lappers" on 1t, or brand
new sled or new pair OF skates. You
never slid Gown hill on bob-sled, or threw
snow balls at anybody, built a fort in
do IN vi
tall hat on his head and a pipe IN his mouth
You never went skating over the smooth ice OF
the pond or river, up and down, up and down
in and out, around and around, sklmmng Ike
bird here, there and everywhere in the MIDST
of joyous, swift flying crowd OF skaters
You never went sleigh riding to the jinging
music of sleighbells-and you never even
shoveled snow! You poor little pickanlnnles'
you sure never really had any Jun at ALL
pity you" Anyhow, whether the change IN
nv sentiments began then, or began this tail
when, having fully decided not to go south,
I watched with strange feeling OF content
rnent the first feathery fakes come floating
down. and said to myself ''Ahl The old woman
is picking her geese''-rememberlng how my
have certainly changed, and the face Of the
northern winter seems to smile back at me,
like the face of some dear friend who after
long misunderstanding and estran cement, re-
ioices, even ! rejoice, to nc reconclled,
Of course there are pleasant memories OF
those southern days. Now and then Teie-
pnachus and compare notes. The song of the
E he bp9
of the orange trees; the live oaks and maeno-
has, the S; anish moss, the Halifax river and
the wonderful beach, with the boom OF the
ocean waves. All these things are stored
away in memory, to be lived over again at
will; ana often to us both comes the tenderest
memory Of all-the memory of a beautiful!
home where in the same pleasant room, be-
side he same fireplace that SO often filled our
hearts with cheer Mr., and Mrs. j. A. Clement
are again enjoying their winter in Florida
This is, I oelieve, MIR. Clements twenty ninth
winter IN Daytona, and during that time he
has been largely identified with the growth
and Improvement of the beautiful southern
city Again my Thoughts often stray to Or
mond, for Mr., and Mr. Wright are there, as
are also MIR. and Mrs. Geo. Rowland
and Miss Matte Cle-s, ali OF them mem
beers of tine Crawford House family" and
ali Of them paying important part in
the life at the great Ormond Hotel, where Mr.
Wright is assistant manager Meantime,
while all these memories are only such things
as dreams arr made Of" these winter days in
Maine are he reality, The sun has reached
IL lowest point, and has turned back Oh its
journey towards long summer days. The
days are already nine or ten minutes longer at
night aud last night there was a long twilight
with beautiful sunset colors in the western
sky. The sleghing js fairly good, and on the
ice il the Passagassawaukea river are the
fret tents Of the smelt fishermen. where later
a picturesque little colony will suddenly grow
up like al Esquimau village of the far north.
From my window as l write this in the late
afternoon, my eyes wander over the broad
sweep of snowy landscape and beyond to Pc
nobscot bay and the distant hills of Islesboro
So tender. so delicate, softly beautiful in
its coloring this last day of the old year-so
peaceful and SO serene the stiffness among
these hills of Maine, the day goes down into
the shadows from which on the morrow will
spring forth the dawn of the New Year; that
remembering the outs de world with it's strife
aud its confusion, its wars and its rumors of
wars, it's unrest and its uphappiness, one feels
a wave of thankfulness that there are, thus far
for America such quiet Ravens of rest; and re-
CARELESS of party or prejudice feels an APP
probation of the craftsmanship that through
such trying seasons has preserved for US the
peace that makes possible such scenes as
this. And feeling thus would not presume
to criticlse President Wilson's policy, as did
of whom we recently hear who, upon
being told that the President had sent another
note to Austria protested vehemently: "An-
other note! Good Lord, why don't he send
letter! They won't pay any attention to
motel
Country life may, contend, have
tendency to make one ilberal and selfish; to
narrow ones sympathies and warp ones judge
ments. But looking out upon this beautiful
bound world today. and remembering
former days, | cannot believe that this is the
fact. From the homes upon which my eyes
rest, have gone forth in the old days. men and
women Of the highest educ aton and culture
HTTMpHREYGs