Norwich bulletin., 1918-04-16
Views of the Vigilantes
THE CALENDAR

By George E. Bowen of The Vigilantes
 For three gtars or more I have been looking hopefully, at the big, checker board business calendar above my desk.
 As the days numbered in the squares were counted off into history, each one became memory-more of tragedy than of joy
 Whenever I go back over those num- bered days they give me sad and shudderlng memories of Belgium and Flanders, of stricken Italy and groan- ing France. of blood drenched noun tain tops and the torn and troubled waters of wide blue oceans.
 Too many of thise sadly numbered days were written in deprtssing black.
 Now, I'm going to mark all the days of the future in RED.
 For all the glad days of plenteous peace, for immemorial days of national rejoicing and new resolve and good cheer, for ceremonial days of whatever fine, high import, and for such days of grace as diversity may nee.d-days of inspiration and regen- eratiop-the old calendar habit is red. don't know how much 1t may be with others-too much black darkens my spirit
 y, sacrifice for the Good Cause. But be- ing just human, I can't forever endure mourning and hunger, debt, desolation and death
 can't have it all loss when I want it to be all gain,
 won't have it all failure where it all must be victory. So to cheer myself along, Pm doing a bold bit Of camoufiage and painting all the days of my calendar red Bright, beautiful. buoyant, luminous l red, like @ rising sun of optimistic faith.
 So that continually I may know that l am fighting for peace and. for 2 great glad day of rejoicing, It.is just as well to have 2S red dayi of Washington's sanguine spirit in February. as only one. 1 And why shouldn't the thrill and splendor of 31 Independence Days make up the whole calendar measure l of July-or any other month? Lincolns birthday had such T big wide-a humanity meaning. I'm sur: l he wasn't particular about Februars 1 12-and, anyhow, Lincolns immorta i fame isn't so much concerned with his 1 personal birthday as with the count l less birthdays of freedom he sough to bring to all men in all lands for al | time
 I want the message of Lincoln-l
 handy, every day in the ytar, so i
 will be potent. lustrous part of o l all my 3s5 new Red Days. 1 The list of glorifed anniversaries o l manhood. courage, sacrifice, consecra. l tion-triumpn of the right over tn forces of eviI-is too long to write 1 down here. It IS :;fe3 chaptered stor.
 of ideas; it's catalogue of moral cru
 sades and spiritual victories.
 But there's a hero and a song fo 1 every day.
 There's 6 Csristmas gift of oppor unity and Q Thanksgiving anthem 0 praise for every day. 1 And every now and then, among tn
 spring bleeeoras death never has beei
 able to forbid, there's wonderful
 glorious Iz0ster of new beginnings an,
 restored t2.th,
 So, I've cut all tht black crepe ou
 of my life and all the black despai and weariness out of my big warkda calendar spaces. And I've painted tn
 nup7 5s" of every day in vivid, surgine
 conta.gious, triumphant RED! And Pm recommending a copy of m . new calender 10 eVtry loyal heart hop ing and working for the Great DR
 that is to be written no only in Ree
 but in White and Blue.
 I've even serlt a copy to the Kaisel