The Washington times., 1921-01-01

1appy New Year, Use Well.
400, ,000,0 900 Will Drift.
Millionaire Earthworm.
Courage Is ALL.
ARTHUR BRISBANE :
Copyright. Is2e)


Today the fifteen or sixteen
hundred million human beings
(more or less human) that live on
earth today face an imaginary
starting line. and the race Of a
new year begins.
The length of the year just be-
ginning is 365 days, 8 hours, AZ
minutes, and 46 seconds of "mean
solAr time" No wonder the an
clients had trouble dividing the
year into weeks and months to
make it come out right.
Nothing is permanent, not even
the days length. Our earth's
movement, like the walk Of a man,
becomes slower as age increases.
A few hundred million years ago,
when there were no men. only the
simplest animals, on earth, the
earth turned around four times as
rapidly as it does now; night and
day lasted each three hours. The
sun, had there been anyone to OBJ
serve it.. would have been seen
travelling very fast.
The Jewish religion begins its
era with the creation of the world.
which, according to Jewish calcu-
lations, began $3.50 years and
8 months before the beginning of
our era. That seems close reckon
ing.
Christian doctrine teaches that
the world began about six thou
sand years ago and cannot last
much longer. Jewish and Chris
tian scholars, however, are de-
ciphering ancient documents writ
ten long before the beginning of
the world according to the Jewish
or the Christian idea, SO a mistake
has been made somewhere.
Biologists read, in the rocks, so
plainly that no educated man
doubts, the history Of animal life
here tens Of millions of years ago,
and the beginning OF HUMAN life
at least five hundred thousand
years ago.
In his book, "The Age of the
Earth" after carefully examining
all the evidence, Arthur Holmes
estimates the earth's age at about
1900 million years.
That is comforting, for it indi-
Gates that, since earth's infancy
LASTED so long, its later life will
last much longer. Therefore, the
human race will have plenty Of
time to rectify it's mistakes, even
to outgrow war, poverty, selfish
ness and injustice. ,..,s.... -, -.
One more year begins, flash
Of time in the earth's life, but
big part Of the active, effective
twenty-five years of the average
man. What will the struggling
fifteen hundred million humans
do with it?
More than fourteen hundred
millions Of them will drift with
the days, like a leaf on stream,
and that disposes of them. Others
will make laws and provide jobs
for them. Others will fix their
ireward-as low as competition
permits.
Others will tell them what they
may and may not do. And they,
rontented, because obedience is
easier than effort, will drift.
q A few will show energy in self
sishness, add more dollars to the
present store, thus making it GER
tain that nine-tenths of their chill
dren will play a FOOLS part in life.
They will die, and their names
will be printed twice-first, when
death comes; second, when the
9awyers tell how much the booty
3eft behind amounts to.
4 The ablest, most energetic minds
I'm this country are bound for that
ftuu, dhu thCy Dut Nudt
is the only life they can under
stand.
For them, it is life wasted, but
not for the country. Such work.
ers THINK they work for them
selves and their children. But they
develop industry, increase produc-
tion, and gradually are producing
conditions under which civiliza-
ton may really develop.
They are like the worms whose
Z labor Darwin watched and meas
bred so carefully for more than
twenty years.
y Earthworms have created all
the fertile soil on which our crops
grow, grinding up the earth, max
ing it fit food for plants, as it
passes through the worms soft
bodies.
\ The worms thought they were
chewing up earth only because
< they liked it. We know that wis
; dom above was making them chew
{ for our benefit.
We number our years from the
birth Of Christ. The Moham-
medans begin their era with the
first day Of the month preceding
A. pyhn, oJ