The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-11-17

Washington, D. c., Nov. 15.-
Shall we have more holidays?
The feminist forces have asked
congress to make Aug. %. the day
the woman suffrage amendment
was adopted, Woman's day, and q
national holiday. Admirers Of
Roosevelt want his birthday, which
falls on Oct. 81; added to the list of
holidays throughout the country.
| Columbus has his supporters,
too, who think the day this coun-
! try was discovered is OF sufficient
/ importance to be celebrated more
! widely than it is Various groups
are urging congress to make Arm
istice day permanent holiday.
Bills for new holidays are pre-
scented to congress every year, but
this year there seems to be more
interest in them than usual.
| Armistice day stands the best
| chance of being put on the calen-
! Oar as permanent holiday now.
| Sentiment in favor of it is strong,
! and the time is opportyne But
I lengthening the list OF holidays is
serious step, mad now, especial
ly, there is a tendency to stop to
| consider whether We have enough
holidays already. whether they are
an economic asset or a liability,
and what holidays cost anyway.
A large number of feast days is
regarded by some authorities as a
sign of economic degeneracy. The
evidence seems to be that we have
not too many holidays now As
he HiFTnraaF
themselves the holidays they will
celebrate, the number varies from
seven to a dozen or more. The
average which is about ten com
pares favorably with the holiday
lists of other countries. Scotland.
1t is true, gets along with only five
national holidays, but Australia has
10. Rumania has "a, mostly re-
ligious, and while Mexico has only
IS national holidays, it is eStimat-
ed that all of it's 60 local holidays
are observed by more than half the
people.
= Back in ancient times, Roman
history furnishes a striking illus !
tration of holiday excuses. Out !
of 800 days in a year, the Romans !
set aside 100 as unlawful for ju- /
dicial or political business. These !
days were dedicated TO the gods. |
We have about half as many rest !
days in our Sundays. and our eight !
or ten legal holidays correspond to /
the II other Roman holidays.
But this proportion of almost
one-third of the time off, did not
satisfy Rome when the empire be
gan to decay. At the middle of the
fourth century, there were 175
holidays, some lasting several
days.
Indian Holidays. /
No country today is in this con-
dition. but there is an interesting
modern example of people hay-
ing a great number of holidays,
more than any of the civilized
and without serious eff
fects. These people are the Hopi
Indians of the Southwest, whose
religious festivals occupy more
than half the year They arrange
most of their ceremonies for the
slack months between harvest time !;
and planting. |,
A government scientist says of Il
hem: Although the Pueblo farm
pr may thoroughly believe in his Il
ceremonial system as efficaciouS. /;
his human nature is too practical :
70 consume the precious planting
line with elaborate ceremonials. "
The Hopi makes his holidays fit I
N with the simple economic +
scheme of the tribe But more civ {
LIKED countries with complicated |
abor conditions do not. II