Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1922-01-07
THE MAN WHO TALKS

time you have had the opportunity to
exchange your gift, for something that |
fits you. Following closely on the lat-i
ter was New Years with its greetings
and now that is becoming a bit dim. |
These three events are peaks close to |
one another in the range of Detachable |
Mountains which God has put Into this |
human geography. Being human ike
Peter we would like to stay all the |
time amid these scenes of transfigura- |
ton. Eut the Master says, get down |
to the lower levels where the real |
work of life Is done" The value of a |
mans life is estimated by the success !
of his daily toll: it is what he does
day in and day out, that really counts. |
The man who climbs to the top of |
g very high mountain usually does 1t |
to show off. There are no farms, no
workshops, no colleges, no detectives
for human endeavor on the mountain
peaks. 1t is the post holiday season
that counts in the life of labor.
If ! remember correctly we let last
Forefather's day pass practically I'M
noticed. One can easily see why this
should happen. Celebrating the day
that marks the settlement Of New
England, and, incidentally, the begin
|, ming of our American civilization is !
/ largely national affair. It does not
appeal with much force to either the
far east or the near east. 1t Is not
| matter in which Great Britain,
France or the states of continental Eu-
rope are specially interested. The two
rclosing months of last year were al
most wholly devoted to matters of
international politics. AS the larger
| always includes the lesser, so the
Washington conference for the Hnli-
| tation of ornaments doomed up big
| ger than Plymouth Rock. Probably the
great tercentenary celebration of last
year had tendency to put Dec. 20
/ of last month into the shade. But let
us not forget that Plymouth Rock is
still on the map, and the things there
| started still are, and ever will be,
Living issues.
With some notable excertions ! be-
i lieve that our modern manners and
customs are an improvement on those
/ that were once in vogue. I am Just
now thinking of the internal agree
ment, and the use that is made of, the
modern dwelling. What has become
| of the old "parlor"; the room that
was thrown open for general Use only
| for weddings and funerals? 1t was
! one of these alright, musty compart-
! n4ents that was kept for ornament
rather than for usefulness. We see it
now with its horsehair sofa, so bla tx,
/ shiny and slippery. There were its
six companion chairs always arranged
! in funereal order. We see the old in
grain carpet kept in almost perpetu-
EaI darkness lest it fadei We see mot
| toes worked in horsehair hanging on
| the wall God Bless Our. Home and
the Lords Prayer. But the old par
lor" for the most part has gone and
the bright, sunny living room that is
I constantly used has come. 1t Is a
I change for the better because more
homelike and comfortable.
1t is doubtless true that there is
something "stale" about making good
PROSECUTIONS at the beginning of the
Eyear:5 tWhen it is true it is because
Uur, new resolutions are nothing more
ETHAN the revival of our old failures
i'ft. we, keep on year after year max
ing good resolutions and just as re-
guiarly keep on year aftertyear break
ing them, then nothing under heaven
can be more stale than this bur-
) lesque of right endeavor. If we break
one resolution our power is weakened
! in keeping any of the others; and,
worse still, it ,weakens our respect for
4 good resolutions in general. A person
can break the law so repeatedly that
the habit becomes a second nature,
and the power to resist becomes as
flin1sy as tissue paper. To my mind
| making good resolutions is very dan
gerous unless there is in reserve
: enough moral stamina TO keep them
} Rather than to specify what we will
do or not do. it is better to live all
the time on that high plane so as to
,, be in right relations with God and
man.
The custom is now Widespread te
make the past live again in the his
torical pageant. That it is a means Of
: making history vivid is beyond ques-
I Euon. The two great avenues to know
s ledge, are the eye and ear. Glass room
r instruction is largely ear knowledge
I but not entirely, as the black board
: which is found in all classrooms, tes
c titles. We cannot overestimate the
! place which the eye occupies in ac
: quiring knowledge If we can only Wis.
talize thing it is apt to be fixed II
: the memory, and in doing this the pag.
g cant is of great value. But let US no
y deceive ourselves about the introduc
s ton of the pageant to teach spiritua
e things or otherwise. The pageant wa
n introduced by the Church in the mid
a die ages to promote the religious spir
. it, and its finest relic is found in tn.
:. Passion play of Oberammergau Pro
: | test4ntism turned the religious dram.
q down. The Puritans were bitterly op
+ posed to everything dramatic; an.
o looked upon the theatre as the vesti
o bule of perdition. The revival of fh
n paSeant n fis only as
e fad, and, yet may be very entertain
j., ing and INSTRUCTIVE e.
L Why is it that the winter seems 1
pass rapidly after the holidays? A
a matter of fact the bulk of white
is after January 1, and not before tina
: date. As the real cold is not suppose
he to come till Dec. 20, January is natu
rally the coolest month, and we nee
not look for spring till March 20. Stil
10 the first month of the year seem
1t to slip away the quickest of the twelve
Apparently there are several reason
for it; l. We bone right down to tn
" days work with right good will wit
=, very little outside interruption, w
, have had-for the most part a goo
time in the holidays and now we ar
:. ready to do the things that can n
To longer be neglected. 2. We are glad t
r react from the fatigue and whirl an
g confusion Of the Christmas shoppin
and settle down to the humdrum 6
life. 3. We take the time to make u
ar the long. neglected correspondence
We and tell our friends and relative
40 what lovely presents we received an
that theirs was the most appreciat
ed of all. Let us hope that Peter doesn
!. see all this letter writing.
cyl IT is very important to keep II
nv great stirring events of human histor
In mind; to. remember the annivei