Evening star., 1922-12-31
BY THOMAS n. MARSHALL,
Former Vice Preaident of the
United States.

IF q man has either faith or
philosophy he can cheer him.
self not a little by thinking
back to the first New Year
day and retrospectively consider
ing the first man who looked upon
it. To contemplate the historic
Adam may be helpful in lifting the
load from tho shoulders Of those
who think in a thousand ways
Christian civilization is about to
break down and the individual to
20 to his ruin. Each man of a
million may feel himself to be the
most helpless, hopeless and un-
done creature since time began.
Yet, bad as may be his condition.
it Is idyllic in contrast with that
of the first gentleman on that
New Year morn. when he stepped
from the Garden of Eden. his bride
by his side. He had no friends. no
home. no money. no trade. no job
and no newspaper in which to ad-
vertise for one; and yet he turned
to Eve and said. "A happy New
Year. my dear" Notwithstanding
his plight he kept moving along in
faith and confidence. He was
never utterly cast down nor dis
mayed. He knew what he had
lost, but he neither cursed God nor
died. He had rare philosophy.
Things were just as bad with him
and with the world as they could
possibly be. But in attaining unto
knowledge he had also gathered
fruit of the Tree Of Wisdom. and
SO he said. What is bad is part
my fault: let me be brave enough
have faith measurably to prove
that he sincerely meant his greet
ing. what right have any of us to
say there is no hope after all these
long centuries that this will be a
happy New Year?
4 X =
The heather had for his consola-
tion the myth that every evil in
box. save hope. The Christian al
ways has for his faith a belief
that in the midst of evils there is
n divinity overruling everything
for the good of man. Whether you
call 1t faith or hope. it has been
the anchor of individuals for un-
told generations in hours of doubt
and uncertainty. How far the
heather was willing to have his
hope deferred, I cannot say. but
al! thoughtful souls since the first
Christmas have felt that. no differ
ence how angry the seas. their
ship was sailing onward to di-
vine event. They have been VIII
refer to the event as far off. They
sing on each New Year eve a
hymn 10 higher. finer. better
things.
With the poet We all have cried
to the New Year bells, not only
to ring out the old and TO ring In
the new. but TO ring out the false
and ring in the true. If this song
or PRAYER or human longing. call
il what you may. had died upon
the first lips that uttered it. be-
cause it did not come 10 pass al
once, then long since would civili-
zation have become accursed. But
those who had faith could see as
the years went by not full ac-
complishment. but progress toward
it. And. realizing they were NOV
ing forward, they were eager to
greet each next New Year with
the same glad cry. thereby proving
that, after all. IL is an invoca-
ton. not benediction.
+
How human it is for us to scowl.
yet how divine Il would be if we
would smile. We have not yet
grown out of our childhood. in
that we take for granted what we
have and think we should obtain
what we do not have. If discon-
tent aids a striving toward the
ideal. then 1t is well; but. if it is
a source OF lessened effort. then
1t is i'll. We are not wise il with
the coming of tomorrow we do
not strike a balance between our