Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-01
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

was to accompany the presents with
branches of vervain gathered in the
sacred grove of Strenua, the Goddess
of Strength. Hence the present came
to be called "strenua." In France
the day is known now as 'Ie jour
etrennes," the day of strenua, in
reference to the old Roman day. The
Druids used gifts Of sacred mistletoe
in place of yervain-and there are
maiden "Druids'' to this day, persist
Ing in the use Of mistletoe.
In the centuries before Christ the
emperors of Rome demanded from
their several colonies a gift of a pound
Of gold on each New Year day, a Gus
tom which grew so burdensome that
Claudius reduced the amount re-
quired. In England, in later CEN
turtles, the demand of some present
to the throne was made, until Bishop
IAtimer gave to King Henry q New
Testament in placepf gold and with
a leaf turned down at Hebrews, xiii.4.
in anticipation of the Kings ap-
preaching marriage to Anne Boleyn.
X v X X
When, about the fifth century, De-
cember 25 became fixed as a festival
of the Nativity, January 1.-The
eighth day-became the anniversary
Of the circumcision. From the first
the Catholic Church discouraged the
festivities of both Christmas and New
Year day and the first mention of
New Year in Christian literature was
in Canon II of the Council of Tours,
in SGT AID. The English Church
prescribed New Year as day for
mediation and charity.
In modern American life, no change
of customs has been more distinctive
than the abandonment Of the use of
Intoxicating liquor as a means of
celebrating New Year day, since the
coming Of the Volstead law. While
no one assumes that bootleggers
| moonshine has gone into an eclipse,
the amount of intoxicants now con-
sumed is immensely reduced, as COM
pared with what was used prior to the
eighteenth amendment. The cost of
Federal enforcement of the Volstead
law in 1925 was $9,203,384. The total
amount of collections this year by
Federal authority. through courts and
tax penalties, was $6,158 ,694.54, so
the net cost Of enforcement is about
$3,000,0 900 a year.
/ The foremost statistician, Prof Irv-
| ing Fisher of Yale University, states
:
Americans, since 1919, when prohibit
| ton went into effect, amounts to
| 5000, 100000 a year, without count
| ing any of the savings in the cost
of almshouses, jails, asylums, etc.
He demonstrates that this amount
| is shown in increase of national in
| come and in wages and the products
/ of labor.
Secretary of Commerce Herbert
| Hoover confirms Prof. Fishers fig
ures. Making allowance for increased
population since the war, he finds
that while population has grown Is
per cent, production has increased 80
per cent--a net per capita increase
of Is per cent, which he attributes to
prohibition.
| In careful experiments, it has been
| shown that one or two glasses of
beer reduced the capacity of Yale
| students to do mental arithmetic IL
per cent. In Russia, textile mills in
creased productivity per cent after
vodka prohibition, and, according to
| the Russian minister of finance, in
| mining districts the increased produc-
| tivity was 80 per cent. Prof. Fisher
| finds that four glasses Of beer a day
decreases typesetting per cent, and
] increases the time required in hard
| mountain climbing % per cent.
Since the origin of New Year gifts
| is traced back to sacrifices to the
Goddess of Strength. with branches
| from the Garden of Strenua, what is
! more apropos to the discussion of
| modern development Of the custom
than the increased "strenuosity'
given to all who now discard the de.
pressant, alcohol, and again approach
the Goddess of Strength. upon lie jour
d'etrennes? For the great French
man, Rousseau, gives us a proverb
for lie jour d'etrennes, Temperance
and labor are the two true physicians
of man'--the first lesson of the New
Year.
lCoYyriEht. 1927. by Paul v. Collins.l