Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1927-12-30
THR KINDLTNG TORCH.

Inc LuuluiL anu Tic 0hOubAhS
which usher the Old Year derisively
out and drag the New Year hilari-
Ously in it is, after all, only a spent
hour of self-abandon. For when the
noise has died and the little night is
past, the fact remains; and the fact
is a milestone set firmly in the fibre
of our living journey, and it would
come if we slept, or if we kept vigil
or, indeed, if we passed into eter-
nifty in advance of the event.
It is a fatality we celebrate,
whether we recognize it or not; it
is human limitation we speed into
the night with the old year, knowing
that all things are beyond our con-
troll; and thus we play the bravo,
daring Time to do what he can and
will, since the dawn is not of our
numbering.
For some the night of capering;
for others the morning of reflection.
Resist the beginnings" urges Ovid,
but he speaks of temptations.
"Those that with haste" remarks
Cassius, will make mighty fire,
begin it with weak straws." That
is wisdom, and the weak straws Of
our flame are the gleanings Of New
Years Day, left from the vanished
harvest Of the dead year. Spenser
was not the first, nor the last, to
discover that leach goodly thing is
hardest to begin," but there is a
quite common discovery that even
the weakest of good intentions
leaves a reproach among its ruins,
and that is something.
Life is a succession of moods,
through which we pass again and
again; and, according to our char
acter, some grow strong and some
more family marked as they re-
volve. The coming of the New
Year is of all these moods the most
arresting, because it conspires with
the seasons to symbolic life itself.
He is a bold man who dares shut
his ears to the toiling of the sum-
mons this day echoes; he is a fool
ish man, too, for if the bells mono
tone their warning they also peal
their promise. Who knows of to-
morrow? Of another such day,
year hence, and what shall be writ
ten? Whittier the trail; what the
rewards? Something stirs within
as the day glides into the year; and
that profound element Of high adj
venture, which shines through the
eyes of a boy for whom all the |
earth awaits a conqueror, fiickers,
perchance flames, and lights "a can
die of understanding in thine heart,
which shall not be put out"
Good intentions are not to be de-
spised, they are their own benedic-
ton. Not all are wise enough to |
collect weak straws, but the fault is
born Of zeal. So long as we ponder
the matter and realize, if once a |
year, that it is even better and more |
useful to live for good ideals than
to die for them, each New Year
holds towards us the kindling torch.
For these the peal of promise, and |
the dawn after the night.
@eS
THE managers of the Wilmington
Playhouse have recently considered
closing it for legitimate theatre use,
for the production of modern plays
and asked for five hundred guaran-
tors that each performance in that
theatre shall have at least that many
seat sales. This proposal was con-
sidered and an effort made to meet
the demand; but it very properly fell
short Of the number required. Evil
IDENTIFY the lease holders of the thea
tire had serious doubt that the plan
was wise for them to follow, and
they procured William Hodge, the
famous actor and playwright, to pro-
duce his latest play, Straight
Through the Door," for last Friday
and Saturday. The result was an
object lesson to the Shuberts and
their manager. For the people of
Wilmington gave an object lesson
to the managers that when plays Of
character are presented by actors of
merit to theatre-going people in Will
mington, they will respond to the
offerings with capacity audiences. 1t
might be well for the theatre folks
directing the Wilmington Playhouse,
to understand, that the people OF
Wilmington are educated to higher
standards of service than that which
they had been receiving for their
patronage. The people do not want
and will not patronize plays which
show the dirt Of moral life by spok-
en- word, or pictured scenes, by
players who accept that kind OF
work on the theatre stage. Whining
ton knows william Hodge and his
life as an actor, and they knew that
only clean, uplifting entertainment
would be offered from that grade OF
talent. Wilmington knows what high
class theatre service is, and will
patronize it when offered. There are
hundreds Of people in Kent and
.couutieR with like pnder-l