Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-28

With q single speculative glance toward the
little girl in gray, RhoSa Waldron settled back
and began to look around her. 1t many
years since she had been inside churchI
Not actual righteousness! But so many parties
all the time! Sundays on the yacht, Sundays
on the golf course! Sundays at this house,
party Sundays at that one. Tennis, concerts,
reading-everything Smuggling deeper into
her coat she tipped back her head and sat
half adream, half-alert, staring up into the
great-arched. heavily raftered ceiling of the
church, Such depths Such mystery!
Across the vagueness of her reverie voice
broke suddenly preachers voice, brisk au-
thorttative, delivering its New Year eve message.
Not from the pompous heights Of the great,
towering, brilliantly lighted pulpit was the
message delivered, but starkly and simply from
the Shadowy depths at the foot of the pulpit!
slender black-gowned STRIPPING with an eager
ascetic, silver-blond sort of face that slashed
from the gloom like naked sword drawn sud-
denly in the cause of the Eordl Brief, concise,
absolutely incorporating, the challenge was
flung.
The young preacher paused an instant,
slipped utterly out Of his dogma and positive
ness, and stepped forward almost difhdently
into the candlelight
This night" he faltered This solemn
night? You and T.? The so or so CT
you gathered here tonight? Some of you
whose faces are the faces Of old friends, but
most of you whose faces are the faces of
strangers group Of people who by the law of
change and chance viii never be together under
the same roof again! Not while Time lastsl
This year which is just passing-for some
OF us it has been good year, lavish, bolntiful
bringing incalculable treasure to us! For some
Of us it has been bad year. hazardous, dew
astating, bearing incalculable treasure from
us! But to all Of us it is at least now proven
year.
But this New Year? This mysterious. vet
unfathOmed New Year-What is it going "a
give us? And what is it going to take away?
For give 1t must, and take 1t must! And neither
youth nor age health nor sickness can prophesy
the measure of that giving or that taking!"
He paused an instant. threw out impassioned
hands to his flock.
'Oh, wish" he cried out, st wish-that
every one In the world tonight-the rich, the
poor. the old, the young-the magnate from
his limousine or the hobo from his gutter
might enter the New Year with his hand in
another'sl In the sheer mutually of COM
mon experience, so that no man faring forth
at the poignant hour from the known into the
unknown might fare forth quite alone, nor
ever again speak with scorn of his companion
be he sinner or saint, hero or wastrel-but
say, rather: Why, he was my friend! Once,
indeed, hand in hand we watched the"
little Shiver crept across the church.
thrill, vibrancel Across the roofs of the
CITY, suddenly the bells began to chime!
ut is the hour!" cried the young preacher
Each to his own thoughts! And let us pray!"
But instead Of kneeling, he glanced about an
instRnt, stepped down from the chancel and
ped hand almost caressingly on the tattered
shoulder even as he bowed his own head in
silent prayer.
Two-three-four-chim the slow, porten-
tous midnight bells!