The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1937-01-01


ton and experience for veal or
woe. There Is no use dwelling In
the past. What Is done Is done.
Tomorrow Is another day. 1t Is In
the possession Of that great gift
from Divine Providence to man
that human beings are heartened
TO carry on In the face of every
thing which would otherwise
crush their hopes, aspirations,
and dreams into nothingness. In
the words Of Longfellow's psalm
of Life":-
LET the dead Past bury Its
dead!
Act, act in the living present!
Heart within, and God GER
head"
And 80, without any reservations
whatever, wish you all the COM
pliments, the blessings, and the
graces Of the day. Slainthel Sa-
lutel Locheiml Prosit! Skoal!
To 1871 And down the hatchl
Review
It Is the custom Just now for
the newspapers to print In detail
a review OF the events of i'm
portance In the year which has
Just ended. Editors and COM
mentators select those happenings
which appear to them to be Of the
greatest significance to the world
at large. Such q review is i'm
possible here for reasons Of space
II nothing else. However, I would
like to submit for the readers
consideration certain thoughts
which 1t Is hoped will not be too
taxing on minds slowly emerging
from the after-effects OF New
Years Eve hilarity.
End of An Era
There Is phrase to be found In
the back Of any good dictionary
given over to foreign language cx-
pressions. IT Is FIN de steele"
Freely translated 1t means the
end Of o century, the finish Of an
era, the close of one phase Of CIV
ilization and the beginning Of an
other. Generally 1t Is used TO de-
scribe the position Of society at
the conclusion OF a hundred years.
Without being too finicky In the
rigorous exactitude Of Its applica-
ton 1t seems to me that President
Roosevelt's reelection may well
be said to indicate the finish OF
an era and the close Of a phase
OF our national civilization in the
political and social sense. Under
his administration an attempt has
been made TO re-arrange the
scheme OF things for the great
mass OF the American people with
larger eye to human needs than
ever before. Old and intrenched
abuses have been attacked. Injus-
tees In the social and economic
order which were thought to be
such an inseparablc part OF the
countrys prosperity that to hope
to eliminate them was TO mark
the hopper as half-witted opti-
mist, have been exposed In all
their hideousness and an effort TO
destroy them has been begun. The
old economic order, with It's total
disregard for justice and charity,
has been brought TO the end OF Its
days under Mr.. Roosevelt. For no
matter what else may be denied
1t must be admitted that America
can never, and will never, 30 back
to things as they were. Democ-
racy has, I think, come TO stay
with us. Not democracy In the
sense Of a political party desig-
nation; not Jeffersonian democ-
racy nor Jacksonian democracy
nor Wilsonian democracy, nor
even Rooseveltian democracy. But
democracy with capital d. the
political and social philosophy
which Is based upon the theory
that the people are qualified TO
rule and that the good OF ALL
the people Ia the only vitality cs-
sential thing In government. For
that reason, and above every 9TH
err consideration, the reelection
of Democracy In the person OF
Franklin Roosevelt seems to me
to be the most important event
In 1895 so far as this country rs
concerned.
Labor Split
The next In importance TO the
recollection OF Mr.. Roosevelt Is the