Year: 1879

| new year." with many returns of$he day.


1t would be churlish to say that these pro-


fuse expressions, SO lightly and gayly ut


tered, are thoughtless or unmeaning. They


have as much sincerity as most social


the year with universal exchange


Of good wishes. The many returns


Of the day which oil hope for


themselves and profess to desire fpr


others with whom they exchange these


greetings depend on Higher Power, and


that '''blindness to the future kindly
| given" which conceals the events Of the


future permits many to pass this day with


hilarity whose hearts would sink within


them if they knew what the next twelve


months will bring forth. But for major
ity the hopes of the day will be fulfilled,


and it is not wise for any to anticipate
| troubles which may never come.


We cordially wish q happy new year to
all betrothed young people who expect to
stand before the altar before q return of the
day. OF all classes this is the one to which
the new year is most likely to prove really
happy. We wish happy new year to all
brides and bridegrooms recently married.
for whom the eldest born of their children
| will make the year m memorable. Next to the
gayeties of a wedding the most joyous
event in human life is the first christening
which occurs in new family. We wish q
happy new year to the fathers and mothers
who will see the last Of their children set
tied in life, and will thereafter ride calmly
at anchor in the placid waters Of approach
ing old age. We wish happy new year to
all beautiful young ladies who arc to be first
presented in society. and whose hearts will
be SO occupied with the futter of fashion


that they will think of beaux. as they
do of their own elegant fripperies, only as


necessary appendages of what is called
| society. We wish happy new year to
ladies who are enjoying their second or
| thi1 season, for whom society has lost the
| fascination and lustre of ofnovelty, and whose
prudent mammas are adroitly trying to
| teach them to set their caps for a husband.
We wish happy new year to all young
men who are expecting to be graduated
from institutions Of learning to oil who
are just entering upon professions, to all
new poets and young authors to the un-
fedged politicians who are about to make
their debut in the various State legislatures.
| public life We wish happy new year
to all confirmed old bachelors and all
spinsters Of m uncertain age, and advise
them to seek their happiness in giving to
| institutions Of benevolence the attention


and support which are less easy to people
encumbered with domestic cares.


If the foregoing enumeration seems to
| indicate q tone of levity and disposition
| to trifle we desire to say that we were never


more serious. The impression which we


desire to convey is that the happiness or


unhappiness of the year is to depend moro


on what happens in private life than upon


public events, The time will never come


in human experience when marriages


and births, the success of sons in their


business or professions and the enjoyment


by daughters of their domestic relations will


not contribute more to the satisfaction of life


than all the events which take place in camps


and courts and cabinets and parliamentary


bodies. which occupy SO large O share of


public attention five are chargeable with


levity it is in selecting our illustrations


from fashionable life. We have referred to


this because it is more. conspicuous,


and therefore furnished readiS5 materials


for o contrast. The happiness of
| private life, even in circles which admit


osteneation and display, is great deal
| more important than the hustle of political
| activity which fills SO much space in the
public press. The life of the masses-which


is more strictly private, which admits of no


social display, which is confined by limited


means within very narrow and obscure


channels-is the chief seat Of happiness or


misery in the aggregate of human life.
The fippant and thoughtless wishes of q


happy new year which are SO profusely


and gayly interchanged among the prosper


Gus classes would have more serious


meaning if given in sincerity and true kind


ness to the humble toilers who form ma


jority of the community. To them a happy


new year would not mean snowy entertain


ments, brilliant weddings, elegant apparel
and a round Of social gayeties, but health.


constant employment, good wages, clean


apartments, decent clothing for children at


tending schools, amodest provision for quiet


marriages and inexpensive seats in places


of public worship. In wishing q happy


new year to these deserving classes we de-


sire for them those solid and modest advan-


tages. and in a spirit of the most earnest


sincerity we tender to them the ordi-
! nary formula of the season. We desire


to record our belief that public affairs are


mismanaged when government does not


secure these simple blessings; that oil poll


tics are an insulting farce which do not


tend to secure employment and comfort to


the obscure masses of the community; that