jy
litfAb
tflwwfctetfw wMfcmmin
MW&t&&S
TOBUC LEDGER COMPANY
orfttis if. k cuntis, fsimn.
ar-. ift. Ocfin. fceerirys John C. Martin, TrMuUfer J
tttirta It Wtlngtorf, fhlUS S. Colllni. John B. Wil
MWft. Directors. .
BDltOnlALBOAllDi
AtttMss It, K. CtrMt. Chairman.
RjMsr,,v Smutty Editor
UtatoxnilN..,.
.Clentrfcl Butlnct Manaeer
fli.-.
vMIhl Mlt ftl fusUe ttMM Uulldlnr,
Indepwidanee Square, Philadelphia.
steB CamMfc. . . . . . . . ,.JBrea anil Chtitnut Btreets
KTio Cltr rrtM'VnioH juuuainz
m tfcafc.... 170-A. Metropolitan Tower
Chicago 81T Home Insurance Buliain
PWAWK. 8 Waterloo rioce, Tall Mill, 3. W.
tklSeairio Th rafrtaf IltiMdlnr
Pw?Bi!iuO. . ..TheV)! Hu Id n
ftKciirit... Tha TlfrtM Mulldlnc
ftf-i if BO Frledrlchslraaa
nnitiun a Pal Mall Bant. 8. W.
Stjmo 88 nu lioula le Urand
8UDscwrnoNTEnM9
Tlf rrlr. Dlll.T Ottr. atxcuntn. Dy mall. eilnld
'.Wtiild of Philadelphia, except where foreign poetaee
Brtcrutrva, jjmt.t uhi.t, one monin, iwemrnT wmn
nt.r nn.T, enn vnr. three dolliri. All malt aub
nlptlana payable In advance. '
wuftthto-wAUnrr keystone, main aooo
J.diiy$ elt eammunlcatlons to Jlvtntng
Ltdfftr, Initfendenet Square, rMladtlfhta.
W SKintD at inn rmr.AStt.vim r-oatomcs is bicond-
t-. i cuss Miii umn.
' riniADEUflUA, TilUIlSDAY, 1JECEMDER 31, 1914.
,;? ,' " ' ' ' . a
, There icas a man toho tea always too husv
H iv JJiuy,, nc. utuo.
;y vital, iNot critical
rmilB issue between London and Wnshlnc-
Xton Is not critical, for a crisis Inters
psychological conditions which do not exist
!' find which aro not likely to exist.' The Amer
ican Government Is seoklng to roach an
egrcement under which American shipping
can operate with tho purpose, first, of sccur
Ins definite recognition of our rights as a
neutral, and, second, with the Idea of reach-
Ins an agreement which will preclude tho
possibility of animosity and hard feeling
hereafter. Tho protest, therefore, is a peaco
measure primarily, brought forth at a time
iwlion entire friendliness will mark tho dls-
feusslon. It lays the ground, too, for flnan-
r ?ial reparation to American Interests after
the war. It Is devised dually to vindicate our
m tights and to assure recompense for any
wrongs airenay suncreu.
The British claim of fraud, whllo construct-
. Ivety admitted, Is not tho vital question. Tho
f fact is that England has virtually put a ring
-, ef steel about all Europe and Is subjecting
R-trade from neutral to neutral to as vlgor-
rpu3 restrictions as cargoes destined directly
Ifo-r belligerents. The United States cannot
tudmittho right of Great Britain to rovlvo In
pPxnggqrated form tho doctrine of ultimate
destination. Because Italy borders on Aus-
gitria is no good reason why trado between
'.Italy ana tno united f states wnicn was per-
6fejtly legitimate a year ago should bo sub-
-.jqct to intcricrcnce now. ..uigm manes ngni,
' but not at the expense of tho United States.
& T n An 4Vinf T3.t4lal. wA e.fta in rnttm
'&. hundred years ago, against which tho In
fant America protested so vigorously, wcro
-llttlo more destructive of our trado than the
iVABt system of surveillance now in effect.
; Ab a matter of fact, American Atlantic ports
re practically blockaded by British men-
Rot-war, -which halt and inspect practically
. eVery ship leaving port. Tho manner, too, in
I which great marine highways havd boon
SiBlncd,, practically preventing all commerce,
his indefensible and Is only permitted because
tbero Is no combination of nations strong
: enough to prevent It, or willing to mako tho
eacrillco to do so.
The seas belong to no nation. They are
' "no more England's than wero they Venice's
when that Imperial city regarded them "as
,118 bride and warned all others to cease from
their adulterous Intercourse." "Vo are
utanding on such high ground, with such
weight of argument behind us, that recogni
tion of our salient claims is inevitable, sooner
liM3r'
A Credit of $90,000,000
jrTTIUItOPB is practically at a standstill pro
XLi ductlvely, und Its necessities have re
quired It to purchase In abnormal quantities
Irom the United States. Tho result of this
g- decrease in our imports and Increase in our
exports Is a trade balanco In our favor for
December of approximately $90,000,000.
The tariff has nothing to do with the sit
uation. 1 Is the war that has brought It
(about and It is the war that will continue It,
Brovldsl the Government is able In soma
tway. to assure protection or our neutral
freights on trie nigh seas, wo nave oecome
the ime great market of tho world, and the
most vital problem that confronts us In rela-
' tQn thereto 1 distribution. There Is no
trouble finding people who want our goods:
If the thing is to get tho goods to them.
f. rho Impetus gtvsn our foreign trade Is
IMkely to put us in so advantageous a post-
EtlOn.- PQore no wunu vaitusiruiuia la uvci
ithat It "will require years for our chief com
petitors to gat back on an equal footing with
lis. If they ever do. It Is not a condition to
gloat oyer, but we may well be thankful that
lh,e awful cataclysm has not wrecked utterly
thQ whole fabric of social intercourse, and
ithat this great nation can still uphold the
Ifcrts of peace and commerce.
Sheer TVaste of Human Life
XTtB A. TVINBIiOW, of the State Board
tot Jtjeaun or. new iorK, speaiong oeiore
Kihfti American Association for the Advance-
Hient of Science, meeting here this week, said:
K were tho of 1,500,000 men, women and chll.
1rn wno mea in uie unueu ouiei qan"S ivn.
fully o per cent, or weee ueatns were neea
Ima Half of them might have been prevented
by jslrople procedures.
Doctor Wlnslow's assertion will be not only
florae out but accentuated by social work-
Ler In Philadelphia. Evil housing, filthy sur-
pUtJlV, H1BWW34 WHUHtuiW, idLR Vfc PUM"
ttri short, a general lack of those essen
tia which make for physical strength and
iMM-rful mJnsIs cause a death rate entirely
Ifidjond proper proportion. Tet Councils hag
wu over one of the "simple procedures''
iidch would serve to remedy such waste, of
'5,T..,,.. ...... ..ttln l.i l .. at...
WfiAH w yuvKuti 4inv biifu; kio H""1
Let the School Code Alone
$ wpniKEB? yara of successful operation Jus.
JLUts tae sonnaence or the rramers or the
ywAMylv&nla Education Code, Any attempt
te pvr0HfP It or to amend. It radically must
-fee AiHttv. jrUted. it Is probably the very
Ph4 8AtiDn of educational laws in Amer
B'sUfr a If Pvwylvnla hasn't the best sj-a-
ttm publlo education of any State In the
Vtt It la because the several boards of
feil lrcMifli liave galled to see and to
Uew .bi ottportuHlty.
jMt Whoot t 1 comprahensive ana
.Si e J 1 Jf.l.J- t.
i pest eterjf i
t wmmm twy
HVBKTaTO kflftGEBPHTLABBLffHlA; THTTBSDAY: DBOEHBBIt 31
aeli district, whether urban of rural, the
opportunity to build and conduct schools to
provide the type of education most needed W
the locality; By careful previMo'ti, It min
imises to tho lAst degree any form of polit
ical interference With the trtto functidns of
education.
Terhnps tho best fentufo of the code has
been Its infiueneo in drawing tho best
fcqutpped men of the' community Into the
service of tho school system. They act with
out pay and their position is now recognized
as 6no of responsibility and honor. Never
before In the history of tho Commonwealth
have so many citizens of high typo given
their vnlunblo time and Judgment to tho
administration Of our public schools.
1914 1 Year of Blood
NO Y13AII hnc stamped the record of Itsolf
so deep In human chronicles as 19H. It
marked tho ond of an era and the beginning of
another. It gave birth to the grandest and
most fearful of all tragedies, for in compari
son with tho catastrophe which It fathered
nit others that humanity has suffered seem
almost trivial. It Is a year never to bo for
gotten, but cortnln to cast Its shadow for
ward over tho last of Its successors.
To tho United States It has been a twelve
month that can best bo described as Mlcaw
bcrlsm. All Industries have been waiting for
something to turn up. Prosperity has been
Just beyond tho horizon, keeping company
with tho end of the rainbow. Bumper crops
woro not sufficient to balanco the heavy
losses Incidental to tho cataclysm In Europe.
Tho Increase In railroad rates, at first denied,
was delayed Interminably. Tho now banking
Bystom provided for last Decomber did not
become offcctlvo until November. The Mexi
can situation was a long scries of postpone
ments, one week leading to war and tho next
away from It. A "watchful-waiting" year It
has been In commerco and business and tho
general activities of society.
Let 1914 got It did tho best it could, and
that was a llttlo moro than humanity could
stand. It earned for Itself a place In history
after tho manner of a Claudius or a Nero. It
leaves few memorials of which history can bo
proud. Lot It go back into the nothingness
out of which It came, unrepentant and Jubi
lant, but not half so Jubilant as humanity Is
to bo rid of It.
Smug Councils Plnys the Game
TrIE most significant thing about tho Job
less men who flockod to the office of Direc
tor Harto yesterday was the obviously good
character of most of them. "Thoy wero
poorly clad, but a glance Bhowed that they
wcro not typical 'bums' or chronic failures
not mon that 'somehow can't get along.' "
It Is evident that tho $60,000 appropriated
by Councils for charitable purposes Is woo
fully Insufficient. That much and moro a
week Is needed. An Industrial revival will
bo necessary before all can be taken euro of,
for oven the beginning of great public works,
with tho attendant sympathetic impetus to
general trade, would not bo sufficient to
relieve the situation entirely. But tho city
can start tho ball rolling.
The way is not hard. The United Gas Im
provement Company is ready to undertako
tho expenditure of ten times ?50,000 if au
thorized so to do by Councils. The substi
tution of gas for gasollno lamps, at a saving
of thousands of dollars annually to the
municipality. Is tho proposal. But Councils
does nothing. It rests on Its oars. For Mr.
Connelly, Socrates of the Finance Committee,
has not only becomo parsimonious In regard
to tho city's money, but has apparently ap
pointed himself a trustee to see that tho
U. G. I. does not spend any.
The City Is Man's
THE city Is man's and God's Is the country.
From Its asphalt to Its domes each
metropolis Is material evidence of the In
genuity and vigor of humanity. This won
der and that wonder, all are associated In
timately with great personalities, and all
alike aro tributes to tho splendor and glory
of man. Tho city Is his work, his own
creation, his masterpiece of effort, and all
who live In It, consciously or unconsciously,
have their visions warped and their stand
ards of measurement limited by the horizon
of stone and marble which surrounds them.
But the country is God's. There are tho
Illimitable spaces, tho magnificent splendor,
the reach of heaven, tho birth and death of
day, the miracles of creation, the recurrent
harvest. The weather Is moro Important than
the theatre, and tho rain pours in rich volume
as the gift of Providence. All things unite
to concentrate attention on the mightiness
of nature, tho marvelous arithmetic of
Providence, the eternal harmonies. It Is the
soul-land, where the human mind gets into
closer touch with the infinities, and every
day has its ancient miracles.
So, the man In tho country has the more
religion and the man In the city needs it
moro. Tho one Is spiritually Influenced, the
other finds materialism drawing him like a
lodestone all the time. The one takes hla
vision from books, the other from the skies.
The city man needs moro help In overcoming
handicaps. That Is what tho approaching
gTeat revival movement Is Intended to give
him.
What's trade between friends?
There is an end to everything, even 1014.
The United States knows what its rights
are even If some other nations do not.
The report that "bandits menace Vera
Crua" Is remarkable. It was formally turned
over to them weeks ago. ,
The trouble with the Income tax is that
before the Government can get the tax the
citizen must get the .Income,
There Is too much talk about international
law. There Is not any; the nations are just
making it now
Governor Blease has pardoned 1514 con
victs. The penitentiary authorities are ex
pecting most of them back soon.
Tho arguments In favor of the ship pur
chase bill would be moro convincing If not
read.
Representatives of thousands of workers
yesterday Indorsed the ra,pio; transit plans.
Everybody is for them, including Councils,
and everybody except Councils says So.
I I juiii mil liai i I1 1 II
The Progressives want to be represented
on the newTrade Commission, hey need
it They have little enough representation
anywhere else.
Jonathan Bourne, the former grea.t states
man and pllllant reformer, Teljes npw fpr
jta,n ti tbe use of an eld but unusual word.
Swatr jUrilge ' Rot Know what it iuAt.
&
-BILLY" SUNDAY AS
EVANGELIST AND MAN
Some of tho Secrets of llis Marvelous
Power - " Psychological Ptcachlng."
Versatile in Interests nud Activities.
Sunday Outside the Pulpit.
DyTOM C.MIRK1L
MUCH has been said and much moro writ
ten about llev. William A. Sunday, the
baseball player evangelist, fearless flayer of
sin and sinners, tho man who in seven short
Weeks turned Scranton and tho entire Lacka
wanna Valley Upside down and insldo out,
who flashod ncross tho vision of 200,000 peo
ple llko a meteor to disappear and leave be
hind him anil his scries of remarkable meet
ings a wake of memories and results that
bid fair to endure.
Billy Sunday Is great, gauged by his own
achievements, To arouso In something llko
half a million men tho desire to lead better
lives, to bo tnlcr to Ideals, Is In Itself an
accomplishment that challenges comparison
with tho very great of all time.
It it Is admitted that tho man's work and
his achievements aro worthy, then there Is
little room to debato their degree. He simply
does moro than nny man of his kind in tho
memory of tho oldest living Inhabitant. It
Is not pertinent tp ndduco the fact that a
certain pcrconlago of his converts do not
"stick." For that matter neither do a certain
percentngo of tho Initiates of a lodge, a cer
tain percentage of nppllcants for Insurnnce,
a certain percentage of cvldeuco taken under
oath. Tho utter fallibility of human naturo
must bo admitted. It has yet to bo claimed
that defections from thoso Mr. Sunday en
lists for better living nre nny moro numer
ous than from thoso secured by other men or
other means.
Sincerity and Psychology
In Judging his methods two things must bo
considered. Tho first Is tho naturo and char
acter of tho men Interested locally In a
"Billy" Sunday campaign, tho second Is tho
freedom and directness of tho operations.
More convincing than either Is a personal
knowlcdgo of tho evangelist, and when this
has been attained by nny ono through weeks
of repeated contact under all sorts of trying
conviction upon the car of the listener, all
doubt of tho man's sincerity vanishes.
When a campaign Is in prospect, ho has
tho city organized for months ahead. By
unconscious and almost Imperceptible de
grees ho directs general Interest to religious
matters, arousing at tho samo time a great
amount of curiosity In himself and his com
ing. At this staga of tho proceedings ho
makes not the slightest effort to conciliate
nny one. The result Is that local forces are
active, alert, united. These forces aro tho
church forces, and If tho man stopped thcro
tho Sunday meetings would not bo the great
success they Invariably are.
But tho very first thing ho does when ho
begins to talk Is to attack the church folks,
or rather tho abuses they pormlt, and tho
flaying ho gives pastors and peoplo allko at
onco challenges the Interest and attention
of thoso outsldo tho churches and they begin
to attend tho meotlngs. Thoy do not admit
It, but thoy go to hear an attack upon men
nnd women whom they believe have a "holier-than-thou"
attitude toward tho rest of tho
world. i
Secrets of His Versatility
Onco Sunday has his crowds, tho laws of
psychology mako tho rest certain. Tho evan
gelist puts n simple proposition so simply
that very few men or women with normal
Intellects can refuse assent.
It Is at this point that tho great humanity
of the man Is seen to bo a determining fac
tor. Born a farmor, his father dead beforo
tho boy ever Saw tho light of day, raised un
der 'conditions that early mado him know
the problems of life, struggling from his
youth up, fighting for every mental acquisi
tion that has come to him, ho never for an
instant has lost touch with life.
An omnivorous reader, ho never retires to
his study; a shrewd thinker and a deft logi
cian, he never gives himself up to tho pleas
antries of philosophic contemplation. A
great traveler, ho at every angle touches
elbows with overy phase of life official, re
ligious, criminal no element Is foreign to
him. With something very llko Inspiration
he can gauge his hearers In a moment and
direct his thoughts to them In exactly the
terms best suited to their dispositions.
He knows that a great mass of people can
never direct their minds long In a definite
channel, and so ho constantly varies the lino
of his thought, always recurring to the main
theme. Ho knows that emotional stress can
not long be maintained, and that contrast Is
the basis of emphasis. Therefore Just before
tho climax of each sermon he Introduces
some note of pathos sometimes out of line
with the main body of his discourse and
this enables him to clinch tho final thought
with that emphasis which results In hun
dreds and hundreds coming forward and
taking a Btand for the church and for God,
when the invitation is given.
Tho sermons, prepared with great care,
built up by many changes and additions, are
not selected until ho enters tho pulpit. Many
times ho changes his mind after he has
taken a place on the platform. The slang
which Is such an advertised feature of his
talks Is pronouncedly evident only In a
small number of them. Vehement thought
and emphatic, delivery, however, character
ize every public utterance of tho man, and
this too when ho preaches four sermons a
day, any one of which would utterly exhaust
the average man.
The Man Himself
"Billy" Sunday's personal habits are sim
ple. He eats heartily, but of plain foods.
His single nerve stimulant Is coffee, of which
he is very fond. When under stress he is
restless. If a conveyance Is not in instant
watting, he will' start to walk. Wherever he
Is he engages some one In conversation, and
more often he asks questions than answers
them. To this and hla habit of miscellaneous
reading Js to be attributed his astonishing
versatility.
Agriculture he knows as well as most
farmers. Medicine and law he can discuss
freely with professionals. Some preachers
find that he is not sound theologically, but
'none say he Is iot Sound. There are two or
three things he a afraid of. One Is being
formal. In the prlvaoy of his apartments he
acquits himself like an Rthlete In tralnlngr.
Never seeking society., he Is at home on
every rung of it. To those who are his
guests he has a frank, simple cordiality. Art
and science he knows as well as the average
amateur, and hla capacity for figures is
staggering to those who find that tho multi
plication table taxes their memory.
No estimate of the man would be fair
whloh did not take into account bis remark
able 1 of family. Mrs, Sunday shares
egnlegir In the work AnA triumph rf
It is unobtrusive. He, however, makes fro
qucnt public avowal of what ho owes to her,
and In all Important councils concerning his
work sho has a voice, nnd often a deciding
volco.
Strong likes aro usually contrasted with
strong dislikes, but If Mr. Sunday has a
strong dislike for nny ono ho conceals It mas
terfully. Tho breadth of his friendship Is"
phenomenal. So Is his memory of names and
faces. These, of course, account largoly for
tho element of personal popularity of tho
man.
In his D2d year, "Blllv" Sunday seems to
be at tho zenith of his power as an evan
gelist, with organization perfected, himself
experienced, ripened, heart mellowed, soul
expanded, eyes to tho east, marching for
ward to still greater conquest for right liv
ing, right thinking and right hoping.
HOW I WOULD ABOLISH WAR
No More Money, No More War "If I Wcro
Rothschild."
By SIIOLOM ALEICIIEM
A Sketch bj the YlJdl.h Merit Twiia, Treniletfd for the
Evening Ledger.
IP I wero Bothschlld, oh, It I wcro only
Rothschild, guess what I would do? To
begin with, I'd seo to It that my wife is
always provided with an extra threepence,
so that sho won't bother me every Thursday
about tho last Saturday provisions. Then I
would redeem my Sabbath Kapota, or rather
my wlfo's fur coat, so that sho may stop
picking at my brain about the cold. I would
next buy tho house I live In, tho three rooms,
the cellar, attic and all sho Is always com
plaining of lack of Bpaco, you know. I'd say
to her: "Hero are threo rooms for your
cooking, washing, baking and leavo me alone,
so that I can go on with my teaching undis
turbed." I'd marry off all my daughters. What a
relief! All my wants attended to, I'd look
after tho town's needs, I would order a new
roof for the synagogue; tho old ono' Is full
of holes and Is always dripping. I'd have
the bathhouse rebuilt entirely. One of these
days it Is bound to collapse and cause a ter
rible calamity. Tho hospital Is certainly not
in bettor shape, so It, too, will have to be re
constructed. I would put up a real hospital
with cots, and doctors and medicines and
soup dally for all patients, as thoy have It
In real cities. I would build a homo for tho
old and organize societies to "clad tho naked,"
to marry off all old maids and to bury tho
dead.
It I were notlfschlld I'd put a stop to war.
I would abolish It completely.
Would you llko to know how?
By means of money. For Instance, Eng
land got at the Boers. Why? Wherefore?
Because It wanted tho gold mines. They
also say that the Germans, French and tho
others are brandishing their swords In tho
face of tho Chinaman, thoy want him to cut
off his pigtail, and dress himself In pants.
What business is it of theirs If ho prefers
the queuo and the smock? Let him walk
head downward, If It so pleases him. Hero
Is tho Turk In his red fez: why do they
always talk of cutting him up and dividing
him?
And each of them wants tho best share.
One says, "You take Stamboul and give mu
tho Bosporus." Says tho other, "No, I'll
let you have Stamboul and tako the Bos
porus for myself." Tho third comes along
and says: "I don't give a darn for either
Stamboul or Bosporus, I want the Darda
nelles!" Immediately a general outcry Is
heard What? the Dardanelles? Tho Dar
danelles is public property. It must belong
to all, Tli us the wrangling goes' "on, until
the Germans be'fcin to war, and human
blood s shed like water, and streams llko
rivers into the sea. Here are Dardanelles
for youl
But I shall come along and say; "Pray,
brothers, listen to me. What Is it all about?
I know what you are all after. So here
you are; a trillion for you; a trillion for you;
two trillions for you. With God's help you
will repay something in the future." Tou
get the.Idea? It is" a business stroke, and It
Is a great moral act. I stopped slaughtering
ono another like steed and swine war Is
stopped. There is no more need of arms,
armies and the whole outfit. And the hate
and jealousy of nations will all vanish no
moro dislike of Turks, English, French, Gyp
sies', Jews the whole world will assume a
different face Just as the prophet foretold.
And perhaps I'd go still further on, If J
were Rothschild. Maybe, I'd abolish money
altogether. No more money! What do wo
need money for? It is a certificate, and an
Illusion, a eln that tempts all.
If there were no money the temptation
would not exist. Do you understand me?
But you say to me: "How would one
manage to buy food, then?" The answer las
"Look at me; T manage It nowt"
The FVeneh Yellow Book
From the New Republic.
In Jul? the Germans believed what they did
hot know, beeaust it was pleasant; the British
refud tijr belUve prhat Ufy knew, tteuause Jt
ws !MJ$sni. ,But Frejjsh lUgioouiuy fti
Yjjr . f)Pflr VH W( WBW .JS,
1914-
"STiR FORGET THAT TRIPP
'
NEW YEAR'S CUSTOMS
UN MANY CpUNTRIES
The Giving of Cifts Frolic and Pa
genutry, Bells and Guns, Orient and
Occident, Past and Present.
ijy WILLIAM RADER
CHARLES LAMB wrote, "Of all sound3 of
all bells, most solomn Is the peal which
rings out tho old year." Desplto tho Inevita
ble solemnity which broods over tho death
bed of tho old year, tho new is welcomed
with warm greotlngs and hearty anticipa
tions. Tho deity Janus was represented by tho
Romans as a man with two faces, ono look
ing backward, tho other forward, implying
that ho stood between tho old and tho now
year with a regard to both. It Is tho for
ward look that characterizes popular now
year celebrations. Men meot each other with
greetings of good will. Thero 13 an unusual
social freedom which, on occasion, may break
down the barriers of conventional conduct
and give expression In fantastic and spec
ta'cular observances.
Wassail, or Egg-nog?
Tho wassail bowl, In England-rof ale, nut
meg, sugar, toast and roasted crabs or ap
plesand tho egg-nog, In tho United States,
aro a part of the New Year's celebration. In
Scotland New Year's Is moro generally cele
brated than Christmas. Thero Is observed
among all classes a custom of giving and re
ceiving. It Is tho day of tho bagpipe and
good will.
Persians celebrato tho day by exchanging
presents of eggs. Tho Druids distributed as
New Year's gifts branches of the sacred
mlstlotoo. In Anglo-Saxon and Norman .Eng
land, Now Year's1 gifts wero common. For a
long tlmo tho custom of offering gifts to tho
sovereign was observed.
Wolsoy, It will be remembered, gave Henry
VIII a gold cup, and it is recorded that
Bishop Latimer handed Henry a New Testa
ment with a leaf doubled down at Hebrews
12.4: "Ye have not yet resisted unto blood
striving against sin."
In tho old days of Homo tho Emperors ex
acted from their subjects tribute of a pound
of gold.
As a church festival, New Year's Js of
subordinate importance. Ono of the cus
toms, howover, generally observed by tho
churches throughout tho world, Is the watch
night Service. In this country this service
Is quite generally held In churches of all de
nominations. In the confession of sin, earnest
prayer, singing of hymns, and preaching, the
worshipers prepare themselves spiritually
for tho new year. When the old year passes,
and the clock strikes' 12, the mood of Intro
spection is changed Into one of joy and con
gratulation. The Chinese New Year's
Among all nations that observe the new
year, It Is a period 'of preparation, convivi
ality and merriment. The Chinese share this
spirit on February 18, when differences are
adjusted, debts paid, gifts exchanged and
the joss houses and streets resound with the
noise of fire-crackers, which splutter, crack
and blaze with the inherited hope of driving
the dovils away. ti
Thero has grown, up In the United States
a now form of New Year observance.
The "mummer" of Philadelphia Is a de
velopment of the "bell snlcklerl' of 50 years
ago, and the fiesta hints of the iew Orleans
Mardl Graa The American no longer stays
at home If he happens to live In the city,
and drinks his egg-nog or wine by his own
fireside as the clock strikes 12. Instead, he
goes to the streets, where he blows a horn,
wears a masque, throws confetti and yells
at the top of his voice. Then he will go tq
a fashionable cafe and make himself bet
lleve he is seejng the new year in by eating
and drinking.
In San Francisco the streets are Illuminated
and thronged with people, who compete with
one another In making hideous noises, More
recently this unrestrained impulse of good
will has been organized and reduced to somO
intelligent form of order, so that the celebra
tion takes the form of a gorgeous pageant. In
Pasadena and Los Angeles flowers are used
Jn Street pageants, and the New Year's greet
ings are expressed on a, magnificent scale of
beauty and decorum.
Philadelphia's Comic Supplement
Philadelphia has the mummers" pageant
whloh is peculiar to this city, Each year this
representation of festive Philadelphia (n,
creases In size and significance. This year
it promises to surpass all previous years in
Its fantastic, artistic, unique and original de
Bigns significant of the city's prosperity and
the nation's progress, It will he the cqmlo,
JHopplemsRt of thy year a btefr-mWiJs;
introduces "New Year's Gift in a blue coat,
serving manlike, with an orange and a sprig
of rosemary on his head, his hat full of
brooches, with a collar of glngerbroad, his
torch-bearer carrying a marchpane, with a
bottlo of wlno on either arm."
In this character Jonson represents tho pre
vailing moods of New Year's of old Eng
land and of later America. Thoy differ from
thoso of Thanksgiving, which was originally
a Jewish festival; of Easter, which Is ruled
by a sacred historical, event; of Christmas,
which is pre-eminently a day of holy mem
ory and of tho fireside. Now Year's Is the
hour
"when every eye
Wears symptoms of a sober jollity."
Shooting Out tho Old Year
Men aro never so Jolly as when they are
celebrating the lnovltable. It Is something
of this Bplrlt that Is in tho old Epicurean in
junction, "Let us eat, drink and bo merry,
for tomorrow we die." In the wild and often
senseless manifestation of merriment wit
nessed In modern cities on New Year's Eve
thero Is evident this deeper feeling, that as
wo cannot control the years the best thing
to do 13 yield to them with a merry heart.
In this connection a word should bo said
about tho uso of powder on Now Year'3. In
old England tho bell Is still tho volco of tho
deeper consciousness. When tho English
man would utter his best thought he rings
a bell. Tho chimes play the melody of hl3
soul. In America tho gun Is fired. Ono of
tho differences between the United Stateg
and England Is Illustrated by the gun and
the bell. It has been the custom In certain
parts of tho country to shoot out the old
year and shoot in tho new. Early in tho
morning tho country boys wero wont to get
up and steal out with the old flint-lock or
tho pistol and mako "tho welkin ring" by
shooting out tho old and welcoming the
new year.
Not the least among Tennyson's poems Is
that portion of "In Memorlam" In which he
sounds tho merry bells of England and rings
In tho true and good. It Is a hint of the
higher possibilities of the occasion and of
the still moro Impressive ways to recognize
tho passing of a year. We are Just begin
ning to behave Intelligently on tho First of
January. Philadelphia Is setting an exam
ple of combining fun with philosophy, mer
riment with sanity and the frolicsome with
good taste In furnishing n pageant in which
tho happy good will of the people Is mingled
with the sober significance, of a new begin
ning for every life.
1 i
The Shovel Mightier Than the Sword
From tho New York, Trlbuna.
Fighting is still an absorbing game, we con
tinue to bellevo, despite the reports which lay
stress on trench digging and other similar ac
tivities. Building tho Panama Canal was pretty
absorbing work for steam-shovel men and engi
neers alike, and that was no more than trench
digging. There Is no question, however, that the
present war has finally swept out of existence
tho last of the old trappings which once were
synonymous with martial dolnBs In the popular
mind. If war Is still a thrilling, Interesting oc
cupation It Is not because of any decorations
with which It is Idealized.
A battlefield without swords may be a very
scientific affair, but It Is certainly a long way
from fighting as we have been brought up to
regard It. As a matter of fact, the sword has
actually been discarded, by official order, In
our American army. Instead, an officer carries
a magaxlne gun. amounting to a miniature rifle.
Evidently the British officers are working out
the same result as a matter of practice and
necessity.
PILGRIMAGE
I will tread on the golden grass ot my bright
field.
When the passion-star has paled, when the
night has fled;
I will tread on the golden grass of my bright
field,
In the glow of the early day when the east la
red.
In my bright field a broken beech tree leans;
And a giant boulder stands by a black?burned
wood;
And a rough-built, falling wall and a rotting
door
pear, like a scar, th spot where a house once
stood.
My eyes are mute on the white edge of the
dawn.
My feet fall swift and bare upon the way
The long, soft hills grow black against the sky,'
The great wpo4 moves, unfoldssthe high trees
sway.
Ths worn road stretches thin, and Ihe low hedge
Mrs.
And a strong, old bridge looms frail o'er a
ghestjy stream:
And a White flower turn and breathes, and
turns ajraln.
Does It live, as J live? Does It wake, as l
waked, from a dream?
(How merciless Is the dawn) how poignant the
huih of my soul!
How changeless the changing skyl.how fearful
that wild bird's callt 1 ' H
I hear the quick suck of his wing, the push of
his brsast he Is fonel
Mow sw(tt Is an eon of tiajel how endless.
b.gtnnlngUss, all!) '" "'
I tread on the golden gtass of my bright field.
The sun's on a hundred hills; Hhe night hu
fled;
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