Fort Mill times. (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, December 24, 1913, Image 3
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^rnr -y E\V YEAR'S la the oldest and the
I most widely observed of all the
world's festal days. In every country
this day has been celebrated
J" I from the beginning of civilization.
^ ^ The day does not come slmultane r
"iTSfiti ous'y over the globe, for some
countries have a different calendar
from ^at of America and Europe.
All countries, however, aim to have
their civil year coincide, in duration,
and as far as practicable, with the
solar year. The nations which hold their festival
In accordance with the Gregorian calendar,
comprising the United States. Great Britain,
Franco, Germany and most of the other white
countries are those which are leaders in civilization.
and give tho law to the world.
Tn its universality this day difTers from all tho
otters which have written their names on the
world's calendar. Thanksgiving is a strictly
American holiday, which did not extend beyond
the boundaries of New England until about a
generation ago. Nowhere outside tho United
States does tho Fourth of July make any especial
demand for observance. It had neither a local
habitation nor a name until we furnished them.
Xot until after Yorktown nnd the adoption of tho
constitution was this aspiration of 1776 transzallted
Into fact. By the Puritans Christmas was
placed under the ban, and not until a time within
tho easy recollection of living men was it permitted
to cross the boundaries of New England.
Moreover, primarily Christmas is dedicated to
the children, and in its observance the older
members of the familv are morelv uni-miaim-v in
celebrating it the children hold the center of the
stage, with the adults uh the properties and accessories
which Rive the spectacle its scenic effects.
But New Year's dedicates itself to the grown-ups,
especially to those who have the capacity and the
inclination for physical and social activity. Particularly
does It send out its appeal to everybody
who has the freshness of spirits and the enthusiasm
which give zest to enjoyment of all sorts, who
are capable, when occasion demands, of turning
bark the hands on time's clock and thus who can,
through a child's eyes, look out upon life.
Although this Is the oldest of the world's gala
days, its especial function is to tell us to look forward
and not backward. For the moment the
sponge has drawn itself across the desires and
the deeds of the year which, a few hours ago, was
thrnst back into the shadow. A blank tablet
rises before us, on which the coming days will
write their story. On the world's calendar this
incoming cycle figures as 1914, but for the present
hour this arbitrary division may bo disregarded.
And while the hour remains with us we are all
privileged to set up our own calendar. While tho
transition casts its spell upon us everything Is
new. We are at the beginning of an era. This
is day 1 of year 1 in the new dispensation. The
uncertainties and tho adversities of the dead cycle
can no longer molest us or make us afraid. Even
where fortune has been kind to us in tho recent
past. the days which are before us stand ready to
hand us choicer prizes. Keeping sunshine in the
heart, we can laugh at any tales which tho thermometer
or the barometer may tell us. While
this days lasts hope is the only deity which claims
any allegiance from any of us. All are invited to
A NEW YEAR'S THOUGHT.
"Thou shalt love the Ix>rd thy God with all thy
heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind?
torn shalt thou serve and to him shalt thou
cleave."
What, then will be the reward of faithful lovo
and service be? Or are we working without the
hopo of a reward? Jo bo pure and true, lovo
must be disinterested. Granted. Yet, la there not
an exquisite joy. a keen Incentive to further service,
In the encouragement which God in his Infinite
goodness grants to use from time to time,
and that in spite of all the Imperfections of our
love and service? Why, then, should wo not look
forward to our great reward?God's approval?
If we truly love him, should we not strive with
all our might for his final "Well done?" Surely It
is not wrong to look forward to the joy of that
assurance, even while we are fully awaro of our
* coming short of It, yet, in our best work; for thus
we learn to know more, and to think more, of the
love which, seeing the Intention, gives us credit
tor the effort, though the result may not be, is not,
what we had hoped to offer him.
With such thoughts the Now Year begins. As
? child tries to please the father ho loves so
dearly, as a friend who seeks every opportunity
to prove hl? friendship, bo may we loving, thank-ful
children of our God, rejolctng In the knowledgo
of his love, go on our way, full of trust for the future,
neglecting no opportunity, however small
It may be, to prove our thankful lore, and asking
tolm to kindlo In us an intense desire to pleaso
lilm. an ardent longing for his blessed words of
commendation, "Well done, thou good and faithful
servant!"
HER MISTAKE.
""What Is a young man's maiden speech, pa?"
""His first one, my dear."
"Dear me! I thought it was a proposal "
THE FORT MILL TI
DOES milER
TIME HOLD IN THE
^ OTHER HAND ?
build their air castles without any fear of any
dissilluslonment, "for over the sea lies Spain."
We can get all the exaltation which came to
Abou Hassan when the amiable deception of
Har>.jn-al-Raschid was played upon him. without
any of the ill effects which we may presume came
to him when his dream of power dispelled Itself.
The day and the scene invites us to enjoyment,
and to contribute to the enjoyment of others. For
this ono day, at least, of the year the golden age
is no myth. It is hero with us, and we must utilize
it while it stays This is the hour when life's
wireless telegraphy cycles greetings of good will
between all the individuals and all the peoples of
of tho earth. To every one of us the world
stretches forth the glad hand and salutes us with
a "May you live long and prosper."
The old prophets conceived the sublime thought
that the Creator set the heavenly bodies in their
places to mark for man the progress of time. The
early leaders of the human race who watched the
stars in their courses, and from their movements
worked out the division of the days and years,
left a blessing behind them for all time to come.
For if we are to believe the records of the rocks
ami clays the first men who lifted their faces to
the skies in profound awe and with germs of
thought stirring in their brains had little if any
more conception of time and of the moving planets
than the brutes that shared with these primitive
savages the caves or the huts which wero all
the houses they had. It took long ages to learn
that the sun is a fixed body as regards our earth,
to divide the globe into degrees and the day into
21 hours. The seasons came and went and savage
man had no conception of why beyond the sun's
declension below his zenith and the return of tho
fiery orb to a place high above his head. Then
from the crudo superstitions of astrology men of
high civilization worked out our year and set the
day that, as this we now live, marks the beginning
of a new circle of the fmfr seasons.
The crudest savage needed no prophet with a
message from the skies to teach him that if ho
desired to prolong his life ho must work. He
was the man of all generations who knew best
that "in the sweat of his face" he must "eat
bread" if ho ate at all. Stored-up wealth thero
was none. Each generation began practically
where the last did, with no inheritance to profit
by. Nor was there a spark of charity to minister
to the needs of age or sickness. The child born
with low vitality met its fate early in its career.
The man who met with an accident sufficient to incapacitate
him for tho chase or for war was left
to perish miserably where he fell. When age
dimmed the eye or made the hand nerveless tho
useless one was not permitted to be a burden on
society. As the wounded deer is left, as the aged
wolf is abandoned, so was the wounded man or
the toothless -woman. Parentage or other relationship
counted nothli^.
As civilization climbed the path of progress to
Vt 1 oV\ nr lnifrvlo ? - ?
icfClo iuii uei'biui! more constant, more
pressing. The savage has few needs and therefore
much leisure. He needs no weekly day* of
rest. With Increasing needs to meet man had to
bend his hack more Incessantly and to strain muscle,
tendon and ligament. Idfe had more enjoyment
at the cost of longer hours of toil, that made
rest seem very sweet. Then arose the leader of
men, the reformer, the teacher, philosopher or
prophet who ordained that as thero were times
and seasons so there should be days of rest. If we
were to run the world around we would find many
Sabbaths. The follower of Mohammed takes his
rest on Friday, the Het rew on Saturday, the Christian
on Sunday. And the man of advanced ideas
who gave man his Sabbath was a leader and a
benefactor In very deed.
The man who stands in the Eseorial in Spain
and looks on the sepulchers of kings reaching
back 300 years, has a span about as long as tho
most ancient history of America. When he goes
to Granada ho i9 faco to face with the times of
tho Moors, whose Invasion of the peninsula was
centuries before Columbus was born. As he looks
on somo paved road or seme aqueduct he is carried
back to tho Sclpios, to Hannibal, nnd back to
his forefathers who moved about here; and so
wo go back to Carthage, which was a great city
before Rome was founded, and Carthage takes
us over tho sea to Asia where Moses' people and
some Philistines came into combat. And we go
back to Egypt and Its pyramids, to tho Pharaohs
and Jacob and his children, and on back to Abraham
and the nomad chiefs who fed their flocks in
the fat plains of central AHia as long before the
Christian era as It Is from the year 1911. In these
landH, among those rnces of men, grandfathers
unu eni-grunaramers count for little. One meets
men whose ancestors took part In the expulsion of
the Moors, with others whose ancestors resisted
them when they first Invaded Spain, and still
others whose forbears were in the armies of the
Sciplos or of Hannibal. The mind loves to dwell
on tho memory of these far-away days and to
dream of the way of life of men and women who
died so long ngo, and to whom we owe our being
and our civilization. The oldest title lands In tho
Pacific states do not go back far. There aro
titles in Spain that date back centuries. Castles
here are owned by families who come down directly
or collaterally for ages. To these a generation
is as shor* as a year to us In our brandnew
civilization. It Is all impressive, but after
dreaming of such things the mind Inevitably reverts
to our own generation, to our own time.
/
-"X-J i- - -
IVIES, FORT MILL, SOUTH CAROLINA
APTING
t WAYS f
and the question comes up with spcntanloty, 1 ]
"What of nil this to me?" j
In a country so new as ours, whore cue's great <
grandfather was about the earliest 01. record. ,
time does not imi?ress us. It seems as if every- , i
thing began yesterday. In old lands whoso his- 1
tory goes back centuries upon centuries the piog- <
ress of time seems very impressive. ' 1
But say what we will. It is our own life that is j
the most impressive, and as the years stretch out
behind us the memory of our own youth makes a ,
deeper Impression on us this New Year's day than ! j
all the written history of the world, than all tho ,
traditions of all the races, than all the records of j |
the rocks. The individual souls on days like this 1
naturally divide into two classes. On New Year's
day youth looks to the future and ago to the past.
To the young all the paths before the feet look
rose-strewn and smboth. So be it. Let the eye
brighten as it feasts in anticipation on the good
things that must lie everywhere to the end. Youth!
Youth! The time when there can be "no doubt of
any mystery save that life's longings and its
hopes could die." Let youth dream on of roses
without thorns, of bright days without a cloud,
of hopes that always find fulfillment, of ambitions j
always fully satisfied. All wo need do for youth is
leave it alone with its dreams, its hopes, its am- |
bitions. With these It will tnko care of Itself. And
let not age. whatever the years may have brought,
say a word, shake a head or give a dubious look
to dispel the glory of the dream, the brightness
of the hope, the vaulting nature of tho ambition. |
Time will do enough of this. So let youth have its
undimmed joy today.
But age looks back. The fires of ambition are
dimmed. They are all burnt-out ashes now. The |
hopes that buoyed us up so safely in youth have
found what there is of fulfillment all too little, of
disappointment all too much. We dream no longer
of Joys to come, but of grief that has so strewed
the path along which we have come. The smell
of the woods in early spring when the first violets
bloom, or in the heat of summer when all is ltko
the spice islands, or in fall when decay is in tho
fallen leaves, or in winter when death absorbs 1
all, no matter to the aged, all call back to days
long gone. We walk alone now, and all along tho
far road lie mounds where we stood and confided
to the breast of Mother Karth so many that walk- <
ed with us In the heydey of our life. The mother <
whose soft touch banished rain, the father v hose i
ripe experience taught us where to walk, the 1
brothers and sisters who were our playmates in ?
those days when the world was all sunshine. I
Then when tl:e wing of love ceased to brood over I
us in the paternal nest and we went forth to i
create a new family under the banner of love, how I
a day like this calls up all the joy and tenderness
of these days of early manhood and womanhood! i
So we dream of tho long-lost clasp of the hand of ;
lover or friend; so we dwell in tender memory i
on all those days ol' hope, of joy, of expectancy 1
and fruition. We feel that all will soon be over. |
This may be our last New Year's day on litis earth i
where we have pushed so many eventful years, j
When those who are left again "ring out the old, I ring
in tho new," wo may not be hero to ring i
either chime of bells. So we sit and dream and \
call up from tho treasure-house of memory tho i
faces, words and deeds of those who walked with |
us In the days of our youth and of our prime. Hut j i
wo would not be gone yet. He is less than a man
who thus can sit and dream, think of his do- 1 ,
parturo, and not "cast one longing, lingering look j
behind." We must go to the poets to Interpret ! ]
this life to us. Not to the great ones of the world, ! .
but to those whose verse deals with the common i (
things of life; to Hums and his "hanks and braes i j
o' bonnie Doon," his "Highland Mary;" to the man ' ]
who wrote "Home, Sweet Home;" to the poet of j
the poor slavo in the south and his "Suwanee 1
River," We can go far back in the ages, and all j ]
the time the common heart of a common humanity |
was the same as now. King David would take j
the aged Hnrzillai to the capital, to tho court, i ,
Ilut the plain man of the people would ho left ^
alone to dream the last dreams of life in peace. ,
"Let me go back that I may die in mine own city." j
And after death "he buried by the side of my fa- (
ther and of my mother." Oh! the tenderness of
old age! There are no flerco passions left. Ambition
builds no more castles In the nfr imi
bo lot dream of tho days that aro gone, of the
early home and all it contained, and then 1 lo down
with tho companions of youth and for centuries
and centuries, throughout the great eternity, let
our ashes mingle with those we loved so well.
NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS.
Wliiie New Year is only an Imaginary line drawn
through timo to mark its divisions, it possesses
a sentiment which moves us all. It marks a definite
startinapoint in our lives every year and we
take a fresh'liold upon our prospects and renew
our faith in ourselves and look out upon the coming
year as upon a new, fair field, with promise
of better things. I do not much bellevo in formal 1
resolutions proclaimed loudly from tho eminenco
of our vanity. Tho man who, on New Year's,
"swears off" his had habits for a definite period '
and notifies his friends and neighbors, is, from
my observation, only hypnotizing himself. Ho '
may honestly Intend to stick to his good resolu- '
tlnno e ?" ?1
yvi;inpa manes hir announcement as a
sort of mental and moral prop. Hut If ho la In
deadly earnest ho only needs to promise nllogl- (
anco to God and himself. If ho does the things
he means to do his friends and neighbors will
give him credit, and if lie falls they will not know
of his broken vows. Reforms come from within
and deeds, not words, prove a man's sincerity.
The old year has been kindly a one to the farm- j
ere of Amerlcn. They have prospered, and they
have made national advancement In socinl and
moral life, better methods of farming, and a
broader view of the field of endeavor have been
among the achievements of the old year. From
the year to come wc hope that every one of ub
maj have greater prosperity, larger blessings, '
and better lives.
\
AN ABANDONED PROJECT. ,
"Two hearts that beat as one." The Museum
manager mused.
"Oh. well," he went on, continuing his soliloquy,
"1 suppose we could get up a freak !!ke '
that, but she wouldn't be in It with the twW- '
headed girl, anvhow."?Puck. '
rRAPPER IS CAUGHT
IN HIS OWN SNARE
\lew Mexico Man Meets Death
and Skeleton Tells Story of
Hopeless Struggle.
Santa Fe. N". M.?Literally caught In
lis own trap was the fute that befell j
'onio unknown hunter In the wilds of
Socorro county, NT. M.?not only j
aught but devoured by the very unimals
he sought to entrap.
This terrible story was brought to
Santa Fe by Charles McCarthy, a
anchman, who discovered the chewedit
skeleton of the victim, the wrist
bones still held in the vise-like grip
if the trap. The condition of the
ground told its own story of the last
lesperate, hopeless struggle of the tin- {
known trapper, fighting against a >
||
I
t/.<.ri>o j
Evidence of Fearful Struggle.
death from which there was no cbca
po.
The trapper had driven in his !
wagon, to which was hitched u team 1
>f little mules, many miles into what
Is the heart of the wildest section of
[lie state. It was evident that he was
after bear, for he had one of the
largest steel traps ho could secure.
It is believed the unknown had fin- j
Ishefl baiting and setting the trap and !
was in the act of leaving it when, by j
i misstep, lie stumbled into the grent [
steel jaws. In falling the bones of !
both hands were eauuht between the
sroat steel rims at the wrist.
Once caught, there was no escape |
without the help of another human >
being. He was 50 miles from civiliza- j
tlon and in a region seldom entered
jy men. The trap had been made stationary
and. pinioned as ho was, it
was impossible to disconnect it.
On the ground about the trap were j
evidence of the fearful struggle of the
man to escape the fate which he
knew would be his. Hut night came
and found him still held fast. With
lie darkness also came the wild animals
he had sought, to entrap. He
knew their haunts and had selected
'lis site well. Attracted by the human j
halt in the trap they attacked him. |
He fought as best he could, but, with
hands useless, there was but one outcome.
Hear, mountain Hon, coyote,
whatever It was, vanquished the trapper.
perhaps began feasting on his
flesh before he was altogether dead.
One week after this tragedy, McCarthy
happened across the scene.
Nothing was left of the unknown save
the skeleton, and even some of the j
bones had been crunched. The steel ,
trap still retained its grip on the
mortal remains of its victim.
RATS GNAW A DYING MAN
Eyes Were Punctured While He Lay
Unable to Beat the
Rodents Off.
"Williamsport, I'a.?Rats attacked
Lewis Jackson, a negro, as ho lay dying
in his home here and punctured
hoth his eyes. The old man was par- !
Llally paralyzed and helpless. While
In an unconscious condition, the rats i
attacked him. They were still on his ,
tied when he regained his senses, but j
tie was unable either to beat them off I
or call for help.
After the old man died the rodents
ogaln invaded the room and, but for
the constant vigilance of a daughter
ind friends, they would have gnawed
the corpse. As it was they mnnngcd
to get at the face and bite It several
times while the watchers wore out of
I he room.
Other members of the family have
suffered from bites by the rats Several
days before a rodent attacked a
small child but was driven off before
it had drawn blood.
Tree Sent by Parcel Post.
Franklin, Pa.?A tree was shipped
Prom hero to Ohio by parcel post. The
branches had been bound closely to
the trunk of the tree with twine, and (
the girth was only four inches. The I
roe was eight feet long and Rural Car- J
rler Hunnell would not accept it un- i
111 lie had sawed it off to keep the parcel
within the limitations.
Some Turnips!
Albany, N. Y. James A. D. S. Fin
ley, a farmer, presenting Governor
Gllynn with a ten-pound turnip, said
t was a common thinfe- to raise "200
to the ton" variety.
' ' > ]? ; !P
__
tfffksational 1
suNMrscnooi
- Lesson
(Br E. O. SETiT.RRR- Dlrftrtnr nf Pv?nlf?
Department, The Moody Blblo Institute, t. '
Chicago.)
LESSON FOR DECEMBER 28
A DAY OF DECISION.
(Review.)
READING LESUON?Joshua 24; Hstk
11:28-31.
GOLDEN TEXT?"For God so loved th*
world, that ho gave hln only begotten
son. that whosoever belleveth on htm
should not perish but have everlasting
life."?John 3:16.
The lessons for this past quarter,
omitting the temperance lesson, coter
one of the moBt interesting periods
In the history of Israeh In them
there Is presented five of Israel's
greatest characters, Moses, Aaron,
Miriam, Joshua and Caleb; one of the
strangest characters In all history?
Paallm; and the typical troubler of
the nation, Achan. We have pro^
sented the strength and weakness,
victory and defeats, of four, Moses,
Aaron, Miriam, and Joshua.
Israel's History.
The first of the scripture passages
presented for the day's reading lesson
contains tho fnrewell discourse of
Joshua. In it he surveys Israel's history
from tho days of Terah to the
moment thev possessed Camum em
phasizing that in it all Ood was directing
and operating. H? then appeals
to them to serve Johovah and
to put away all other Gods. The alternative
is. that with such evidence
before their eyes, if it seemed evil to
serve Jehovah, they had choice between
the gods their fathers abandoned
beyond the river and those they
had found in the land. As for himself
his choice was made, "as for me
and my house, wo will serve the
Lord." After repeated declarations of
fealty on their part Joshua, entered
into a covenant with them that they
were to serve Jehovah. The passage
taken from Hebrews ought to begin
at verse thirty.
Moses leads out of Egypt (a typo
of sin), through the wilderness experiences,
but. could not lead them
into the land: Joshua took up the
work where Moses left off and led
them into the promised possession;
but he was not able to lead thum Into
that perfect rest which only comes
from a perfect conformity to the will
of God. The message of the Hook
of Hebrews is that of the son who
fulfills all that these great leaders of
the past failed to do. He leads from
bondage into possession and on to the
final rest which remains for the peoplo
of God.
Recapitulation.
Omitting tho temperance lesson
(Nov. 9) six of then? lessons deal
with Moses as the leader, and In Ave
wo have Joshua as the leader Qf Israel.
I. Under Moses' Leadership.
Lesson I. Moses' Cry for Help,
Num. 11:10-18, 24. 25. (1) Complaint
and controversy, vv. 10-15; (2) Comfort
and Counsel, vv. 10-18, 24, 25.
Lesson II. Jealousy and Envy Punished,
Num. ch. 12. (1) The Accucusatlon.
vv. 1, 2; (2) The Arrest, vv.
4. 5; (2) The Arraignment, vv. 6-8;
(4) Tho Judgment, vv. 9-10; (6) The
Intercession, vv. 11-12.
Lesson III. The Report of the Spies,
Num, 13:1-3, 25-33. (1) The Spies,
vv. 1-3; (2) The Majority Report, vv.
25-29; (3) The Minority Report, vv.
30-33; (4) The Sequel, ch. 14.
Lesson IV. The Sin of Moses and
Aaron, Num. 20:1-13. (1) The People's
Petition, vv. 1-5; (2) God's Plan,
vv. 6-8; (3) Moses' Mistake, vv. 9-13^
(a) Deception, (b) Pride, (c) Selfglory.
(d.) Disobedience.
Lesson V. Balak and Balaam, Num.
22:1-6, 24:10-19. (1) Tho Call to
Curse, 22:1-6; (2) Tho Wayside Challenge.
22:22-35; (3) The Changeless
Message, ch. 24.
Lesson VI. Temperance Lesson.
Lesson VIT. The Death of Moses,
Deut. 34:1-12. (1) The Old Leader,
vv. 1-8; (2) The New Leader, v. 9;
(3) A Great Character, vv. 10-12.
II. UnHpr loeki 1 ?LI
... - ..... vv?muh o ucauci oillp.
Lesson VIII. Joshua the New
Leader, Josh. 1:1-9. (1) The Call;
(2) The Charge; (3) The Counsel^
(4) The Companionship.
I*esson IX. Crossing the Jordan*
JoBh. 3:7-17. (1) The Leader, vv. 7,
8; (2) Thoso Led, tv. 9-13; (3) The
Dry Ground, vv. 14-17.
Lesson X. The Fall of Jericho*
Josh. 6:8-11, 14-20. (1) God's Orders,
vv. 1-5; (2) Joshua's Instructions, vv.
6-8; (3) Tho Obedient People, vv. 9-16.
Lesson XI. The Sin of Achan, Josh.
7:6-15. (1) Joshua's Error, vv. 6-9;
(2) Tho Cause of Defeat, vv. 10-12;
(3) Tho Victory of Defeat, vv. 13-1S.
Lesson XII. The Division of the
Land, Josh. 14:1-14. (I1) Those Left
Pehlnd, vv. 1-5; (2) Caleb's Claim,
vv. 6-12; (3) The Promise Fulfilled*
vv. 13-15.
Tho golden text Is peculiarly slgnlfl*
no n lr? 14" ?? " **
v.uuv hi im uh we nose mo
studios for this year. Tho final word,
the fruit and flower of this new nar
tion, Is epitomized in this the simplest,
yet the most sublime language
of the New Testament. What Moses
and Joshua did in type and what they
each left not being able to accomplish,
God in the person of his greatest
gift to men can and does fulfil
In abundant measure. The widest
stretch of human imagination cannot
measure tho breadth of his lovo. The deepest
depths cannot fathom the aw?
fui woe of unbeliever.