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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 29, 1916)
I THE 8EMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA. MA VKG RESOLUTION i . itfe editorial talk about joys and sor rows, failures and achievements of the old year, and hopes and promises for the new : : Suggestions for a New Year's Eve party : : Also a few words by a doctor about " swearing off" 4 .TANDING, as wo lire, upon tho 'threshold of nnothcr year, ninny of us will, In funcy, go buck over tho 'twelve months that have passed nnd smile when wo recall tho "New Year resolutions" wo mado a year ago. "Yes." a woman will sny, "I imado good resolutions last New Year's my In dentions woro of tho very best, hut I did inot have tho will power to llvo up to them. Pray, what Is tlio sense of malting now onoa?" Well, forget last year's good resolutions and Iforget tho pust year entirely. Turn with hopo land conll.dcnco to tho great now year about to Idawn, and yes, mnku now good resolutions, ns (many of them as your brain can conjuro up. Per haps you did fall to keep tlio good Intentions ithnt tniulo you bo happy when you thought them iout, but remember you are very human. Indeed, ,'tf wo all were not so very human there would bo inbsolutely no need of our ever making any kind lof good resolutions. , Many of us will seo tho old year go with few iregrcts. It brought us, perhaps, an extra share lof cures and disappointments, but tiro wo not all tho better uml stronger for them, nnd will not jthe tesaonrt tliuy taught us stand us In good stead ilurtag tho coming days? Dear friend, lot mo nB (sure, you that tho difficulties and discouragements yoa surmounted during this still present year will without question mako you a better and braver wman. i Welcome the new year; and by nil means mako 'new good resolutions. Every ono of us noeds to 'make them, because ns I havo said, we are all ftian or woman. In tho hearts of most of us Is a wonder, n curl (olty, as to what tho coming yenr may bring to rua, whether good fortuno or bad, sorrow or Joy. now many of us rcallzo that tho shaping of-our fortunes during the year to como Is In our hands? We do not need to depend on somo Imaginary tfttto to deal us out good luck or had, ns sho will, ft we have tho earnestness nnd tho deslro to suc ceed, ' All Desire Happiness. But, nftcr all, we wnnt something more out of ,tho year to como than Just material success, wel come though that may be. Success Is not always attended by happiness, and what wo nil deslro in .reality In 1017 Is happiness, no matter what Its ource. To bo contented and happy, that Is tho most wo can wish for nnyono, Including ourselves. Wo can find true happiness by limiting and keep ing tlio proper kind of Now Year's resolutions. The nnnunl period for taking stock of our mental, spiritual nnd material resources finds most of us nbout where wo woro a yenr ago. Wo nro living nbout tho same. Wo nro thinking about tho same thoughts. Wo nro anlmnted by nbout tho same expecta tion. When wo nro depressed It is because of the tamo old fears. I'tmo hnvti learned something In tho dying yenr. Somo have not. Some hopo to learn during the coming year. Most of us spend tho mnln portions of our lives (n (llsuppolntment over the falluro of that which we hoped might como to pass, bnlancing Unit with pur washed-out pleasure that tho worst of tho things wo feared did not happen, Somo of us lack grip upon ourselves. This annual stock-taking of our mentality mould light tho future of tho coming year with Uio experience of tho year just passed. If it Soesn't do thnt wo nro not doing tho Job right. Tho extent to which wo hnvo learned our les ions In tho old yenr will bo tho measuro In which ivo mny gaugo our expectations for tho new year. Turning the New Leaf. From tlmo inmicmorlal It has been tho custom f the forehanded good old-fashioned neighbor to wunro Up his uccounts, mnko now resolves, start putting oft certain bad habits, and "turn over a leaf." , t .... (This is perfectly reasonable nnd nntural. An tlio JTcnditr ninrkfj a now cyclo of time, so w la- Htlnctlvcly puuso and mako ready for a fnlr new stnrUIn life, even though wo know that neither life nor tlmo hns any pauso In Its onward sweep. It Is probnblo that there aro many moro New Year's resolutions broken than aro kept strictly through tlio year. Even so, there Is good value In tho making of thorn, In splto of what somebody has said about tho downwnrd road being paved with good Intentions. Giod new resolves nro good for us any time, nnd n backward glanco will not hinder our for ward march. Wo cannot mnko too many efforts to prune oft bad habits and such other dead wood as we llnd In our lives ench year. All who havo no faults, please standi However, It may bo thnt tho best Now Year's resolvo wo can mnko this first holiday of 1017 will bo to stnrt the good habit of beginning new every morning. After all the mistakes and disappointments and bunInc-88 battles that lcavo us tired and sour nnd sick, there comes n,now day, so that wo can begin over ngaln and do better. If wo start such a plan, the coming yenr and thoso following It will bo happier now years. New Year's Entertaining. Now Year's ovo Is au occasion of big celebra tion all over tho country, every man and woman huvlng n deslro to speed tho old year and wcl como tho now with somo form of festivity. In. the cities tho hotels and restaurants mnko a big fcaluro of this holiday, and each and overy ono advertises n special supper, with dancing, etc. This Is nil very well for thoso who do not hnvo to count the pennies when seoklng plcnsuro, for entertainment on Now Year's ovo comes high. Everyone wants to be amused, to greet tho incom ing twolvo months with Jollity nnd song, and tho consequenco Is thnt tlio restaurants de mand nnd get high prices for entertainment on tlnit occnslon. There nro.no end of cnjoynblo ways of enter taining In one's own homo on Now Year's eve, and tho woman who wishes to gtvo pleasure to the' family and friends on this occuslon can do so at very little expense. All sho needs Is to nskx n Jolly crowd, to think out n clover schcrao of tnblo dqcorntlon, to arrange somo forms of amusement and all will bo well. The, womnn who has fairly largo rooms In her house will do we'll to select dancing ns tho chief form of ontertnlnmcnt for tho evening. Dancing lion lost nono of its fascination for tho majority of folks, and If It is mndo tho big feature of tho party It Is sofo to say .that most of tho guests will bo well pleased. A small danco need not bo an expensive affair. If you havo a phonograph nil Is well; If not surely you have some friend from whom you cnu borrow an Instrument for the evening. Dnnclng to n phonograph Is Just ns good fun ns dancing to nn orchestrn, provided ono's partner Is skillful nt trcudlng tho "llgljt fantastic." When giving a Now Year's ovo party whero dancing Is to bo tho chief attraction of tho eve ning It Is n good Idea to uslc ono's guests to como to tho affair masked. This will lend mystery and excitement to tho party and thoro will ho great fun when the guests unmask as tho hour strikes twelve and tho now year Is ushorcd In to tho tuno of many happy volcos wishing each other "Happy Now Year." After tho usual felicitations nro ovor, supper should be served. This may bo slmplo or elab orate, Just as tho hostess desires. As for table decorations, n pretty centerplcco la to hnvo n star mndo froin a brilliant red poln scttln. In tho mlddlo of tho star plnco n tall candlestick with n long white cnndlo for tho now yenr. Each, point of tho star should bo marked by n low candlestick holding a shorter white candle. At tho left of each pinto hnvo n spray of polnscttln. A pretty way to servo Ico cream on tills occasion would bo to hnvo It molded In tho form of u cnndlo nnd candlestick, the cnudlo to bo tho vnnllln crenm nnd the candlestick to ho of pistachio green. A tiny war taper may bo In serted nt tho top of ench "cnndlo" nud lighted Just'nu all aro brought In. A filmplo supper menu for Now Year's ovo might consist of hot bouillon (n thin soup) served In cup 0 that It Is easy to hand around, chicken Hiilud, sandwiches, lco cream, enko nnd coffee. Th6 supper should bo of tho buffet order, tho men guests helping the girls, to tho food they ro qulro. On this wny tho need of extra help Is dispensed with and no additional expense Is In curred ou this score. Izola Ibrrcsfcl For those who do not care for dancing, cards, either bridge, "rum," fantnn or somo other popu lar game, will do to pass tho hours before twelve. Doctor Smith Talks. Drinks, smokes nnd candy are not the only things to swear off on New Year's day. There aro plenty of others, nnd for most of us the others aio much more important, as fortunately the readers of this department arc not victims of rum nnd tobneco. Now Yenr resolutions, however, should not con sist entirely of "swear offs." Too many "don'ts" nro not advisable. "Do" Is much better thnn "don't." Posltlvo resolves are better than nega tive ones. If you "swear on" enough good habits It will not bo necessary to "swear off" any bad ones. In other words, posltlvo or constructive policies nro better than ncgntlve or destructive ones. This applies to health Just ns much ns to unythlng elso In life. So, don't think you enn "get by" simply by swearing oft on ono or two of your pet vices. Not nt nil. Your New Yenr resolu tions, to bo of any real value, must bo construc tive. You must decldo not only to quit somo things, but to begin some things, also. N Good resolves and swear offs mny be grouped In pairs, and to advantage, It seems to me. Let's try It thnt wny for n change J will take good care of my body. I will not abuse It. Hold Up Your Right Hand. This first pair of resolves looks pretty simple, but If you think a minute you will see that It In cludes a multitude of things. It actually Is tho wholo thing In n nutshell. If you swear tills par ticular pair of swears, and keep your oath, you will hnvo health nnd happiness nil tho yenr, nnd your bill nt the doctor's nnd tho drug storo will be so small that you can hnvo nn extra new dress Instead. Let's seo what It docs Include. I will havo "houso cleaning" In tho houso I llvo In. I I will not procrastinate In Instituting prcpnr cdness against disease. This means thnt you will hnvo tho dentist go over your teeth with nbsoluto regularity onco or twice n year, but It also means thnt you hnvo senso enough to know that tho rest of your body Is at least as Important as your teeth and that you will hnvo your doctor examine you from head to foot and fir up anything thnt needs It beforo nny symptoms nppear, which would simply mean that tho process had gone on so far that correc tion would bo much moro difficult If not impos sible. This would Include nn cxnmlnntlon of tho urine nnd the blood pressure, both of which should bo Investigated onco overy yenr In tho enso of , every person over forty yenrs of ago. I will keep clenn Insldo nnd out. I will avoid dirt. This means not only tho dnlly bath, but It means the flushing of tho Insldo of tho body so ns to keep tho sowers working. It menns tho drink ing of nbout a gallon of fluid per day. It also means keeping tho teeth scrupulously neat, cleansing them morning, noon and night, so thnt they will not Infect overy slnglo mouthful of food you swallow. What Is tho uso of pure-food laws If you snvo a cholco selection of germs between your teeth so ns to sprend thorn on tho food which Uncle Sum certifies Is "pure." It also means sufficient cxcrclso to maintain bodily activity, so thnt circulation will keep things clenn Insldo nnd prevent stagnation. It also means plenty of fresh nlr, so that tho oxygen will oxl dntc, or hum up, nil tho debris and tho poisons nud tho toxins which are being formed In every body nil tho tlmo ns the result of eating and of living. Keep Smiling. I will cultlvato good cheer. I will avoid anger, hate and moroseness. It doesn't hurt to smile. Jtcmcmber that. It Isn't hard work. It doesn't cost anything. It Isn'c simply for others thnt ono should smile. It helps ono's self oven more thnn others. Sing I Whistle I Lnughl Thoso things do not cost nny thing, cither, nnd they help n great deal. Wo doctors know that It wo can get n patient to laugh and sing It ts pretty suro thnt ho Is cm tho meud and on It good and strong. We nlso know thnt anger, hate, sulks, pessimism and nil such horrid things nro actually destructive. This Is not Christian Kclenco or any other sectarianism. but Just plain common senso backed up by the lntest wborotory experiments. All theso mental coudltlous cause the formation of actually poison ous chemlcnhi In the body aud nt tho samo time hinder tho activities of normal health proccsse. (.Copyright) T was a supreme test of friendship, visiting tho Del ia n r s on New Year's. Wrapped to her cars In fur, with n cap meeting her collar, Wini fred stopd on the bleak little platform at Eyers' Cor ners and looked through tho snowfall for anything that seemed to bd a con veyance. ' 1 She had left Boston at 5 :45-ulenty of time to teach "Wlndyheath lit good Urn, Anno hud written her. , "It's jus) a nice little run over from Providence on the Providence and Wll llmantlc line. We'll meet you nt Byers' Corners. The trains only stop there on signal or to let oft visitors, and the only visitors thnt ever come nro ours. If Itolf or I can't como over I'll send n wonderful substitute." Evidently Itolf, Anne nnd the sub stitute had been overcome by the storm. Trains had been delayed from Boston to Providence nnd on tho little local line they had waited again and again along the wny. There had been no real need of any signal to let her off when Byers' Corners came In view. Tho drifts were so high that It took the train 20 minutes to get out of Byers' Corners, let alone getting in. But again Anne had written: "Don't feel discouraged getting to us. We llvo In the quaintest little village perched on the top of a hill, but It Is wonderful when you get here, and we're piling on big logs for you and the latchstrlng dnngles, so be suro nnd come. Also, I havo your romance! He hns come true, Win, nt last, and he's all that nnyone who loves you could wish for you." It certnlnly wna stimulating, If noth ing else, both tho lure of the letter and the trip Itself. Winifred went around the other side of the tiny stn- was up to tho top of the fencestfs far ns ono could see. He eould turn around and get them up to-tliei. Annabelle Smith place, where titer wns a telephone, nnd they could call up Wlndyheath. "It's only nine-thirty," Gregorynsald reassuringly. "And wedpn't get an ndventuro overy day. Let's go." The Smith plnco was dark when they reached It, but tho driver knocked lustily and flnnlly there wns a faint, frightened voice from tho Inner sldo of the front door asking who It was at that time of night. Gregory explained, with the driver's help, and they wcr admitted. "But you can't got word through to night. The wires don't work. They never do after a big storm on these hero pnrty lines," said Miss Smith, holding up a big oil lamp. "Just step right out Into the kitchen nnd you stir up tho fire, Irn. Mnko yourselves to homo, folkses. Ira can drive bnck and muybo telephono from tho vlllnge up there." Winifred never forgot that New Year's eve. After Ira had gone, they snt out in the cheery old kitchen, drinking. tcn, eating nuts nnd apples and mince pie, nnd getting fearfully well acquainted, as Miss Smith put It II . S S I - Stood on the Bleak Little Platform. tlou and heard voices. A man was nrgulug about some way of reaching tho Delmnrs, nnd the stocky driver of a two-horso sleigh demurred evasively. "It's nine miles ordlnnrlly up there und we'd hnvo to go roundbout by Butts' bridge tonight 'cause tho roads ain't been broke through t'other way, nnd then llko enough we'd never mnko It. It's worth five dollars to drive over there, every cent of It." "I'll pay you five," sold tho stranger "Hurry up." "I can't guarantee to get you there, but I'll do my best. This hero's tho only team In town you could get to night. There's a donee over at Poiu fredt Green nnd everybody's gone. I meant to go, but I hud to tako somo folks down to this train, so I don't mind nuiklng n little going slnco I had to earn somo coming." "Oh, could I go with you, please?" Winifred broko In. "I'd pay half, don't you know, and there's plenty of room I'm going to tho Delmnrs, too." It seemed too good to be true -when iho found herself safely tucked away on the back seat, with buffalo robes around her nud the two horses taking up the road splendidly, their hoofs throwing back a spray of light snow. Ho was XJregory Ilnmsdcll, he told her, writer nnd gloho trotter. He had Just got back from a year at tho front In Europe and ho snld Connecticut hills looked better to lilin thnn nil the old world put together. Even In tho darkness the pine trees stood out, their branches heavy with snow, and before them hero nnd there In the fields were clumps of whlto birch nnd red onk, with dry lenves still clinging to their boughs. The stars shone famously up In tho winter sky. Gregory half turned In his seat and talked. They had many friends In com mon. Ho had known Itolf since they wero hoys back in Denver. Neither of them noticed hft'er five miles hod been covered that tho horses Wero walk' Ing, breasting tho drifts nnd literally wndlng through, until they came to a dead halt and tho driver Jumped out. fThey couldn't go on, ho said. Tho enow Breasting the Drifts and Literally Wading Through. lnughlngly. Gregory carried In wood nnd split kindlings for morning, nnd locked up for the night. While Miss Smith went up to look nfter her old bedridden father, they sat together by the fire, and somehow talk died away. The old clock up on the chimney man tel softly struck twelve In tho silence. Winifred looked up and smiled, her head leaning back on tho cushioned top of the old black rocker. "Happy Now Yearl" she said. "Isn't . . . .... - - , - it uie queerest tntng, our ocmg way up hero miles from everyone we know, nnd not knowing ench other even, and starting off the new year together?" "It's great," Gregory clasped his hands around one knee, seated on the woodbox under the big Dutch oven. "I'm not superstitious, but after ramb ling for n year over there this seems awfully much worth while. You know I'd almost begun to think, if you won't mind my saying so, thnt thero wasn't anyono llko you In the world." Miss Smith hurried through tho en try wny. "Ira's back with a bigger team and bo's going to take you through all right, he says. He drove over that bad spot In tlio roads and broko It for you. And bo's telephoned to Mrs. Del mar that you're coming." It was nearly two when they reach ed Wlndyheath. All of the windows of tlio big country house were lighted up, nnd Anne herself, wrapped In a wonderful velvet and fur houscgown, ran down the steps to meet them. "Oh, my dear, my dear I" sho cried when she had Winifred safely upstairs In her room. "You poor child I" "I'm not poor," Winifred said ra--dlantly. "I've had tho most beautiful adventure of my wholo life, nnd I'm In love. I ngreo with you nnd fate this time." "But It Isn't Gregory I wnnt you to meet," faltered Anne. "You haven't gono nnd fallen In love with dear old Greg?" "I have," Winifred laughed happily. "Both of us have. I never believed In love at first sight before, or anything llko It, but I've mado some wonderful resolutions for tho new year this time." "Now listen to me nnd the wholo comedy. Anno curled up on the bed confidentially. "Tho man you wero to marry Is right down smoking with Itolf this minute. Ho's Madison Forbes, with money, position, everything, my dear. But ho didn't think you'd try to mako tho trip such a night, so I've been 'phoning madly everywhere to find opt if you had arrived and where. Then I would have tried to get to you. We sent out a car and it couldn't get through, nnd the horses couldn't ei ther." "Don't worry," Winifred smiled at her reflection in the triple mirror nt tho dressing table. "I don't give a rap about the money or position or any thing, Anna. We've been right out in to the primitive world together, lost In the snow, nnd I'd go with him to tho ends of the world if this blessed old world hud nny ends. Ho snld, Just ns wo wero driving In here, It wus tho most promising .New Ypar's he had ever known." 1 The reason so mnny churches hnvo flnancltil trouble Is because of tho Jit ney members who think tho sermon und the blessing they get Is only worth a nickel. i $ I" ..ft J'7 A..