LIFE’S LITTLE WANTS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 31 December 1927, Page 4

LIFE’S LITTLE WANTS.

Educated Maids. All the servants at Crosby Hall, the International Club for University women, in ChelseS, are public school girls, the chief parlourmaid being a graduate of Edinburgh University. • • • • A Sad Case! Asylum Visitor) “How does that poor fellow come to be here?” Keeper: “He was caught pouring an emetic down the slot of an Aberdeen automatic machine.” * , p « * . **." V Splendid! u A Scot was entertaining a guest for the night. The evening was spent in weighty conversation, no offer of dijftuid refreshments being made. About 10:30' p.m. the host said suddenly, “Now, how about a. wee doeh-an-doris, eh?”" 1 The guest rubbed his hands and chuck- ’ led, “Splendid!” So the host, smiling genially, rose and put Sir Harry Laud- ■ er’s celebrated song record oa the gramophone. ' ' • • • * New Year Resolutions. To the majority of us, life is rather' a humdrum, routine affair. “The common round, the daily taak, ” aro apt to blunt the sensibility. The weeks lengthen into months, and the months into years, and we move on in the same old rut. - v " ■ ' But anniversaries such as the New. Year awaken us.' They maie us’ulinost instinctively search our hearts. What have we got to show for the year that has nearly gone? What will we have to show for the year that is about to begin? Are we not living too much in..; and for ourselves? Cannot wc, each in our degree, do more for our fellowmen? These are questions which at this season we ought to ask onrselv.es, and who can doubt, what, the answerwill be? There is ample room for Joking—and keeping —good resolutions, both individually and collectively. , * * * * Id Appreciation. • It is not the good fortune or everyindustrial financier to see a market ■ appreciation of nearly £16,000,000 in ■ five months in the shares of a com- : pany of which lie has obtained control. That, however, is the happy position ■of Dr. Henry Dreyfus, now both chairman and managing director of British Cclanese, Limited, the artificial silk company, the-control of which, in association' with his brother and eo.-man-aging director, Dr. Camille Dreyfus, lie acquired last Ala}'. * * * * The “New Year.” The date of “New Year” is anything but uniform. Our year .begins-on • January Ist. but originally the Roman year began in ATarch, the monthficdicated to the god of war. The W ish New Year occurs in September, the Abvssiuian. The Mohammedan Nc-w Year /alls in July, and the Chinese late in January or early m February." . , . . , For us to attach exceptional importance to January Ist is as illogical as was the grievance of the London mob ■■■ who, when in 1752 the calendar was j amended by reckoning September 3rd , a? the 14th, besieged Parliament with angrv cries of “Give us back our el- • even days.” They thought that precious hours of existence had been stolen from them—that, their . span of life had been shortened to that extent. Nevertheless, unreasonable as tne cult may be, the first day of the year, no matter what it is styled, is always a Pay apart, literally a “red-letter, day” in the calendar, in whica formerly feast days were thus distinguished, hi many lands it claims precedence over all other festivals. In Scotland, for instance,. Christmas is a religious, not a social, celebration, and is not ‘ kept as tlie Sassenach keeps it. New Year, -with the fun and jollification manav, the vigil till the clock strikes midnight, and the crashing c-horus of “Auld Lang Syne,” is par- excellence the festival.