22

The Ending of Another Year

On the morning of the day before Christmas, Mr. Arnold directed two of his pupils to go and look in the bookcase. “What for?” asked one. “Oh, go and see,” was his response. Wonderingly the command was obeyed, and there were found on one of the shelves a number of small storybooks. Upon opening some of these there was discovered on the flyleaf of each one the name of some member of the class and also a Christmas greeting. One after another being opened, and the names read, they were then conveyed to the persons whose names they contained. All but one of them received a neat little storybook, the remaining pupil, Robert Holmes, receiving, instead, a beautifully bound copy of the Bible. These unexpected Christmas presents from the teacher were appreciated by the recipients.

This term the superintendent had decided to allow all pupils whose parents or friends came for them to spend the holidays at home. He had announced this fact some time previous and charged all to remember that they could not go home on any other conditions. Accordingly many had written home informing parents of these conditions, and today quite a number of them were expecting the arrival of parent or friend who would make it possible for them to enjoy a brief visit at home.

School closed at ten a.m. on this day, and Carrie Raymond, who felt quite confident that her father would come for her, proceeded to her room and arrayed herself in holiday apparel, and then she went down to the basement veranda and watched the various persons arriving. It was not long before she caught sight of her father’s well-known form, and, hurrying upstairs, she awaited impatiently the summons to the library. It soon came; and upon reaching the door of that room she found quite a number of visitors seated around the room, most of whom were parents or friends of pupils. Carrie’s father was pointed out to her, and after the usual greeting, she hurried away to prepare for the journey homeward.

Christmas was celebrated in the usual pleasant manner at the institution, closing with a social party, which the teachers and others endeavored to make enjoyable. The pupils dearly loved an occasional holiday; but they were prone to grow restless, dissatisfied, and even quarrelsome if allowed to remain idle long. The officers were aware of this from experience. So on the day after Christmas, school was reopened once more.

While lessons were being studied and life was going on as usual at the school, the year, which had so blithely taken up the scepter of authority twelve months before, was silently awaiting the coming of his successor. At the beginning of his reign there had been given him by God a book with pages all fresh and fair. Now these pages were crowded with the records of the various events—countless in their number—which had taken place during the twelve months of his reign. Some of these pages were made beautiful by the records of love, mercy, or self-denial; others were blotted over with wrongs. Some bore marks of tears that had been shed; others told of struggles for the right and their triumph. Even the slightest occurrences had been noted down. And now the book, with all its recorded events, was to be returned to God, to be kept by him till the Day of Judgment. Behind was the past, with its deeds never to be recalled; before was the vast unknown, unexplored future, ready to swallow the poor old year up forever. A few more events were recorded, and then the pen of time dropped from his fingers and he was gone nevermore to return. A new year, with a new book in which to record all the events of the year just begun, stepped in to take his place.