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Show THE NEW YEAR AND THE OLD. On this opening day of the new year, Tho Tribune congratulates its readers upon tho prospority that prevails throughout tho State and that has boon so conspicuously manifested in tho business busi-ness and advancement of Salt Lake City. It offers congratulations also on its own account for a year of uuox-amplod uuox-amplod volume of business, exemplifying exemplify-ing within its own domain tho gouoral prospority which has prevailed. And we hope for all, from state and city to individual, as full a measure of prosperity pros-perity for tho ensuing year as they havo oujoyod iu tho year .iust. past. . The past year has been one of more than average prosporit' for the world at large. The crops of the great grain-raising grain-raising countries have been much above the average. Russia, especially, shows up splendidly in her wheat crop, reporting re-porting a greater 3-iold by almost 100,-000,000 100,-000,000 bushels than in 190S, 1907, 1006. or 1005. The heaviest yield of wheat in; Russia for four years prior to this year was in 1905502,000,000 bushels. This year tho wheat crop is GS8,000,000 bushels, and it is assumed that whore tho wheat crop is good the other crops are also good. And as tho world's total of wheat is 3,3-16,9l5S,000 bushels this year compared with the heaviest yield of five years of 3,226,7GS,000 bushels in 1000, the world is considerably over 100,000,000 bushels to tho good, with the other crops in corresponding ratio. There has been general pcaco throughout through-out the world, the war between Morocco tribes and Spain being a fceblo affair; but an immensity of diplomatic wrangling. wrang-ling. Very much of this has occurred with operations in Manchuria and northern north-ern China as the center of disturbance. But diplomatic wranglings aro not wasteful of blood and treasure, where they end peaceably. Our own little ruction with Nicaragua has been more of a nuisance and a core of diplomatic contcutious horcaftor than of real trouble trou-ble this year. Tho death of Leopold, King of tho Belgians, will bo a vast relief to an afflicted rogion in Africa, for it; is not conceivablo that two such monsters of cruelty and rapacity as he could continuously contin-uously rule over Belgium and the Kongo Free State. The world is increasing amazingly in population. Tho wars and devastations which in former centuries kept down population and forbade the accumulations accumula-tions of great wealth have now happily been discontinued. The wars of tho past were more wars between neighbors, woro more unceasing, were more devastating and mortal than the wars of modern rimes could possibly be. It is commonly said that war has become too costly for us moderns to indulge in, which is absolutely true. And yet, no expenditure expendi-ture of blood and treasure even in a modern war could -possibly rival tho continuous neighborhood warfare of former for-mer ages. And though it is commonly assumed that war' was less costly in times of old than now, it was, in fact, far more costly because it was more continuous, con-tinuous, moro general, and moro destructive. de-structive. But this is not in the least to .be construed as an invitation to war, for war is an unmitigated curse to humanity hu-manity whenever indulged in. But as stated, the year has been kind to the world at large. There has been great advance in science, in humane and charitable effort, in the upbuilding of roligion and morality. There is a keener keen-er sense of obligation to be decent and good than ever before. And with the increased diffusion of Christian light and human recognition of benign Christian Chris-tian principles, the world is, on the whole, getting bettor year by year, more averse to strife, more determined that iho right shall prevail not hy force but by reason and a .iust recognition of the common rights of liumanit', and tho obligation ob-ligation upon rulers to preserve the peace and recognize for others tho same rights that they claim for themselves. Tho world is, in fact, growing better and better. It is growing more ablo to help itself in every line of need and of effort. And so the old year closes with satisfaction at tho accomplishments of its time, and the new year opens with brighter and ploasanter prospects than any year heretofore in tho history of the human race. |