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Show EDITORIAL: The Failures Of A Year The span of a year is limited, and like the years that have gone before, 1947 is now in the hands of history. But the achievements and failures, the joys and sorrows sor-rows which'-accompanied its days are. still with us to be molded slowly and perhaps painfully into in-to the future. There is a strangeness about the way a man looks toward a new year with hope. It is as though he expected to complete all the unfinished business of his life, and in twelve short months reach that zenith of human hu-man perfection which has been the goal of all men since civilization civiliza-tion freed itself from the shackles of barbarism. No man will reach that zenith in the year ahead, for if he docs not fail from inertia, surely the inherent shortcomings of human nature will block his passage, causing him to turn back where the going is easier. But God bless the man who welcomes the new year with this visionary hope, for from his dreams of better days ahead is woven the web of success; and from his failures, failures which are bound to occur', oc-cur', will come the achievements of the future. A year passes, but it is no more than the passing of a day the credits are the same, the debits are the same. There was so little about 1947 that was great. No year of peace has ever accounted for more shedding of blood,. and in no other twelve-month period has the misunderstandings between be-tween individuals and nations been more acute. Truly 1947 has left a scar upon all the peoples of the world. Yet it gave men the experience from which may come understandings to insure the goodness of the years ahead. Even though 1947 produced the poisons of tenseness and fear it. also gave forth an antidote. In solitary laboratories scientists advanced steadily toward the beneficial utilization of the harnessed har-nessed atom; medical men perfected per-fected revolutionary cures for the rehabilitation of the physically physical-ly and mentally ill, and everywhere every-where men sought to turn the forces of nature in favor of mankind. man-kind. Their work and their successes suc-cesses were the outgrowth of failures from other years Another year has gone but from its failures will come attainments at-tainments that will lead toward that zenith of human perfection which all men have sought since civilization was born. |