ADDRESS, NEW YEAR'S BROADCAST

ON "ANNAPOLIS INDEX"

ON WBAL RADIO

BALTIMORE
December 31, 1961

May I begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to radio station
WBAL for giving me this opportunity again this year to extend New
Year's greetings to the people of Maryland. It is my hope and my prayer
that this New Year, 1962, will bring all of us a full measure of happiness,
prosperity and good health. At midnight tonight, all of us will join in
an ancient and revered tradition—the celebration of the coming of a
new year. It will be a time of rejoicing, merriment, high spirits, good
fellowship. When the bells ring out the old year and ring in the new,
we all experience a keen excitement—the excitement that comes with
embarking upon a new venture, in this instance a venture in time.

We have no way of knowing, of course, what fortunes or misfortunes
this journey over paths unknown will bring. Nonetheless, we embark
upon it with great courage, having confidence that we will find ways to
escape the hazards and enjoy the new experiences. While gaiety is the
predominant mood of New Year's Day, it is also a time of sober reflec-
tion and solemn contemplation. It is an occasion for looking back upon
the twelve months which have just expired, recalling the events which
have occurred and evaluating our own experiences in these events. A
critical appraisal of what we have done, or failed to do, in the year that
has passed prompts us to lay plans for the year ahead. The New Year's
resolution, firmly made and steadfastly carried out, can be a most useful
instrument in the organization of an orderly life. The wise man profits
by experience, and even our mistakes can be used to advantage if we
discover them in time and correct them.

New Year's Day should, I think, also be a day of rendering thanks to
our Creator for his favors and mercies. With the advent of a new year,
we Marylanders have many things for which we can be grateful. First
of all, we are thankful, with other Americans, that our nation has en-
joyed another year of peace—an uneasy peace, as we know, but at least
a year without active warfare. With other Americans also, we are grate-
ful for the return of economic prosperity. Business is good, and I am told
there are prospects that it will get better. Although threatened, our
country is strong enough, we believe, to repel any would-be aggressor,

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