1900: At the Dawn of the New Year We Wish You Prosperity and Happiness

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Includes short introduction called "Canada and the Empire are One," about the sending of a Canadian contingent to South Africa. Two pages contain "The Absent-Minded Beggar" by Rudy ard Kipling and one features "Our Bit of 'The Thin Red Line'" by W. Wilfred Campbell. While largely forgotten today, "The Absent-Minded Beggar" was one of the most famous poems of its time. Written in 1899, it was set to music by Arthur Sullivan. Part of an appeal by the Daily Mail to raise money for soldiers fighting in the Boer War, along with their families, it became part of one of the first charitable funds for war, raising more than £250,000. It's not surprising to find it featured on a New Year's greeting from 1900 in another part of the Empire. Show more