The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1830-09-01
THE ANGEL OF TINE.


The angel of time being Commissioned bv
| the Supreme Governor of the world maJe
proclamation that he had hundred thousand
years OF additional life to bestow on the inhab-
h"nts ot the earth. His trumpet anhnad far
ana VICE, penetrating the cities, the valleys.
.he mountains, and reaching the uttermost ex-
tremes of the universe. The neonle docked
eagerly from all points of the compass. to prefar
Their claims to portion of the beneficent gift ;
but 1t was surprising to see that the crowd con.
sisted of the aged alone The children were
enjoying their youthful sports. and paid no at
tention to the proclamation the youths and
maldens were wandering in the labyrinths of
love; and the men and women of middle age
were too much engaged in the pursuits of life
| to think on DEATH
The first who preferred his petition for few
additional years, was an old man of four-score
and upwards bent almost double with age.
/ Thou doubtless wishest to live little long
er Tor the sake of thy children, and the com
panons of thy youth :" said the angel.
| Alas !! cried the old man, they are all
ors :" '-''" nun
"Alas, no! / have lost nv good name. and
am miseraby poor. Yet | wish to live ill |
am an hundred, and enjoy life yet little long
The angel bestowed upon him the privilege
II
way rejoicing and trembling.
! The next applicant for heightened wears, was
feeble old man, who was carried in litter.
| When he had preferred his request, the angel
replied
s. | understand Thou art enamored of the
charms OF woman, of the beauties of the earth,
the waters, and the skies, and wishest to behold
shem yet few years more ?"
! 81 am blind these ten wears" said The old
man.
" Thou art delighted with the music of the
birds, and murmuring of the waters the echoes
OF the mountains, and all the harmonies Of the
universe, and wishest to hear them little
longer?"
81 am deaf, and scarcely hear the sound of
thy trumpet"
Thou art fond of the delicacies of food ;"
"Alas my feeble health will not permit of
such ndulgences. l have lived on milk and
crusts of bread these seven wears past, and
more. am miserable sickly old man"
" And still thou wishest to lengthen out thy
mlseIes. What pleasure dost thou enjoy in
Inns ms i''eahure OI nylng, SAID tho old man
and tho angel granted him few years more
The third who approached the footstool of
the angel was a decripid female, almost bent
to the earth, and trembling with palsy. Her
teeth were gone-her eyes buried deep in their
dark blue soekets-her cheek hollow and flesh
less, and she could hardly prefer her request
| for an ncessant cough, which drowned her
voice, and almost choked her.
| d" am come said she, 81 to beg a score of
! years, that ] may enjoy the pleasure of seeing
the cypress trees l have planted over the graves
OF my husband, my children, my grand-ch-
! dren, and the rest of my dear relatives spring
up and flourish before die. am bereft Of all
that were near and dear to me; | stand alone
in the world, with no one to speak for me;
beseech thee Oh benehcent angel, TO grant
my request ~
"Though I grant thee heightened DAYS,
cannot remove thy inhrmties and sufferings
They will increase upon thee," answered the
angel
a care not, since shall know they cannot
kill me before my time
" Take thy wish," said the angel, smiling
ego and be happy"
"Strange !" cried learned man who had
come to petition for a few years to complete
an explanation of the apocalypse, and had wit
messed the scene Strange" cried he, curl
ing his lip in scorn, " that the most helpless
and miserable of human beings should still COW
ct life Invested of all its enjoyments ="
/ "Silence, fool ~ replied the angel in a voice
of inetfable contempt; " it rather becomes thee,
/ ignorant mortal, to adore the goodness of Prov
I idence, which having ordained that men should
/ live TO be old, mercifully decrecd at the same
I time that the love of life should supply the alb
sence of all its sources of enjoyment. Go take
thy wish. and finish thy commentary on the
apocalypse
/ FEMALE HUMANITY. Among the many in
stances of sudden prostration of the faculties
which occurred so recently from the imprudent
use of cold water, we may be permitted to par
ticularize at least as it affords most strlk-
ing example Of DISTINGUISHED benevolence in a
/ female, and worthy OF all imitation by either
] a man str nj mn in a.Sfr
and took hearty drink of cold water. BY the
! time he reached the opposite side of the street.
! he was seized with cramp, and all the horrid
/ symptoms Of approaching dissolution He fell
upon the pavement in dreadful agony and a
few persons soon collected around-but TO all
appearances nothing could be done. A lady
who lived directly opposite observed the suffer
or in his agony, and fastening to the scene of
death Immediately commenced the humane but
apparently hopeless task of saving him. No
physician was at hand-the sufferer was poor
laborng man, coarsely clad, was unknown TO
all who stood around, and received but little
aid from them. Mrs. W, however, alive
to his desperate and awful situation, procured
every possible remedy she could devise-mixed
up and applied strong mustard plaisters with
her own hands, rubbed him with spirits till the
skin came off her hand, and with Characteristic
presence of mind directed one of the idle spec
tatators TO find a physician, who came, howev-
err, when his services were no longer required.
All this took place in the open street-a crowd
looking on--yet this amiable mother Of a charm
ing. family shrunk not from the exposure to a
rude assemblage of strangers, so intent was sho
in her efforts to save the life Of fr:endess fell
low being. To crown her labors OF humanity,
she succeeded; but not until nearly two hours
Of unremitted personal fatigue had been en-
countered Sho has now tho proud satisfac-
ton Of knowing that to her efforts this man is
indebted for his life for in all human proba.
bihty he would have been corpse in half an
hour.
Angels might look down with approving
{ smiles upon this god.liko spectacle; and if the
records Of the skies contain the good deeds doRe