The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1856-11-05

books, its ungilded congregation. Vi
fashionable they may have been, b,
they are gone, the most of them, "
cannot doubt, where the styles do NJ
change with the moon, and robes
white, and crowns and harps of gold al
the fashion forever.
How, midsummer though it was, tn
heads of that congregation were sprinI
led with snow. And the Minister
the gifts of gray hair and Of wi
dom were his--strange that he shoul
die we did not think he could. HOY
simple was his doctrine, how clear hi
reasoning, how earnest his exhortation
| how homely his phrase, but how beauti
full his spirit. He might have stood OIL
Mars Hill; he might have taken tn
place and the pillow Of "the beloved
disciple )" but the prayers of David, tn
son of Jesse, are ended" and we shal
hear his voice no more.
And the hymns they used to sing then
and the singers that sang them, unite
to the music and the choir of Heaven
The blacksmith that sang base has ex-
changed iron or gold, and the girl that
sang air has put off the blue dress she
wore then for garment of glory.
The morning services done, then came
the incoming" and in groups, in the
church, and out Of doors under the
trees, and at the neighbors' hard by, and
in the place of graves, they passed the
hour, and there was the fragrance of
caraway, of new apples, and roses.
The sermon done, as did the disciples
of old, "tbey sang hymn, and went
out" Kind words were said by the
way, and hands were clasped by honest
hands again. and the inquisition of
friendship was satisfied: " the corn was
promising; the sheep was sheared, the
baby was well;" one ''was waiting" he
said, " for his turn over Jordan " and
another would "plough the new clear.
ing h0A' "SOh' AGu 11e W lnlSbST-
he had greeting for all; Lis garments
were homespun, but his spirit was cloth
ed in the wardrobe Of Heaven.
The yellow snubeams fell aslant the
landscape. The church was silent;
mother fingered in the graveyard, to
look for the hundreth time where little
WILLIE was buried, and girl plucked
leaf from the grave of friend, who,
" in her youthful beauty died." the
birds sang in the naples; the stream
ran on with laugh among the rocks,
and shout as it plunged into "the
gulf; " and merrily waltzed in the shad-
ows below; "a pleasure" cloud or two
went drifting by; Love was building
cottages in the lilacs; Hope was build
ing castles in the air; the children were
abroad in the fields with the flowers and
the sunshine; the futter of white gar
ments is seen in the edge of the woods,
and the roses are busy with bud and
with blossom.
1t was six o'clock, and Sunday eve
ming; but time have changed since then,
We suspect. The sin of Sabbath break
ing has been invented, even there, and
the old fashioned Sunday gone abroad
by the train. The meeting has yielded
to "Church; :" choir hid by red cur
tains on rings do the praise; people sit
during prayer, and rise when the music
begins. The graveyard is 'ceme-
terry" the Minister " divine" and the
snow that sprinkled the congregation
has melted at last; Pride sits upon
cushions of velvet, and Poverty bows
on bench by the door. Gone from
city and village is it, that
"sweet day, so pure, SO calm, so bright,
The bridal of the earth and sky