The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1858-12-11
THE COLD TERM.


We love the genial optimism that gives
glad greeting to every season that makes its
bow to US in the crcling year,-thas vel.
comes with its kind airs and opening crocus
and arbutus, that bares its grateful bosom
that sees the autumn foliage fall and the au-
.nmn lowers die without sorrow upon whose
lip Hope does not lay its finger, and that brn-
glad defiance, and gathers inspiration from
the breath that blasts the inanimnte earth.
For man was made to be, and should be, tho
superior of his condition. lie should make
OF the seasons As his ministers. lie should
bend them to the purpose Of his happiness,
his health and his mental and moral growth.
So, ns the hard frosts come down, and loos-
en- the hold Of the leaves whose vitality
withstood its fercest onsets, and calls o,n
from the drawer the thicker Hunnels, and
compels the change to winter overcoas,
We mako low bow, and welcome the cold
term with hearty shake Of the hand, and
'"many returns OF the same
The labor OF the summer and autumn is
over. The golden apples nre gathered. Tbs
| roots for the food Of man and beast have
been unenrthed. Tho winter fire blazcs
brightly upon the hearth, and the riders up
on the highway, and the passengers upon tho
sidewalk, betrny the blush that follows tho
kisses Of the cold. A whole realm turns it's
eyes upon the pleasures Of the winter. How
many jewels are lying pcrdu within its cas-
ket! There is Thanksgiving embossed up
on its lid, with its family gatherings, and
household fires, and smoking feusts. Asw
open it We fall upon Christmas-Santa Claus
with his budget Of gifts, Christmas trees with
their londs Of generous fruits, churches
| trimmed with evergreens, merry greetings,
and the inevitable roasted geese. Then fol-
low the Holidays, and thon the Happy New
Year. But these arc not half We End. Long
precious evenings BY the tircsdc, blessed eve
ninss among children, enriching evenings
among books, social evenings among friends,
intellectual evenings Mt the Lecture, pleas
ant evenings at the singing school, merry
evenings chnsing the sleigh bells, happy
Christian evenings Mt the social meeting,
sparkling evenings with fresh love in the
heart, that We do not know what to make sf
all these, and more, are hidden in tho cas- :
ket that holds more than its share Of the
wealth Of the year.
| We profess to be good and trne husbands,
and should like to see the individual who
would question the fact but We confess that
the talk about sparkling evenings" recalls
scenes that start sigh. We think OF those
young chaps with a green heart under their
jackets, and those girls, anywhere from sev-
enteen to twenty -one, and imagine the eozy
chats they will have the coming winter-tbS
Developments Of love and tenderness, the
knitting together of sympathics and pledges
and fortunes, to shy nothing Of the accom-
pnnying lnbial demonstrations, and We say,
"proceed, ., youngsters for when You "y-
rive at the scre and yellow leaf the thing
will be impossible v'-in the vulgate, 60 il
while you're yonng, for when you're OLD
you can't. :.Zrkls" will peak throssh tho
'winder' great many times the coming win.
ter, and the dear creature within SiA hexy
his foot, and know it too,
| 'raspin' on the scraper."
Young love is very pretty thing, g,-very.
We could 20 into m apostrophe here, both
fervent and eloquent, bat the fear Of being
misconstrucd rcs,rains Us. 1t is sufficient,
perhaps, to remark that it is q grea, insti,I-
ton, and bound to prosper If We have hard
winter.
Bat We could not drop the pen without a
word in good earnest. The winter is sea-
son of great opportunities to all, and espes'
tally to the Young. II the young man who
reads this articie--whocver he may be, in
whatever enllirg engaged-will resolve that
tho winter shall not be wasted, that good
books shall faithfully be read, and nll that
he can DO to store his mind with knowledge
shall he done, then viii il be season which,
he will look back wth gratitude while ho
lives. The yeals nrs passing swiftly away ,
and the hest of those opportunities will soon
be gone. The time is very short that lies
between you and absorption in business and
family cares and il the mind is allowed to
remain unfsrnished while you nre young,
there is not more than one chance in hun
dred in favor Of its ever being furnished
The demands upon the next generation Of
men will be greater than upon any previous
generation; and il you, when you arrive AZ
man's full estate, are not fitted to take AT
honorable place in its affairs, it will trample
upon and sweep by you. So as the winter
closes down, and We are driven in upon our
selves, let Us all take it as hint that it be-
comes our special business TO cultivate that
which lies next to rs and within ~.
We have an impression that We have said
q good deal Of this before, but as the parish
iooer said about performance Of his min
ister, "we always did like this sermon" -
Springfield Republican.
] ~ Readers must not think this 10 orig
inal with Us. 1t 10 clipped from IN old
newspnper:
DIALOGUE IN 4 ScuooL HousE. School
master (rho 10 giring lesson In Kni9htlys
Mythology).- Jupiter and Juno were hus-
band and wife, A. you all know, my children.
But Juno once had a little boy called Mars,
Of whom Jupiter could not claim ths
paternity. Nov, my children, Why was hs
called Mars3 Don't all SPEAK At once.
Snail boy latter some cogitatiorl.- Dc.
\ cause be vas none Of pas.