Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1858-01-07
New Near.

Once more the glad New Year" has
visited us, and brought in his festive train
his usual crowd of ever welcome pleasures
We greet him with the welcome of an old
friend, whose yearly visit brings so much
good cheer TO every heat and hearth stone
And, yet, there is something like sadness
connected with this ever returning New
Year 1t is the sound of the bell tolling
the ''funeral march" OF time. To the liv-
ing world it strikes varied note-to some
a welcome sound, even joyous--to others
il is the hoarse dull echo of clods on the
new-made coffin. We hear it, and we sit
and ponder. In vain We try TO solve the
mystery of lile--in vain to penetrate the
attributes of Infinity. Then turn we to
the future, where hopes, high as the heav-
ems, cast their pale shadows on our hearts.
Still We gaze into deep, unmeaning dark
ness. and, gazing, await some prophetic
ray from this yelled sanctuary, but await
In vain.
The past is our last refuge--the faithful
honest past, which never hatters or de-
ceires, whose mysteries are written out in
bold characters on the grand scroll of time
We read the year, whose departed spirit
seems still to linger around our Threshold
1t is varied story--sad and joyous; grave
and gay:
Where the farce and the comic keep the tragic
so nigh,
Tint the smile on the lip finds the tear in the eye.
Here, youth with a soul flushed and
heaving with tie wild impulses of noble
ambition, in whose hands the banner Eek
celsior'' was borne up the rocky sleeps. to
fame and fortune, ere high noon sinks to
the earth aweary. & breathes out his spirit
with his parting breath. There the rosy
bloom of health and beauty has given
place to the death pallor and hectic flush
on the cheek Of the maiden, whose altar
must be her bier The old man dies, the
child is born; the son stands where stood
the father. There are marrying aud Civ
ing in marriage, the rich and the poor
commingle, often changing hand and for
tune; Joy and sadness, the smile and tht
tear succeed each other as light and shadow
chase an autumn sky. Truth combat:
with error; freedom with oppression
christianity with infidelily; civilization will
barbarism. Thus sweeps the course o
time over this grand spectacle Of the world.
drama. The New Year is only The drop
ping of the curtain for change Of scene
" still the play goes on, and thou too, read
er, art both the spectator and actor, the ob
server and the observed, the reader Of life.
story, and the story read. Thou, too
shall clase ''lavoliie phantom for
brief season, and then so back to earth
that nourished thee.
'.Yct few days, and thee
The all -beh0 ding sun shall see 10 more,
In allhs course.
But what if thou shalt fall
Unnoticcd by the living, and no friend
Take note OF thy departure? All that breath
VIII share thy destiny The gay will laugh
When thou art cone the solemn brood of car
PIod on, and each one as before will chase
His favoFite phantom yet all these shall leav
Their mirth AMI their employment, and shal
come,
and make their bed with thee
What, then, if there is IL commercia
panic, if banks DO suspend? a few NOR
years and i. will all be the same to you.--
Your head will rest Lone the less easy
Then, "look alofl," be Of good cheer. I'll
oak stir. not at the blast of the tempest
the Alps are not shaken by the mighies
avalanche. Then stand thou firm. Liv
for something higher than the destines G
earth-fll up the brief round of life wit
high-born thought and action, which pei
ish not with the wasting breath; then shall
thy lie be indeed immortal, and thy sou
welcome the New Year. on the shores {
another, ard better world.
We made short trip back to our oil
stamping ground last week, and foun
everything as prosperous and pleasan
among the Wolverines as could be expect
~