Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-05-25
THE GAZETTE.
WEDNESDAY MORNING, MAY %, 1854

CuMMUNiCATEp.
THOUGHTS ON OLD PEOrLE.-No. ).
N TARrLEY STARR
What a blessed thing it Is for Us. that
there be left some few items IN this busy
world of ours, which that old ogre, utility
can neither guph down, nor tramrle into
compost! A few precious things, OF no ac-
tual use being things which We can neither
eat, drink, wear, nor make money of-yet,
things very valuable to us, to hang about us,
to be with us, to draw out our better natures,
and to make the heart realize it has other
ends, besides the gross demands of vulgar
interests.
Of this sort, and amongst this number,
come our Old People, which, like the Poor,
we must have always with u.s. Wrecks OF
humanity and wrecks of fortune, scattered
along Time $ beach, that we may never forget,
whilst we load on our cargo and spread out
our canvass, how surely the day comes to each
when he must reef sail and cast anchor.
And how the minutes, the minutes, the noise
less, noteless, busy little minutes, are like
coral insects building up the reef that must
capsize our bark.
In an age that draws its breath through
steamng valves, and runs it's race all iron
shod swift as the lightning and noisy as the
thunder, what more natural than to realize
and glory in its mightiness? How it feels
as if it had Gods life in its nostrils, his speed
on its foot, his artillery i'll its right hand
How it can dash death from its track, and
annihilate time with its breath On we
dash, till suddenly the pale horse darts across
our way, and the iron monster reels and
falls Or, may he, tits only the burden train
of the Poor, or the Aged, bearing down on
us. We stop instinctively till they pass and
while we stop. we think. A blessed thing
for US that we do think that we have any
thing to make US think some kind centrlpe-
tai influences still left to hold us back from
our headlong dash. And what do We think!
What are our thoughts like?
The strong man bows his head. that head
beneath which swell, so proud and full, the
waves of life, and looks upon the Old Man
lettering by; looks at the hoary head where,
white and cold, rests the foam of the ebbing
tide; ut the dim eye which has struck It's
colors to the ruthless foe; ut the sunken
mouth where time has set his tooth; at the
palzied hand, as dumb prayer raised to llea-
ven at the shrunken limb, of which Time
is the bootless chamberlain. lie looks at all
And such lesson as no pulpit orator can
teach, sinks in his heart. No need to tell
him which way he is travelling, while such
Il sign post stands upon his road. lie sees,
he feels. what life means now. Life, with
its cares its plans. its ventures-all the long
sum worked oft to his hand-its antecedent
divided by its consequent and 10. the quo
tent Alas, poor sum. from such plus "t
pride and hope and strength, to change thy
sign" and come off thus-"Sans teeth, sans
eyes. sans everything"
But did old age only teach us such mourntul
lessons as this. 'twould be dark shadow un-
der which we would not love to tarry. Thank
God, there is holy light behind the shadow !.
Though we do see the old castle surrender,
the weak door let in the enemy, and IL while
after his white pennon wave from the turret
and his faded curtains hang Mt the window,
vet. for all, he is not quite master. There
an inmate there who yields but to higher
liege. Brave soul! Through cracks and
crevices las it were) we see him glide. Now
here, now there, we catch the glimmer OF
his light. Sometimes it all looks dark, but
again we see the morning ray, and then we
know he's there. and there will be, till Il
stronger than Time shall claim his own
Through these rents of humanity, these
loop-holes Of time, to catch glimpse Of the
Eternal Essence, Is not that something /!
TO see the soul, like startled tenant, pre-
pairing to 60 hence! Is there not divine
mystery and suggestion here? May it not
explain why the Old Man seems so absent,
and the lookout at the windows be darkened!
Getting ready to be gone. 49,,
What will he take with him? What will
he leave? How strange to be so near one
who is so near to the invisible Does not
this reflect halo round the Old Mans brow:
No deaths head there now. but the apotheo-
sis of humanity! Time laps his film about
us, but it is only the cocoon out of which
shall rise the winged Immortal
Clarke County, Va.