Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1859-01-15
The coed Time Pagt.
40 dear! o deal! I grieve, I Erieve,
For the good old days Of Adam and Eve ="

For the good old days Of Adam and Evew
There's good time coming" somebody sung
long time ago when the world was young
And, ever since then, have all human kind
Been looking and longing, that time TO find;
But ages ON ages have rolled away,
And the far of future still claims The day.
As for me, l am weary Of looking ahead,
And rather prefer To look back instead,
To the primitive days when HdA scds Mdn,
In spite Of pOverty's blight and ban:
when gold was not GOd-when wealth was moi
worth lcarth:
When an honest man ranked with the ntbIest OF
And truth did not simpeT, and sneak, and hide,
From the scOhers sncer and the skeptiC's pride.
I love to look back to that good time flown,
When childhood and age were not both unknown,
When girls and boys had time to grow,
And learn 10 their childhood thing or so:-
When boys from their cradles were never known
To spring out at bound on the world full grown,
With swsggcr and swell, and brAggart air,
With hery nose and a fired cigar
Or baby girls from their mothers arms,
Step forth mature in all womanly charms
Hoped, chalkcd, aud painted, and ready qnite
To ilutter and faunt for the worlds delight;
But infancy, childhood; md YOUTH had each
appropriate manners, appropriate speech;
And cach when it's season was fully past,
Gave to manhood and wOmanhood place at last.
love to think Of that good old time
When a nlan at sixty was In his prime;
With healtIiu face and hopeful air,
And the world was proud Of his dear white hHir;
When grand'inOthers, too, had place on earth
With their pure affections and wOmaDly wOr,h;
When the "arIn.t tlair" stood by each chimney side
A thing Of beauty, u thing of pride
And its gray-Iaired occupant sat serene,
The crOwning charm Of the fresde scene.
Then. too, in that oldcn time they say,
Ere the church by pTOry had learned to pray,
Or innovation made all things new,
Good men could be piOus all the week through
Not Sundays alone, in their cushioned pews,
Dreaming Of politics, trade, and news;
While the preacher stood, or the preacher bowed,
And prayed long prayers for the sleepy crowd
While the practised choir, with fiddle and flute,
" Sang anthems Of praises" while they sat mute.
Not thus did our f'refathcrs worship Him
In whose presence the glory Of death is dim;
But the lOwly cot Or the humble fame,
Grove, mountain, or desert or field, or plain,
The barren heath, or the 6Owery sod,
Was to them meet temple to worship God
Where rich aud poor might with one accord
kneel and worship creations Lord.
Then, character was not all O~tside.
A thing Of glitter, aud glare, and pride;
And humanity sought To be something higher
Than u strutting showcase for fools 10 admire
Then, true brave heart, in manly breast
Oft thrObbed meath the folds of leathern vest
And an honest purpose and high intent
With tho poor day y-abOrer often went:
Bent over the anvil, or showed the plane
Or gathered the shcavcS Of the summer grain
And worth. though poor, had right to claim,
In spite Of his poverty, place and name.
But Men and IJ0meR have passed away,
And Lddies and Gentlemen rule the day.
The former, n creature of singular grace,
Mystciiously fashioned Of feathers and ace
or cotton and cOrdnRe, Of brass and brOcade,
P0matuin and powder, with rouge Overlaid;
Cnrls furnished to order, aud teeth that have grown
Under the hands Of the dentist alone.
The latter an object the tailor has made,
Aud the barber improved, by his arJOFOUs trade
beautiful pet, whose appropriate place
Is to sit in cage and exhibit his face.
Then, women were healthfnl, industrious, true,
Of vigorous bodies and intcllects too;
Walking up bravely to three -scOre-andten,
And sitting down calmly in the sweet sunset then.
.NoT, they are feeble, cudavcrOuS. pale,
nghast from the breach Of the gale,
TOttering tccbly 10 wOmanhOOds years,
The prey Of disease, disappointment and tears;
And then, when their sun in its zenith is high,
In intnntilc weakness they talter and die.
Tim, man in his primitive majesty trod
The green earth erect, in the image Of GOd
Untettered By custom, nnsliacklcd by art,
Health glowed Oh bis temples, health pulsed in his
heart
Gave p0ise TO his intellect, strength to his arm,
10 pIcuSuIe u zcSt, anu W UutV charm.
Firmly he moved mid lfe's perils and tears
Till his forehead was white with the frOst-work Of
years,
And The COOL dcwy evening, in quietness blest,
Called the cartll-wcary traveller home to his rest.
Nor. dwarfed in his stature and bankrupt in health
Struggling for knowledge or delving for wealth,
Pale, care.wOrn, and restless. to sickness prey,
In youths sunny morning he falls by the way,
Aud dies, ere lIfe's labors are scarcely begun,
His tasks all unfinished, his duties undOne.
"There's good time coming" somebody sung,
A long time agO when the world was young;
But, alas, for our sickly, degenerate Tacel
And, alas, for the future we're nearing apacel
We cannot, as yet, in the distance descry
One glimpse Of its dawn on the far misty sky.
But still We have faith, aud faith whispers alway,
Hope on, and hope cver;" soon cOmeth the day
When our ransOmcd humanity, shackled no more,
Shall tower up more grAndly than ever before;
And the eyes u the lnOurner no longer be Gust
Regretiully back to the good time past.