Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1862-07-11
GROWING ON.

Henry Ward Becchcr recently uttered the fol-
lowing reflections, which express the experience
OF many who have passed the " turning point of
life" -
There is a period at which men come to be
strangely impressed with the thought am
growing old / suppose there is a wear or two
m which all have the feeling, (t may not be a
painful one, but it is a sad one it is tender,
minor tecling,) 81 have passed my youth am
never to be boy again am never to he young
any more not only am / man, but as a man have
signs and tokens OF the failure of some parts of my
organization.
1t is said Of athletes, boxers, and wrcstlers,
that they have a Second breath. After they have
gone through what may be said to be their first
strength there is rallying OF the SYSTEM and
then they are said TO have come to their second
breath. When they are on their second breath
they hold out great while SO it is with our
thoughts IN respect to growing old We have a
sad feeling to get over which arises from the CON
sclousness that we are becoming aged but after
men have got over that feeling, they never feel
old, though they are eighty years of age They
come to their second breath in that rcpardl Now
do you begin 10 have a Consciousness that YOU are
lalungf do You ind that your feet are heavier
than they used to be? Arc there not persons
here that have had some difficulty about the carl
Have you not thought that persons talked less
clearly then they used to Z Have YOU not thought
that people did not pronounce their words as plain
ly as you were taught TO pronounce yours in the
school that You attendcdY Does it not seem To
you that the spcctacle-makers are growing slack
are there no times when you feel that the shadow
Is turnedF All day long the sun goes up, and
up ana up, tll at last il stands at flush MONDAY
and then, when it sants even one degree. Won
see that the shadow creeps down the other side
and grows longer and longer as it goes down
There are many OF you that have seen the shadow
run ON the wrong side, and it is growing longer
ana longer. four sun is going down toward the
western horizon.
II q man has been accustomed TO think of his
life mainly as conferred or fixed here, it is not
possible that he should not feel sadness at the
lndicallons OF decaying powers, of limited accom-
phshments, OF being compelled to lay down his
part of the duties OF active life. But ii he feels
That these things are working out for him a far
more exceeding eternal weight of glory in the
LIE that is TO come he can look upon them with
composure, il not with chceriuness
We do not know what mountains, rich with cold
are WORTH until we begin to dig; and the more
we dg, the more we become impressed OF its great
value. SO long the gold is covered up, and
locked IN the hard quartz il is worthless It
by blasting, 10y rending, by destroying that the
precious ore IS brought out and made seryiceable.
Vow, we carry in ms that which Is more precious
than the ore, to obtain which we blast and rcnd
and destroy the rock Il is just this that the A.
poaue thinks OF when he says " We have this
treasure IN earthen vessels We are like a ca.kct
made OF earth. inside of which is preciousness il
may be of ointment, or Jewels, or something else.
The real value consists in that which the casket
contains Tins body may be shattered, the casket
may he destroyed, and yet all that is valuable
may remain
Who cares them whether the hair be white or
black Who cares whether the eve be far-sipbted
or uears sighted? Who cares whether the bearing
be poor or good? Who cares what becomes Of