Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1862-08-27

will be my turn TO go there. Perhaps
some or other of the remnant of the cir
Gle may see a line devoted to Simple
record: Died at 49,, such and such a
date, A. Il. A few sonbrc thoughts,
and the wbrl Of life will again roll on,
and no trace of our existence he left save
at casual times in the memories OF our
| friends.
+ But, beside these sal memories. there
are vet others of y tender and more
agreeable nature. There is the memory
OF our childhood. the recollection for most
of us, at least, of mothers tender care
aud kind guidance, one Of, if hot tie
most sacred memory Of the past. How
MANY of us are there whom the rccollec
ton of mothers words, whispered soft
" and kindly to us long ago, has not
saved from sin and wrong? Do not
their echoes yet find room in our heart
of hearts? Thon, again, rs thoughts
travel backward, we can look with our
minds eye on the happy family circle
gathered round the evening fire, seeing
castles in the coal fre in imagination,and
the old folks sitting looking on, busy with
book and knitting, and, perchance, even
as We are now, INDUCING in n reverie on
their long past youth. But from that
circle many have been called away, some
out into the busy world of life and bus
tie, and others into the dim, unseen outer
world, "where there il no more death,
neither sorrow nor crying, and where all
tears are wiped away from their eyes
And the old folks, if they yet linger on
the scene, are changed, how changed.
The once erect form is bowed the fire Of
the eye is dimmed, and trouble, sorrow,
and old age have scattered, not unspar-
iugly, MANY silver hair on their heads.
Look back now, wherever you are, and
if you can, in your own heart, truly say
81 never caused the growth Of white
hair there" thank God, not for your own
merits, but for sparing you the agony Of
remorse.
And yet, again, rs we grow up to
youth, tender recollection of our fist
love may wake a plying, balfsorrowful
smile, compassionating our youthful folly,
but, at the Same time, regretting the
fresh exuberance of feeling which has
passed away for ever; and, as this
thought strikes us, we become sensible Of
the accompaniment that has followed our
reflections all through: 1t comes not
back again" "past and for ever"
But for all the melancholy which |
think 1 may say invariably accompanies
retrospection, who is there amongst us
that would be willing, even if it were
possible, to take draught Of the waters
of Lethe; that would be willing to quite
shut out the past; that would wish to
forget all its old associations? Not one,
think. And we'll for us it is that we
cannot, for, as the sailor chooses some
prominent point of land from which to
calculate his "departure," and work out
his position on the track loss sea, and
shaping his course from that point, though
leaving it behind him, still keeps it in his
mind, SO we can take our departure from
the incidents of the past, and though
leaving them far behind, by bearing
them in mind we can steer safe course
throug, and avoid many of, the dangers
and difficulties of our life voyage.
And now do Mt know that can fin
sh this essay without end better than by
finishing up the noble quotation from
Hyperion that | commenced in the for
mer part of the paper: Look not
mOurnfuliy into the past, it comes not
back again. Wisely improve tho pres
ont, it is thine. Go forth TO meet the
shadowy future without fear, look hope
fully into the bright morning heaven,an
say ! will be strong" Il. &c.