Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1868-03-27

lba6hort Life asIBlcstsing.
Henry Ward Beecher recently deliv
eretia sermon on longevity, taking a.
his text the chapter Of Genesis which
contains the genealogies of the, antidi
luvian lpatrfarchs. Among other
things, he said: a
n In the beginning the human race
seems 70, have been, created animals
not without the great elementary fore.
es which constitute the mind, but these
forces were undeveloped, and held in
abeyance. Ii WIS, the physical thai
was largely developed at first. They
attained what would now be consider.
ed an'extraoftiinary old nge before they
rerched the period of puberty, Their
first children We're beaotten when they
were one hundred, or one hundred and
forty years old we think that to be an
old aEe. Then came four or Ave hun.
dred years, afterward, of life, indica.
ting slow maturation. What course,
slow growing, inefficient creatures they
were! 4 do not think that Adam was
any different from them. There II ai,
impression that thc human race began
at the top aud slid from the top down
to the bottom; / do not believe II. j
think tlfat Adatn was d child; tina,
he ne had a. though ht, and, with Che
exceptlon of eating the forbidden fruit,
scarcely ,performed an act that was
Thought worthy OF memory; and, that
that name which has flied .tH history
aud the world, Is purely and merely 4
name. There seems tu have been In
his life, and In the whole of IL, moth;
Ing to have been remembered. MY
impression is very strong that the
whole human family began mt the bot
tom aud worked It's way UP tn the pres
ent time, and that II Is destined 10 worl,
Its way up TO Az Internationally higher
level than humanity now stands upon.
II Is probable that In their eighth OF
ten hnndfed years, these creatures did
not live as much as we do I'm eighty. A
life Of eighty years, which does In that
time the work, spread out In their case
over eight hundred years, Ia % vast ster
In the progress of man. Considering
the present nature of man, longevity
such as theirs, would be N great nsisfor.
tune. While yet human life was inert
while capacity was undeveloped
while the accomplishing power was
very small, II would seem to he In ac.
cor,iance with divine wisdom to length.
en- out the scope Of life, that man might
have time 70 be and to do something.
But as they learned, there were many
reasons why human life should be df
minished In its scope ii4 .gBGa5l
We are accustomed to speak of death
a. q misfortune we almost always re
flect that dying Is a great benefit. The
most of men get through when the,
are sixty or seventy years old. They
get through; there IL. nothing left foi
them TO be or To do. And although
they do not want to die there is no con
ceivable reason In most Instances why
they should live. They cumber tlis
ground. Here and there In an excep.
tional ease. The feauty OF a ripe old
sge Is the very thing that puts to shame
an ordinary old ages- useless, cum.
brpus. gtsa.,oy, 80 aI sga 800.
For many, other reasons II would he
unfortunate III men lived, In the full
possession of tlieirl powers, to an exceed
ing great age. 4 Suppose some men In
New York, whose names are familiar
who have the power Of making and
amassing money and property, and
who WELD the great administrative
influence which accompanies great
wealth; 4 suppose that they, instead o,
passing away In few years, and ma.
king room for others, should live five
hundred years, already having scores
ofemilligns In their hands, aud already
welding n mighty influence through
their wealth and dexperience. nothing on
earth could prevent their being despo.
tic I'm the commercial world What q
disparity there would be! III with the
tone and temper of modern manhood
men lived five hundred years, " hat
eifance would there be for n man al
fifty To cope with man OF four hundred
years. How would one, end OF society
the upper end. by Its position, by ia
experience, by It's knowledge, by II.
wealth --.if these were held selfislily oi
desp0tically down and oppres.
the other side !, There was divine
mercy manifested I'm the measurmen,
Of human life In this respect: SO that
u man lives long enough to develops
his forces and accompiish a certain
amount, but MT long enough to use
that accomplishment as a means of ob.
structionto TO others, or as a means O,
despotism. When men, therefore, are
wicked, and are holding high sway
we comfort our selves by saying, "Weli
they cant live foreverW And they
cannot. The shortning Of human life
and thedyingof men In this economy
Of life, In very often the best event OF
their lives. Even OF men that ARE
quite useful. 1t Is their duty TO die,
aud when they die, they frequently, q.
Sampson did, accomplish a great work
Of deliveranee. In life they have
done, 10 may be, very much OF good OF
evil: now let them take themselves
out Of the way, and they will do some.
thing moro. When great tree ID cui
down int the forests you Will sec thai
around IL are the twenty trees that be.
fore had been overshadowed and had
no chance TO get the sun; all now be.
gin To lift their tops up, and to drink
at the fountain OF life, aud start up.
Now, that the old, umbrageous moi.
arch 10 gone, there IL q chance fur
many more. SO there arc many con.
solations In the death OF men--if thu
right ones would only die. 2sA7il a'sl
fff AElfftsfsQ N----- III Htft4