Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1872-01-04
IS59.

.Lr
Christmas, evergreen and holly-crown-
ed, bade US adieu with beams of golden.
rssplendant glory. after gathering us into
circles of beauty, grace, friendship and
love, and flooding our hearts With its BEN
edictions to the utmost measure of COM
fort, joy and hilarity. The yule-log has
melted into ashes, but memories of the
gladdening holidays disdain such inter-
ment and oblivion, for they shall live like
the stars of Heaven, to emboss and beau
tify life, and mcmorize the period divid-
ing the old and the new year. With
fsur days experience we are beginning
70 accustom ourselves to the figures at the
head of our article, which together mark
the year upon whose threshold we have
entered, which is now enscribed upon the
head Of every letter, impressed upon the
front of every newspaper and periodical
and vouchsafcs validity and sanction to
the affairs of men. The last year sepul-
shered in the bosom of the eternal past.
brought blessings and benefactions to the
world. The tunlultsa and stern conflicts
concluded in the field Of blood aud ba tile,
have resulted in the triumph Of Truth,
Right and universal peace, and with the
exception of a ripple Of revolution in rest
less Mexico and the wave of Cuban resis-
lance 10 Spanish despotism the world is
Dead Sea of trunquility and repose. I'm
pressed with the broad and comprehensive
expansion of views and sentiments that
make this age truly heroic and noble, we,
catching the radiant bushes of the COM
ing century and thoroughly versed in the
majestic progress of the past behold the
bursting promises and fulfilling propho-
ciee that viii recall the reign Of Saturn,
full freighted with the glories and achieve
msnts of the Golden Age. The vision
beholds the recurrence of the bright peri
cd, gilded with the light of the Apocaly-
pse, whilst along the chord of the ages is
borne the harmonies and rejoicings that
flooded Bethlebem's plains when the Star
Of the Orient heraldei the redemption
era Of the world.
The years, strong and full Of triumphs.
are on their grand march to millenial full
ness. The earth of despair. wrong, des-
potism, weakness and want is girding it's
loins. bursting enslaviDg chains, changing
the crown of the wicked conquerer into the
twisted thorns of the condemned and re-
gaining the purity and Heavenly partiali-
ty that carved Eden, a favored spot. from
the map of the universe. The old year
has gone and the new has come. Verify the
new year has looked down on strange
things in this enlightened nineteenth GEN.
tury-upon much that is christian, noble
and promising for the future-upon much
that is ignoble, barbaric and prolific Of
evil. The Islands of the Pacific have
felt its tread, where the ambassadors of
God have planted the banner of the Cross
over whole tribes of redeemed savages,
has traversed the mountains and deserts
Of Japan where the European dares not
venture, crossed the mighty empire Of
China, has heard the prayers o fthe mis-
sionsries at Pekin and the mumbled in
carnations before the illuminated altar in
the heathen pagoda. The year has tnv-
srsed the steppes of T~artary. stalked across
rieh India, tho land of Omer, with its
wild superstitions and car of J~uggernaut.
marched through the Kingdom Of the
daring Abyssinian, across civilized Europe
with it's arss and magni6cence where the
ruins Of ages lie side by side with the
creations of yesterday.