Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1872-08-29

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gravely of school-days and little house
hold joys and cares. Fifteen-six-
teen seventeen--eigh ghteen--sounded
out the enraptured visions of maiden
hood and the dream Of early love
Nineteen brought before us the happy
bride. Twenty spoke of the young
mother whose heart was full to burst
ing with the new, strong love which
God had awakened in her BOSOM
And then stroke after stroke told of
her early womanhood--o" the loves,
and cares, and hopes, and fears, and
tolls through which she had passed
during these long years, till fifty rang
out harsh and loud. From that to
sixty each stroke told Of the warm
hearted mother and grandmother, liv-
ing over again her own joys and sor-
rows in those of her children and chill
dren's children.
Every family of all the group want
ed grandmother then, and the only
strife was who should secure the prize;
but, hark, the bell tolls on! Seventy
scventy-one -two-three-four She
begins to grow feeble, requires some
care, is not always patient or satisti-
ed; she goes from one childs house to
another so that no one place seems
like home. She murmurs in plaintive
tones, and, after all her toll and weari-
ness, it is hard she cannot be allowed
home to die in; that she must be
sent rather then invited from house to
house. Eighty-eighty two
three-four. All, she is now a second
child-now " she has outlived her use
fulness, she has now ceased to be n
comfort to herself or anybody;' that
is, she has cease to be profitable to her
earth-craving and money -graspmg chill
dren
Now sounds out, reverberating
through our lovely forest, and echoing
back from our chill Of the dead
eighty-nine! There she lies now i'll the
coffin, cold and still-she makes no
trouble now demands no love, no
soft words, no tender little offices. \
look Of patient endurance, we tanced
also an expression Of grief for unre-
Quilted love, sat on her marble teatur-
es. Her children were there clad i'll
weeds Of woe, and in irony we re-
mcmbered the strong mans words,
"She was Il good mother i'll her day.
When the bell ceased tolling the
strange minister arose in the pulpit.
His form was very erect, and his voice
strong, but his hair was silvery white.
He read several pages of Scripture eX-
pressive of Gods compassion to feeble
man, and especially Of his tenderness
when gray hairs are on him and his
strength faileth. He then made some
touching remarks on human frailty,
and of dependence on God, urging all
present to make their peace with their
Master while in health, that they
might claim his promises when heart
and flesh failed them. "Thcn,' he
said, "the eternal God shall be thy
refuge, and beneath thee shall be the
everlasting arms" Leaning over the
desk, and gazing intently ON the cof-
fined form before him, he then said
reverently, "From little child | have
honored the aged; but never till gray
hairs covered my own head, did |
know truly how much love and sym
pathy this class has right to demand
of their fellow-creatures. Now | feel
it. Our mother he added most ten
derly, who now lies in death before
us, was a stranger to me, as are all of
these her descendants. All | know OF
her is what her son has told me to-day
that she was brought to this town
from afar sixty-nine years ago, a hap
py bride-that here she has passed
most of her life, toiling as only mo-
thers ever have strength to toll, until
she had reared large family of sons
and daughters-that she left her home
here, clad in the weeds of widowhood
to dwell among her children and that
till health and strength left her God
forbid that conscience should accuse
any you of ingratitude or murmul-
ing on account of the care she has
been to you of late. When you 90
back to your homes, be careful of your
example before you own children for
the fruit of your own doing you will
surely reap from them when you your
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