Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1873-01-21
THE DEAD YEAR.

L begin my letter Tonight under
the influence of those feelings which
are no doubt called up in every think
ing heart at this hour. If there could
be any doubt that the old year is on
its death-bed now, glance outside
would dispel it. The funeral elements
are all there. A brave winding-sheet
is spread, i'm CHASTITY whitencss DER
the stricken form No leaf, no flow
er, no human grave is left out of its
folds Far and wide the trees, mute
mourners. stand with all the bravery
OF happier hours gone. The hurrying
clouds, in mOurnful black, weep froZ-
en- tears, and the requiem is fltly sung
by moaning winds. Earth and hui
man hear Is shudder as the fitful notes
are heard. Truly the time for memo.
nv and fpF tears" is come. Tonight
of all others we could not if we would
shut out the stern reckoning memory
brings to the audience chamber of the
heart The drunkard feels it, and
strange, forsets his accustomed Lethe,
while hungry conscience clamors.
The rObber pauses, and listens to vol
ces in his soul seldom heard, with
strange unearthly echoes. He hears
strange questiOnings that will come
and come again to the hardest heart.
Suppose | do rob successfully the in
nocent, will or will not the strange
"leap in the dark that must come TO
each of us soon set all things even be
tween us? And we, no matter if we
have done well. seldom feel like self
graduation. Those knocking queries
come to us. Whence are we? Why
are We? And whittier do we tend?
We have buried some things that we
scarce could part with hopes we
deemed reasonable, joys we thought
might last, happiness we did nothing
to forfeit. faith we vainly said would
he eternal. Why has this been? Is
life cheat? When will the answer
come to these old, old questions? In
the crowded theatre, while tears fall
from plying eyes, whence that strange
dOuble-cOnsciOusneSs that Knocks us
we are more molly fools than they
who tread the boards, that sense of
double acting that tells us they are but
Elimicking what Is unreal and unsub-
Stantial in ourselves. And when we
reckon up our mistakes, our resolu-
tons broken, ambitions frustrated,
strength wasted, we sadly ask why
were we condemned to buffet for "A
while like swimmers i'm agony, with |
the stream Of time which must inevi- |
tally sweep over us at last and leave |
no trace that we have been. We cease |
to wonder. AS we feel the fitful fever"
strong upon us, why the disappOin- |
ted Italian had written on his lonely |
tomb this touching appeal-Im1LOrd |
ctcrnd qUicte. Out of this roaring sea |
,,R,o nnasi law n hlaal- ef-p without CT,
or constellation, how can the soul rud- |
derless and without compass come? |
BY faith in One God true and merci- |
full; otherwise there is no meaning TO /
the mighty maze Then out upon the |
skeptIc who would snatch this light |
from our grasp and give US nought but |
thick darkness in exchange.
One more year has been added to |
each of our lives. IT'S much to us.
little to the history of the great world |
To the cause of truth and liberty; |
for millions of our little lives must be
sacrificed to build the grand pyramid
al structure of our civilization to its
apex. Let us see what the world has
done ami suffered i'm this time. The
United States have prospered, and
this i'm spite of i'll considered recon-
struction, legislation, and Oppressive
carpet baggery. AS in the history of
the English nation, legislation cannot
materially retard the genius of our
people. A presidential election has
taken place, which i'm spite of the
cracking of party whips, the crOaking
of political ravens was not and could
not be a matter of life and death To
the country. An incompetent pref !
dent has been confused i'm office, and
an equally incompetent one slain in
the contest; but time the only true
physician for the case is slowly heal
ing the wound of civil war. The split
in the Republican party through an
failure is the expression of
n sentiment that will ultimately pre-
vail. Senator Summer the best man
of his party has been ostracised by his
and if he lives they will
regret this hasty deed. 1t shows the
spirit of the New England
people, but they may atfnrl to DE des-
lDotic now, for the sceptre is departing
from Judah, and ere long New Eng
land will be the northeast DrOUil-
ccs." The United States have taken
the lead in the great work-the set
thing of national controversies hy ar
instead of the sword, by the
Alabama and San Juan atfai-s, the
have begun to regard us at
last as unit in the world of science,
and have sent over their best men to
persuade us. Tyndall FrOude and
Yates. There have been strange cpl
lemic and Il very great fire showing
that We have not conquered the ele-
ments. There have been no great
wars. Many noted men have died
Greeley, Bennett. Morse, Forest. Also
some women-Fanny Fern. DIR. Ann
Preston of Philadelphia and others.
The cause of Liberty has made great
progress in Europe, rs in Germany
md Italy. Kings are learning that if
hey oppose it they must go down 4
Papacy seems dying, its temporal pow
er already dead, and the deed was {
lone by a devout Ctholic. 1872 will i
certainly be known in history. ;
Of Emory Banner. c