Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-01-01
nEw YEARS. NrGnr


Is ines,din, like gcntls spirit, or
The still aud pulseless vurii.
HarI on the winds
Tho bells deep tones swelling; It's Tue knelI
lis a time
For memory and for tears. Within the deep.
Still chan beers of the heart a spectre dim.
Whose torres are like the wizard voice OF Time
Heard fro N the tomb OF ages, points its coli
And solemn finger to the beautiful
And holy visions that have passed away
And left shadow of their iOyelineSs
On the nd waste of life. The spectre lifts
The coffin lid OF Hope, and joy and Love.
And, ben, ing mOurnfuliy above the pale
Sweet forms that siumbcr there, seatters dead
Ger what has passed 10 no;hingaess.''
Farewell, old year, thou art gone forever.
Thou hast taken with thee many homes
and loves, and ambitions and affections.
The New Years sun looms up brigh. and
cheerful i'm the eastern sky, and its horizon
is gemmed with glittering stars. radiant
and glorious as the hopes our own am
bitious hearts cherish Of the future. Thou
art gone Old Year, and in thy train. are.
niany JOYS and sorrows, tears and sunshine.
During Thy course, nations have been
humbled, kings and princes have bowed
before TIN, shrine, and Death, stern Death.
has held high sway. Beneath his seeptss
has passed. away the bright, the beautiful.
the fair, the lovely, the Young and the old.
60 TO the silent cities Of the dead, there
scc the nav made grave, the ivy cross, the
lily crOwIE what do these proclaim The
loss of some precious jewel, some house
hold idol, some cherished friend. They
were Will us one year ago to-day, and with
happy sailing faces greeted US with
''harpy now wear" Where are they now9
Death answers, 'fhcy are mine" The
angels whisper, Il claimed them as my
precious gifts" they are now blooming like
beautiful lowers inthc fields of Paradise. he
still, broken heart and cease thy SORROW; The
cherished flowers that have faded from Your
sight, are only tranSplantcd 10 bloom with
greater cflul.ence above. Eighteen hun
bred and scyenty-tilree has gone, and like
the wears that come and 90.
at came
And ia led like a wreath Of mist at eve:
Vet. ere il melted in the vicwlesS air.
IL hCrahlcd its millions TO their home
In thc'lim land of dreams"
To-day men and angels rejoice. Many
grand and glorious oil cathedral is sending
aloit through lis time-honOrcd arches tie
"Gloria in EXcelsiS Dec, till the poor hui
man heart is carried before the throne. and
there oilcIs its precious gifts, thanksgiving
and homage, the myrrh and frankincense
of the human heart. lis New Years DAY,
The merry carol of children, the gay tlTons
in the streets, proclaim the festive day. 1t
brings joy all over the earth. The sylvan
chapel of the country village is feStOoned
with ever.TecnS, and its humble woIshipcTs
kncel in alteration, and with cheerful hearts
offer their prayers, rs well as-the kings and
princes who. kncel before their jcwelcd
tabenaclcs. The lonely captive is COM
RELIED To- forget his suilerinsS for awhile.
His chains fall lighter, his desolate cell
seems happier abode, and he is carried
back in imagination to the lialcyOn days of |
childhood when no cloud Of sin or SOTTOw |
dmmed the bright horizon of his future. |
lis time for rejoicing and merriment. |
Cold must b. the heart, and hardened the !
soul of tile man that can say, Il am IIOt |
happy on this festive day.- The exile who |
has not seen his own loved country for /
years, is carried back in happy dreams 10 |
the home Of his childhood. lie once more /
trlyerses its green and fertile valleys; lac |
stands by the grave of his father and mother |
and drops tears TO their memory. lie revisits |
each familiar seenc-ths village church, /
the country churcll-yarJl. The merry days /
of by-gone wears stand before him, and for /
a time, the poor heart seems crushed, till |
memory's magic spell is broken.
Where can we lind real happiness in this
clIanseftIl world? Kings, the most power
ful ones Of the earth, who lived centuries /
ago, they were not happy. The Moorish
king of old, after sunendGrinS his vast pos
sessions, his stately castles, and fiOwcry
liells-wlIat were his Words ''What are
We that We should fill the earth with our
selyeS-we kings, Ea;Ih TesOUnds with /
the crash 81 my falling throne; on the ear
OF races uHliOgn the echo will live prOions-
ed But what have lOst9 Nothing that
was neceSsdTTy TO my happiness. my repose;
nothing save the source of all my wTetcled-
ness, the VI irah of nv life, Shall | less
enjoy heaven and earth, or thought and ae-
tion. or mans more material luXlIFieS Of
food and sleep-the common and cheap dc
SireS of ALP At the worst L sink but 10
level with chiefs and princes; | am but
leyeled with those whom the multitude all
mire and envy Thus the years come and
90, and the destiny of kings and princes
ahauge: hui yesterday crowned amid acclaz
nations and hOnors, to-day lei to excel
ton.
Farewell. Old Year, we crown thy bier
with fair ilOTcrS,-we 90 TO the grave OF
buried hopes, and loves, and shed tears DER
what has passed to n0thingncss thou vert |
once all fair and brilliant as the future
now seems. hut time has left its chilling
marks on thy once fair brow. Though
thy course has been marked by sorrow and
death. still there are MANY bright memo
rieS. whose sunny shades will mellow and
brighten the gloomy shadows Of the M
Known iuji,Hi,
81. Fun kHee-ic,p ieS the winter SNOW.
And the winter winds are YEARLY signing; |
Toll vc the church bell sad ami slew.
And tread softly AMI speak low.
For the Sld wear lies a-iying.'
MARY n. BAILEY. |
NaSuyrTIr Jan l. 1S1s