Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1874-01-22
Time and its Changes.
For the Farettexil!e Observer.

Christmas sports and Christmas
parties and weddings has
breathcd its last, and a new one
has dawned upon us. The king
Of the day has risen on this the
second Sabbath day of the new
year1374, and everything per-
tanning to nature seems to be
awake and smiling apparently,
the birds shaking their tiny
wings gemmed with pearly dew
raise their morning hymn Of JOY
as they skip from spray to spray
this beautiful sabbath-morn,
which reminds the writer of the
fair and lovely month Of May.
Neverhasan April day been more
varied by sunshine and SHADOW
than has the old year been diver
sified by blessings and affection
amongthe childrenofmen. Ithas
witnessed widespread terrible
disasters such have rarely been
recorded inthe annals of history.
In our beloved land, it has been
OH the whole, a year which we
would gladly c1lace from the
memory Of men, and it may be
regarded as the darkest hour OF
our young nations life. The
prerogatives of the State have
been infringed, the Constitution
which we had been taught to
look upon as only less sacred
than the laws of God, has been
fiagrantly violated; official dis
honesty seems to have become
contagious till public positions
are no longer sought by honest
and honorable men. The gros-
sest form Of tyranny has been
inflicted on the Southern peo-
pie in the way Of taxation; our
commonwealth has been plum
dered by INSCRIPTIONS and ra-
pacious men, and they have
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT by the Grant
administration.
And some OF our faircst cities
have been visited by the sweep
ing iconoclast, cholera and yell
low fever. These are the clouds
which have darkcned the sky Of
the old year, and fill the land
with gloom. Bright CLEANS
there have been, little snatches
of sunshine which have broken
through the sombrc clouds and
gladdenedth the nations heart, for
a moment. These are but a part
of the leading events Of the
year that has Just waned. We
welcome the new year with hope,
and pray that at its end we may
have more cheerful record TO
show Of the events 10 which it
may give birth. To whom will
the one on which we have just
entered bring joy? to whom
sorrow? to whom riches? to
whom poverty? towhom friends?
to whom enemies? to whom
love? to whom hatred? to whom
misery? to whom happiness? to
whom death? What! all these
changes in one year? Yes, and
a host more numerous than the
sands of the sea. Many who
saw the dawning OF the last
year were in another world ere
its close, many on whom for
tune smiled, now groan in pow
erty, many who were floating
gently on the bark OF life DER
the unruffied sea of happiness a
year ago, are now wrecks Of
ruin or the shore Of affection,
many on whom the sun shOne
propitiOusly, have met misfor-
tunes, and many whose expecta-
tions were bright at the
dawn of the year found them
selves at the end, the sad vic
Tins of cruel disappointment.
And such is the cruel fate of
man, subject to changes iii a
year-many in an hour. The
world is still in commotion, time
leaving behind it traces of dcs-
truction, and the work of dcs-
truction is as easily accomplished
as child will pull to pieces a
rose. No man appears to think
how soon he must sink into OBJ
livion, that weare negeneration
of millions. Yet such is the
fact. Time and progress have
through countless ages come
marching hand in hand-the
one destroying, the other build
ing up. Where now are the
gray headed sire Of some twenty
years ago? our friends and re-
lations? Where are our moth
ers who watched over us from
our infancy, whose memory we
reverently and fondly cherish,
and who loved us with that love
thnt nnnn hut n nnnthn,. CON n.iun9