Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1875-07-01
"The World though Beautiful hath
Mournful History"

Six thousand years ago the
sun arose upon an infant world
; to behold it for the, first time in
} its innocence and purity. The
pages of her history were not
then darkened by the miodeeds
of her inhabitants. Man. in the
image of his God, roamed
through the fragrant bowers of
Eden, holding sweet converse
(, with the great Ruler of all
, things: but it was not long be-
fore he stained the record of the
world, and brought woe and
, misery upon all succeeding gen
Grafton. We can hardly real
ize the extent Of this mournful
fact, as connected with the
worlds history. See them as
they slowly wind thelrs way
from their fiowery home, abroad
in the world, to subdue it, and
to earn their bread by the sweat
of their brow, as they cast a
last long look upon Eden, and
: inhale for the last time the fra
GRANGE of her flowers, borne to
them upon the breeze, and be-
E hold the beauties by which they
were surrounded; they realize
> the fact that the world is indeed
beautiful, but that they have
opened her history with a
mournful page. And as time
rolled on the history OF the
D world became still more sorrow
I full, for wickedness increased,
:; and God determined to destroy
the people from the face OF the
: earth. Oh, what a mourniuI
page was opened in the history
4 of the world the day the clouds
}. began to gather, the thunder
5 roll, and the lightning play, that
r were to end in flood that would
h be the destruction Of cGrtRs
/ millions. For one hundred and
fifty days the surging pillows
i i rolled, and tossed themselves,
r. and sung their wild requiem O.
l. yer the unshceted dead of all
y earth's population except the
favored few who were saved
h h from pcrishing in the ark. How
9 mournful this strange visitation
t of Jehovah appears in our eyes.
,s5 J The virgin earth, with all her
clustering vines and waving
5 trees, with all the swarming null
y titudes that dwelt in her bosom,
i, s was entirely submerged beneath
n = a world of waters; and how an
1t describabJe must have been the
e. feelings of Noah, as he doated
m to and fro upon the wild, tumul-
/ tuous pillows, and saw no noun
- tain height lifting its peak a
d bove the rolling waves, when he
N remembered that the busy tribe
n of flesh and blood he had SO
N lately seen in their recklesSness
:. and glee were all overwhelmed
. in the mighty deep, and that he
, was to De the founder Of all .t1t-
: ture generations. And how must
his feelings of awe and .solemnl-
A ty have increased, when 'des-
h cending from the mount where
r; the ark had rested, he beheld
) the bodies of the dead in pieces
IS ON the rocks, or but half-con-
" ccaled by the heaps of drift that
h Elay around; and as the uncof-
A fined bones of the decayed lay
: glittering in the light of sun.
in lust rising through the parting
clouds, that had so lately poured
out their floods upon the earth
he remembered that the qohott
acorId had been swept clean OF
it's inhabitants except himself
4 and family. Truly indeed, did
Is Is he realize the truth, that thc
IS earth though beautiful, hath q
d. naou,7tuI history, Years sped
ne on, and the cloud of sin and SUI
h perstition. which had SO long
ID ID enveloped the earth, grew dark
I'd er. Man created in the image
lie of his God bowed down and
nd worshiped idols, and each day
nd witnessed some new act of vio-
e' e' lence. But God declared thai
II such wickedness should not sc
y unpunished. The heavens from
whose blue expanse gentle
at showers had so often fallen tC
p revive the earth, were turned Il
IT. instruments Of wrath. Instead
J. of the cool, refreshing rain, ;
~ ~ shower of fire and birthstone
fell, and consumed those lovely
rs u settles of the plain" Thou
o sands were suddenly checked