The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1875-04-23
Written for the Democrat
HOME.

Memory is one Of the greatest gifts
God ever gave to man. How often oul
thoughts turn in retrospection Of tic
past, back to the happy days Of oul
childhood, and 70 that "dear old home'
which perhaps we shall see no more,
No wonder that the sweetest harps
have been tuned to sing of i'Home
Sweet Home" where we wandered in
early years q thoughtIess child, care.
less in innocence, with not a thought
of the future. But now. arriving at
womanhood, we look back on our
happy school days in sadness, and ask
is this the future that we had painted
in bright colors and hung up on the
walls of ofImagination? Iii Whittier's
Maud Muller appears the following
beautiful couplet:
"Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these-it might have BEEN"
These words strike sympathetic
chord in the human heart, which speaks
their truth. They tell Of sweet hopes
and illusions checked and chilled; Of
love and trues5 affection blighte 1; Of
ambitious dreams that never had a
real being; Of disappointment and
vanity of earthly things. Few iniife's
retrospect have not said as they look
back on the long vista of years and
found some crushed hopes, ut might
have been.n Few have met with such
perfect lives and met with such full
fruition Of content, that they have lost
nothing, and may not cry out with re-
gretful tears "It might have been.''
Few nave taken such an advantage OF
the circumstances that effect our hap
piness as not to feel In the secret recess
esof their hearts, "Itmighthave been.n
Disappointment is the grim monster
that breaches from the text to all.
Life is failure in some particulars to
all, and we are not without an excep-
tion. 1t might have been far happier
and better had different course of ac-
tion been pursued-had we more truly
known the line of duty and Travelled
the path Of virtue. Bat we cannot see
the coming events that cast their shad-
ows before-if we could, sit might
have been' far better had we never
wandered from that dear old home.
How many a thoughtless word would
have remained unspoken? how many a
deed never been executed? how many
an action been unperformed could we
have foreseen the consequences, and
after troubles they would bring? No
four words were ever put together that
express more misery, convey greater
sense Of pain, at might have bcen.n
'Tis well the future is not revealed to
US erring mortals-let it remain as 1t Is
lin oblivion.
"ohi It's well that God permits US not
To lift the yailthat hides the future, ahd there
read our fate. v FNA
FOri ignorance OF woes to come we hope for
happiness. I.ft tga
And with that hope as pilot steer our bark DER
troubles toward the'port OF 'PEACE"
HARRTs1VRG, Or, April 10, 1875
Spelling. SKuLE.- The spelling
school. mania has broken outin Albany,
and a tournament has already taken
place at the College. The following
lines are appropriate just now:
o, lead my infant feet to walk
Into the spelling school;
Let other children sneer and laugh
At photographic rule.
But me that better way still lead
TIL perfectly spell,
So may shun the path that leads
To where josh Billings fell
The Mongolian population Of Albany
had row last Monday night, in which
about bakers dozen of them went to
grass aud the rest Of them crept about
for day or two to keep away so that
they would "no catchee MARSHALL
. We have come to the conclusion that
Webster's dictionary is q fraud, for
cheap boy spelled us down the other
night when we read Websters book
tionary hefore he was born, and our
devll's grandfather was intimately ac-
quainted with Daniel Webster himself
Can such hallucinations be, and get
away with US?
LODGE ORGANIZED. Last Saturday
State Deputy Wilson organized On
ward Lodge No. 2s9, ]. 0, G. r.,
at Knox Butte, this county, with
the following officers: d. Il. weidner,
w. G. IT.; Mary Il. Propst, w. Y. T.;
a. G. Creecy, w. c.; J. w. Propst,
w. s.; Geo. Geisendorffer, w. A. s.;
G. g. Rnrkhart, w. r. s.; VIM. Me-
Kechnie, w. T.; Jas. w. Nixon, w.
NJ; Mrs. g. Conn, w. D. NJ; Henri
eta Miller, w. /. g.; Frank Critics,
w. o. g.; L. c. Marshal, P. w. G. T.;
Lodge Deputy, Alfred Marshal. Meet
ings 70 be held IN Granger Hall. O..
w. c. r., w. B. Dunbar viii lecture to
Onward Lodge next Monday evening.
-- -=la4-l-
THE MCKENZIE CANAL We have
an excellent article from the pen Of
our talented Harrisburg correspondent,
Dr.. Henirix, on the subject Or the
ana Mckenzie Canal, to
which we invite The attention Of those
A meeting was held at
q few days ago, at which
speeches were made by J. H, Smith
and Dr. Davis, and about $4,000 IN
stock subscribed, Il IS estimated that
he Canal win cost s0O.O00
CITY TAxEs.-Recorder Baker has
completed the assessment Of the city, |
Ind at the last meeting Of the Council
he levy for the current year was made
1t mills On the dollar This Is q re-
luction 0f one mill over last years
eyy-
AwvffAN. 4 nnRRae IL Mari Y Rrnrni