The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1879-05-14

in the battle of life. l had seer some
Of joy and much of sorrow. Many
scenes l had visited and many schools
I had attended since, bnt tho rccollec-
tons of the old home was still IA green
oasis in memory's waste" Absence
aud time had not dimmed The lnstre of
my early love, and felt that once
again l must visit the scenes Of my
young boy hood. And l went, and saw.
Many and sad were the changes which
the hand Of time and the hand Of man
MS well, bad wrought. Gone were the
good old friends nnder whose fostering
care these early years Of my life were
spent. The last Of them had helped
to reyerently commit to earth one short
week previous. Strangers filed the
house whose roof had sheltered my
young head. Gone were many If the
old trees, nnder whose grateful shade
I had 30 often rested my wearied
limbs. Clicked was tho old spring.
whose cool aud sparkling waters had
so often qsencl'ea my thirst. The
fences were gone, and the forest growth
was rapidly encroachlng on the yard,
asserting, the supremacy of Nature
| over art, when once the baud of man
ceases it's labors. The spaces wllicl,
had once seemed to me so large, now
seemed narrow una contracted. But
still l foand much renai,tinsiof what |
had left in the long ago. Iovisited
each aforementioned nook associated
with SO many of my boyisl, deeds
Once more / traced the old path my
feet had helped 70 hollow out in my
daily morning aud evening walk to and
from tho school. Once more | sought
and found and followed the now dim
old path to the stream. where learned
to fish and to swim. And as / wan.
tered through the grounds Or sat un..
der the trees, and isvape after. wave Of
swift crpwdmg recalleclions came reliA
ing across the sea Of my memory, fol. q
short while I was u boy agaih, and
'auhi lang synen was tn ms q 'thingsofl
the present. : ! ,lgft that scene. at once
a happier and a sadder, and | hope a
better and wiser man. Happier for
having seen, rs it were, THO tace If an
old aud dear friend, from whom l, had
been separated BY the lapse Of long
years. III Happier For having seen one
place in which none IF my actions
there committed, could call forth sor-
raw or remorse 1T the present time
Sadder for the sight Of the ruin and
desolation that time and decay had
made on the old home. Sadtler farrtl.el
consciousness that of all whom l had
known and ldved there, only one was
10y my side. Same were swallowed UP
by the grave, and others By distant
lands. And satlder, for the reflection
that probably my eyes had seen the
spot for the last.tine. Better, ltIlink,
because left that place with q softer
aud kindIier feeling iu my heart for all
mankind. And WISER hope, beca tlse
/ tried to read alHl apply lesson from
the ravages OF time. The decay of all,
things there seemed to me a tyne of
my own life warning me that like all
else, |, too. was speeding to my end,
and that it beho0ved me to be iniproy-
ing the present precious hours as ther
few. and 60 to live as to be preparing
for -eternity.,t - > ~ 4
Aud IA my experience has been in
tliis particular, my young friends, 90,
no doubt, will be that Of many OF you.
The time will come when the old home
will be left, the old family, ties snn.
dered, the old friends scattered Tiien,
like myself, you lwiii'iong to sees again
the old scenes and the old faces. And
often in tile iron days Of life, you win
look back toithe golden days Of your
youth and confess, with q sigh, that
the wisl, | 80 often breatlled, and
which niady OF you DOUBTLESS breathe
at times, the wish that you w1rel
grown was all too quickly fulfilled.
All! do not be 10 a hurry to grow old. |
Do not be eager to exchange your
present life of freedom from 60 many |
sibiliiies, for the cares of man
hood and womanhood. These cares
Will come soon enough, and too soon,
"For sorrow never comes ton late, :.
And happiness too quickly flies" t
Let the bIobm of. youth stay on the |
peach while it will, soon enough will |
the season of life take IL of. Let the
sweet perfame of youth and innocence
linger will, you while it may, soon
enough will its fragrance be shed. --
And yet, my young friends, IwouId
not have you to think that the advan-
ced life to which you may SO eagerly |
look, il but a scene of trouble, and !
that all your joys will end witlyoar
childhood or youth. Very far from it.
We are created for responsibility
Each has Ills or her allotted task 10
perform in this world, and according /
to the gifts and opportunities that are
granted US, will much or little be re-
quired. Each is called upon to live,
not for himself alone, out for others al as
we'll. and 50 to live that the world mag
be better for Ills having lived in IT,
In tile order Of Nature, through the
design Of natures God, The Summer Of
manhood must succeed the Spring Of
youth. And If we are called on BY
the Creator to perform certain duties
in the more advanced stage of life, I'll
would be q reflection on His goodness
to SUPPOSE tlIat no reward would come
to as for discIarging those duties prop
eriy. It viii and It does come. I can
say, with truth, that in MY manhood
! have experienced deeper and more
abiding joys than I ever did III my
childhood. The cares Of matufer life
need not daunt the virta0us soul or in.