Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-02-23
Bemptfatit Northwest.

EDrroR NoRTHwEsT;-when we fins
decided tn leave this. our adopted coun.
try: We meant TO iquietly take our de
parture.With as few adiews. as possible,
thinking..it would be- less painful to us,
and might not so much betray our weak
ness, aud that our more istindte friends
would interpret our feelings on the prin-
cipal that The heart feels the most
when the lips move not" But, the many
presents and testimonials of friendship
and good wishes we are receiving from
our neighbors and acqualntances, places
us under such obligation, that it would
require much colder nature than ours
to do like the Arab: Fold our tent and
silently move away" And now. Mr..
Editor. while we are not unmindful oi
past favors, we beg leave to place befor.
our friends aud the rea1ers of the NORTH
WEST our valedictOry:
We emigrated from Seneca county to
Henry county in 1853, twenty-four year.
ago. Coming as we did from mos
beautiful country, and very good neigh
borhood, it was nolstrange that the frs
few years of our sojOurn in Henry coun
ty were marked by home-sickness and It
terrible longing for the flesh pots OF
Egypt
For be it known, Seneca county is not
only the place where the birds sing most
sweetly, and the flowers put on theil
most facinating colors, and the moon and
stars shine brighter than in any Other
part of the globe. This last your cores
pondent knows about, having noticed
their extreme br;llancy 80 ne thirty five
years ago. But Seneca county is the ex
act geographical center Of the World.
hut the friendship that soon sprang up
and has existed to the present day with
the good people of Henry and sWood
counties and especially the business men
of Napoleon and Grand Rapids, soon dis
PEELED cur grefs and longing for our ma.
tive home.
And now, after the lapse of twenty-four
years, almost quarter of a century, il
may be said with truth that during thar
long period of time, not dozen unkind
words has even been passed between the
writer of this article and all the business
men of Napoleon and Grand Rapids.
Twenty.lour years makes great in
road in human existence, especially when
commencing. as in our case, at the zenith
of life. What has become of those
twenty-four years? AS the flowing stream
without haste or delay glides onward
towards its sea, so has passed those TWEEN.
ty.four years, with all their labors, hopes
Joys and sorrows. and fulfilled theil
mission taken rank with the past and
given place to the future. In taking
leave of our native loved Ohio, we hum.
bly, hope that the twenty four years SC
pleasantly passed in Henry county may
place us on higher plane of existence.
That it may enlarge our field of vision
and give us a more perfect love of truth
and right.
And now in our SD year, as we look
backward, how plainly We behold oul
own littleness, and how far shorl
we have come of omplishing the
things we set out to do. What mingled
emotions of hope and fear beset our path
way, as we try to look far along the din
vista of the uncertain future. The
thought comes rushing home that there
is SO much to do and such short time
in which to accomplish it. AS we look
back along the line of those tweI ty-foul
years, events crowd in upon us, and fiji
before the minds eye like a panorama
We have experienced some pleasure from
almost every passing event. Have we
accomplished any good? We are willing
that others should judge. But in view
of our honest exertion we hope the YER
dict may be that Henry county and the
world are little better from the fact
of our having lived therein. While We
realize that ere the next twenty .f,nlr
years will have rolled around, we will
have passed to that land from whence
no traveller ever returns; where the wick.
ed cease from troubling and the weary
are at rest"
We still hope the lesson learned will
enable us to accomplish something more
for the benefit of our race. On making
this our second, and perhaps last move
it is natural to look backward as well as
forward as when ascending a mountain,
the traveller gains the summit Of ridge,
he pauses to take breath and looks back
on the scene through which he has
passed; and ere he starts again surveys
the heights yet to be surmounted.
While we have every confidence that
we will meet kind reception in our
new home, and that those who will be
our neighbors there are good people. still
1t is with sorrow and regret that we take
our old and long.tried friends by the
hand and bid farewell to Henry county.
DANIEL FINK.
Feb. 12, 1889.