The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1883-07-12
THE SPOILS OF TINE.
Essay, delivered at Music Hall, jackson,
Ohio, at the High School Com
mencement, May 25, 1888.
BY SAMUEL A. STERNBERGER

/
All other destroyers are powerless against
some things, and precaution may be taken
to preserve others from their effects
But what can successfully resist the raw
ages of Time? He is constantly waging
silent war against all things, and every
thing, with the knowledge that it must
| finally succumb, resists his unseen attacks,
though constantly losing power, and
ceases its resistance only where he has
sapped all its strength. How sad a feel
ing does the contemplation of this subject
inspire! We gaze ON a budding child, and
speculate on what may be it's lot when it
has blossomed out. Perhaps it will stand
in the legislative hall, and, thrilling the
heart of nation with its fiery eloquence,
save that nation from utter ruin. Or, it
may hold the helm of the ship of State,
and by the exercise of cool Judgment,
guide the vessel over rocky shoals in
safety. 1t may write words that will
strike fire into every breast, and through
this means right wrongs more effectually
than could be done by enacting laws. 1t
may make important discoveries that will
lllC utlU VI 0Cl6llCt.
1t may do an inestimable amount Of good
to its felloWmen, though its name never
be heard outside of the community in
which it lives. But, whatever may be it's
mission on earth, and however glorious
may be its achievements, the remorseless
hand of Time will spare it not.
1.-The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,
And all thnth anty al hat ha-ar
Await alike the inevitable hour,
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.'
AS it is with man, so it must be with
all his works. Time will destroy the
products of his art. His scientific theo-
ries, now considered infallible, will, by
and by be found imperfect. His literary
productions, now so popular, will lose
their sparkle and be forgotten. Even the
earth he inhabits, the sun that gives him
light by day, and the moon and stars that
shine on him by night, will finally be
conquered by the "Great Devourer."
While the feeling first excited by this
thought is one of depression and discour-
agement. a second thought corrects the
error. Time is the agent of one of Ma
lures most admirable laws,-the law of
change The places left vacant by Times
victims are soon filled. The flowers that,
for few days each Spring so beautify the
appearance of all nature soon wither and
die; but it is to make room for the fruit.
So it is with everything. The law of
change is universal. We constantly see
old things wearing out; things that we
were wont to consider indispensable to
man; and we begin to fear that he will be
obliged to change his mode Of existence
on account of their loss But before the
old entirely disappears, the new has taken
its place; and the world is nearly always
benefited by the change. The nature of
man is necessarily craving something
better and higher. 1t often grasps at the
unattainable, and thus reaches loftier
levels; just as the ancient alchemists,
searching for the chimerical philosophers
stone, founded and built up the science of
chemistry.
Think of what Time has done to anne
liorate the condition of man, and to make
the world filter place for his habitation!
He has forced the secrets of nature, once
believed to be inaccessible, from the
stronghold in which they were confined,
and Transcribed them upon the ample
pages Of knowledge, to cultivate and
enlighten the mind of man. He has
seized and utilized the subtle forces of
nature for the convenience and service of
man. He is forming new industries to
give man employment. He is establish
4- II SC
freeing man from tyrannical customs.
He is repeating unjust laws. Man, him.
self, he has made wiser and better; has
enlarged the scope of his intellect; ex-
panded his ideas; raised the standard of
his morals made him, in short, more
worthy of the Being in whose image he
was created. Pessimists contend that the
world and man are growing worse; and
produce as conclusive evidence daily
paper with it's long list of crimes. Com
paretthat" they say, with paper of ten
years ago" Well, in the first place, the
| facilities for obtaining news are far better
than they were ten years ago; in the Sec
ond place, it is not by comparing the
world of to-day with the world of ten
years ago that we can see the improve
ment. Time, though irresistible, works
slowly, and the advancement wrought by
him is apparent only after long inter
val.
Time does more than all this for man
He is the great healer of all SORROWS
How many aching hearts and despairing
spirits, loaded with burdens greater than
they could bear, have felt their griefs
yield to the calm and soothing influence
of Time! Only those who have passed
under the rod; those who have felt the
keen arrow of grief enter their souls, cal
appreciate his healing power
Mans time is short. How brief seems
his allotted three score and ten, wher
compared with the lives of some of his
works. He cannot long resist the ravage:
of Time, but his deeds live after him tC
keep alive his memory. Should they b'
great and noble, he will ever be veneratet
by grateful posterity. Should they b
base and ignoble, his name will be wore
of scorn to all future generations. Should
he lead a life without purpose and with
out ambition, his memory will die whel
| the last piece of turf is laid on the spo
that marks his final resting place. Then
: if we would that our memory outlive our
selves, we must work. Fame will neve
come to us if we sit with our hands idl
7 folded. To every one, it is said, comes tn
opportunity to make himself grea
: Should he suffer Time to snatch ava
this opportunity unseized in all probabi
: ity it will never offer itself again. Th
thousands who have labored and suffere
e to make the world better, have built Il
| monuments of fame that will endure {
f long as the world stands; and we, wh
/ enjoy the fr1it nf their labor can ShO,