The Lincoln County leader. [volume] (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 1882-189?, 1884-02-16

in these days. Or the little red
school house, or the old brown
church and It's Gods acre p The
scent of the new mown hay still
comes through the window, on
gentlest of summer airs, and woos
our thoughts from dull books to
the leaping fish in the pool by the
roots of the willow. Recess, and the
playground, are more real than the
things of to-day. Big, bright Tom
we hear in a casual way is a grand
father little Dot died before the
war !; Harry has disappeared in the
immensely Of the great west ; Jen-
ME, our old sweetheart, married
the red headed boy whom we hated
most Of any {; but here or there,
living or dead, they are the real
playmates of our golden time, and
our souls are knit with them as they
never have been with the friends
of a later time. We see the pic
lures which we saw in the, school
house fire, and the dreams which
we dreamed within its walls that
last winter there ; for were we not
about to enter the great and beau
titul world, and be great, and pow
erful, and rich, and roll on golden
wheels to the portal of the Temple
of Fame. The warm sun fecks
and plays upon the oak-shaded
graves Of the dead the red wag-
ons under the shed the horses tied
to the fence the worm-eaten pull
pit, and high-backed pews, are We
ry real.
No prayer ever thrills the heart,
or elevates the soul, as do those we
heard there, and all the faith we
have has its roots there. Wher
imagination strays amid heavenly
hosts, and we would dream of an
gels songs, it is rot Of Jenny Lind
or Patti that we are reminded, OF
of the Miserere IN the Sistine chap
el, but of some old day, when the
quavering voice of some old moth
er in Israel trembled in unison will
the pure voice of one whom We
loved, and the deep base OF the
schoolmaster, mingled with the
rich tenor of the Squire in the
gladstone rush of Canterbury
or the long-drawn, wailing tones o
"Dundee." Or Of another day
when, in the tones of Luther
mighty hymn, the vol of a whole
people rolled and swelled in ONT
grand diapason of Thanksgiving
and praise.
Such memories are among on.
richest possessions. Nor have W.
a right to deprive those who com,
after us of their share IN thos,
beautiful visions and recollection
of the past, which are with tn
most prosaic of us, and which il
the lives of all Of us, do SO much t.
; reconcile, sustain. and cheer.
In some inexplicable way, al
. men give to the person or the OF
| iect which pleasantly recalls a PEI
son or a thing beloved, a porto,
of the affection which they feel fo
the object lost. And so here
some portion of the affectionate il
+ terest OF all will unite. To thi
place we will moreover become az
customed to look for more than on
e interest, some OF the consultations
? and many Of the pleasures Of life
e To the children it is a blessing
/ To them it may be ali, that all
e have spoken OF has been to us. n
prayers will ever seem 50 earne'
] and thrilling as those they wi
. hear offered here-no music wi
ever seem SO sweet as that in whic
J.. they will join here-the comm
years have in store for them Il
j. days as happy as those that the
will spend here.
e When we are gone hence, the'
walls can be the centre of threaC
Of memory, infinitely tender an