The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1884-01-23
DRIFTING.

/ Out in the sea of Life human
souls are drifting. Shall we liken
them to a ship without rudder,
drifting with the tide to an un-
known pert2 Some to aahavens of
safety and rest-free from the waves
Of Life; while others are wrecked
upon rocks, of delusion, disappoint,
ment and sorrow,-and SO often
strike the hidden rock of utter Ruin
Drifting-ever drifting down to
the ocean of Eternity. Like small
barques cast a-drift upon the ocean,
tossed here and there by the waves
which surround us. Ills a wonder
we poor frail creatures of humanity
are not oftener wrecked by the trials
with which we come in contact day
by day. ' = .f@.A - -" -
Yet while drifting to an unknown
Future, we are unconsciously weav-
ing the Web of Life" And such
a webl How closely the fibres are
drawn, crossed, and recrossed--so
thickly interviewer il is difficult to
find the beginning. a5''~i
Ahl yes, the web Of Life is
strangely woven. 'Tis indeed a
strange mixture Of tempest and sum
shine;;' as fathomless as the sea--as
wide, as awful and terrible in it's
stormy passions, and sometimes as
calm and as lovely. A'''i i s.i'
The beautiful light Of heaven
smiles sweetly on it, and gloriously
deck it with every hue Of beauty
and sunshine: anon, dark gloomy
clouds arise and drift in our path.
way-"contending winds of Fate go
forth, - and Hope sitsweeping tears
Of sweetest sympathy, over a gen.
eral. wreck of what "might have
BEEN" 80 - .i7u' Z
Yet Hope is ever bouyant and can
not despair. She sees beautiful
roseate clouds behind the dark ones
So with a bright look to the future,
we with that motto, written in gid
ed letters on our brow, and with the
realization that s"Hope brightens
the days to come, and memory gilds
the past" are still a-drift on the
broad expanse of Life,-fnd our
selves still drifting onward-look-
ing with regret, or pleasure, on the
web of yesterday-the web which
we wove in the beautiful sunshine
the yesterday, which has slipped
from us almost unawares. .beiflS
borne onward by the tide Of Time |;
carrying its heavy freight Of joy
and sorrow, hope aud despair, life
and death into Eternity. All! it is
with such a sad, aching heart, we
watched it drifting from us forever.
Thinking ofthe yesterday-some
times bringing such miserable
thoughts, that we fain would forget
them, were it not for memory, ever
painting in cruelty vivid pictures
before US. And, sometimes, bring
ing such sweet, loving memories
which will tend to cheer us in the
dim, uncertain future, when the
vicissitudes of life are so burden
some, that we feel as if 'twould in
deed be sweet to forget the Present
which is SO dark, and think only .o1
the Past, which was SO beautiful.
Drifting-alWays driftingi a. Is. il
wearisome? Do we find so. many
obstacles in. cur path that we soon
tire in trying to remove them? All
no, the drifting of Life is sweet iii
we find rocks to wreck us here, and
storms to threaten US, I'VE drift away
to another ocean, where the waters
are sweetly calm, and the sun shines
ever gloriously bright--where INC
rocks are imbedded to wreck III. nc
storms from which to- shrink, but
where all is loveliness and peace
| Upon this, ocean we will be a.
drift, not, with fear, sorrow, OF
trouble, but with the perfect happi-
ness of Angels Some call it the
HAnchorage." i call. ;itesimply the
Ocean of Eternity ss34a5s.a bAn
| We are drjfing-EvER DRIFTING
| S - LUCY M. HELMS.
4 Gar