The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1885-12-25
THE DYING YEAR,


disappointed, al % OF love, OF
deeds of darkness, Of wisdom and
OF folly, will have received the last
touch Of the recording angel, and
he passed into the archives OF
eternity. Equally to living hearts,
striving 10 recall past delights, and
to sorrOwing cues, seeking, with
vain regrets, 10 fnd II reversal OF
past errors, from out the awful 81
ieHce Of the great beyond, comes
but the echo OF their own heavy
tbrobbings In the deep aud solemn
NEVER MORE. Thus, ever, our
ycarh hit by, freighted xiIh issues
madr up anu transmitted to eterni.
~ 10 await tue scrutiny OF the
Judge, when the great ''as>ize of
the universe shall sit" Truly, il
il II solemn thing to livel Every
breath, every heartbeat is making
d history that shall Outlive the sun,
outIive the stars-~because stamped
with Gods eternity.
The years may come aud go, gen.
erations pass by, Kingdoms rise and
fall, d~ynaSties flourish and decay,
pass away and DO forgotten, yet
on nud on live tac words spoken,
the deeds done IN this closing year J
Us fresh, as green when time itself
sinll be no more, as when first We
dung them carelessly, 1t may he
reckieSsly Oh the stream that was
hnrrying them on to eternity. Oh
God, pity the %follies, the weak
nesscs, the sins of 1885, and FOR
alvEl Tue best OF thy weSk chill
dreu may not abide tue record II
'thou shOuldst mark iniqulty;" aud,
too, how like the dying year We are
all dying. Not one or II Gelc, but
all. "In the day thou catest there
Of dying, thou shalt die,F was Gods
announcement to mineval mat.
lie nte and died-not at once, bur
dying, died. Death in ten thousand
forms assaulted him the moment he
ate. Scarcely had the curse of
God censed among the echoes OF
Eden-scarce had the laughter Of
tue hcnd at his triumph died away
along the corridors of hell, when
Death, arousing all his mighty
hosts, besiegcd the citadel of life,
and the man begun II prolonged.
but hopeless struggle, only 10 yield
ut last, "and he died
SO OF his p~Osterity. We no soon.
er begin TO lire than We begiu to
die. Through hunger aud thirst,
through heat and cold, 10 less than
by. sickness aud paiu. Death seeks
TO capture us. We ale dying hour
~, mOnentdrily. Let us but sill
down IN inactiOn, and u few briet
hours eDd the coufiict-lee die.
When We eat, when We drink, when
we clOthe ourselves, when We build
fires aud seek their warmth we ARE
but fighting Death. We are dying,
aud We must do these things ~.
ceasiugly, or We die. This death
agony il longer with some than
With others. Some surrender in in
fancy, even while the mothers hrst
kiss Of love is fresh on The tender
brow. Some IN youth, some in ma
ture years, some in old age as
strength is given for the conflict ;
but all at last Yield to the de
stroyer-all die. 1t is, doubtless,
an interesting sight to the angels
to watch the desperate struggles of
the strong man with his fate. He
husbands his resources. By ODE
to all the known laws OF
he provokrs no conflicts.
lie IL active, prudent, temperate
he shields himself frosa all alterDa-
ions of heat and cold with a watch
'uI discretion. Through many years
ne goes, apparently cOnquerOr
Death seems 10 have laid aside his
or lost his enmity. Be moi
deceived Tue. mai is surely dy.
ng ia all his bloom anu vigOr. Ser
he mighty OAK. 1t itself
loft iU all the pride II its vernal
1t stretches it's Brarian
rms toward the heavens ~ VI Io
.ef5 the storms it has so often ~
Suddenly, ss you loOk. iis
caves grow pale, it tot'ers, IL i@ail>.
he secret worn has i0re its work.
in the strong man, is secret
: ut work ''sapping" here. "mi-
ing" there, till, presently, you PR
eve bis lines OF intrenchmeHf la
be furrowed cheek-the blcOm has
ed his icy touch, the eyes have :
'Oked at him aud grown dim ;