Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-10-16
FATHER METHusELAH.
Fresh Ideas About the Grand Old Man
Who Stood off Father Time for Ten
Centuries.

I have just been reading James
Whitcomb Riley's responses TO "lhe
Old Man" at the annual dinner OF the
Literary Club, and his reference To-
Methuselah has awakened in my mind
many recolleclions and "reminiscences
OF that grand old man. We first meet
Methuselah in the capacity of son.
For three hundred years Enoch and
Methnselah logged along together in
the capacity OF father and son. Then
Enoch was suddenly cut down. It
was at this time that Methuselah first
realized what 1t was to be an orphan.
He could not at first realize that his IA
ther was dead. He could not UNDER
stand why Enoch. with no inherited
disease, should be shutfled out at the
age of three hundred and sixty-fve
years. But the doctor said to Methuse-
lali: "My son, you are indeed father-
less. | have done all / could, but it is
useless. ] had told Enoch many time
that il he went swimming in before the
ice was out OF the creek, it would final
ly down him, but he thought he knew
better than Ibid. He was headstrong
man, Enoch was, lie sneered at me
add alluded TO me AS fresh young gos-
ling, because he was three hundred
years older than I was. He has re-
ceiyed the reward of the wilful, and YER
rily the doom of the smart Aleck is
his"
Methuselah now cast about him for
some occupation which would take up
his attention and assuage his wild, pas
sionate grief over the loss of his father.
He entered into the walks OF men and
learned their ways. 1t was at this time
that he learned the pernicious habit OF
using tobacco. We can not wonder at
it when we remember that he was now
fatherless. He was at the mercy of the
coarse rough world. Possibly he learn
ed to use tobacco when he went away
to attend business college after the
death OF his father. Be that as it may,
the noxious weeds certainly fastened
his death, for six hundred years after
this We find him corpse
Death is ever surprise, even at the
end oi long illness and after ripe old
age. To those who are near it seems
abrupt so to his grandchildren, some
OF whom survived him, his children
having died Of old age, the death of
Methuselah came like a thunderbolt
from clear sky.
Methuselah succeeded in cordine
up more OF q record, such as
it was, than any other man OF whom
history informs US. Time, the tomb
builder and amateur mower, came and
leaned over the front yard and looked
at Methuselah, and ran his thumb over
the jagged edge of his scythe, and went
away whstling low refrain.
He kept up this refrain business for
nearly ten centuries, while Methuselah
continued to stand out amid the gener.
al wreck OF men and nations.
Even as the young, strong mower,
going forth with his mower for to NOW,
spareth the tall and dignified drab hor-
nets nest and passeth by on the other
side, so Time with his famous hour
glass and his overworked hay knife over
his shoulder, and his long Mormon
whskers and his high slick dome o.
thought, with its gray lambrequin oi
hair around the base OF it, moved al
around Methuselah and then passed
on.
Methuselah decorated the graves O
those who perished in dozen different
wars. He did not enlist himself, fol
over nine hundred years of his life ht
was exempt. He would go to the en-
listing place and offer his services, anC
the officer would tell him to 90 home
and encouraged his grandchildren to go
Then Methuselah would sit around
Noah's front steps, and smoke and crit
icise the conduct of the war, also the
conduct OF the enemy.
1t is said of Methuselah that he neve
was the same man after his son Lamecf
died. He was greatly attached to Lam
ech, and when he woke up one nigh
to find his son purple in the face witt
membraneous Group, he could hardl,
realize that he might lose him. Th'
idea of losing boy who had just round
ed the glorious morn of his 777th year
had never occurred to him. But deatt
loves shining mark, and he garneret
little Lammie and left Mathuselah II
moan and mourn on for couple NOR
centuries without him.
Methuselah finally got so far that ht
could not sleep any after four o,clocl
in the morning, and he didn't see hov
any one else could. The older he &c
and the less valuable his time became
the earlier he would rise, so that h
could get an early start. AS the cen
turies filed slowly bv, and Methuselal
got where all he had to do was to shu
file into his loose-fitting clothes and res
his gums on the top of large sleek
headed cane and mutter up the chin
ney, and then groan and extricate him
SELF from his clothes again and retir,
he rose earlier and earlier in the morr
: ing, and muttered more and more abor
the young folks sleeping away the be
of the day, and said that he had n
doubt but that sleeping and snorin
! till breakfast time helped 10 carry G
Lam. Buto day old Father Time can
along with new scythe, and he DIRE
his whet-stone across is few time
and rolled the sleeves of his red fam
undergarments up over his warty e
bows, and Mr.. Methuselah passed on
that undiscovered country with a riI
experience and long clean record.
We can almost fancy how the nhys