The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1886-08-04
"Reminiscences or Methuselah
Bill Nye EVoives .Ses,e Fresh Idecs
1POW the Grand Old Mqs.

4 reference to Methuselah at a re-
cent public diuner has awakened in
my mind many recollections and rem.
iniscences of this grand old man. We
fret meet MathRselsh IN the capacity
of a son. At the age Of 65, Euoch
arose one night and telephoued his
family physician to come over and
meet Methusslah. Day at last dawned
on Emo cb's happy home and its Grst
red !rsys lit up the still redder surface
OF the little stranger. For 800 years
Enock and Methuselah jagged slpug
together in the capacity Of father md
son. Then fSnoch was suddenly cut
down. 1t was at this time that l:.tle
Methusclah FIRST realized what it was
10 be an orphan. He coull not a. irst
realize that his father was dead. He
could not understand why Enoch, With
no inherited dsease, shorId DO shus
fed out at the agc!bt 800 years.
Nethuselah now cast about him :or
some occupation that would take up
his attention and assuage his wild pas.
slnnate grief over the loss of hls father.
He entered ;ntq the walks Of men and
learned their ways. 1t was at this
time that he learned the pernicinus
habit Of using tobacco. We cannot
wonder At j.. when we remember that
he was now faLherless. He was at the
mercy the coarse. rough world
Possihiy he leaned to use tobacco
when ae went away to attend business
college after the death of his father
Sc that M it may. the noxinas weed
certainly FASTENED his dcG,h, for COO
years afterwards we find him corpse.
! Death is ever II surprise, even at the
end Of long illness apI after ripe
old age. To those who are near, il
seems abrupt so ~ his grandchildren,
some Of whom survived him, his chill.
dren having died % Old age, the death
Of hethuselah came ike u thuMderboll
from n clear eky.
NethuselQh succeeded IN cording up
more Of n record. such as it was, than
any other man of whom history informs
us. Time. the tomb builder and anna.
teur mower, came and leaned over the
tropt yard Gnd looked at Methuselah,
and ran his thumb over the Jagged
edge Of his scythe, and went away
whistling a low refrain.
He kept UP LiG refrain business for
nearly ten centuries, while MethuseIah
co3t;nned to stand out amid the cen-
eral wreck Of men aud ratinns.
Even as the young, st.ong mower
going forth with his mower for to NOV
rare,h the tall md dienfed drab
hornets nest and passe;h hy on the
outside. so Time, with his Waterbury
hour glass and his over-worked hay
knife over his shoulder, and his long
Mormon whiokers. and his high, slick
dome Of thought. with his gray lnm-
brequln "f hair around the base Of il,
moved al! arognd Methusclah aud
then Passed nn.
Methsselah decorated the graves Of
those who peri-hed IN dozen differ
ent wars. lie did not enlist himself, for
! over 900 years Of his life he was ex.
empt. He would 60 to the eniis,ing
place and Offer his services. and lhs of
ticer would tell him to go hu:ne and
} encourage his grand children TO GO
} Then Methuselah would sit around
. N"sh's front steps, and smoke and
criticise the conduct Of the war. algo
. the conaEct Of the enemy.
1t is said of Methuselah that he
never WA. the same man after his sou
: Lanieek died. lie war greatly attach
: ed to Lsmeck, and WHEN he woke up
one night to fpd his son purple in the
face with membraneons croup,he could
: hardly realize that he might lose him.
The idea Of losing a boy that had yust
rounded the glorious morn ofhis 777th
birth year, bad never occurred to him.
But death loses a shining mark, and
he gsrnered little Lammie and left
hlethuselsh to mourn and mourn on
for a couple Of more centuries without
:. him
Me:huselak finally got so that he
couldn't sleep any after 1 o'clock IN
the morning. and he didn't see how
anyone else could. The older he got,
and the less valuable his time became,
the earlier he would rise, so that he
could get al early start. AZ the ecn>
turies filed slowly by. aud Methuse,ah
got where oil he had to do vas to 81, lf.
he into his loose fitting clothes and