The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1886-12-23
BR1JTrJs.
One Of Highlands Noble
Romans
Reflects Upon the Events That
Unfold with the Cycles
of Time,
And Adds q Word About that Good
Old Individual, Kris.Kinglc.

Again merry Christmas has come, and
1886 will soon be numbered with the
silent past. It is meet that we should
rejoice at each return of the feast OF our
eavior's nativity. But amid our rejoic.
inss memory wandsrs back over the
scenes Of the departing year, which to
many has brought love, Joy, and glad
ness, while TO others It has brought sad.
ness and sorrow 90 deep, that II they
smile at all, 1t can only be through
binding tears wrung by the anguish Of
bleeding heart.
Death has claimed its victims from all
ranks Of society. Arthur, Adams, Til.
den, and Hendricks among our states
men; Hancock and Mcclellan of our
generals; Vanderbilt and Mrs. Stewart
among our capitalists, are only few of
the prominent names that have an
swered to the summons of the pale
horse and his rider. But what shall we
say of the thousands OF homes made
desclate by the visitation OF the Angel
of Death. Mothers have given up idol
lied infancy and have seen the beauti-
full caskets consigned to the cold grave.
Fathers, mothers, husbands, wives,
sons and daughters have alike obeyed
their last earthly summons, and gone to
that dreamless land from whence no
tears of anguish wrung from bleeding
hearts can ever call them back to fill the
aching void. Yet this festive morn an.
nually reminds us that if they can not
come back to us, we can go to them.
1t is meet that We should rejoice on
this anniversary, when "peace OH earth
and good will toward men" was pro.
claimed. The world has little enough
sunshine at best. Our own happy land
rests in peace since the fearful struggle
that closed in 'G5. But from our sister
republics of South America, during the
past year has come the clash of arms.
From the powerful nations of Europe
comes the tread Of standing armies, and
the mutterings of discomfort like the
smouldering fires OF volcano, which
need but spark to ignite the great mag.
azines Of war. Far off Africa is the
scene of war and contention.
1t might be we'll amid our festive re.
joicings TO ask whether "peace on earth
and good will toward men" in this age
of nihilism, socialism, and rationalism,
is making any progress. The croaker
says the world Is growing worse. 1t is
too large a field on which to decide in
one or two decades. But turn the musty
pages of history for a few centuries, and
we find war, rapine, plumber, and con-
quest the principal occupation of the
leading powers OF the earth. Might
constituted right. Even the church
had become corrupted, and darkness
seemed to have settled down over our
race. America was bowling wilderness
inhabited by rowing bands OF savages.
But as the darkest hour is often Just be-
fore day, SO with intellectual and moral
light. A free Bible was put into the hands
Of the people. Even intolerance and
persecution assisted, by driving some of
the noblest blood of the old world to
seek a shelter amid the bowling wilder
ness of the new, to lay the foundations
of civil and religious liberty, that have
lifted man from emi.barbarism to his
present position. 1t remained for Roger
Williams to advocate the complete
divorce Of church and State, to save the
former from soiling her robes with the
strife and corruption of political conten.
ton. And it remained for the United
States to demonstrate to the world that
man was capable of self.government. A
few centuries back and our modern
croaker would have found large part
Of the inhabitants Of Europe not tramps
but plunderers, following the plumed
knights from their frowning castles on
their expeditions of rapine and robbery.
II he escaped with his head, his only
place of rest and shelter would have
been with some poor monk who titled
q few acres of ground around the mon.
astery, which yielded him meager sub.
sistance, and enabled him to succor the
weary traveller. AtF .R
Let HIM who sighs for the good old
days of yore, stand on those old ruined
castles and recall the scenes of past CEN
turies. From hundreds of beautiful