Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-12-26
Continued from Second Page.
makes no difference what else becomes OF
IL, Living and dying, may it all be hisl


REJOICE IN THE LORD.
Thus In three chapters / have counseled
that the holidays be grouped. May moth
ing interfere with their felicities. May
they be SO spent that they will be food for
pleasant "reminiscences further on. You
know that after awhile the old homestead
will be broken up. For years and years
the children Come home to spend the holi.
days, and the house isummaged from gar
ret to cellar, and the scenes Of childhood
are rehearsed, and we laugh till the tears
come as we talk over some boyish or girl
ish freak or cry over some old trouble
ended, but the heart swings back again to
mirth, for 1t does not take half second
for tear of the eye to strike the smile Of
the lip. For few years the grandchil-
aren make the holidays merry.
One Of the many uses of grandchildren Is
to keep old folks young Then a fter few
years the annual gathering at the old
homestead is half broken up, for father or
mother is gone. About two years after
Cfor there are generally about two years
between the time of their going) the other
half Of the holiday season is broken up
Then the old house goes into the possession
OF strangers, and the sons and daug hters
by that time have homes of their own
They plant their own Christmas trees, and
hang up their own children's stockings,
and Irvine their own holly and mistletoe,
and have their own good times.
They will perhaps be riding out on some
Of those holidays either in sleigh or car
riage twenty or thirty years from now
along the places where we slumber the
TO take down beauty and strength and use,
fulnessl What octogenarians putting
down the staff of earthly pilgrimage and
taking the crown of heavenly reward
What children, rs In Bible time, crying;
my head, my head And they carried him
20 his mother, and he sat on her knees until
noon and then died"
This year went the chief poet Of England
and the chief poet OF America. Our john
G. Whittier-great In literature and sim
pie as n enild--for did not spend nm after.
noon with him in barn in the Adrondacks,
and in the evening we played blind mans
buff, he tying over my eyes the handker
chief, while the hotel parlors rang with
the merrymakingf And Tennyson, this
year gone--he who for this particular sea
son OF the year wrote:
Ring out. wild bells, TO the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light.
The year Is dying In the night.
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
What mingling Of emotions in this closing
year, What orange blossoms for the mar
rage altar, and what myrtle for the tombs
Of the dead Hosannas and lamentations
In collision. Anthem and dead march
mounting from the same ivory keys. Be
fore this year quite leaves the earth let 1t
hear our repentance for opportunities that
can never r3turn; Kind words spoken toe
late or not spoken at all; means of getting
good or doing good SO completely gone by
that the archangels voice could not recall
them. Can T. be that this year is closing
and our sins are unforgiven, and we have
no certainty that when our last Dec, 81 has
sped away re shall enter a blissful eter-
nityi The most Overwhelmingly solemn
week of all the year is the last week OF DE
cember.
TnR GLORIOUS NEW YRAR
But on opening this subject, In respect
OF holy day" as my text putsit, or aholi
day, Ms we moderns write and pronounce IL,
advised that you divide this season into
three chspttrs-the first IA chapter OF IL
lustrious birthday, the second chapter OF
annual decadenee, and the third chapter
OF chronological introduction, and this last
chapter we have reached. In olden times
there was style of closing an old year and
opening q new one th-i ~ssv.sE suggest