The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-08-31
MIDNIGHT MUSINGS.
Drippings from the Ecttot's Candle
as 1t Burns Itself Away in the
Dark Hours of thel
MIGHT

Oark fOurS OF incl
Night.
Hark What is Il at? Only the
clock as it slowly peals forth that I'M
canny hour that is the turning point
of the night. Midnight! Who does
not think of it with feeling of gloom
stealing over them1 The midnight
oil burner starts and raises his eyes
from the page where perchance he
has been transported back through
the centuries and there among the
mouldering ruins of once mighty ma
tions has forgotten the struggles, the
problems, and disappointments Of this
century Of push and pull in the wild
race to get to the top before all others.
Yes, the bookworm is startled by the
lonesome sound and is brought to
realization Of things present. He
sighs as he thinks of the invisible he
roes he has been living and acting
with and then of the sterner and
more substantial realities around him.
He brushes his hand over his heated,
flushed forehead and steps out into
the night and looks around him. All
is quiet Ghostly thoughts comes
trooping through his mind. All the
stories of his younger days come
thronging to his memory and he CLAN
ces about almost expecting to behold
fairy, genii, goblin or some other
weird object for this is the proverbial
hour of their wanderings. But no
such sight meets his gaze. Nothing
but dreary expanse of darkness
spread out before him. This is the
midnight! The darkness and gloom
cannot be penetrated by the eye and
can only be dispelled by the light OF
day.
**s
Oh, midnight what art thou' OF
what dost thou consist? Thou
art visible, yet invisible! Thou art
tangible, yet intangiblel We have
been with thee, and yet know thee
not! Whence contest thou? Whittier
goest3 Capstone of night, explain
thy wanderings. Here with us a
moment and thence again on thy cir
cling rounds! When began ye to
travel thy orbit? when wilt thou
cease? Why vast thou doomed to
appear at the darkest hour of the day ?
What great crime didst thou commit
that thou canst not come forth into
the glorious sunlight? What wilt
thou answer nothing? Only keep on
in thy accustomed way'
~
Midnight, the time when great prob
lens of state are worked out and
made ready to benefit mankind the
time when the ambitious and over
worked student pores over his books
hoping to add mite here and there
to his store of knowledge; the time
when deeds Of darkness are planned
t and perpetrated humankind; the time
E when the miser eagerly counts and
gloats over his horded treasure; the
+, time when the man of business sits
: scheming and trying to solve the
, problem of acquiring wealth with the
least work; the time when the lawyer
e cons the dry points of an important suit
= involving many thousands of dollars ;
: the time when the industrious minis
: ter prays for attractive words in
= which to clothe the thoughts of eter-
nal life; the the time when the physi-
i clan bends over the couch of pain
0 trying to alleviate the pain Of son e
poor mortal just stepping into the un-
known future; the time when the
conscience of the incarcerated CT M
nal pricks him and will not let him
sleep; the time when the innocent,
n care-free child sweetly sleeps and
+ naught disturbs his pleasant dreams
the time when the weary man of let
e tiers racks his brain for another
thought to give the world. Yes, the
time, in which you can best tell Of a
{ mans life by glancing over his should
: er and seeing his occupation at that
hour.
*:
Verify we have our work. Like
: the apex Of the night we occupy but a
o point upon this earth. Let us strive
to fill that point as does the little mo-
r ment of time. Let us learn a lesson
f from this little teacher and go on un-
complaining. Worry not over the
Z multitudenous difficulties that spring
e up before us, but strive al all times to
do our best and leave what we do
not accomplish in the hands of the