The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-01-11

to garret tomorrow, keep Christmas.
As far as possible gather the children and
the grandchildren. but put no estoppel on
racket whether OF laughter or swift feet or
toys in shape Of rail trains or trumpets or
infant efigy. Let the old folks for one day
at least say nothing about rheumatism, or
prospect OF early demise. or the degensracy
Of modern times, or the poison in confec-
tionery. II you cannot stand the noise, re-
tire from it for a little while into some other
room and stop your ears. Christmas for
children without plenty Of noise is no Christ
mas at all. If children aud grandchildren
cannot have full swing during the holidays,
when will they have itf They will be
still soon enough, and their feet wiil
slacken their pace, and !the burdens OF life
will bear them down. Houses get awfully
still when the children are gone.
While they stay let them I'LL the room with
such resounding mirth that you can hear
the echoes twenty yeers after they are dead.
BIZ religious celebration to-day and by DO.
mestic celebration tomorrow keep Christ
mas. As for our beloved church, we to.
morrow night mean to set the children OF
our Sabbath-school wild with delight, and
in The Christian Herald, with which l am
connected. we are celebrating the holidays
by sending out from two to four thousand
Bibles day, and they will continue to go
out by express, by messengers and by mails
until we have distributed at least one hun
areu thousand copies Of the good old Book
on which Christmas is built, and which gives
the only healthfrl Interpretation Of these
swift flying years.
The second chapter of the holidays must
speak Of annual decadence. This is the last
Sabbath Of the year. The steps Of the last
year are getting short for it is old now.
When it waved the springtime blossoms the
year was young, and when it swung the
scythe and cradle through the summer har g.
vest fields toe year was strong, but it is,get-
ting out Of breath now, and after six more
throbs Of the pulse will be dead. We cannot
stop this annual decadence. Set all the
clocks back, set all the watches back set all
the chronometers back, but you canuot
set time back. For the old family
clock you might suppose that time would
have especial respect, and that II
YOU took hold Of those old hsnds on the face
Of that centenariau of timepiece and
pushed them back you might expect that
time would stop or retreat for at least few
minutes "No, no" says thu old family
clock. 81 must 60 on. I saw YOUR father
and mother ON their wedding day. I struck
ths hour Of your nativity. counted the
festal hours Of the day in which you brought
home bride. sounded the knell at your
fathers death. I tollej at your mothers
departure. Yes, must sound your own
going out OF life. must 60 on. 1 must go
on. Tick, socki Tick, tock!"
But there Is great city clock high up In
the tower. There are 30 many wrongs IN
all our cities to. be rightsd, so many evils to
be extirpatei. SO many. prisons to be
sanitaried-stop the city clocz until all thess
oro lnpo LAT c0n nn0n c0un0il and
the people Of the great town decree that the
city hall clock shall stop. We do not want
the sins of 1899 to be handed over to 1888.
We do not want the young year to inherit
the misIortunes OF the old year. By ladders
lifted to the towar AMI by strong hands
take hold aud halt the city clock. mo! mop
saws the city clock. 81 canpot wait until
YOU correct all evils or sooths all sorrow or
drive out all sin. Ihave been counting the
steps OF your progress as city. l have
seen your opportunities. | have deplore!
you neglects, but time wastsd Is wasted
forever. must go on. I must 60 ON.
Tick, toukl Tick, toekr But In the tower
of the capitols at Washington and London
aud Berlin and Vienna and all the great
national capitals there are clocxs.
Suppose that BY presidential proclana-
ton and resolution OF the senate ami house
of representatives our national clock in the
Capitol turret bs ordered to stop. "Stop,
o clock, until sectional animostiss are
cooled of, until our Sabbaths ara better
kept, and drunkenness turns to sobrietY,
and bribery, fraud aud dissipation quit the
landl Stop, o clock, In the tower Of the
United States Capitoig "No, nop' says the
clock. II have been going on 50 long can.
not afford to stop. I sounded the birthday
of American Independence. rang out the
return Of peace In 1865. have seen many
presidents inaugurated. I struck the
hour of Lincoln's assassination. I have
beat time for emancipation proc
and Chicsgo fire, and Charleston
earthquake, and epidemics Of fever and
cholera. Nations never stop. They march
on toward salvation or demolition. And
why should stopa chime for the nation
al holidays. toll for the mighty dead.
must 90 oni must 60 on! Tick, tockl
Tick, tockp There may be difference OF
few seconds or few minutes in the time
pieces, but it will be q serious occasion when
next Saturday night about the same hour
the family clocks, and the city CLOCKS, and
the national clocks strike one! twot tareel
fourl five! sikh ssyenl eightl ninel ten!
elevenl twelvel
Sorry am to have 1889, depart this life.
II has been a good year. What bright daysl
What starry nightsl What harvestsl What
religious convocations! What triumphs Ct
art and science and invention and enterprise
and religion! But alas how sacret it has
been with sorrows! What pillows hot with
fever that could not be coo!edl What graves
opening wide enough to take down beauty
and strength and usefulnesst What octo-
putting down the staff OF earthly
pilgrimage and taking the crown OF heavenly
rswardl What children, as in Bible time,
crying: "My head, my hsadi And they carried
him to 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 10 literature and simple as child
Tor did I not spend an after1oon with HMM
a barn in the Adirondscks and in the even
ing we played blindman's butt, he tying
over my eyes the handkerchief while 1ne
hotel parlors rang with the merr Ymakingt
And Tennyson, this year gone-ie VINO tor
this particular season OF the year wrote:
Ring ont, wild bells, to the Wild SKY,
TIE dying cloud, the frosty Light
The year 10 dying In the night.
What mingling of emotions In this closing
year! What orange blossoms Tor tns mar
Yiape altar, and what myrtle for the tombs
of the deadl Hossnnas and Lamentations In
collision, Anthem and dead march mount
ing from the same ivory keys. Before this
ysaz quite leaves the earth let 1t hear our re.
pentance for opportunities that can never
return. Kind words spoken too late or not
spoken at all. Means of getting good or do
ing good so completely gone by that the
archangeps voice could not recall them. Can
it be that this year is closing and our sins
unforgiven, and we have no certainty that
when our last Dec 81 has sped away we shall
enter q biissful eternity?. Toe most over
whelmingly solemn week Of all the year Is
the last week OF December.
But on opening this subject, "ln respect
OF holy day" as my tex. puts 1t, or holi-
day.. as We moaerns write and pronounce II.
1 ADVISED that You divide this season into