The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-01-07

power 10 look upon til0 tSOVduCAu6 SolT
umns, now brilliant, now squalid, now
garlanded with peace, now crimson with
slaughter, now horrid with ghastliness
now radiant with love and joy.
TEE GLoRIEs OF THE PRESENT.
This chronological study affords,
among other practical thoughts, espe-
cially two--the one encouraging to the
last degree and the other startling The
encouraging thought is that the main
drift of the centuries has been toward
betterment. with only here and there
stout reversal Grecian civilization was
vast improvement on Egypssan civil
cation, and Roman civilization vast
improvement on Grecian civilization
ind Christian civilization is vast I'M
provement on Roman civilization.
What was the boosted age of Pericles
compared with the age of Longfellow
and Tennyson? What was Queen Eliza
beth as a specimen of moral womanhood
compared with Queen Victoria? What
were the cruel warriors of olden times
compared with the most distinguished
warriors OF the last half century, all OF
them as much distinguished for kindness
and good morals as for prowess-the
two military leaders of our civil war on
northern and southern side communicate
memb ers of Christian churches, and their
home life as pure as their public life?
Nothing impresses me in this chrome
logical review more than the fact that
the regiments of years are better and
better regiments as the troops move on
! thank God that you and l were not
born any sooner than we were born.
How could we have endured the disaster
Of being born in the Eighteenth or Sew
enteenth or Sixteenth century? Glad am
/ that we are in the regiment now pass
ing the reviewing stand, and that our
children will pass the stand in still bet
ter regiment. God did not build this
world for slaughter house or a den OF
infamy.
A good deal of cleaning house will be
necessary before this world becomes as
clean and sweet as it ought to be, but
the brooms, and the scrubbing brushes
and the upholsterers and plumbers are
already busy, and when the world gets
fixed up as it will be, if Adam and Eve
ever visit it. as l expect they will, they
will say to each other, ''Well, this beats
paradise when we lived there, and the
pears and the plums are better than we
plucked from the first trees and the
wardrobes are more complete. and the
climate is better"
Since | settled in my own mind the
fact that GOD was stronger than the
devil l have never lost faith in tie
emparadisation Of this planet. With the
exception Of u retrogression in the Dark
Ages. the movement of the world has
been on and on. and up and up, and |
have two jubilant hosannas-one for
the closing year and the other for the
new year.
PUNCTUALITY.
But the other thought coming out of
this subject is that Biblical chronology,
and indeed all chronology. is urging the
world to more punctuality and immedl-
ateness What an unsatisfactory and in
definite thing it must have been for two
business men in the time of Ahaz to
make an appointment, saying, I'VE will
settle that business matter tomorrow
when the shadow on the dial of -Ahaz
reaches the tenth step from the top" or
Il will meet you in the street called
Straight III Damascus in the time of the
new MOON" or when asked in d court
room what time an occurrence took
place should answer, cit was during
the time of the latter rain, or 1T was az
the time of the third growing of the
barnyardp
You and remember when ministers
of the Gospel in the country, giving out
a notice OF an evening service, instead of
saying at or OF s o'clock, would say.
1.-THE service will begin at early candle
light" Thank God for chronological
achievements which have ushered in cal
endars and almanacs and clocks and
watches, and at so cheap a rate all may
possess them! Chronology, beginning
by approaching the value of years and
the value OF days, has kept on until it
cries out, Man, immortal; woman, i'm
mortal; look out for that minute; look
out for that secondp
We talk great deal about the value
of time, but will never fully appreciate
passed out of our possession forever
The greatest fraud man can commit is
to rob another of his time. Hear it, We
laggards and repent! All the fingers of
chronology point to punctuality as one
of the graces The minister or the lee
turer or business man who comes to his
place ten minutes after the appointed
time commits crime the enormity Of
which can only be estimated by multi
plying the number of persons present by
ten. If the engagement be made with
FIVE persons, he has stolen fifty minutes
for he is ten minutes too late, and he has
robbed each of the five persons of ten
minutes apiece, and ten times five are
fifty.
If there be 500 persons present and he
be ten minutes too Late he has commit
ted robbery of 5000 minutes, for ten
time 500 are 5000, and 5000 minutes are
eighty-three hours, which make more
than three DAYS, The thief Of dry goods,