Connecticut western news., 1893-01-05

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 immedi- ateness. What an unsatisfactory and in- definite thing 1t must have been for two business men in the time of Ahaz to make an appointment. saying, We will settle that business matter tomorrow when the shadow on the dial of -AhaZ reaches the tenth step from the top," ul II will meet you in the street called Straight ill Damascus in the time of the new moon." or when asked in court room what time an occurrence took place should answer, "lt was during the time of the latter rain, or Ut was a. the time of the third growing of the barnyardr'
 You and I remember when ministers of the Gospel ill the country, giving out a notice of an evening service, instead of saying at or or o'clock. would say. '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 q 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 secondv'
 We talk great deal about the value of time. but will never fully appreciate it's value until the last fragment of 1t has passed out of our possession forever. The greatest fraud a man can commit is to rob another of his time. Hear it, ye laggards and repentl 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 5,y00 minutes are eighty-three hours, which make more than three days. The thief of dry goods, the thief of bank bills, is not half so bad as the thief of time.
 SOME EXAMPLES.
 Dr. Rush, the greatest and busiest phy- sician of his day, appreciated the value of time, and when asked how he had been able to gather 80 much information for his books and lectures he replied: "I have been able to do it by economizing my time. l have not spent one hour in amusement in thirty years" And talk ing blankbook from his pocket he said, II fill book like this every week with thoughts that occur to me and facts col lected in therooms of my patients"
 Napoleon appreciated the value of time when the sun was sinking upon Waterloo, and he thought that little more time would retrieve his fortunes. and he pointed to the sinking sun and said, What would I not give to be this day possessed of the power of Joshua and enabled to retard thy march for two honrsr' The good old woman appreci- ated the value of time when at ninety three years of age she said, 1.-The Judge of all the earth does not mean that shall have any excuse for not being pre- pared to meet him."
 Voltaire, the blatant infidel, appreci- ated the value of time when in his dy- ing moments he said to his doctor, II will give you half of what am worth if you will give me six months of life, :" and when told that he could not live six weeks he burst into tears and said, ''Then shall go to hellr' John Wesley appreciated the value of time when he stood on his steps waiting for delayed carriage to take him to an appointment, saying, II have lost ten minutes forever" !" Lord Nelson appreciated the value of time when he said, "I owe everything in the world to being always quarter of an hour beforehand"
 A clocklnaker in one of the old Eng fish towns appreciated the value of time when he put on the front of the town clock the words, 'Now or when?' Mitch el, the astronomer, appreciated the value If time when he said, Il have been in the habit of calculating the value of 8 thousandth part of second" That min ister of the Gospel did not appreciate the value of time who during a season of illness, instead of employing his time in useful reading or writing. wrote silly religious romance, which in some un- known way came into the possession of the famous Joe Smith, who introduced the book as divine revelation, which became the foundation of Mormonism, the most beastly abomination of all time.
 They best appreciate the value of time whose Sabbaths have been wasted and whose opportunities of repentance and usefulness. are all agone, and who have nothing left but memories, baleful and elegiac. They stand in the bleak Sep tember, with bare feet, on the sharp stubble of 8 reaped wheat field, crying ''The harvest is pastw And the sough of an autumnal equinox means forth in echo, "The harvest is pastp >.
 THE LAST OF ALL.
 But do not let us get an impression from chronology that because the years of time have been so long in procession they are to go on forever. Matter is not eternal. No, mol If you watch half j. day, or 8 whole day, or two days, as once did, to see military procession you remember the last brigade, and the last regiment, and the last company final ly passed on, and as we rose to go we said to each other, Tt is all over"
 So this mighty procession of earthly years will terminate. Just when have no power to prognosticate, but science confirms the Bible prophecy that the earth cannot always last. Indeed there mas been q fatality of worlds. The moon