The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1893-01-06

umnS, now brilliant, now Squalld, now
garlanded with peace, now crimson with
slaughter, now horl'id with ghastliness
now radiant with love and joy.
THE 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 a
stout reversal. Grecian civilization was
IL vast improvement on Egyptian civil,
zation, and Roman civilization vass
improvement on Grecian civilization,
and Christian civilization is a 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 us Il specimen of moral womanhood
compared with Queen Victoria? w nat
We're the cruel warriors Of olden tines
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-tLe
two military leaders of our civil war un
northern and southern side commitment
members 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 We're 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 den OF
infamy.
A good deal of cleaning house will be
necessary before this world becomes as
clean and sweet us it ought to be, but
the brooms. and the scrubbing brushes
and the uph0lsterers and plumbers are
already busy. and when the world gets
fixed mp, as it will be. if Adam and Eve
ever visit it, as | expect they will, tLey
will say to each other, We'll. this beats
paradise when we lived there. and the
pears and the plums are better than we
plucked from the first trees, and the
are more complete, and tie
climate is better.
Since settled in my own mind the
foft thot (-pH Str ha
devil | have never lost faith in tie
emparadisation Of this planet. With the
of Il retrogresSion in the Dark
Ages. the movement of the world has
been on and on. and up and up, and
have two lubilant 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-
lteness What I'M unsatisfs.ee5S " and in
letinite thing 1t must have0 for two
business men jim the tine }Ahaz to
make anmppo} ntrpent, ~. I'VE win
gttie CHdl "}.''il0SS uattet DOnOrrOW
when the sha dow on the dian of Ahaz
caches the t tenth Ii step from thl top" "
i will meet you in the street called
Straight in Damascus in the time of the
lew moon" or when asked in court
Dom what time an occurrence took
,lace should answer, 1T was during
he time OF the latter rain. or 1T was a.
he time of the third Growing of the
You and | remember when ministers
# the Gospel in the country, giving nut
notice of an evening service. instead of
aging at 6 or or o'clock, would say
The service will begin at early candle
lght.' Thank God for chronological
which have ushered in cal.
ndars and almanacs and clocks and
and at so cheap rate all may
ossess them. Chronology, beginning
v approaching the value of years and
he value of days, has kept on until it
ries out, Man. immortal; woman, i'm
lortal; look out for that minute; look {
ut for that second!"
We talk a great deal about the value
f time. but will never fully appreciate !
IS value until the last fragment of it has y
assed out of our possession forever. !
he greatest fraud man can commit is
} rob another of his time Hear it, We
lggards and repent All the fingers of
hronology point to punctuality as one t
the graces. The minister or the lee G
lrer or business man who comes to his t
lace ten minutes after the appointed o
me commits a crime the enormity of 1
hich can only be estimated by multi il
lying the number of persons present by a
N. If the engagement be made with e
We persons. he has stolen fifty minutes. l
n he is ten minutes too late. and he has n
'bbed each of the five persons of ten t
inutes apiece, and ten times five are a
Fty. O
If there be 800 persons present and he b
: ten minutes too late. he has commit o
d Il robbery of 5000 minutes, for ten n
me 500 are 5000. and 5000 minutes are II
ghty-three hours, which make more o
AN three days. The thief of dry goods,
e thief of bank bills. is not half SO bad n
the thief of time. s.
SOME EXAMPLES. I;