News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1894-10-04


Deaths lips bubbles mp in the chaIn-
payne. am told that in some Of the |
cities there are parents who have nc
tually given up housekeeping and gone
to boarding that they may give their
time illimitably to social designations
/ have known such cases l have known
family after family blasted in that way
in one of the other cities where l
preached. Father and mother turning
their backs upon all quiet culture and
all the amenities Of home, leading forth
their entire family in the wrong direc-
ton. Annihilated-worse than annihl-
lated, for there are some things worse
than humiliation. | give you the his
tory of more than one family when l
say they went on in the designations OF
social life until the father dropped into
a lower style of dissipation, and after
awhile the son was tossed out into So
Eiety a nonentity, and after awhile the
daughter eloped with French dane
ing master, and after awhile the moth
or, getting on further and further in
years, tries to hide the wrinkles, but
fails in the attempt, trying all the arts
of the be1le-an old flirt, poor miser-
able butterfly without any wings.
If there is anything ON earth beauti-
full to me, it is an aged woman, her
white locks flowing back over the wrin-
killed. brow-locks not white with frost,
as the poets say, but white with the
blossoms of the tree of life, i'll her voice
the tenderness of gracious memories,
her face benediction. As grandmother
passes through the room the grandchil-
dren pull at her dress, and she almost
falls in her Weakness but she has moth
ing but candy or cake or a kind word
for the little darlings. When she gets
out of the wagon in front Of the house,
the whole family rush out and cry,
"Grandma's comer And when she
goes away from us, never to return,
there is shadow ON the table, and a
shadow on the hearth, and shadow on
the heart.
There is no more touching scene on
earth than when grandmother sleeps the
last slumber and the little child is lift
ed up to the casket to give the last kiss,
and she says, "Goodby, grandma Oh,
there is beauty in old age. God says so.
1.-The hoary head is a crown of glory. "
Why should people decline to get old?
The best things, the greatest things, l
know of are aged-old mountains, old
seas, old stars and old eternity. But If
there is anything distressful it is to see
an old woman ashamed Of the fact that
| she is old. What with all the artificial
appliances she is too much for my gray
! ity. | laugh even in church when l see
her coming The worst looking bird on
earth is a peacock when it has lost its
feathers would not give one lock OF
my old mothers gray hair for 80, 600
such caricaturcs of humanity. And II
the life of a wording, if the life Of q
disciple given to the world, 10 sad. the
close of such life is simply tragedy.
Fate of the sybarites.
Let me tell you that the designations
of social life are despoiling the useful
ness of vast multitude of people.
What do those people care about the
fact that there are whole nations in sor-
row and suffering and agony when they
have for consideration the more impOr-
tant question about the size of a glove
or the tie of cravat? Which one Of
them ever bound up the wounds of the
hospital? Which one of them ever went
out to care for the poor? Which Of then
do you find in the haunts of sin distrib
uting tracts? They live on themselves,
and it is very poor pasture.
Sybaris was great city, and it once
sent out 800 horsemen in battle. They
had minstrel who had taught thC
horses of the army great trick, anC
when the old minstrel played certain
tune the horses would rear and will
their front feet seem to beat time to the
music. Well, the old minstrel was Of
Tended with his country, and he wen
over to the enemy. and he said to tn
enemy, You give me the mastershil
of the army, and will destroy thei
troops when those horsemen come from
Syba1is. y
So they gave the old minstrel tn
management, and he taught all tn
other minstrels q certain tune. Thel
when the cavalry troop came up the oil;
minstrel and all the other minstrel
played q certain tune, and at the mos
critical moment in the battle, whel
the horsemen wanted to rush to the con
flict, the horses reared and beat time t
the music with their fore feet, and i
disgrace and rout the enemy fed. Al
my friends, l have seen it again an
again-the minstrels Of pleasure, tn
Ministries of dissipation, the minstrel
of goddess association have defeated pee
pie in the hardest fight of life Frivol
ity has lost the battle for 10, 900 folk
Oh, what belittling process to the hr
man mind this everlasting questio
about dress, this discussion of fashion
able infnitesimals, this group, lookin
} askance at the glass, wondering wit
an infnity of earnestness how that las
geranium leaf does look, this shrive
} ing of mans moral dignity until it
not observable to the naked eye, TIL
Spanish inquisition of tight shoe, tn
3 binding up of an immortal soul in
ruffie, this pitching eff of an immort;
. nature over the rocks when God intent
ed it for great and everlasting uplifting
; With many life is masquerade bal
and as at such entertainments gentl
= men and ladies put on the garb {
q kings and queens or mountebanks {