Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-10-03

l.
. The breath Of the sepulcher floats up
through the perfume, and the froth Of
Deaths lips bubbles up in the cham
pagne. l am told that in some of the
cities there are parents who have 40
tually given up housekeeping and gone
TO boarding that they may give their
time illimitably to social dissipations.
| have known such cases. have known
family after family blasted in that way
Ill one Of the other cities where /
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 direo-
tion. Annihilated--worse than annihi-
lated, for there are some things worse
than annihilation. l give you the his
tory of more than one family when 1
say they went on in the designations Of
social life until the father dropped into
lower style of dissipation, and after
awhile the son was tossed out into So
ciety nonentity, and after awhile the
daughter eloped with a French danc-
ing master, and after awhile the moth
er, getting on further and further in
years, tries to hide the wrinkles, but
fails in the attempt, trying all the arts
of the belle--an old flirt, poor miser-
able butterfly without any wings.
If there is anything ON earth beauti-
ful to me, it is an aged woman, her
white locks flowing back over the wrin-
kled brow-locks not white with frost,
as the poets say, but white with the
blossoms of the tree of life, in 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 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 comet And when she
goes away from us, never to return,
there is a shadow on the table, and a
shadow on the hearth, and a 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.
The hoary head is 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 grav-
Ity. laugh even in church when see
1er coming. The worst looking bird on
earth is a peacock when it has lost its
would not give one lock of !
my old mothers gray hair for 90, 900 |
such caricatures of humanity. And if
he life Of worldling, if the life of o
disciple given to the world, is sad. the
lose Of such a life is simply tragedy. |
Fate of the sybarites.
Let me tell you that the dissipations
If social life are despoiling the useful
ness of vast multitude of people.
What do those people care about the
act that there are whole nations in sor-
ow and suffering and agony when they
lave for consideration the more impor-
ant question about the size of a glove
II the tie of a cravat? Which one Of |
hem ever bound up the wounds of the
lospital? Which one of them ever went
mt to care for epoor? Which of them
10 you find in the haunts of sin distrib-
lting tracts? They live on themselves,
nd it is very poor pasture.
Sybaris was great city, and it once
ent out 800 horsemen in battle. They
ad a minstrel who had taught the
orses of the army great trick, and
vhen the old minstrel played certain
une the horses would rear and with
heir front feet seem to beat time to the
lusic. Well, the old minstrel was Of
ended with his country, and he went
yer to the enemy, and he said to the
nemy, "You give me the mastership
+ the army, and I will destroy their
roops when those horsemen come from
ybaIis. "
So they gave the old minstrel the
and he taught all the
ther minstrels a certain tune. Them
hen the cavalry troop came up the old
linstrel and all the other minstrels
layed certain tune, and at the most
ritical moment in the battle, when
le horsemen wanted to rush to the con-
let, the horses reared and beat time to
10 music with their fore feet, and in
isgrace and rout the enemy fed All,
~ friends,,I have seen it again and
gain-the minstrels of pleasure, the
linstrels Of dissipation, the minstrels
goddess association have defeated peo-
le in the hardest fight of lifel Frivol- =.
y has lost the battle for 10000 folk
n, what a belittling process to the hu-
IAN mind this everlasting question
bout dress, this discussion Of fashion
BILE infinitesimals, this group, looking
skance at the glass, wondering with
n infnity of earnestness how that last
leaf does look, this shrivel- !
ig of mans moral dignity until 1t is
OF observable TO tho naked eye, this
panish inquisition of tight shoe. this
inding up Of an immortal soul in .,
nf1e this pifchinQ off of an immortal