Democratic messenger., 1894-10-06

through the perfume, and the froth of
Deaths lips bubbles up in the cham
pagnc am told that i'll some Of the
cities there are parents who have ac
tually given up housekeeping and gone
to boarding that they may give their
time illimitably to social dissipations.
/ have known such eases. have known
family after family blasted i'll that way
in one of the other cities where j
preached Father and mother turning
their backs upon all quiet culture and
all the amenities of home. leading forth
their entire family i'll the wrong dircc-
tion. Annihilated-worsc than annihi-
lated, for there are some things worse
than annihilation. | give you the his
tory Of more than one family when j
say they went ON i'll the disSipations of
social life until the father dropped into
a lower style of dissipation, and after
awhile the son was tossed out into So
cicty nonentity, and after awhile the
daughter eloped with French dane
ing master, and after awhile the moth
er, getting on further and further i'll
years, tries to hide the wrinkles. but
fails i'll the attempt, trying all the arts
Of the belle-an old fiirt. poor miser-
able butterfly without any wings.
If there is anything OH earth beauti-
full to me. it is nm 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, i'll her voice
the tenderness of gracious memories,
her face bencdiction. As grandmother
passes through the room the grandchil-
drcn 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 i'll front of the house,
the whole family rush out and cry,
''Grandma's come" And when she
goes away from u, never to return,
there is a shadow on the table. and n
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. ''Gootlby. grandma oh,
there is beauty III old age. God says so.
1.-The hoary head Is crown of glory.
Why should people decline to get old:
The best things, the greatest things, !
know of are aged-old mountains, old
seas, old stars and old eternity. But if
there is anything distrcssful 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 see
her coming. The worst looking bird on
earth is u peacock when it has lost its
feathers would net give one lock Of
my old mothers gray hair for 50.O
such caricatures of humanity. And if
the life of worldling, if the life of a
disciple given to the world. is sad. the
close of such life is simply a tragedy.
Fate of the Sybarites.
Let me tell you tina. the dissirations
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 i'll sO-
row and suffering and agony when they
have for consideration the more impor
tant question about the size of glove
or the tie of cravat: Which one of
them ever bound up the wounds of the
hospital: Which one of them ever went
ont to care for the poor: Which of them
do you find in the haunts of sin di>trib-
uting tracts? They live Oh themselves,
and it is very poor pasture.
Sybaris was u great city. and it once
sent cut 300 horsemen III battle. They
had minstrel who had taught the
horses of the army great trick, and
when the old minstrel played Il certain
tune the horses would rear and with
their front feet seem to heat time to the
music Well, the old minstrel was Of
Tended with his country. and he went
over to the enemy. and he said TO the
enemy, You give me the mastership
of the army, and ! will destroy their
troops when those horsemen come from
Sybaiis. ="
So they gave the old minstrel the
management, and he taught all the
other minstrels u certain time. Then
when the cavalry troop came up the old
minstrel and all the other minstrcls
played certain tune, and ut the most
critical moment i'll the battle, when
the horsemen wanted to rush TO the COIL
fiict, the horses reared and beat time to
the music with their fore feet. and in
disgrace and rout the enemy fled. All,
my friends, l have seen it again and
agaiii-the minstrels of pleasure, the
minstrels of dissipation, the minstrcls
of goddess association have defeated pco-
pie i'll the hardest fight of life! Frivol-
ity has lost the battle for 10, 900 folk.
Oh, what bclittling process To the hu-
man mind this everlasting question
about dress, this discussion Of fashion
able infinitesimalS. this group, looking
askance ut the glass, wondering with
an infinity of carnestncSs how that last
reranium leaf does look, this shrivcl-
ing Of mans moral dignity until il l.
not observable To the naked eye, this
Spanish inquisition of tight shoe. this
binding up of an immortal soul III a
ruffie, this pitching cff of an immortal
nature over the rocks when God intend
ed il for great and everlasting uplifting
With many life is u masquerade ball.
and as ut such entertainments gentle
men and ladies put on the garb of
kings and queens or mountebanks or
clowns. and at the close put off the dis
guise, so great many pass their whole
life in a mask, taking off the mask at
death. While the masquerade ball Of
life goes on they trip merrily over the
floor, gcmmed hand is stretched 10 the
gemmcd hand. and cleaning brow
bends to cleaning brow. On with the
dancel Flush and rustic and laughter
of immcasurable merrynIaking.
Tine Awful Change.
But after awhile the languor of death
comes on the limbs and blurs the eye
sight. Lights lower. Floor hollow with
sepulchra! echo Music Saddcncd into u
wall Lights lower. Now the maskcrs
are only seen i'll the dim light. Now
the fragrance of the flowers Is like the