Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-10-06

right and left and balance and Chain.
The breath of the sepulcher floats up
| through the perfume, and the froth of
Deaths lips bubbles up in the cham
payne | am told that in some of the
cities there are parents who have &C
tually given up housekeeping and gone
to boarding that they may give their
time illimitably TO social designations
have known such cases. ] have known
family after family blasted i'll that way
in 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 direc-
ton. Annihilated-worse than annihi-
lated, for there are some things worse
than humiliation. l give you the his
tory of more than one family when |
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 a nonentity, and after awhile the
daughter eloped with French dane
ing master, and after awhile the moth
en-, getting on further and further i'll
years, tries to hide the wrinkles, but
fails in the attempt, trying all the arts
of the belle--an old fiirt, 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-locl1s 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 i'll 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 cut and cry,
"Grandma's comet" And when she
goes away from Us, never to return,
there is shadow on the table, and
shadow on the hearth, and a shadow on
the heart
There is no more touching scene on
earth than whsn grandmother sleeps the
last slumber and the little child is lift
ed up to the casllet 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 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
her coming The worst looking bi. / on
earth is peacock when it has lost its
feathers. would not give one lock of
my old mothers gray hair for so, 000
such caricatures of humanity. And if
the life of a wording, if the life of
disciple given to the world, is sad. the
close of such q life is simply a 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 III sor-
row and suffering and agony when they
have for consideration the more impor-
tant question about the size of glove
or the tie of crayat? Which one of
them ever bound mn the wounds of the
bosnital2 Which one of them ever went
out to care for the poor? Which Of them
do you find in the haunts Of sin distrib-
ming tracts2 They live ON themselves
and it is yery poor pasture.
Sybaris was great city. and ii once
sent out 300 horsemen in battle, They
had a minstrel who had Taught the
horses of the army n great trick. and
when the old minstrel played a certain
time the horses would rear and with
their front feet seem to beat 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 mastershin
of the army, ard will DESTROY their
troops when those horsemen come from
Syba1is.',
/ So they gave the old minstrel the
management. and he taught all the
other minstrels certain time Then
when the cavalry troop came ND the old
minstrel and all the other minstrels
played a certain tune. and at the most
critical moment in the battle. when
the horsemen wanted torush to the con-
fiict. the horses reared and beat time to
the music with their fore feet and in
disgrace and rout the enemy fled. All.
nv friends. | have seen it again and
again-the MINISTRIES of pleasure, the
MINISTRIES of dissipation. the minstrels
of goddess association have defeated peo-
pie in the hardest fight of lifei Friyol-
ity has lost the battle for 10. 600 folk.
Oh. what a belittliuy process to the bu-
man mind this everlasting uuestiop
about dress. this discussion of fashion,
able infinitesimals. this proun. looking
askance at the glass. wondering with
an infinity of earnestness how that last
geranium leaf does look. this shrivel-
ing of mans moral dignity until il Is
not observable to tho naked eve, this