Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-12-27
FRIDAY. DEC. ~. 1895.

With this Issue OF Tie HERALO'
the labors of the year 1898 close
Every week the HERALD has viz
tied your bone. We hope that 1t
has brought much to cheer ana
entertain you, that in the hours OF
depresslo", 1t has encouraged you
to struggle on, aud to cheeItully
perform the duties that pressed
upon YOU. Iii your hours o. sad
ness, we hope that its visits have
brought sunshine and that in some
number you found sentiments ex'
pressed that caused You to ce
better man or a better woman.
The year has passed. We have
lost opportunities that are ioSt
forever. We may have had the
opportunity OF saying a kind word
to some one, and We neglected to
DO so. 1t is now tCO late. The
record of our good and bad deeds
Is almost completed aud the book
will soon be sealed. we can not
change them. We may repent OF
them. We may shed bitter, seal
ding. tears but the work Is done.
The kind words and the kind deeds
have filed their mission, and the
unkind deeds and the uuklnd
words, even to those whom We
we love, cannot be recalled In
some cases, the ears upon which
they fell are now closed and we
would give mueh-we know not
how much-if we could recall
them.
A review of the past is only
profitable for the effect it may
have upon the future. The past Is
no longer ours. The present IS all
We can claim. The future may
have sunshine and joy to illuuhIe
and cheer our hearts; it may lave
only gloom and darkness to obscure
the joys which we are prone to
anticipate. We cannot tell. We
cannot 60 beyond the present
We can review the past and nope
folly look forward 10 The future
We can cheer and encourage those
whom we love and minister TO
their comfort, bat We know not
how long they will be with us.
We may scatter little deeds OF
kindness, but We know not how
long we will have this pleasure.
We NAV ,ndeavOr 70 anticipate
the joys Of the great hereafter Ou'
we know rot what they will be.
We can do our duty, though, a
tines. il nay seem difficult. We
can improve the hours as they pass
aud do all that We can, AID trust
God for the result. The year is
nearly gonc, and IN Il short While
the hand that pens these lines will
be still aud the eyes that read
the II wi be closed. L.tc's work
will be done and the great record
NAV not show wha. we acquired or
what we possessed, bat it will show
what we did. We hope that every
reader of the HERALD has done
something 20 brighten the pages
of his, or her, life's record and
that the next year Will bling to
them much that is good.
Sometimes we love to imagine
that we are visiting the homes OF
those who read the HERALD aud
that it is our turn to listen to
them express their thoughts.
Among those, who are thus called
up by our Imagination, Is one ven
cradle subscriber, whOse name has
been on our subscription books for
nearly sixty years. The Editor, the
composltors and even the young
est apprentice as we'll as nearly
all tue subscribers OF that day
have gone and he still fingers with
US. The words Of Ossian express
the sentiments of his heart: "There
comes a voice that awakes my soul,
it isthe voice of years that are
gone. They roll before me with
all their deeds"
"Life's shores are shifting
Every year,
And We are seward drlftl3E
Every year.
Old places changing fret us,
The living more forget Us,
There are fewer to regret "a,
Every year.
But the true life draws higher
Every year.
Eartb's hold on as grows slighter
And the heavy burden lighter,
Aud the dawn immortal brighter
Every year."
A Big Failure.
Mr.. James B. Pace, the we'll