Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1896-12-11

would be for ysu,
DYING century. 10 be4ueath 70 the CON
Ing century, a. yet innocent and unscarrei
with a single sin or buriensi with a SINGLE
sorrow. the blAsphsmy. the lAElessH-ss. The
atheism. tho prOnigacy and the woes % rre q
cities siill uneyangelizei. What We ought o.
80. o diving century, Is a revival o. religion
that would wrap the continents IN cohnAgra.
tiOns Of religious awakening. ami that you 4
make legislation and merchandise and lll
styles Of worldly business wait awhile az the
telegraph Offices and the telephone ON ---
because they are occupied with telling TIE
story % cities and Nations born in q day.
Nearly all the centuries closed With some
thing tremendous. Why may not this century
close Ia the salvation Of American / do not
know whether our theological friends. who
have studied the subject more than have,
are right OF wrong when thew saw Chu.t
will come In person to set up His kingdom
Ia this world: but though We would be over
whelmei with our unworthiness l would Ike
% see Christ descend from heaven in one -
the clouds Of this morning. aud planting His
feet on this earth, wlicl He came centuries
ago 10 save, declare His reign % love aud
mercy aud salvation ON earth begun. And
what more appropriate place. say II rev
erentially-!or such a divine landing than
the capital Of continent never cursed by
the tyrannies and supersiiti0ns Of the Old
World?
What has this dying nineteenth century 70
tell us before he gOesy We all love 10 hear
septuagenarians octOgenariaus, nonagenar-
ians and centenariHns talk. We gather
around the armchair and listen till IL e far
on into tho night and never weary Of hear
ing their experiences. But Lord Lyndhurst.
at lightweight years OF age, pouring into the
ears Of the House Of Lords in four hours
nd hn 81 ~ and
Apollonius, at 100 years Of age, rec1uuting
his travels 10 thrilled listeners. and Charlie,
nacklin, al ll1 years OF age. absorbing the
attention OF his hearers, and Ralph Farnham
Of our country, AZ l07 years. telling the
Prince OF Wales the story Of Bunker Hill. can
create no such interest as this dying centen-
arian II be will only speak.
Tell US. q nineteenth century, before
you 20 in a score OF sentences, some Of the
things you have heard and seen. The
veteran turns upon US and SAYS; ~ saw
Thomas Jefferson riding in unattended
from Mont ,elO. only n few steps from
where you stand, dismount from his horse
and hitch the b-idle to a post, and on yOn-
der hill take the oath of the presidential
office. | saw yonder capital ablaze with
wars incendiarsm. | saw the puff OF the
first steam engine in America. | heard tho
thunders OF Waterloo, Of SepastopOl and
D'hhu tul bctlA HbALE. was lTt@'Ll al
all the corOnutions Of the kings and queens
and emperors and expresses now IN the
worlds palaces. / have seen two pillows
roll across this continent and from ocean
to oceau-a bilOw Of revival JOY ia 1851
and a billOw Of blood in 1864. / have seen
four generations OF the human race march
across this world and disappear. saw
their cradles rocked and their graves dug.
| have heard the wedding bells and the
}. all g.F A. 4
have clapptd my hands for millions OF ioys
and wrunS them in millions OF aconies. /
saw Macready and Edwin Forrest act and
Edward PaysOn pray. ! heard the first
chime OF LOugtelows rhythms, and before
anyone else saw ther4 | read the first lue u
Bancroit's history and the first verse VI
Bryant's "Ihauatopsls' ana the first word OF
Victor HugO's almost supernatural romance.
/ heard the music OF all the grand marches
and the lament Of all the reQuicms that for
nigh ten decades made the cathedral win
dovs shake. I have seen more moral amt
spiritual victories than all OF my predeces-
sors put together. For all you who hear or
read this valedictory / have kindlei all the
domestic Aresldes by which you ever sat and
reused all the halloOs and rOuuleiayS and
merrlments you have ever heard aud I'M
rolled all the pictured sunsets and starry
banners OF the midnight heavens that YOU
have ever gazed at. But ere | 20 take this
RdmontiOn and benedictiOn Of diving cen
fury. Tho Longest lite. like mine, must
close. Opportunities gone never como bacE,
as l could prove from nigh hundred years
OF observation. The eternity that will soon
take me Will soon take you. The wicked
ave not out half their days, az | have seen
in 10000 instances.
The only influence for making the world
happy Is an influence that l. the nineteenth
4nF tF4HE h f....lr. 81.
the Christian era--the Christ OF all the CEN
turtles. BE not deceived blythe fact that |
have lived 50 long, for century is large
wheel that turns 100 smaller wheels, which
are the wears. and each one Of those wears
turns 800 smaller wheels, which are the DAYS,
and each one OF the 365days turns "a smaller
wheels, which are the hours, each one OF
those "A hours turns 60 smaller wheels which
are the minutes. and those 60 minutes turn
still smaller wheels, which are the seconds,
And all Of this vast machinery is in perpetual
motion ana pushes US on and on toward the
great eternity whose doors will, at u o'clock
OF the winter night between the wear 1900
and the year | 90I open before me, the diving
century. | quote from the three inscriptions
over three doors OF the cathedral OF Milan.
Over one door. am a wreath OF sculptured
roses, l read, "Au that Which pleases us is
but for moment" Over another door.
hFOuuu Il tl'INut'u 'IoSS' Tedu, All lnat
which troubles Us is but for a moment" But
over the central door, [ read. That only is
important which is eternal. . eternity.
eternity, eternity,
My hearers, as the nineteenth century was
born while the face ofthis Nation was vet
wet with tears because Of the fatal horseback
ride that Washington took out here at Mount
Vernon through a December snowstorm. |
wish the next century might be born at a
time when the face of this Nation shall be
wet with the tears of the literal or spiritual
arrival of the Great Deliyerer Of Nations, of
whom st. John wrote with apocalyptic pen,
And | saw, and behold white horse! And
He that sat on Him had a bow. ana a crown
was given unto Him, aud He went forth
conquering and to conquer"