Connecticut western news., 1896-12-03

worlds palaces. 1 have seen TWO DlIlows roll across this continent and from ocean to ocean; pillow of revival joy in 1857, and pillow of blood in 1864. I have seen four generations of the human race march across this world and disappear. I saw their cradles rocked and their graves dug. have heard the wedding bells and the deathknells of near a hun- dred years. I have clapped my hands for millions of joys and wrung them in millions of agonies. I saw Macready and Edwin Forrest act and Edward Pay son pray. I heard the first chime of Longfellow s rhythms and before any one else saw them 1 read the first line of 'Bancroft's History, and the first verse of Bryant's 'Thanatopsis, and the first word of Victor Hugo's almost super natural romance. I heard the music of all the grand marches and the lament of all the requiems that for nigh ten decades made the cathedral windows shake. I have seen more moral and spir- itual victories than all of my predeces- sors put together.
 Admonition and Benediction.
 'For all you who hear or read this valedictory I have kindled all the do- mestic firesides by which you ever sat and reused all the halloos and rounde- lays and merriments you have ever heard and unrolled all the pictured sunsets and starry banners of the midnight heav- ems that you have ever gazed at. But ere I go take this admonition and bene- diction of a dying century: The longest life, like mine, must close. Opportuni- ties gone never come back, as l could prove from nigh a hundred years of ob- servation. The eternity that will soon take me will soon take you. The wicked live not out half their days, as have seen in 10, 900 instances.
 ''The only influence for making the world happy is an influence that I, the nineteenth century, inherited from the first century of the Christian era-the Christ of all the centuries. Be not de- ceived by the fact that have lived so long, for century is a large wheel that turns 100 smaller wheels, which are the years, and each one of those years turns S65 smaller wheels, which are the days, and each one of the 365 days turns 24 smaller wheels, which are the hours, and each one of those 24 hours turns 60 smaller wheels, which are the minutes, and those so minutes turn still smaller wheels, which are the seconds. And all of this vast machinery is in perpetual motion and pushes us on and on toward the great eternity whose doors will, at 12 o'clock of the winter night between the year 1900 and the year 1901, open before mo, the dying century. quote from the three inscriptions oyer the three doors of the cathedral of Milan. Over one door, amid a wreath of sculp- tured roses, I read, All that which pleases us is but for a moment Over another door, around a sculptured cross, I read, All that which troubles us is but for moment But over the central door I read, That only is important which is eternal O eternity, eternity, eternityp'
 My hearers, as the nineteenth century was born while the face of this nation was yet wet with tears because of the fatal horseback ride that Washington took out here at Mount Vernon, through a December snowstorm, I wish the next century might be born at time when the face of this nation shall bdwet with the tears of the literal or spiritual arriv- al of the Great Deliverer of Nations, of whom St. John wrote with apocalyptio pen, "And I saw, and behold a white horse, and he that sat on him had a bow, and a crown was given unto him, and he went forth conquering and to conquer"