Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-12-03

ana emperors and empresses now in the
worlds palaces. have seen two billows
roll across this continent and from ocean
10 ocean-a billow Of revival joy In 1857
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
death knells of near hundred years. l
have olapped my hands for millions of joys
and wruno them in rnillions Of agonies ]
saw Macready and Edwin Forrest act and
Edward Payson pray. / heard the first
chime of Longfellow's rhythms, and before
any one else saw them read the first line
of Bancroft's history and the first verse of
Bryant's "Thanatopsis" and the first word
of Victor Bugo's almost supernatural ro-
nance. heard the music of all the grand
marches and the lament of all the requiems
that for nigh ten decades made the cathe-
dral windows shake. have seen more
moral and spiritual victories than all Of
my predecessors put together. For all you
who hear or read this valedictory have
kindled all the domestic flresides by which
you ever sat and reused all the halloos
and roundelays and merriments you have
ever heard and unrolled all the pictured
sunsets and starry banners of the midnight
heavens that you have ever gazed at. But
ere go take this admonition and benedic-
tion of dying century. The longest life,
like mine, must close Opportunities gone
never come back, as could prove from
nigh hundred years of observation. The
eternity that will soon take me will soon
take you The wicked live not out half
their days, as have seen in 10000 in
stances.
The only influence for making the world
happy is an influence that l, the nineteenth
century, inherited from the first century
of the Christian era-the Christ of all the
centuries. Be not deceived by the fact
that have lived so long, for century is
large wheel that turns 100 smaller
wheels, which are the years, and each one
of those years turns 365 smaller wheals,
which are the days, and each of the 36t
days turns "a smaller wheels, which are
the hours, and each one of those "a hours
| turns go smaller Wheels which are the
minutes, and those 60 minutes turn still
smaller wheels, which are the seconds.
land all Of this vast machinery is in per
| petual motion and pushes us on and or
toward the great eternity whose doors will
at 10 O'Clock of the winter night between
the year 1900 and the year 1901 open be
fore me, the dying century. Iquote from
the three Inscriptions over the three doors
of the cathedral of Milan. Over one door
amid wreath of sculptured roses, read
"All that which pleases US is but for mo
ment." Over another door, around sculp
tured cross, I read, "All that which trou
bles us is but for moment" But ovel
the central door read, "That only Is i'm
portant which Is eternal" o eternity
eternity, eternity!
My hearers, as the nineteenth centur.
was born while the face Of this nation wa
yet Wet with tears because Of the fata
horseback ride that Washington took ou
here at Mount Vernon through Decem
ber snowstorm. 1 wish the next centur.
might be born at time when the face o
this nation shall be wet with the tears o
the literal or spiritual arrival of the Grea
Deliverer of Nations, of whom st. job
wrote with apocalyptic pen, "And l saw
and behold a white horse! And he that sa
on him had bow, and crown was give
unto him, and he went forth conquerin
and to conquer.