Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1899-01-01
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;, A Preacher ::
y Among the People. :.

1.-THE FLOOD OF YEARS.


AS l write, the earth is nearing a
given point of the ecliptic, andere this
Is read 1t will begin another revolution
in its orbit around the sun.
"The year is dying in the night;
Ring out wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true"
The earth completes revolution,
but goes on in its ceaseless round, and
SO does the life of man seem to move
In circle. History is ever being re-
peated. I'm the days that were before
the food" men and women were fall
ing in love, marrying and giving in
marriage very much as they do i'm this,
the iast week of the year 1898 A. d.
Centuries before ancient Rome was
founded, fond mothers sang sweet lul-
abys to their babes in old Bablybn and
Thebes Men pursuing their eaeft
search for earthly treasurers "a sought
gold in Ophir and "went down, to the
sea in ships" Then as now, some Sc
cured the coveted treasurers and some
failed; but the food of years rolled on,
and both they who succeeded and they
-Yho soughtsin vain long aga passed
the threshold Of common grave
Before Moses, Buddha or Jesus was
born men were trying to solve the rid
die Of life and as result, systems of
philosophy and theology were evolved
These, in various forms, ancient writ
ers preserved along with fragmentary
histories of nations that came upon
the great world stage, acted their parts
and passed on. The gorgeous temples
and great monuments of antiquity ri
val the architectural splendors of mod
ern times. There were feastings and
revelings, too, before the Bacchana-
lias of Rome. Belshazzar and his
thousand lords were eating and drink
ing to the health of each other when
Cyrus and his army passed under the
wall into the doomed city. There were
orators before Demosthenes and Cicero
who swayed the multitudes that heard
them, and painters painted so we'll and
sculptors chiseled so marvelouslyItha
their success is the despair of many
exponents of modern art. And where
are all those myriads of human beings
who lived, loved, hated, succeeded and
failed in that past long ago grown old
ana gfaN Whether victors or Van
quished, elated by success or driven, to
despair. by failure, how little it seems
to mattel now. Ages ago their bodies
crumbled back to mother earth and
their spirits. returned to God who gave
them. Birth and death. growth and
decay, seem to be the heritage of man.
Seen lin, the ligh& of history, warsaof
conquest and Individual contentious
born Of an ardent desire for material
gain seem foolish indeed 70 ~
Mans 'inhumanity to man u,
Makes. countless thousands mourn!"
But why does man stoop to the dem
on1worhp coming the hearts bloodsof
ms fellows into drachmas with whieh
toienlihh himself when, ere he knoAs
that the unavailing g4-,s are his, Death
sends him stripped and naked TO the
grave?" 1t is an old question to which
satisfactory answer is yet to be given.
If the crew of ship were to begin
murderous fight for possession of the
cargo, all of which would have to be
left - the next port, no matter who
won, they would not seem more foolish
than do men who struggle even into
death for those material gains which
must soon be left behind, while they
themselves are swept on by the food
of years to that bourne whence no
traveller returns"
Man knows this and yet he plans
national and individual conquests just
as though Alexander had not died nor
Croesus found his wealth a broken.
useless staff. The weak are crushed to
death, but somehow the powerful ever
stumble and fall into the same grave.
Not knowing but that before another
month New Years day, oppressor and
oppressed will be sleeping side by
side 1t seems. that all should be pos
sessed of that fellow feeling that
makes us wondrous kind" I
, 1t may crafty the ambition of AL
eHander to conquer the world, but, in
the grave, his dust can not ne distin-
gulshed from that of the nameless
soldier who followed him, and in Ihea-
ven his soul may prove to be smaller
than that of Epictetus, the slave. AS
the years roll on, it becomes clearer
that they who lost their lives for the
sake of others save them most truly
Moses, when he was grown. up, refus-
ed to be called the son of Paraoh'st
daughter; choosing rather to be evil
entreated with the people of God" In
himself a living sacrifice for
The sake of the oppressed, he may
have forfeited kingdom, but he in
'plred the world to nobler endeavor.
Prince Gantama, moved by the suf-
'ering of the world, turned his back
lpon palace and
Clad in no prouder garb than outcasts |
wear;
ed with no meats save what the char