The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1900-05-30
LIGHT AT EVENTIDE.
A Beautiful Prose Poem That is Worth
os Reading. Nj

OoloW we puDllsh ono OF tho beRuti.
ful prose poems that las mado a. B.
Williams, Editor Of The Groenville
News, famous. Read it, and thon cut
it out and put it in your scrap book.
Here it is:
Whom wc grow beyond tho freshness
OF youth and have not yet begun to know
the decay ct old ago wn arc in tho land
and timo Of prose. No poet sings Of us,
no painter paints us-cxoept portraits
tor which we arc required to pay--no
novelist puts us in his stories exoopt as
filing and background. They do not
mako horocs or horoines Of US, and our
trials and sorrows and triumphs and
adventures seom to be Of into, ost 20 no.
body: 1t is just at that timo whom NO
arc OLD to tho very young and young to
| the very old that Is oallcd middle lifo.
where wo begin to know and be part OF
rea! iifo that all those whose business is
with fancy and poetry neglect u.s.
Youth and ago havo oaoh their speoial
glraccs and beauties, but wo botwcon
them arc allowed mother. Ono is loved
and tho other venerated, but wo aro
merely useful. 1t is tho privilege Of
youth to dream beautiful dreams and
look forward longing ID rainbows broad
as the armament and distant, stately
alabastor tomplos, towering amid purple
! hill tops and tingcd with the hucs Of
tho sunrise clouds, glowing in the
glory. OF the dow risen sun. It is tho
happiness Of ago to dream yet moro
beautiful droama of past softoned and
glorificd by the silver mist of tho gather
ing years, tho far roccding temples
shining with tho light Of tender memo
ries, the fragrance Of old joys stealing
across the shadowcd hill tops III :ho
deepening silenco and tho subduod
radiance of tho sunset timo. It is tho
part of middle age to be, to dc and to
sulfer-to be tho verbs Of life, giving it
meaning, to bear tho burden and tho
strain.
1t is tho timo Of strength and RHO.
ness and production and valuo, for mid
dlo ago must bo the holp for tho young
and tho prop for tho old. It is tho
timc, too, Of struggle and wearinoss and
encouragement when tho first impulse
and eager, sanguine hope Of youth have
gone and tho restfulness and resigna.
tion OF age have not vet como. 1t is
the timo whom men and women arc said
to 30 in their prime, and they need to
pc, for all their power and strength arc
demanded by the ever gathering weight
OF responsibilities. Yet it is the timo
ghcn tho least help and sympathy ia
given. Everybody is kindly and toler-
ant to youth, it's follics and faults arc
readily forgiven and sympathetic hands
and hearts arc ready to raiao il from its
falls and aid it in its progress. Old
ago appeals to cvery instinct Of bcncvo-
lonoe and It's foibles, and exaotions and
sins ore condoned with prompt com
piaisanco. For tho middle aged there
is no allowance. Tho man who Coca
down at that time Of life is in evil oaso
and must recover by his own strength
and courage for the world is busy helm.
ing aud pitying the old and tho young.
1t is all tight. 1t is Just that in the
time when our strength is greatest tho
burdens should bo heaviest and that wo
should bo tho helpers Of those who arc
coming after us and the props of those
who have gono before us, and somo Of
whom bore burdens for us in thoir day
But somebody ought to writo somc
poetry or paint some pictures about us
or mako US heroes and heroines Of sonlo
novels Wo arc not yet ready to bo
venerated nor do wo want ANYBODY TO
pat US on tho head and focd us sugar
plums or make lovo to us, but wo tirc
| now and then-all of us--of being SO
entirely prosaio. We want to bo con.
sldored somehow as something moro
than tho worlds working people and
draught animals and general burden
boarors-things to bo made use Of with.
out being admired. Yet brethren and
sisters -wo who are living in tho late
spring and tho full summer and ripo
autumn--let us not repino because VIC
must be the prose part Of the story
of life and looked on as tho gonoral
bearers and carriers and hclpors. Suro.
~ thero is no place moro honorable.
Lot us do our work staunchly and
sturdily and with cheerful and hopeful
and clean and wholesome hearts.
For the summer will begin to wano
presently and glido gently but swiftly
into autumn and from autumn to win
tor Little by littlo the light Of tho
sun and tho moon and the stars shall
be darkonod and tho clouds gsthor after
tho rain and those that look out Of tho
windows shall SOC dimly and tho strong
men bow themselves and tho kcopers OF
tho house shall trcmble and fall moro
and moro and tho grasshoppor be bur.
don intolerablo on tho backs now broad
and strong. Let those Of us who must
bear and can, rojoico that we can, look
ing to that suro time, if wo be spared
to it, when wo can not-that timo when
tho golden bowl Of life shall bo wearing
thin to its inevitable breaking and the
silver cord shall vibrato but foobly to
tho faint and failing melodies of tho
daughters of music booause it is about
| to bo loosoncd
twill bo good in that timo to know
that tho knees bending bonoath our
own weight havo boon strong and will
ing to bear tho burdens Of many and
swift 20 answer where there was neod.
1t will bo comforting to know that tho
hands trembling impotontly haye in
their timo done much work and buildcd
we'll and been powerful to lift and raise
and held and prop. Whom tho oyos 500
but dimly what. is about them it will
be poaoe and glory to look back through
the veil Of silver mist Of the gathering
years to the far of white tomplos Of our
sunrise dreams and know that whilo
dreams wero beautiful and have van
ished work we'll dono shall endure, So
in the deepening silonce and darkening
shadows and fading glorios Of tho sun
set timo and tho winter the memories Of
tho noon and summon days shall live in