The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-09-04
THE COMFORTS
OF OLD AGE.
"Old Folks Day." at the Deubpr
Avenue NJ. E. Church.
SERMON BY DIR. HARSHMAN.
The Beauty Of . Life Well Lived-"Lord
Thou Hast Been NY Dwelling Place"
Sermon to Many DID,
PeOpte.

feOpIes
Old Folks day was observed at the
Dueber avenue Methodist church at
the morning hour Sunday. Invitations
had been sent out to all the aged peo-
pie Of the vicinity, and 1t was planned
to make the service especially interest
| ing to them.
The church was beautifully decorated
with plants and flowers, and every pro-
vision was made for the comfort Of
those who were walking in the sunset
Of life. 1t was noticeable that all the
old people present were women. The
| hymns sung were old and familiar ones,
| and the mothers in Israel Joined in the
singing and seemed to enjoy the old
time music.
The sermon was appropriate to the
occasion. The lesson read was the Goth
psalm. No special text was announced
but Rev. DR.. Harshman commenced his
discourse by repeating portion Of the
32d verse of the 10th chapter of LEVITT
cus-"Thou shalt rise up before the
hoary head, and honor the face of the
old man."
| Continuing, the speaker said:
| 1T has been our custom t. observe
Old Folks day, and though we do not
have many old peopl. in our Longie ga
tion, concluded that we would obse We
the day in honor of those we rave.
WHO ARE OLD.
| "Old age is an indefinite term. To
some old age seems as far off as the
deep depth of the azure blue on the
farthermost star. Some people will
say 1 am getting old, and a few will
admit that they have reached the
period of the sere and yellow leaf.
Gods purpose is that all should live to
become old, and think that the
measure Of ones life should be at least
one hundred years. reason this from
the lives of the lower animals. In the
animal creation, the duration Of life is
usually five or six times as long as the
period Of growth. A horse gets its
growth in five or six years and lives 30
or 35 years; dog natures in two years
and lives ten or twelve years. Man gets
his growth usually in from IS to 20
years, and under the same ratio should
| i've 10 De lUU OT lZU years OlU.
Occasionally some live beyond 100
years. The records show some remark
able cases. In New Holland, three sis
ters lived to the age Of 106, 109 and 112
respectively. I knew of an old man who
died sitting in his chair at the age Of
116. A few years ago Father Gabriel
died in California at the age Of ISL. In
1890 there died in Turkey a man who
had the documents to prove that he was
151 years old. In Europe there are re-
cords Of two persons who lived to the
ages 152 and 1863. In 1858 DR.. Parr died
in England at the age of 152. He had
been sent for by the king because of
his great age, and died at the kings
palace from overeating. The most re-
markable case of longevity Of modern
times is that of Thomas Carnes, of
England, who lived to be 2O7.
DWELLING IN THE LORD.
IT want to say a few things to these
old people today. I may never again
have the opportunity Of addressing
some Of them. They can say in the
language of the psalmist, Lord, thou
hast been my dwelling place. Israel
lived in tents, moved about from place
to place and had no abiding place, no
settled home. Moses, as he thought of
what God had been to him said, 4 have
had one sure refuge So he wrote this
psalm. What was true then is true
now. Those Of you who are old know
what Gods protecting grace means.
Most of you have experienced 1t all
your lives, and you now more than ever
feel the necessity of his shelter, and you
turn to the words of Moses, and with
him say Lord, thou hast been my dwell
ing place.
Few appreciate the brevity of life.
In childhood few hours, seem like
years. Older ones when they look back
over their lives, and memory brings to
view the old home farm, with the bright
flowers, the meadows, the happiness Of