Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1902-01-31

bv putting first a figure and the time
wen YOU will cease expressing. 1t by put |
ting first figure 8. AS it is the greatest |
time of the struggle. ! adJure you, IN
Gods name and by Gods grace, make u
the greatest achievement. My prayer IS
for all those in the tremendous crisis or |
the thirties. The fact is that by the way |
YOU decide the present decade of your his
tory YOU decide all the following decades.
Next I accost the fortes. Yours is the
decade of discovery. I do not mean the
discovery of the outside, but the discovery
of yourself. No man knows himself until
he is forty. He overestimates or underes-
Inmates himself By that time he has
learned what he can do or what ne cannot
do. He thought he had commercial genius
enough to become millionaire, but now ne
is satisfied to make comfortable living.
He thought he had rhetorical power that
would bring him into the United States
Senate; now ne is content if he can sue
cessfully argue common case before a
petit Jury. He thought he had medical
skill that would make him Mott or a
Crosse or q Willard Parker or Sims;
now he finds his sphere is that OF fam.
lily physician, prescribing for the ordinary
ailments that af1lict our race, lie was SAIL
ing on in fog and could not take reck.
oning. but now it clears up enough to allow
him to find out his real latitude and long
itude. He has been climbing, but now he
has cot to the top of the hill, and he takes
A long breath. He is half way through
| the tourney at least. and he is in a posi-
| tion to look backward or forward: He has
| more good sense than he ever had. lie
knows human nature, for he has been
cheated often enough to see the bad side
| of it. and he has met so many gracious
and kindly and splendid souls he also
| ~, c;J Of
| yourself. Thanl, God for the past and de-
| jiberately set your compass for another
You have chased enough thist,edown;
YOU have blown enough soap bubbles; yolml
have seen the unsatisfying nature OF al
earthly things. Open new chapter with
God and the world. This decade OF the
fortes ought to eclipse all its predecessors
in worship, in usefulness and IN happiness
The world was made to work. There re-
maineth rest for the people OF COG, put
it is in a sphere beyond the reach OF tee,
scopes. The military charge that decided
one of the greatest battles of the ages-the
battle of Waterloo-was not made until
O'Clock in the evening, but some OF you
propose to 60 into camp at o'clock III
the afternoon.
Nv subject next accosts those in the sey =
entities and beyond. My word to them IS
congratulation. You have got nearly II nos
quite through. You have safely crossed
the sea Of life and are about to enter the
harbor. You have fought at Gettysburg,
| and the war is over-here and there sklr-
mish with the remaining sin OF your own
heart and the sin of the world, but guess
, YOU are about done. There may be some
work for you yet on a small or large scale a
Bismarck of Germany vigorous IN the
! eighties. The Prime Minister OF England
| HAYDN cOmDOSl0R
, his oratorio, "The Creation" at seventy
> years Of age. Isocrates doing some OF his
{ hest work at seventy-four. Plato. busy
thinking for all succeeding centuries al
eiphtv-one. Noah Webster, after making
!, his world renowned dictionary, hare a
u work until eighty-fve years old KEY
). Daniel Waldo praying in my pulpit at iU'
!. years of age. Humboldt producing tint
! immortal Cosmos at seventy-sX years
y William Blake at sixty-seven learning !taI
Il Ian so as to read Dante in the original
= Lord Cockburn at eighty-seven writing hi
: best treatise. John Wesley stirring grea
: audiences at eighty-fve. William &. Bryant
d without spectacles, reading IN my nous
IL t'Tbantaposis" at eighty-three years OF age
y Christian men and women in all depart
- ments serving God after becoming septua
e genarians and nonagenarians prove ina ina
lo there are possibilities OF work 1or IN
-, | a1ed, but i C0lUk you WIZ uAN P'1NN -
y seventies are near being through.
le How do YOU feel about it? You ought t
~ he iubilant. because life is tremendou
ig struggle. and if you have got through II
snectablv and usefully you ought to fe'
& like neoDle toward the close OF summe
IL dav seated on the rocks watching the SUI
;, SET at Bar Harbor of Cape May or Looi
l te out Mountain. l am glad to say that n mo;
~ Old Christians are cheerful; Danlel Weo
'h ter visited John Adams short time oefol
a. his death and found him IN very u. inn I,
d. health. He said to Mr.. Adams al
ne Glad to see YOU. [ hope you are gettr
en- along pretty we'll" The reply was: "a
az cir. quite the contrary. I find am pot
.e tenant. occupying house much shattere
III hv time. 1t sways and trembles with ever
~ wind. and what is worse, sir, the landior
"fs as near as can make out, does not inter
NJ to make any repairs"
III An aged woman sent to her physicit
~, nv and told him of her ailments ana tne u !
o., madam? I cannot make you young again
ny She replied: II know that, doctor. Wh
ia9 7 want YOU to do is to help me to grow o
ne a little longer" The young men ha
81 their troubles before them; the old ha
!QHt, iheir troubles behind them. You have 6
le11 about all out Of this earth that there Is
~ or it, Be glad that you, an aged sc, serVa
~; of God, are going to try another Hle a
I'LL amid better surroundings. stop iooNi
back and look ahead y We IN the seVs
;on ties and eighties and the nnetles, yo
l nst best days are yet to come, your gIanu'
~ associations are yet to be formed W
n h best eyesght is yet to be klndied' yo
All hest hearing is yet to be awakened, yo
we greatest speed is yet to be Travelled, yC
inc eladdest song is yet to be sung. The M II,
,o of your friends have gone over the Doru
,on and Won are going to join them very so
Ign They are waiting for you, they are wat
an ING the golden shore to see you lana; u
on. are watching the shining gate to see
vas come through they are standing by
gu, throne to see you mount.
or What glad hour when you drop
uiu staff and take the scepter, when you 9
urS the stiffened Joints and become an INN
ana tai athlete! But hear, hear; remark
W tinent to all people, whether in the wv
GER ties the thirties, the forties, the, fit
,lo T the sixties, the seventies or beyond.
tea, Rut the most of you will never re
the tho eiohties or the seventies or the six
luce or the ffties or the forties. He who pa:
TO into the forties has gone far beyond
on average Of human life. Amid the UNI
ort- families take God through Jesus Christ
tea, vour present and eternal safety. The lt
eX est life is only a small fragment OF
re- great eternity. We will all of us soon
&c | there.
are Eternity, how near 1T rolls!
one Count the vast value of your souls
non Reware and count the awful cost
,dav What they have gained whose souls
81 lost.
incc Copyright 1902 L. hiopscn.i
mat