Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-01-29

they retire from secular or religious
work, generally retire TO the grave. No
well man has a right TO retire, The
world was made to work. There remain,
eth rest for the people Of God. but 1t IL
in sphere beyond the reach OF tele-
scopes.
At the Harbor Mouth.
| My subject next accosts those In the
seventies and beyond. My word to them
is eongratulation. You have got nearly
if not 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 taere skirmish with the remaining
sin of your own heart and the sir OF the
world, but | guess you are about done.
| There may be some work for you yet on
a small or large scale. Bismarck of Ger
many vigorous in the eighties. The
prime minister of England strong at sew
enty-two. Haydn composing his oratorio,
The Creation" at seventy years Of
age. Isocrates doing some Of his best
work at seventy-four. Plato busy think
ing for all succeeding centuries at eighty
one. Noah Webster, after making his
world renowned dictionary, hard at work
until eightyfive years old. Rev. Daniel
Waldo praying in my pulpit at one hun
dre1 years of age. Humboldt producing
the Immortal Cosmos" at seventy-siX
years. William Blake at seventy-seven
learning Italian so as to read Dante in
the original. Lord Cockburn at eighty
seven writing his best treatise John
Wesley stirring great audiences at eighty
five. William c. Bryant without specta-
Giles, reading in my house ''Thanatopsis"
at eighty-three years Of age. Christian
men and women in all departments serv-
ing God after becoming septuagenarians
and octogenarians and nonagenaridns
prove that there are possibilities of work
for the aged, but | think you who are
passed the seventies are near being
through.
How do you feel about it? You ought
to be jubilant, because life is a tremen-
dous struggle, and If you have got
through respectfully and usefully you
| ought to feel like people toward the close
of a summer day seated on the rocks
watching the sunset at Bar Harbor or
Cape May or Lookout Mountain. | am
glad to say that most old Christians are
cheerful. The young have their troubles
before them; the old have their troubles
behind them. You have got about all out
of this earth that there is in it. Be glad
that you, an aged servant of God, are
going to try another life and amid bet
ter surroundings. Stop looking back and
look ahead o We in the seventies and
the eighties and the nineties. your best
days are yet to come, your grandest as
sociations are yet to be formed, your
best eyesight is yet to be kindled, your
best nearing is yet TO be awakened, your
greatest speed is yet to be travelled, your
gladdest song is yet to be sung. The
most of your friends have gone over the
border, and you are going to join them
very soon. They are waiting for you;
they are watching the golden shore to see
you land; they are watching the shining
gate TO see you come through; they are
standing by the throne to see you mount.
What glad hour when you drop the
staff and take the scepter, when you quit
the stiffened joints and become an immor-
tai athlete! But hear. hear; a remark
pertinent TO all people, whether in the
twenties, the thirties, the forties, the
ffties, the sixties, the seventies or be-
yond.