The Oskaloosa herald., 1908-02-13
a Beautiful Tribute To Age
l==By President A. Rosenberger.s====

SeliCu UDOh W Pdil with
large number of pioneer residents and
elderly citizens. In his memorial aid.
dress at the funeral of Mrs. s. j. Dut.
ton this fact was emphasized by Pres
ident A. Rosenberger, of Penn Col
lege. and using it as a text he paid a
beautiful tribute to age in the follow
ing eloquent language:
would ii not be seemly to parse
for brief time while We consider
SOME of the lessons, duties and obi.
CATIONS that the great Master OF life
and death would have us gather from
his daily visitation Shock after
shoe k has been coming to Us OF late
as He has been gathering in IRON our
midst SO many of our aged citizens,
Rapidly are passing away the pioneers
who weathered the storms aud tenn
pests, hardships and privati9ns Incl
deai to frontier life. Little can the
rising generation comprehend What
splendid contributions they have made
to the growth and god of this proud
commonwealth. Many Of them came
to the virgin prairies, plucked the
bright indigenous flowers that grew in
profusion, broke the native turf, tam.
ed the wild soil and turned its eX.
haustless richness into fertile fields.
builded noble structures, brought the
elements of civilization, erected fac
tory and shop, store house anG public
edifice, established Libraries AMI public
schools, founded churches and cot
leges and launched other great enter
prises that stand as enduring nionu.
ments to their industry, integrity, and
ability. .. 49,.
None of these occasions should be
permitted to slip by without bringing
to the generation of today the lessons
of their lives and the spirit of their
devotion that larger, clearer vision
and deepened sense of responsible
ty may be awakened on the part of
their sons and daughters. To us and to
our children is it mercifully granted
to enjoy the comforts born of their
travail, to eat ripened fruit and lucious
clusters from trees and vines of their
planting, to reap golden harvest from
fields tanned and brought into cultiva-
ton by their industry to point with
pride to well-fed herds and focks
pasturing upon q thousand hills and
rich valleys, where they struggled
for the mastery and to enjoy the
multiplied blessings of civic righteous
,,,nnfnfnal 1ttyin
prosperity brought about by their
vigilance and devotion. 1t IS utterly
impossible for us 10 form a just est
mate of the sacrifice made for
Not a truth has to art or science
been given
But brOws have ached for it and
souls have toiled and striven.'
1t behooYes us as legatees Of
these richest rich inheritances to ac.
knowledge with bowed heads aud
grateful hearts the deep debt of graf
itude we owe and with every fresh
occasion dedicate ourselves anew 20
the unfinished work so nobly begun.
The debt canot be liquidated except
in honoring their names and lives by
like heroic conduct and worthy de-
yotion to their high ideals. No salts
faction will avail except the forward
ing of the same god work born of
necessity and fostered around both
public and private affairs during the
pioneer days.
May we not again wisely pause to
solemnly consider the lesson that
should come as gracious gifts from old
age? The Creator has implanted in
the heart of man a disposition to
cling to life and to indulge fervent
desires that the age of hoary locks
and its attendant blessings he his.
There is something abnormal about
the man who longs to cut the brittle
thread. His constitution is not func-
tioning we'll in some of its parts. 1t
is lawful to strive for long life as 1t
is one of the priceless gifts that wis
dom may confer, for in her right hand
are length of days.
"Of Abraham, a Hebrew hero, it is
recorded that he died in a good old
age, an old man and full Of years.
To him the premise was not fulfilled
until he had passed the hundredth
milestone and was as good as dead
according to mans reckoning. He
stands in all the world as the ripened
fruit of a sublime faith in God at its
highest and best. Is 1t any wonder
that it is declared of him that he en-
dured as seeing him who is invisible?
Likewise every cid man who goes
to his grave in ripened years, full of
faith and rich in coed works, is living
testimony to the young that it is pos
sible to have the leading and protec-
ton to the unslumbering Shepherd
Of Israel all along the perilous jour
ney of life. When young men lose
courage in the day or battle and feel
a sinking of heart, what tower of
strength to see some faithful monu-
ment of Gods mercy old and full Of
years. Old age leaning on its stan
for support learns to depend upon a
fountain of strength Of unwasting full
ness. Thomas Jefferson when he felt
the infrmities of age drawing on
apace acknowledge that his reliance
Ia