Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1920-12-31

MY Times are IN Thy hand.-Psaim s1:15.
CAD and solemn are the last hours
-, Of the dying year. Only a few
- months ago a New Year was
given unto us, fresh and pure from
Gods great storehouse Of time. 1t
has spent its life upon the earth, and
its footprints will never be effaced.
The departing year has brought to us
Gods numberless blessings; II has
seen many noble deeds done, and 1t
has seen progress In many depart
nents Of life.
The passing of another. year must
emphasize to every thoughtful person
the swift flight of time. Looking
backward over the past years of our
life they seem to shrink to the size
OF beads strung around a child's neck.
Seeking an image Of mans career, the
prophet sees his days swifter than a
weaver's shuttle; his years swifter
than an arrow, curving as It rises to
its fall. What Is mans life? he asks.
IL Is a cloud dlssolving In the sun
shine. It Is a summer brook swollen
by sudden rains, but soon running out
and leaving the stones bare again.
1t is a tale that is soon told.
These last days of the old year urge
us to husband well. the time that is
still given us. To a shrub year
means only leaf; to the vine, clus-
ter; to the tree, a new ring Of wood.
But to a man a year means a large
portion Of his life which has been
used or wasted. Youth often unthink.
ingly throws all responsibilities on the
years to come. To him everything
seems possible In the future. Then he
thinks to have time for education.
Then he will practice economy and
thrift, let the present be prodigal as
II may. The morrow will suffice for
the forming of habits and the building
of character. So dazzled by the fu-
ture the youth allows the years to
slip through his hands, and the result
Is a man who is an intellectual infant
and moral feebling. AS you pause
now and think over the past, you
must realize that the morrow holds
no harvests which the laborers called
yesterdays did not sow and cultivate.
There was an ancient custom Of put
ting an hourglass into the coffin Of
the dead to signify that their time
had run out--a useless notification to
them. Better put the hourglass into
the hand Of every living man to show
hlm how swiftly the sands of life DC
flow. But, after all, time Is Of value
only as we make the best use of 1t.
we live IN deeds. not years: in thoughts
not breaths;
In feelings, not In figures on a dial.
We should cour. time by heart-throbs
He most lives
VINO thinks most, feels the noblest actl
the best.
The old year may hold our many
Failures, many disappointments, many
bitter regrets. The New Year holds
out to Us hope and promise, for my
times are In Thy hand, o Lord. II
should comfort us when we think Of
the brevity Of our years, to realize
by contrast the length Of Gods years
We have but a short time to work
order that we may be dilligent. Blu
God has a whole eternity In whicl
20 work, and It is well to remembe
hat also, so that we may cease from
fretfulness and impatience at the SLOW
progress Of His kingdom among us
Jesus Christ has not ceased from Hi
redemption Of the world, nor has Go,
been defeated In His plans for hu
manity, for the times Of men ant
nations are in His hand.
For most Of us the memory Of tn
past is a chamber Of discomfort. lie
therefore the old year bury iron
sight its story of sin and sorrow an,
failure. Let there be sincere repent
ance for the follies Of the past, an,
then let a new man step forth to NEE
with hope and determination the gla,
New Year which God desires shall b
blessed year for every child o
earth. When God forgives. He fol-
giveu utterly. He casts mans sin
"into the depths of the sea-" VIII
J. then should memory thrust its hooke
pole into the sea to dredge the bot
e,m and bring uD by the locks som