Year: 1862

Henry WARD BEEcHER recently uttered
the following reflections, which expresses the
experience of many who have passed tie
turning point of Hfc:'


There IS period at which men come to be
strangely impressed with the thought, Il am
growing DID," l SUPPOSE ;here is year or
TWO in which all have the feeliug-it may not
Se Il painful one, but it is a sad one; it is a


tender, minor feeling-"E have passed my
youth; am never to be a bhy again; l am
never to be young any more; not only am a


man, but as a man have signs and tokens of
the failure OF some parts Of my organization. F."
! 1t is said Ofathletes, boxers, and wrestlers,
that they have second breath. After they
have gone through what may be said to be
! their first strength, there is a rallying Of the
system; and then they are said to have
come TO their second breath. When they are


on their second breath they hold out great


while. So il is with our thoughts in respect
| to growing old. We have sad feeling TO
get over, which arises from the consciousness


that we are becoming aged; but after we have
got over that feeling, they never feel old.
though they are eighty years of age. They
come to their second breath in that regard =
d
that you are failing do you find that your
feet grow heavier than they used to be? Are
there not persons here that have some Difficult
ty about the ear? Have you never thought
that persons talked less clearly than they used
to? Have you not thought that people did
not pornounce their words as plainly as you were
taught to pronounce yours in the school that
you attended? Does it not seem TO you that
the spectacle makers are growing slack? Are
there no Tins when you feel that the shadow
is turned? All day long the sun goes up, and
up, and up, till at last it stands at flush noon
day; and then, when it slents even one degree,
you see that the shadow creeps down the 9TH
er side, and grows logger as it goes down.


There are many of you that have seen the
shadow run on the wrong side and it is grow
ing longer and longer. Your sun is going
down toward the western horizon.


If a man has been accustomed to think of
his life mainly as centered or fixed here. it is


not possible that he should not feel sadness at


the indications of decaying powers, of limited
| accomplishments, of being compelled to lay
down his part OF the duties of active life
But if he feels that these things are working
| out for him "a far more exceeding eternal


weight Of glory" in the life that is to come, he
| can look upon them with composure, if not


with cheerlulneSs.


| We do rot know what mountains rich


with gold, are worth, till We begin to dig; and
the more we dig the more we become impress
ed with its great value. So long as the gold


is covered up, and locked in the hard quartz,
| it is worthless 1t is by blasting, by rending


by destroying, that the precious ore is brought


out and made servieeable. Now, we carry in


US that which is more precious than the ore,


to obtain which we blast, and rend, and des-


troy the rock. 1t is just this that the apos-


tie thinks of when he says, 1--WE have this


treasure in earthen vessels" We are like a


casket made OF earth, inside of which is pre-


ciousness, it may be of ointment. or jewels, or
something else. The real value consists in
! that which the casket contains. This body


may be shattered the casket may be destroy.


ed, and yet all that is valuable may remain.
! Who cares, then, whether the hair is white


or black? Who cares whether the eye be far
sighted or near-sighted? Who cares whether


the hearing be poor or good Who cares


what becomes of the senses2 This is not nay


whole life. This body is not my only herit-


age. go to that bright land where the i'm.


mortal part shines up and on forever and ever


And this consideration takes away the sad


ness occasioned by the consciousness of the


failure of the earthly faculties.