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ST.
vINfEURS COLLEGE JOURNAL. LECTIO CERTA PROD EST , VAUIA DELECTAT . S eneca.
VOL. I.
BOURBONNAIS GROVE. ILL. FRlDAY. Jan. 11 1884. "83"
Sinking, slowly sinking, like some we11 ry traveler, whose life and v igor a long stru ggle with sufferin g bvs overcome, "83"-its work d one, its conq uests made, its harvests gathered, its hopes blighted, its anticipations realized, " 83" is dyi ng to-ni g ht-dying slow hut sure. Yet not slow; for the hands of t he clock must t ell six ty ami a half to mark the midn ight hou r and "-ithin that ti me the f •te ofthousan ds may be Jo retolcl . But if the rem11.ining minutesspeed as swiftly as their m a te~, th e psssage from vld to new will be ns hurried as a friend's ti.l re1Yell. llll brie f AS !ewe-takin g when the heart is full and men clasp hsncls to meet--in Heave n above. And this old d ep·u tiug year a lmost reacly to he numbered wi th the solemn lwn<l re ls mtl t h 'w usa tHb in oblivion go ne ; this old yen· in which we have li,•ecl. of whi ch we have been a p tr t, whose months and weeks and daye, we hav e called our own, uutil now at h1~t t he few rem'tining hours ~ee n sc mt as slndows in the noonday- this old y ear- 11·hat hns it been to us, frien rl or foe ? Lifting the vnil that hi rlc·s .January twelve m onth~ ago fr om this u l e~k and leaden-skyed 3Jst. of December each one kn o ws the !Jest an ~ w e r rl ee p down in his own heart, t o this question; wh1.L fruits of k indness clone or gathered b.v the w:tys irle to mnke the .•oc irtl h·tne~t golden; wi.J at fl owers of frieud shi p stre1yn or g~rn ered in the stmshine to bloom and be treasured in hours of sadness; what chor ds of !Jarmony awakcnecl in other hearts, perhaps as charity giving ns charity needing fi~ our own , attu ning , it may be th e ir~ and ours even now with cheering remem bran ce, in the dim retro~ p ect o f th e yeAr soswift.ly speed ing to eternity- t!Jc,..e things e:LC"h one knowe for himself anrl from the refl ectio n, mny d etermine ho w mu ch "tl:3'' hils been a friend or a li>e. One thing is certain. The ye~ r just closing h n~ heeu ot our own ne igni ng anc!J.vt unlike, inmo~t p'trticular~' all the past _Y Pnrs of our life . .r\ kinrlly Pro ,·ir!C'n ce lJeetows t ime, leaving however. ih m n k ~ up anrl t<nnp lcti ull to be our hnuclwork. li e giYb the f'r;1 mc nnrl tho ca nv .. R "·herein me .1 1nin ~ th ~ pi..turt'. O ne d ·•_,-
No. 18
be will furn ish the or iginals etolen by each departing year nnd the morning of the judgment day will show "·hat artists men have been and what prize& they deserve fo r the beauty or d eformity of their creations. As God has dealt in t he past, so will He, if the year be given, de::tl in the future. Men are t he b uilcten of their own fo rtunes. To construct these so t~at they ru'l.y re:tch up to and dese rv e ablessing fromtl!e Heavens and yet bwe fo undat.ions sufficiently b road , not only lor self but for some poore r ne ighbor, depends upon experience, upon forethouo-ht :mel on wisdom oft timee purch · 1~ e d at a hig h price in a very du ll market. Plans, it m1.y be ob>erverl, are servi ceable guides , not only in the process of material construction but likewise in the course of hnman life. P lana however are not, nor, should they n!IYays be consid ered , infallible. F ollowing them too uli nclly sometimes results in folly and not infrequently in serious d isaster. A mar gin is a good thing, not on ly " On change" but also in household and social afi'airs. A margin for t he im provement of the things of life, with tl!at keen sense of nppreciation for a fellow being, bC'gotten of a higher mo tive than that of, "how rn uch is he "·orth and how mnchcan be made out ofhim," opens a better and broader horizon for nature's nobleown-to say nothing of the christian-than that afforded hy the st orm tossed lowering clouds of selfishness and d ece it. To be a helper ana a worker in the great battle of life, to do one's whole duty well, how bumble soeTer i t may be, is better than to be a Vanderbilt or a Stewart. To bui ld our hou e or ou r heart so large that tber11 will be always a guest chamber with "welcome" over the door for some one more dependent, poorer, more infirm, we:tker than oursel\-es, is better than to dwell ina bro wn •tone front, or, a marble palace into whose luxurious np'lrtm ents d eath will one day stalk finding things perh a p~ not half so comfortrrble as i~ the unanxious beggar' s i ca l•i n whi ch he r oubed but yesterday of a willing to-go and well prcp~ recl tenant. The years come and theyears go. H nrryi ng t hej' hurry us on. Hurrytomakethemfull. •-:-;:;" 1ras younger when his obituary began. Alas ! He is alm ost gon e ' lie's going~ Good bye, old friend,good bye. Ili~ light is out. lie's gone 1 Sleep well oldyearandpeace he with you: :
. l'li. II.