to practice in the great grand school of life the lessons taught within our dear old school to show appreciation of your work by living every day the golden rule if from this our commencement day we build a structure worthy the foundation laid our architect our principal may feel for all the load he's borne in part repaid but when we stand before the father's throne with life's great structure perfect in design spoiled not by human touch then shall his work be recompensed by one who is divine meditation o thought that now so swiftly flees o'er shining pools and darkening leas take me with thee in thy flight my soul seeks thy calm realms tonight the stillness of the night was unbroken except by the faint breeze that stirred the leaves gently dark clouds were to be seen with a few stars visible heie and there a pale round moon peeped occassionally from behind a cloud at a small lone cottage and illumined it with a weird light we looked inside the cottage . here the same gloomy stillness reigned , but instead of the gleam of the moon which lighted the dark clouds outside a fire from a large open grate cast a flickering light over every thing by its strange gleams we could get a fairly good look at the room the floor was bare the only furniture a few broken chairs and a rickety old table the walls were decorated with pictures of men and women who if we may judge by style of dress lived in days gone by the atmosphere of the whole room seemed to be one of gloom and sadness seated on a low rocker in front of the fire his chin resting on one long thin hand his dark eye fixed upon the dying embers was an old man long he sat there thinking thinking 0 so deeply of his own wasted life and if those thoughts could have been expressed these would have been the words : could my life have been spent in a far better way o listening angels will you tell will you say is there no redemption unto a soul lost for a mind that has been in the night tempest tossed 0 speak if there be in that region of light a place where the heart can find hope and delight ; a place where the wretched may find quiet peace where the weary may find a dull rest at the last 1 confess that my life's been too selfish by far that my weak mind has tried my good wishes to mar with regret i reflect of the lost days gone by that bring tears to my eye to my thin lips a sigh o time would'st thou only fly backward with me could i ever regain what i've long lost to thee could i feel that if life were beginning again that i could avoid its being all spent in vain ? wearily the old man arose from his chair and threw on the last piece of wood then noiselessly he resumed his seat instead of gazing into the fire-light he watched the shadows dance upon the wall like some wild spirits at play in the forest dimly he compared the sha dows to his own life but he failed to see that even the shadows were caused by a light ! shudderingly he drew the thin wrap more closely around him whispering as he did so shadows haunt me night and day hope is fading fast away rise not before me wasted life keener thou than sharpest knife too late thou com'st with thy tale of woe to me thou'st been the greatest foe can / think of one good deed you say impossible fiend away away but hold one moment to reflect — don't leave my soul forever wrecked o yes i drew one spirit back