WHAT a day is this! A weeping nation [See p. 358], in all its thousand
churches and million homes, participates in the [352] mournful
solemnities at Cleveland. A great kindred nation takes part in our
sorrow. Its queen, the Queen of England, sends her sympathy, deeper
than words, to the mourning, queenly relict of our noble President.
Never shall I, or my children to the fourth generation, probably, see
such a day. Never was the whole world girdled in by one sentiment like
this of to-day.
To the Same.
ST. DAVID'S, Jan. 1, 1882.
. . . FOR a month or two I have been feeling as if the year would never
end. But it has come, and here is the beginning of a new. And of what
year of the world? Who knows anything about it? Do you? does anybody?
What is, or can be, known of a human race on this globe more than 4,000
years ago--or 4,000,000? Oh! this dreadful ignorance! Fain would I go
to another world, if it would clear up the problems of this.
. . . .
All I can do is to fall upon the knees of my heart and say, "0 God, let
the vision of Thy glory never be hidden from my eyes in this world or
any other, but forever grow brighter and brighter!"
We have had some bad and some sad times here. M. must tell you about
them.
Happy New Year to you all.