A NEW YEAR’S COLLOQUY WITH TIME. Ill 
strange and wondrous things; thou hast kept 
on thy way untiring — hast passed over the great 
city, and left messages of joy or sorrow to millions 
of the sons of men. Thou hast frosted the heads 
of the aged, cut down beauty in its bloom, and 
blighted earth’s fairest flowers. Thou hast brought 
poverty into the dwellings of affluence; thou 
hast by thy movements brought distrust into 
friendly bosoms, and thou hast separated families. 
Thou hast brought about the utterance of the first 
unkind word between those who had promised to 
love each other ever; thou hast led the youth 
onward to his first act of wickedness and sin, and 
the maiden rashly to forsake the dwelling of her 
childhood — the merchant to the verge of bank¬ 
ruptcy, and from thence to ruin, and to death ; 
thou hast plunged the man of crime still deeper 
into the abyss of iniquity — caused children to 
weep over the death of their parents, and parents 
for the departure of their children. Thou hast 
done all these things, old Time; and now, what 
canst thou say for thyself? Hast done any good, 
old fellow ? any thing for which we shall commend 
thee, or which should make us hail thy presence 
with gladness ? ” 
“ Mortal, listen! ” said Time. “ God is good, 
and to perform his will am I sent to the earth. 
’Tis to work out the designs of his good provi¬ 
dence, that I wend my way hither and thither 
over this little globe of yours. True, I have frosted 
