Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1849-06-07
Ascend on high, and carol in the light
Beyond the regions Of the starry pole,
Till ransom'd natures shall exulting sing,
20, grave where is thy victory o, death
where is thy sting"
Ruling Passion strong in Death

Ruling Passion strong in Death.
] 1t is, unquestiOnably fact, that the leading
governing priuciple of life is seen with the great
est force, during the last moments of existence.
The influence of mans previous mental cult
walton and moral training are then observed.
Men of wealth, whose absorbing passion thro'
life has been the accumulation Of property, have
in the hour of dissolution, chung to it with in
creasing tenacity-ylelding it only with their
final breath. We have on record the last words
of celebrated men, eVincing the ruling passion
strong in DEATH"
Napoleon whose great spirit had Struggled in
battle during lfes. in-death imagined himself
once more at the head of his victorious columns,
as Tete d Armee" broke from his dying lips.
An eminent French mathematician of the last
century, in his last moments, when he retained
no recollection of his friends who surrounded
him, solved mathematical problem of the great
est difficulty, in answer to question from a
friend at his bedside. And il is stated of q
learned grammarian, that on his death bed, he
and severely reprimanded one of his attend
ants for grammatical mistake.
Mozart, the great composer, in his last illness,
requested his gentle daughter to sing one of his
own pieces, commencing with
esprit! thy labor is DER
Thy term Of probation is run;
Thy steps are now lOund for the untrodden shore,
And the of immorals begun"
Ere she had concluded the remaining stanzas,
his soul had assembled TO join in pure, seraphic
strains, where no discord occurs to disturb the
melody of the music, or the object of the song.
The King Of Prussia, whose successful mill
tary career at one time arrested the attention of
the world, in his dying hours would not be de-
MED the qualification of his absorbing passion.
At his own request he was carried to the win
dow to see his army de6e before him for the
last time
But in no instance is this principle more clear
ly seen, than in the last hours of persons of ex-
allied pety. Then is to be observed the great
test of their religious principles; the world fast
recedng from their view leaves no room for re-
igious speculation, or philosophical reasoning.
The closing scene in the lives of pious per-
sons, with few exceptions, has been marked BY
a serene composure and unwaverng trust in God,
owing to the ascendcncy of their religious feel
ings over their physical sufRerings. The death
OF DIR. Hunter was case of this kind few
nI,tu 70 he hn
eff / had strength to hold pen, would write
how easy and pleasant q thing it Is toi aian
young man mourning the death of his mother,
in letter to friend, thus describes her last mo.
ments -" I walked softly to the bed !; my moth
er was SO pale and emaciated, that my first i'm
preston was that she was dead. But a smile
passing over her features, convinced me of my
mistake. saw her lips novel heard her whis.
per, e. come, come, shall soon be there."-
/" Where ?" asked. Then she replied, pointing
upwards, and In faint voice repeated these lines
"Hark they whisper, angels say,
Sister spirit come away
A smile now lighted up her features, and her
pure spirit assembled to dwell with the redeemed
above. In spite of my long cherished infdel
sentiments, was compelled to acknowledge,
these are the consultations of religion"
The death of an eminent minister of the Cos
pei, in neighboring State, which occurred af-
ter very brief illness, is very strikngy signit-
icant of the power of religion to sustain the soul
as the last convulsive pang approaches. As the
spirit struggled with the body, and when about
to burst its frail enclosure, he exclaimed, with
arms extended, All right! All right" SINH
lar to the above was the death of that venerable
minister, to some extent the compeer of Bald
win and Stillman, in their early labors, well
known in this community as Father Peak, who
dropped his staff like some care-worn pilgrim
and launched into eternity without struggle
uttering the sublime words, son rock On a
rockr'
Such are some of the sentiments uttered by
good men, as their heaven-bound spirits took
their fight In view Of the above examples,
who can believe that death is an eternal sleep,
an utter extinction of beng-that this reasoning
mind, capable of so much expansion and cuti-
vatiOn, must go out like an expiring taper, cease
to exist like the beasts that perish.