Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1851-06-02
From the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
A thing Of Beauty is a Joy Forever.

A happy little incident, triAing, perhaps,
except to the few who participated in it,
occurred the other day in this city, and
which we relate, not so much in the hope
of making an unbelieving world wiser, rs
20 make the believing few better.
Reverence for the dead has been char
acteristic of mankind in all ages of the
world-costly monuments, statues, slabs
| and craven mementoes on the most durable
material, everywhere attest this fact
What living person has not treasured up
some lasting keepsake Of departed friend,
some tri6ing article worthless to all but its
posessor and good for nothing to him, ex-
cept TO awaken recollections which time,
IN its chances, might blot out? But after
all, this homage of affection is no: designed
to be paid to the senseless dead, but to the
spirit of the departed whose continued ex-
istence is acknowledged in these very acts,
and whose power to recognize such acts is
in this candid and serious manner most
solemnly admitted. Not to the mortal re.
mains, the 1ifeIess body, nre these memori-
ais given, but to that immortal, never-dying
part which thinks, wills, remembers, and
reasons as when coupled with the flesh.
But change has come over the feelings
of many of these in latter days, in regard
to the propriety Of thus honoring the dead.
No costly monuments or pompous funeral
arrays can benefit their being. They ask
no sacrifice like this from US. Our duties
and our charities are with the living. 1t is
we'll to take thought OF that time when
our earthly interchanges Of sentiment will
be intercepted, the gfatulations of friend
ship cease, and this breathing frame inani-
mate and cold, be laid where it can minge
with it's native dust, but the slight memorials
that may remain, and the few who may
remember and grleve, must soon follow,
and the thronging multitudes Of earth will
move on Indifferent to what is gone, as the
mighty forest to the fall off single leaf.
Then why not dispense with all useless
ceremony, all costly tomb stones, and
other mockeries Of grief, and lay our
bodies by as we would old clothes, the used
up and worthless habilments Of the spirit.
This brings us to our story. Whosoeyer
visits our beautiful Cemetery on the Sab
bath day, will find throngs Of our citizens
in attendance among the tombs. Among
the crowd the other day, there happened
to be DR.. w. and his lady, accompanied
by Mrs. FISH, the celebrated Spirit Medi-
um. The first grave visited, was that Of
the Doctors two little daughters, buried
some years ago. They had lain without
any special memorial TO their remains, but
affection, the frequent visits Of the parents
had effectuall ly marked the spot, to them at
least. The company had not halted but a
moment, and were discussing the proprety
of inscribing something more public to
their msmory, when the we'll known Spirit
Raps were heard. 1t was a call for ths
alphabet, and In answer to the question,
"What shall be written on your tombs2"
the following sentence was spelled:
ga MEMENTo SACRED TO THE MEMORY
OF THOSE YOU LOVE-"
The company tarried while, and as
night was approaching started to leave,
when the raps were again heard, and the
following tender eplstle spelled out:
"GooD NIGHT DEAR FATHER AND DEAR
MOTHER"
This so overcume the parents that they
fell to weeping, and again the little rap.
pers called for the alphabet. This was an
unexpected scene and an untried place to
Mrs. Fish, who with tears in her eyes and
a trembling voice repeated the letters of
the alphabet, AMI the following sentence
closed this graveyard interview:
sYoU MUST NOT WEEP FOR US, DEAR
FATHER AND MoTHER-wE ARE VERY
HAPPY"
To the initiated in spiritual mysteries,
and to the uneducated in the new theory,
this will appear like fairy tale; "to the
Greeks foolishness, to the Jews stumbling
block" but 70 the real believers in this
doctrine, it will be like mama in the will
derness, and to them we dedicate it.
The Western papers say that the Missis-
sippi has raised one foot. When it raises
the other, it will probably begin 70 run.