The Nevada journal., 1860-06-22


from the savage enemy, who were rushing upon
him, he kindly, but firmly declined the assist-
ance rendered to him by brother volunteer
saying, to his friend, "No, BY attempting to
assist me you will only sacrifice your own life.
Leave me, to do the best l can, and make your
own escape while it is in your power"
Peace to his memory for these noble words.
l would rather have uttered them-wounded,
bleeding and dying as he was-than have made
the discoveries of Newton, or written the plays of
Shakespeare.
By his death, many of you have lest a friend
the bas has lost an able advocste-the city
valuable citizen-the State one who might have
done honorable service in her Legislative Halls
or Courts of Justice. The ancient and noble
Order to which he belonged, and which, in ap-
propriate regalia and with appropriate badges of
mourning, is now assembled at his funeral-a
member, whose conduct reflected dishonor
upon its principles-whie mother, sister and
brothers, have lost a son and brother of whom
they were justly proud.
Men will feel that his death was untimely.
But who shall arraign the ordsrings of infinite
wisdom Who is prepared to say that his sun
went down too soon? Who shall question,
whether the judge of all the earth has done
right in permitting him to fall, ,chen, and ,chere,
and in the manner he did "The Lord gave,
and the Lord hath taken away"
At the burial of one of the best men Of our
nation, it was said, His greatness and strength
lay in his being honest, true and right minded"
May this not be said of him who lies before us,
and who is receiving at this hour, in this large
and voluntary assemblage of his former neigh
bors and fellow citizens. q ob'er tribute to his
worth than the most eloquent eulogy which hu-
man lips could utter, or the proudest monument
which human hands could rear, could give.
"Being dead, he yet spenkeM." His honor bids
us be high souled and noble. His rirtue bids US
beat back manfully and persistently, every in
1uencs that would lead rs into sin. His tempe
r1psce bids us touch not the Intoxicating cup.
His industry bids us remember that intellectual
greatness and professional excellence are things
to be achieved by toll and study, and not acc-
dents which may befall the indolent as well as
the active. His sci fsacrifcing spirit bids rise
above mere selfish aims, and live for others, and
his death reminds us, that too must die, and,
that, in day and hour we think not of, the
summons may come.
As we engage in these burial services, the
question forces itself upon US, a. II Il man die.
shall he lire again ?" This is a fitting theme for
a few moments thought, before We bear the dead
to the grave, where VIC shall soon leave him,
wrapped in its quiet slumbers. We look now
upon his coffin, and there his once active form
| lies cold and still, robed in the habilaments of
the grave. The soul which inspired it has fed.
His eye no longer flashes with intelligence; his
cheek is no longer flushed with hope, and he is
no longer affected by events that would once
have aroused him. The loudest war cry of the
Indian cannot wake him now-nor the cry of
| the weak and defenceless break his repose. - He
has no part in anything which is done under the
| sum-"
! He is dead! And what is death, Is it an
Inhalation? Is it sleep, from which the sum-
berer never wakes? A night which is all dark
ness and to which morning comes? Is it the
| breaking down of a wonderful piece of mechan-
ism, and such arrangement of its parts, that
it never will have motion again? Or, is it only
the souls release? The spirits escape from its
chrysalis state? The pluming and adjoining of
its wings, that it may rise above the din and
msts of earth, and, floating amid the sunlight
| of heaven-forever live and sing among celestial
bowers?
These are practical questions, which should
be fairly and honestly met. Upon this ques-
ton, Is man immortal is he not" says . late
eminent author, "depends all that is valuable in
science, in morals and in theology; and all that
is interesting to man as q social being, and as q
rational and accountable intelligence. If he is
destined TO an eternal existence, an immense
| importance must attach to all his present affec-
| tions, actions and pursuits; and it must be a
matter of infinite moment, that they be directed
| in such q channel will tend to carry him for
ward in safety. to the felicities of the future
world. But, if his whole eIistance is circum-
scrbed within the circle of few leetng years,
| man appears an enigma, an ine1plicable phenom-
| enon in the material universe, human life mys-
| terry, the world a scene of confusion, virtue a
| mere phantom, the Creator capricious being,
and his plans and arrangements an inextricable
maze"
With issues like these involved in the matter
it is folly and madness, as well as sin, to live on
needless of what lies before US, and neither
knowing nor caring whether there is afuturc life
or not Above all the questions of loss and gain
! above the strifes of parties and the clamorings
of ambition, the question comes, If man die
| shall he live again ?" To this question, a cold
| cheeress and depressing scepticism says, No
And it speaks as having authority. Its
assertion is as positive and dogmatic as if the
non on-existance of the soul after death had been
demonstrated beyond doubt or cavil. And yet
it neither has. nor can have, positipe knowledge
on its eide of the question. Scepticism may
question. and doubt, and cherish misgivings
about future life, but this is all. 1t has righ
| to go beyond this. because it does not know, il
cannot know, but somewhere, in the vast uni
verse. the spirits of the departed dead do dwell
Unless it knows all worlds, and is conversan
with all beings, that there is neither space
nor being of which it is ignorant. its dogmatism
is objectionable and arrogant. If, in the limit
|
seen, for aught it knows, the spirits of the dead
live there. If among all the myriad inteligen
ces which exist above, below or in the remotes
regions of space. there are any of which it ha.
no knowledge, they may be souls which onct
lived here.
Thepoorest of all kinds Of reasoning, is, Cor
man to draw an unlimited conclusion from pre-
misses which are not only limited, but so limited
, as to bear proportion to the conclusion draw
from them. If scepticism wishes to doubt, or
if it chooses to say, that "a future life has no
| been demonstrated to its satisfaction" we ma,
listen to it, but, 1t has right TO be positive 1t
conclusion is as illogical as it is unchristian.
Why should It be thought a thing incredible
that man should lire herentterf There is moth
ing impossible in such life. We live now an,
the cause which first gave us being still exists
and may be able to perpetuate our existance; OF
if at death our life should be destroyed, it ma,
reproduce it. This being so. if it could b
proved, which has not been, and cannot be, tha
God did not make the soul, that it is not spirit
ual but material and it dies with the body it
f future existence is not impossible thing
Suppose it owes its existence to a " fortuitou
s concourse of atoms" some have taught ther
: by every law of chance we are sustained in tn
a assertion. that though a man die, he may liv
again. As there is no knowing what chanc
= may do, there is no knowing but having give
: ms lie once, it may give us life again. Agair
if present existance is the result of the ha,
. monious and eternal action Of ia,es, by which tn
d Universe is governed, and the form, motion, an
L all the conditions of its various parts are regu
o lated then the law which gave life in th
d past may either renew perpetuate that life
Sb G,f,, Tha ,,xd, -. L