Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1861-01-31
The Dead.

The dead are the only people that never
grow old. There was something typical in the
arrestment of time in the case of the youthful
miner, of whom we have already spoken. \ Your
little brother or sister that died long ago re-
maius in death and in remembrance the same
young thing forever. 1t is fourteen years this
evening since the writer's sister left this world.
She was fifteen years old thon-She is fifteen
years old yet have grown older since by
by fourteen years, but she has never changed
as they advanced; and if God spares me to
four-score, never shall think of her as other
than the youthful creature she faded. The
other day listened as poor woman told Of
the death of her first born child. He was two
years old She had a small washing-green,
across which was stretched rope. that came
in the middle close to the ground. The boy
was leaning on the rope, swinging backwards
and forwards, and shouting with delight. The
mother went into her cottage and lost sight of
him for minute; and when she returned the
little man was lying across the rope, dead. 1t
had got under his chin he had not sense to
push it away; and he was suffocated.
The mother told me, and / believe truely
that she had never been the same person since
that though it is eighteen years since then, she
thought of her child as an iufant Of two years
vet; it is little child she looks for to meet her
at the gate of the Golden City. Had her child
lived he would have been twenty years old
now; he died. and he is only two; he is two
vet; he will never be more than two. The lit
tie rosy face of that morning, and the little
half artculate voice, would have been family
remembered by the mother had they gradual
" died into boyhOod and manhood but that
day stereotyped them; they remained unchang-
ed
Have you seen, my reader, the face that
had grown old in life, grow young after death
the expression of many years since, lost for
long come out startingly in the features, fixed
snd cold Every one has seen it; aud it is
sometimes strange how rapidly the change
takes place The marks of pain fade out aud
with them the marks of age. once saw an
aged lady die She had borne sharp pain for
many days with the endurance Of martyr; she
had to bear sharp pain TO the very last. The
features were tense and rigid with suffering
they remained so while life remained. 1t was
beautiful sight to see the change that took
place in the very instant of dissolution.
The features, sharu for many days with
pain, in that instant recovered the old aspect
of quetude which they had borne in health;
the tense, tight look was gone. You saw the
the signs of pain go out. You felt that all Suf-
fering was over. 1t was no more OF course
than the working of physical law; but in that
case it seemed as if there was a further mean
ing conveyed. And so it seems to me when
the young look comes back on the departed
Christians face. Gone, it seems to say, where
the progress Of time shall no longer bring age
or decay Gone where there are beings whose
life may be reckoned by centuries, but in whom
life is fresh and young, and always will be so.
Close the aged eyes! Fold the aged hands in
rest. Their cwner is no longer old !-ErOm
RecOllectiOHs Of q Country ParSon.