Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1868-02-15
The Voice of the Dead.

The Voice Of the Dead.
have seen one die--ihe delight of his
friends, the pride OF his kindred, The hope
Of his country; but he died How beau
fol was that offering upon the aliar Of
death The fire Of genius kindIed in
his eye; The generous affections OF youth
mantled upon his cheek; his foot was up
on the threshold of life; bis studies, his
preparations for honored and useful life
were completed; his breast was filed
with thousand glowing, and noble, and
never yet expressed aspirations; bu, he
died He died; while another, Of ma
ture dull, coarse, and unrefned, of habits
low. base and british, Of promise that
had nothing in il but shame and misery
such an one, say, was suffered to en-.
cumber the earth. Could this be, there
were no other sphere for the gifted, the
aspiring, the embryo thought just burst.
ing into expression, the deep and earnest
passions Of noble nature, just swelling
into the expansion of every beautiful viz
tue, should never manifest its power,
should never speak, should never unfold
itself Can We believe that all this should
die; while meanness, corruption, sensual
ty, and every deformed and dishonored
power live No, ye goodly and glori-
Gus ones ye die not in vain; ye ieach,ye
assure US, that ye are gone to some world
of nobler life and action.
have seen one die; she was beautiful;
and beautiful were the ministries of life
that were given her TO fulfill. Angelic
lovhness enrobed her; and grace, as if it
were caught from Heaven, brealhed in
every tone, hallowed every affection,
shone III every ac,ion-invested as halo
her whole existence, and made il light
and blessing, a charm an a vision of glad.
ness, TO all around her; but che died !!
Friendship, and love, and parental fond
ness, and infant weakness, stretched out
their hand 10 save her; but they could not
save her; and she died What, did all
that loveliness die Is there no land of
The blessed and lovely one, for such TO
live in Forbid it reason, religion -
bereaved affection,and undying love for
bid the thought 1t cannot be that such
die in Gods counsel, who live even in
frail human memory, forever
have seen one die-in the maturity
of every power, in the earthly perfection
of every faculty; when many temptations
had been overcome; and many bad les
sons bad been learned; when many expe-
rimenis had made virtue easy, and had
given facility to action, and success 10
endeavor; when wisdom had been Iea,nt
from many mistakes, and skill had been
laboriously acquired IN the use OF many
powers; and the being | looked upon had
just compassed that most useful, most
practical Of al knowledge, how 10 live
and act we'll and wisely; yet have seen
such an one Was all the treasure gain
ed, and only to be lost ! Were all these
faculties trained only to be thrown into
utter disuse Was this instrument the
intelligent soul, the noblest in the uni
verse--wss so lsborIously fashioned, and
By the most varied and expensive appara.-
US, that, on the very moment of being
finished. it should be cast away forever
No, the dead, as We all call them, 90 not
SO die. They carry our thoughts to an
other and nobler existence. They teach
US. and especially by all the strange and
seemingly untoward circumstances Of
their departure from this life, that they
and we shall live forever. They open
the future word, then. 10 Our faith.
They open it also, and in fine, to our
affections. No person of reflection and
piely can have lived long, without begin
ming 10 find, in regard 10 the earthly OBJ
iects ,hs, mos, interes, him-his friends
-,ha; the balance is gradually inclining
in favor Of another world. How many,
after the middle period OF life, and esPe-
cially in declining years must leel--if the
experience Of life has had any just effect
upon ihem-that the objects Of their
strongest attachment are not here. One
by one, the ties Of earthly affection are
cut assunder; one By one, friends, com
psnious, children, parents, are taken from
US; for time. perhaps. we are "in
strait betwixt two," as was The apostle,
not deciding altogether whether i. is bei-
Ter to depart; but shall we not, at length,
say with the disciples, when some desrer
friend is taken, "lel US go and de With
him."
The dead have not ceased their COM
munics,ion with us. though the visible
chain is broken. If they are still The
same they must still think Of US. As two
friends on earth may know each other,
withou, any expression, without even the
sight Of each other; as they may know,
though dwelling in different and distant
countries. without any visible chain of
communication, that their thoughts ninple