The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1868-11-24
FLOWERS AT FUNERALS.
BT HENRY WARB BEECHER.

About fifteen years ago was called to
officiate at the burial of sweet girl, about
sixteen years of age. Her parents stood
high in society, and she was their only
child. When / entered the spacious par
lors and went to the coffin, the face was
so fair that it seemed to me as if the
world on the other side was shining
through it. But she seemed lonely. In
her narrow chamber she lay hi pure
white, without a single flower. i could
not bear it, and without saying word
to any one, Eleft the room. There was
within block a garden and nursery,
whose proprietor 1 well knew. / fairly
ran to his greenhouse, and, without salu-
tation cried out: ''Davidsol1, cut me out
everything choice, that is white, thatyou
have got"
With my hands full Of white roses,
tube-roses, orange blossoms, sweet alys-
sum, etc, | returned and entered the par
lor. The moment passed the door, ev
cry one seemed moved by the same in
fluence. The father and mother rose up
in tears and came to the coffin. Friends
took them from me and began dressing
the coffin with them, land the mother,witE
a deep sigh, said, "Oh! this is just what
we wanted but We were too full Of sor-
row to think of them"
Will any one tell me why those flowers
ought not to be there? Can any one re-
fuse flowers to dying bodies of those
who are disciples of Him whom it is
said: Now, in the place where Re was
crucifed there was a garden, and in the
garden new sepulchre. : There
laid they Jesus"
For my own part, shall never cease
to be thankful that John Che only, of all
Evangelists, } mentioned that comforting
fact.
After the grim horror Of the arrest
night, the fierce cruelties of the trial, and
the burden and anguish of the crucifiN-1
ion, it is inexpressibly soothing to fol-
low the sacred form to the quietude OF a
garden and lay him down in a cool rock
chamber, around which flowers hung.
There, in the morning, flowers droop-
ing with the weight of the dew, leaned
their heads against the stone, not know
ing whose scpulchre they made beautiful
nor that the perfume which they exhaled
was nobler offering than all the incense
of the sanctuary. There, in garden,
among green leaves, and fragrant vines,
and leaves murmuring in the gentle wind,
He rested, and waited for the auspicious
day when lifting his head with renewed
life he should lift up to new hopes end
sublime destiny every man on earth
If there were no other reason, it is
enough that friends were comforted.-
What mother but is glad to see her inno-
cent child, never SO dear and beautiful as
in death, lying amid fragrant flowers p
Who that has true sentiment but feels
that something is taken away of the
earthiness of death by the presence OF
flowers?
Must we forever regard death from
the heathen standpoint? Shall we for
ever give way to grief without restraint
Shall we studiously endeavor to make
sadness yet sadder, and grief yet more
anguishful? Shall we muffie ourselves
in black and funeral smelling Grape, and
sing doleful hymns, and meanwhile refuse
all sense of victory, and all hope of i'm
mortality, all knowledge that there is no
death to true soul, but only exaltation
into better life?
Il will not leave you comfortless,
said the Saviour. Yet, ten thousand
christians have so gloomily borne theil
bereavements, that the young men of the
world look upon death as the awful ca
tastrophe of life. They have dressed
their houses in weeds and left the corpse
so bald and bare, in the bodily dishonoi
of death, that the men have no reason
) to believe that Christ walks with his dis
ciples in the valley and shadow of death
or that he plucks heavenly flowers ant
dresses Herewith the hearts of his fol
lowers, so that their griefs> like his owl
suffering body, shall rest in garden.