The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-09-14
vurcval af - Spirttunfisf-Ao".n RS.
Robert Dale Owca Over f,s val
pou,s;ns--Extrao
rr.,xynut or Immortality

Jsrom the New iarm"ny Ree's"I'i o,,.
yycr funeral was early on S'inaa,
;,,y las. the weather being mos "a =, the
and the ceremonies were
grave. rvosIrs.
They were opened 10y ''''
lie said: ,,,o,1oh,e custom
- fhi"h c,o,,I ceremonies, the "lshes
maj ~ ,,,tcd on that subject Shou.a, ~
"a '''' ';Il, he carried out Whcl th'.c
'Hr - 49, rnoyn. During Mrs. owen
W.. no s,,d nothing in regard 10 ner iu-
~ p,. SOM two or three monihS aSo
- 'l,"nccd rs men say though lhe'e - nv
i,,on h-nrr as rhance--bllI't itpl'tlio"s ..i''
nv :, iIc and ] had conversation On luz,
ny. She said she would not WISH 10
, ,r,' onv hell tolcd at her iunerai'
,,n,cjallv if there was amy sI.h st,ns
,,n ~ She thought sick persons sometimes
.nf;ared Nv hearing il, and She did noI WISH
I,T doo,h In be The occasion OF gloom VI
s,e.r;nn nf any kind. Music, she Sa'o' she
:hnnoEt fitting; music, serious aiu "rPiu
,,r;n,c indeed. but also hopeful and en-
rn,,rorinr. with nothing Of the dcsrohdlhS
md sruulchral about il, for gloom seemed
10 Der most inappToprIte. ANA VIVA.
about n funeral sermon l asked. 40,
She replied. mot an ordinary iuncfal ser
mon: for these usually contain unncahiiiS
and often unmcrited praise. But shoulo
Ike , she added, that some one who has
the same ideas Of death that ! have Wo'ild
cynre.s them at the grave All TINS was
sad incidentally. and. | think. Wlih"llh
th, least idea in her mind mar htSnt
suon have TO recall il, Tor she was Ill
per(ect health ut the time, ana /, oeihG
more than ten gears her senior, expected
TO 90 before her; but 1t was olnGrWi-c
ordered. Then | sought 10 lui!'i hei
wishes. ] requested that the bcll sh0uiu
not be toled, there being ut the tilne iaay
Ia dear friend of hers seriously III al my
house. Then | selected, a Sui'ab'e lor
m,lsic on -ucn an occasion n this, poem
Nv Mrs. Stowe entitled The Other World;
AID had Il few copies printed for dlSlrlbu-
ton here. [rhcy were distributed accord-
iu"ly. and Sir. Oven reSumed.I Some
fr.cnGS have kindly volunteered 10 ana Us.
They will now sing a portion OF 'hat Que.
Ai;cYward, | shall endcayor TO say Il IL"
words on the subject of death. Then we
will sing the remaining portion OF MRS.
Stoves beautiful verses. And &iterwaTo, II
my esteemed friends, the Rev. Mr. Mi'cncli
and the Rev. Mr.. Erwin, Gone or hoiii,) oc-
are TO speak, AIN quite sure you VIII near
them with great pleasure"
The singing was condGrtod by Mrs. Briia
Golden, Mrs. Cha>. A. Parkc, Miss Louisa
pucloS, and Dir. john ID. Jones, several
other persons joining IN. TGcm Mr.. Owen
said no article Of belief. moral or religious,
seems TO me rs important is the assurance
OF Immortality. You remember the t"Xt !:
" If there he no resurrection OF the dcHu,
then is Christ not risen; and if Christ Do
not risen, then your faith IS VAIN. Few
deny this but comparatively lew !ccl any
absolute certainty about it. Even the
most earnest and dcrout Christian some
time, ADMITS how wavcring faith often Is.
Mr.. owen then related conversations
which he had had on the subject, ut one
time with well.kUown Presbyterian
CLERGYMAN OF New York, ut another
time with an Episcopal bishop. The for
mcr. n wealthy man, declared to MI. owen,
who had bccn saving to him that he (Mr.
Uwcr) lid not believe more firmly III the
existence Of the visible void than he did
in that Of the invi,iDlr-that he Qhc clcr-
cyman) would give half what he va. worth
IN he world 10 be able 10 say the same
thing. The latter stated 10 Mr.. Owen that,
assisting ut the death-bcl OF IN an aged
clcrgvman-l perfect cXrmplar throughout
a luu@ lite OF usefulness i'll faith and con-
duci--aud The conversation turnin" on The
evidences of Il future state, the dying man
EXCLAIMED: /" All, Bishop, the pGoof, The
pruoi! II we only had it, Then Dir,
owen resumed: " do not hciir, c--und
mere ! speak also Tor Der whose &C.
pariu"c from among IL We mourn to-
r.tr--l do not believe more firmly in these
trees hat spread their shade over Us, IN
this hill on which we stand, in those scpul-
chral monuments which We see around US
here. than do that human life once granted
pcriShcs never more. "A death change there
is. often terrible to witness. leaving Us be-
hind dcSoatc and torsakcn oil earth. but no
death. We never 20 down to the grave. We
cannot he confined within the tomb. It
i 4 ca>l-OI garment sacred, indeed, rs are
sacred all mcmcntOcS Which memory con-
ucct> "iih those we have loved aud lost
hul lel it i, only 4 caSt.Of garment, encoC-
li,.cci, Ia which are paid The rites OF s"pui-
chrr. She believed, rs l believe, that the
unc hlc succeeds the other without inter-
val. save Il brief transition Slumhcr, 1t may
be Of! few hours only. Neither OF us could
believe in the idc;i-almcst discarded Ill
modern tinc>-cNprc>sed in such lines as
these
- hat mFn. vi en- laid IN lonesome grave,
.h.n svs . IA death dark glooln,
TiItiv eternal morning wake
'h= sllnDsr OF tie tomb"
Such is not Christ's doctrine. "To-
day he said to the rcpcntant thief on the
croS--'. To-day shalt thou be with me- in
Paradlsc.' Again, believe. as She did, iu
The meeting and recognition of friends in
heaven. While we mourn here below there
are joyful reunions above. Also, that the
next world Is one Of many mansions, TO be
occupied by those who are fitted To enter
therein. and this because they are not bv
any earning Of heaven; for which of Us
nre lauitlcss enough for that. Yet there
ate those prepared and those mprc-
pared; and that determines our lot
he next world | S,p.aJ with
hcr also i'll the belief that there are in
Heaven duties, ayocatsoDs. cnjoymcntS
even, is various rs are those OF earth, but
Iar higher and nobIer in scope and purpose.
Frnnl1y, believe. us She believed and as
Il So beautifully expressed throughout the
ode we have been Singing-in guardian care
by the inhabitants ut Heaven exercised to-
wards those OF earth. As to the virtue and
the good deeds OF her who has LETT MS. if
nearly forty years life and conversation in
our village suffice not in WitneSS, any word
from me would be worse than worthless.
Better TO initiate her example than to
speak her praise. Well has great poet and
thinker reminded us
"Rem the dead who lives as they DESIRE"
Then the last four verses of the ode were
sung. II reads as follows:
THE OTHER WORLD.
1t lies around Us Ike cloud
world We do not see;
YET The sweet closing CT an eye
May britS LIS tLe-e TO Ge.
Its gentle bree yes fan our cheek,
Amid our worldly cares;
Its gentle voices whisper ioyc.
ndming,e with our prav"
Sw hearts around SIS.
sseet hslpinI AS throb Hnd beat
Anu ps.pi' nands are stirred,
!" les the veil between