Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1871-03-01
AegOrieal Requiem Over the Grave Of
neparted MemanhOOd.


IN JEANNE McM.
/ A. we turn our gaze from external
and perceptable objects, to the intern
al and imperceptable ones, we may
I recognize life as one vast burial
ground. Mind cannot wander with
out treading among graves. For, in
symbol Of the death and resurrection
from our physical bodies, we find all
manifestation OF life in mind or mat
ter subject to the change called death.
Whlch Is ever but passage through
I an entrance or gloom intO a different
form Of life, either higher or lower.
I After spending a long period Of time
Z in the land Of reflection. the genius of
/ truth which had guided me thither.
[ aroused and bade me follow, as he led
the way toward a vast cemetry.
I which, when we entered. | found to
be the burial ground Of the unseen.-
Monuments builded from the death
producing causes, marked each grave
one towering above the others, and
surrounded by crowd Of unusually
depressed mOurners attracted my at
tention, and drawing near ! learned
from the strange inscription, that
blooming wOmanhood--whom once it
was my pleasure 10 knOw-was gone.
In the monumental pile OF warning
causes, l beheld such q variety Of
things with which my ignorant, un-
taught soul could associate no injury,
that with saddened heart / turned to
my guide asking explanation thereof
"a sad, sad story" said he, "lies
written in this epigram, which I see
you fail to interpret To the once
lovely creature who les buried here
was given the great heritage Of
Heath, as foundation to AL high In
tellectual and spiritual excellence
With compass and chart to guide into
paths of wisdom and righteousness,
We saw her start on the journey of
Life; with these 10 direct, she could
search into the hidden laws of her
being, learn her relation to external
things, and through obedience there
to, to not only n1d51tdiR her rare
beauty and perfection, but be enabled
to QrOtD into godlike beauty and purl-
ty. This rare being spent much time
in the fresh air and sunshine. Herein
lay the secret of good digestion, of
pure blood, which fed her clear COM
plexion with rosy tint, gave brilian-
cy 10 those bright eyes, and elasticity
to every movement.
soon we aroused her intuitive
prompting TO a greater perfection.
But the element men call evil, which
is ever ready with serpent-like subtil-
ity, came with the solicitation of her
hungering soul for knowledge, and
pointing to her easier and quicker
ways of attainment than we had Civ
en-, she readily yielded to the ctarms
of his false teaching, and soon entered
upon course for imprOving her form.
Models OF beauty were given her, and
with fetter-hke thongs did she cramp
and dwarf her dimensions in likeness
thereof. The most vital part iOf her
organization was bound with this
death-dealing power. Ahl the har-
mony of the machinery was here
checked. No longer could pure food
be properly digested or assimilated
with the great pFopelling muscular
power thus crippled. The natural
breathing power was gone. INSULT
cient oxygen entered the lungs for the
publication of the blood, and slug
gishly It coursed its way, poorly nour-
ishing the hungry tissues. Soon
plumpness Of form was diminished;
elasticity of limb was gone; roses had
fled from the cheek; shriYelled and
sallow was the once clear complexion,
and the dim eyes told plainly of the
loss of vigOr.
Again she listened to ways and
remedies suggested by the evil teach
er. Cosmetics were now given her,
and in this artificial covering OF de-
fects was she satisfied. The deformi-
ty, of shrunken starved muscle, was
further increased by heat producing
artificial plumpness. Stimulating
beverages must she use, with stimu-
lating food, all to rouse the tagging,
latent forces to unnatural effort and
untimely end. But she knelg Il not;
unacquainted with the laws ere gave,
she little dreamed that the fresh
strength she felt was but the death
struggle, and her confidence in her
destroyer increased. No longer proud
OF her lightness of step, she sought to
hide its leaden movement in trailing
robes, and thus fettered, she no long
er rOamed DER field and meadow, the
Queen of nature : No! Sadly we now
beheld her groveling subject to the
King Of Darkness. Books were now
given her, and in them the rules of
action, men call etiquette, wherein
she learned to assume that which she
fett not, to govern her actions by rule
which left the inner life none the
purer or better.
Seeing her danger, her death i'm
pending, we renewed our efforts at
her call as with look of unsatisfed
longing and terror, she turned her
gaze toward US, her natural protectors. !
All possible sustaining influence was
thrown around her. Her very mind F.
seemed eongealed and difficult to i'm
press. But as we watched by her in |
her last hours, her natural forces raj !
lied, and with something of her old Z
vigor, she elasped our hands with full [
evidence Of recognition, whilst she /
spoke in tones of entreaty, begging us /
to tell all of the snare into which she 4
had fallen. COP said she, tell my 4
sisters that I have drank the cup of |
ignorance to its very dregs, and found /
therein no drop of Joy, ndught but the /
poison which brings my death. Tell I
them now see wherein I was wrong; I
that 1 worked upon the outer instead |
Of the inner man-the fouIit of life I
Instead of acquiring truth, sincerity, I
elegance and refinement, I assumed /
their manifestation, alas to find that I
rs mere trappings they were naught I
In perfeeting womanhOod. Bid them 7.
to learn the graces OF the soul in the
true culture of all their faculties.
Then, and not till then. will the inner
nature be EHOIVR by the spontaneous
~ fol=faHfnvn Of al WN.e Z .
UrgS them to cast aside every false
md deceptive article of apparel; TO
study the science Of human life, and
here learn the causes and cures of
my departure from symmetry in eth
r soul or body east away every slim
Hating spur; come down upon their
-eal power and strength, and build
rom the small principal of life force
hat is left them. Then, when my
advice is needed and acted upon, then
will come my resurrection
''These were her last words" spake
ny guide. 1--WE laid her casket here
where she had fallen, with the enor-
nous burden that bore her down to
ieath marking the spot, whilst now
We await the glad day of res,Hrected
Wilt thou, oh woman!
urn and work with us for the end?'
Turning, with fearful eyes to thank
ny deliverer and proclaim myself en-
listed in his service, / found he had
lisappearsd, and only the objects of ;
he visible world greeted my vision,
-et all was infused with new mean
ng, and my soul was fiedged for high
T range Of actiOn.-Medical Inde-
PENDENT.