The Republican journal., 1872-10-31

PERSONS rescued from burning buildings
have been found lifeess, though their
oodles had barely been singed; proving
thaI the SLOW consuming OF flesh, which APP
pears to Us to be so awful and so ag0niz-
ing, takes place too late to produce pam.
he victim we imagine to be wrthing in
untold torture is at that moment beyond
the reach OF physical harm, beyond the
capacity to suffer further
It has ~ happened that | have seen
many men and women die Without de-
sign OF disposition on my part, have
very many times been present when sick
| persons We're cbbing to eternity. ! have
| seen men and women, Young and old,
cultivated and igno.ant, orthodox and
heterodoX. in their last moments, and, as
rule, all of them passed away, if not with
out regret, at least with entire resignation.
None Of them showed dread of the future.
Their thoughts were fixed on what they
were quitting. not on what they were
going 10. observed that some of them
We're troubled, perhaps distressed, when
they first thought they could not recover,
but that, the nearer their end came. the
less apprehensivc and the calmer they
| grew. Having once banishei. hope, tran
substitute, and aterward, il free from
! phNSlttl pain, there was mrufflel peace If
encouraged to believe they might get vel,
or II they had Il favorable turn, the old
anxiety, with something Of the former ap-
/ preheslon. reaprearcd; proving that
their mental disquietnac was born of their
expectation ot life, not OF their tear OF
death. Thus was established Il clear
analogy between material and spiritual
anguish under the same circumstances
As we have seen they wht are badly hurt
or Seriouslr i'll, experience suffering in
going back to life, while the downward
path to death, both for the body and the
soul, is paved with smocthness and SER
entity.
Here let me say, parentheticaliv, lest
offend, as | would not, religious conyie-
ton, that in this paper speak OF death in
| the main simply as Il fact. 4 phenomenon
Of nature, and neither to enforce nor at
| tack theological doctrine. Death is in
| deed Il physical fact, whatever spiritual
IDEAS may cluster about il; and as such it
is for me to regard it in this writing.
! Women, much more delicately consti-
tuted and with a tar higher nervous or
| ganization than ourselves, might reason
ably be thought to view death with more
horror than men would And 50 they do,
while in health and comfort. But, seized
| by illness or exposed to imminent peril,
they have u patience, Il tortitule, and a
courage that often put Us to shame Their
heroism is latent, but capable Of meeting
emergencies, which men must know who
have seen it practically tested. Regard
| lt Il t,n,
/ frightened, even startled at the mention OF
| hisnam e; but when he approaches near
| they look on him without intimidation
He alarms their imagination, though he
cannot shake by his real presence their
| equal souls. We have all seen women.
and those to whom youth and love and
beauty must have made life precious, die
so calmly and trllstfnllv that one might
| believe them enamored OF The grave. 1t
may be that their finer instincts compre-
hend secret, OF the future Opaque to Us,
ana that, nearer than we to G0d, they see
the fight where only darkness isto earthlier
eyes. What their great sensibiIity and
emotional power. it might be expected
that, in undergoing the mysterious change,
| women would giye way to tears, and con
| Dure up nameleSs teTrorS, rs they frequent
| ~ do IN times Of mere nervous excite
ment. quite the contrary is true, how
ever Serious illness or danger rather
| allayS than provokes their fears they
manifest the truest courage when the oc-
easlon for its display is the most urgent
| Every one is aware that what is under
stood to be the religious element whether
in secJarlan or philosophic import finds
native residence IN the feminine breast
| 1t IS reasonable, therefore, to infer that 4
woman's view of death being contiguous,
would be the proper and spontaneous
view. Such Is my belief, and, so believ-
ing, | am confirmed in the position that
the fear of dissolution is in Il direct ratio
to what is conceived to be its distance ;
that the shadow lessons as the noon OF
Truth draws nigh.
Men of large culture and seif-discipline,
with strong will aud stubborn pride, may
conceal their feelings and withhold their
opinions even in the face OF the Grim
conqueror OF all. Tired Discrimination
does not always drOr her mask before the
mighty apparition. They who play parts
in the comedy of life may play parts also
in the tragedy OF death, which is deprived
OF its strangeness as its certainty becomes
assured. We can readily conceiye how
trembling spirit may bear al unblanched
cheek and unqnailin% eye INTO the deep
est home Of horrors; for there are wills
Fate cannot bend, and stoicisns the cter-
nal gods may not shake.
Had witnessed the evodus from this
planet only Of men cCnstitutionaly self
contained and set-dependent | should
still think there might yet remain hn un-
OWNED secret of their being But have
witnessed death in 20 many forms, under
such variety Of circumstances, and as
coming to such different kinds Of persons.
that | am justified in tile generalization
that death is not dreadful in itsel
Few things are more contOunded than
the instinct of Sc t-pres saryation and the
fear of death. Il 4cauSe Il man STRUGGLES
for OF clings to lt4, it does not follow that
he has any dread OF death. Irrational at
tachment is often the antipodes of con-
scious terror. Every one OF us has cause
and motive to continue in existence 50
LONG rs he has health and strength and
work to do; but not one OF Us has an in-
trinsc reason for apprehension in going
out Of existence. Lite bristles with pur-
poses, activities, responsibilities. We can
not separate ourselves from them if we
would; they will fasten upon and absorb
Us in our own despite. Apart from in
stinct, life has its aims. its interests, and
affections, that cannot be divorced with
out desperate struggle and exceeding
pain. 1t is the reflex Of this sol!citude
that makes in a measure the shadows of
death. We are unwilling to surrender
what life contains, though we may not
have the slightest fear Of what death may
yield; and yet many of Us are so little in
cllned TO trace our own mental operations,
that we do not draw the distinction clear
". The majority of men prefer their
own country, and would not willingly
leave it. Is it to be concluded, therefore,
that they are afraid of another land? Is
strong inclination to one thing TO be inter
preted as q dread of another? Because
we want to live, is it any proof that we
fear to die? Life is Il reality Il certainty
something experienced and tested over
and again. Death is an idea. an image,
Il mystery from which we shrink because
it is a mystery forever impenetrable. The
shrinking is inherent, but gives way to in
difference OF faith as nearness and nature