Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-02-12
Religious Department.
HEATHEN,S IDEA.

The Virginia City (Nevada) En-
,ey5,rise relates the following: Grid
ing along a trail on the crest of a
mountain ridge, east of the Lower
Sink of the Carson, in 1860, in COM
pany with Piute Captain, we came
upon an old grave--a mere sunken
spot few feet off the trail. There
said the Captain, there lies one Of
my men. He was good man. We
buried him there four years ago
Said we, Is he in there yets' No.
said the brave, pointing upward,
he as there--he is in Pah-ah's coun-
try Now said we, wishing to
draw out his notions in regard to
she Immortality of the soul, now,
suppose we were to dig there, should
we not find the skull of your man
his thigh bones and ribs? Yes,
answered the Indian; I'VE should
find those Then how can he be
in Pah-ah country 2 His bones,
his skull and ribs and all his bones
are here said the Captain, but his
dream is above with Pah-ah'"
WHY is it that the inhabitants of
so-called Christian countries fear to
die more than all others This
question may imply fact which is
novel to many, yet the fact is true.
True Christians are undoubtedly in
the hour of death sustained by their
faith, and we read of many calm,
holy, and peaceful Christians death !;
but the fact remains that Death is
dreaded by the mass of men in
Christian countries. There are
many wen authenticated accounts of
Christina martyrdWn, where men
and wemen for their religion have
suffered ignomy, persecution, and
death; but the same is true of the
devotees of other creeds. The
heather, however, is apt to face
death calmly. He looks on it as so
much physical pain. To him there
is no horror in what is beyond the
grave. The weak and timid Hindu,
who submits to insult and abuse
without courage to strike one blow
in his own defence, goes calmly to
his execution, simply saying, at is
the will of God" The "heathen
Chinee" dies with a smile which is
childlike and bland, while the poor
Japanese will commit harakari as a
substitute for some weather. man,
IL order to earn few hundred dol
lars for his destitute wife and chill
dren. The North American Indian
burns at the stake with the war
song on his lips !; and the African in
his own land is destitute of that
dread of death which causes the
darlley to turn pale in this. All
this cannot be mere bravado. If it
were it would not be SO universal.
May not the reason be that the
people of more enlightened lands
are imbued with just enough faith
in Christianity to entertain doubts
heather does not possess ! While
they are safe and well, men do not
think of death and what comes after
it. But in imminent peril and times
of sickness the teachings of child
hood comes back to them. They
think, if these things be true what
will become of us! They find it
hard to feel that calm confidence by
which the soul is upheld in the hour
of trial. In spite of themselves
they will dwell upon the hereafter,
and the atheist breads humiliation
as much as others dread the uncer-
tainties of the future. There are
many theories about the fear of
death, but if the curtain were lifted
from the region beyond Jordan, and
II the view was an agreeable one,
few would shrink from the mere
pain of diving.