River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-09-27
The Great Riddle of the Future.

The Great Riddle OF the Future.
4 different case to those above mar
rated by my friend was that of a young
girl known TO me, who had passed
through the miserable experiences of
sinful life al Aldershot. and then had
tried to drown herself in the River Avon,
near Clifton. She was IL some way
saved from suicide and for time placed
in q penitentiary, but her health was
found to De hopelessly ruined, and she
was sent to die in the quaint old work
house OF st. Peters at Bristol. For many
months she law N the iniirmary literally
perishing piecemeal of disease, but eX-
hIbitinQ patience and sweetness Of dispC-
siti0n quite wonderful To witness. She
was only eighteen. poor young creature :.
when all her little round of error and
pain had been run: and her innocent,
rctty face might have been that Of u
child. She never used any sort OF cant
$50 common among women who have
been In refugees. but had apparently
somehow got hold Of q very living and
real religion, which gave her comfort and
courage, and inspired her with the beau
tifuI spirit with which she bore her
frightful sufferings. On the wall oppo-
site her bed there hung by chance pint
OF the Lost Sheep, and Mary $, look
inc at it one dav, said TO me, THAT Is
Just what | was, and what happened to
me; but | am being brought home now"
For long time before her death, her
weakness was such that she was quite in
capable of lifting herself up in bed, or of
supporting herself when lifted, and she,
Of course. continued 10 lie with her head
on the pillow while life gradually and
painfully ebbed away, and she seemingly
became nearly unconscious. In this
state she had been left one Saturday
nj lit by the nurse IN attendance. Early
az dawn next mOrning-an Easter morn
ing, as 1t chanced-the poor old women
who occupied the other beds IN the ward
were startled from their sleep by seeing
Mary S. suddenly spring up to sit
TING posture in her bed, with her arms
outstretched and her face raised, as if in
"a perfect rapture of JOY and welcome.
The next instant the body of the poor
Girl fell back a corpse. Her death had
taken place in that moment Of mystic
rious ecstasy.
4 totally different case again was that
of a man of high intellectual distinction,
well known in the world Ofletters. When
diving peacefully, as became the close OF
a profoundly religious life. and having
already lost the power Of speech, he was
observed suddenly to look up, as if at
some spectacle invisible to those around,
with an expression Of solemn surprise and
awe. very characteristic, it is said, of his
habitual frame of mind. At thatinstant.
and before the look had time to falter or
chance. the shadow of death passed over
his face. and the end had come.
In vet another case / am told that at the
last moment so bright light seemed
suddenly TO shine from the face of dy-
ing man. that the clergyman and
another friend who were attending him.
actually turned simultaneously TO the
window n seek for the cause.
Another incident of a very striking
character occurred IN a wcll-knOwn family,
one of whose members narrated lt TO me.
4 diving lady. exhibiting the aspect of
iovful surprise to which we have 50 often
referred. spoke Of seeing, one after an
other. three Of her brothers who had long
I been dead. and then apparently recog-
nized. last OF ALA fourth brother,whO was
believed bv ,the hystanders 10 be still
living in India The coupling Of ms
name with that OF his dead brothers. ex-
cited such awe and horror in the mind of
one of the persons present, that she rushed
half-senseless from the room. In due
+ course of time letters were received an
nouncing The death Of the brother in
India. which had occurred some time be-
/ fore his diving sister seemed to recognize
him.
Again, in a.olher case, gentleman
+ who had lost his only SON some years pre-
Viouslv, and who had never recovered the
affecting nt.cXclaimed suddenly.when
diving. with the mir of man making a
most .Iapturous discovery, u see him. /.
see him
Not TO multiply such anecdotes too far
anecdotes which certainly possess q
uniformity pointing 10 some similar
cause. whether that cause be physiologi-
cal or physical Il viii row
conclude with one authenticated
bv near relative IF the per-
sons concerned. \ late wCll-knOwn Bish-
op was commonly called by his sisters
"Charlie. and his eldest sister bore the
pet name of"Liz." They had both been
dead for some years when their younger
her death appeared TO behold them both
While living still and apparently uncon-
scious she suddenly opened her eyes and
looked earnestly across tbe room, as il
she saw some one entering. Presently, IS
if oyerioyed, she exclaimed, 20 Charlie =
and then, after a moments pause, with q
new start of delight, as if he had been
Joined by some one else,s she went or. And
Liz" and then added. "How beautiful
you areT After seeming TO gaze at the
two beloved forms for few minutes, shC
fell back on the pillow and died.
Instances like. these might. | believe
be almost indefinitely multiplied were at
tention directed TO them, and the expe
rience of survivors more generally com
municated and recorded. Reviewing
them. the question seems 10 press upor
Us. Why should We not thus catch I
glimpse of the spiritual world through
that half-open portal wherein our dying
brother is passings II the soul Of mar
exists at all after the extinction Of thS
body. what Is moro probable than that j
-r~r~rs7 f,arsv ~ sfsa vary Instant vxhet