Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-07-20

when our time comes. Miss Ma
ry X. Orchard was born in Newfane, Feb.
9th, 1927. She met her death on Friday,
Dec. 10th, 1876, in that terrible calamity at
Ashtabula, o., which gave such a shock TO
the whole land and filled so many families
With lamentation and woe. She united
with this church on profession of faith,
May 9th, 1913, under the pastorate of Rev.
ID. b. Bradford. q Miss Blrchard
was active and intelligent. She had well
balanced, cultivated mind, and in CONVEX
sation she greatly excelled; sho had a
quick and keen perception of the ridcu-
lous ana grotesque, and her sarcasms were
sometimes as potent as the touch of Thu
riePs spear. Her circle of acquaintance
was extended, aud every where she made
friends and was general lavorite. A gem
tleman, well known in this county, and
life long acquaintance of Miss Birchard,
says of her: "She was q popular young la.
dy and exceedingly beloved by all her ac-
quaintances and friends. She possessed
great energy, vivacity and good sense, and
probably no lady in the county WAS more
generally known or more highly appreciat-
ed for her business capacity and pleasing
manners" She travelled somewhat extern
slvely in our country, and made herself ac-
quainted with its geography and history.
She appreciated its varied scenery of noun
tains, hills and dales its majestic rivers
and magnificent lakes; its boundless for
glades of the South. She was quick to per-
ceive the difference in intelligence, (civili-
cation shall l say p thrit, industry and en-
terprise between the North and South, and
she knew well the cause of that difference.
While Miss Orchard was very lively. So
cial and highly enthusiastic, and apparent
ly as far removed as possible from melan-
choly, yet there was an undercurrent of
sadness about her, which Is continually re-
vealinG itself in her diary. What was the
cause OF this sadness? l know of no bet
Ter solution of this matter than her own
words afford. Under date of June %, 1870,
she writes in her diary; "Six years ago to-
day my dear brother was captured. 1t is a
fearful thought, but it is strongly Impress
ed upon my mind that our family are des-
tined TO tragedy. l am constantly in fear
of something else terrible happening to
some of u.s." When we call TO mind the
fact that one of her aunts was killed by
lightning, and her uncle Roger Brchard
consumed in the flames of his own house,
and her brother Sardis died amid the bor-
rors of Andersonville, we cannot wonder
at that vein of sadness which pervaded her
lille. just before she left home on her last
journey, she expressed TO very intimate
friend her fears that some great calamity
was impending over some of them. Were
this feeling aud these fears premonitiOns of
her cOming,fate, the mysterious operations
of the Holy Spirit sent to prepare her for
her endH Another fact to which my own
mind was directed before she left home,
aud which was of deep interest, and now
donbly interesting, was that the three Sab
baths Immediately preceding her Journey
she was at meeting at both the morning
and evening service and seemed much in
terestod. 1t was unusual for her TO be at
the evening service. On her Journey
she told her friend, Mrs. Burditt, how
much interested she was in the meetings,
aud how good they were, and hoped there
might be a reformation.
The Rev. Mr.. Middleton, of Glen Cove,
l.. l., writes thus TO Mrs. Adams, a very
dear friend of Miss Birchard: ait seems
only as yesterday since Miss Birchard was
with us in the churchyard the day after
All Saints. l can see her now just as l came
upon her, kneeling down at Mrs. Coles
grave, decorating it with moss. Little did
we think then that before many weeks she
would be called away by voice so terrible,
and have no grave, even, left for her friends
to visit and strew with flowers. II is not
so dreadful to think of her dying as of the
awful horror of the hour. For think she
had trust in Jesus, her Saviour, that
would have made death itself blessed
rest. Yet, perhaps, even in the agony of
that hour she had time left to throw her
soul into the arms of divine love and mer-
cy, and TO gain his strength for the terrible
ordeal she was to pass through. And per-
haps she did not suffer at all, but that from
all human pain she was taken unconscious
ly TO the sweet Paradise of God"
VIM. Knox says, in his beautiful poem
entitled, why should the Spirit of Mortal
be Proud ?"-
"'Tis the wink Of an eye It's the draught Of BREATH
From the blossom Of health the paeness Of death,
From the gilded saloon to the bier and the shroud
Oh! why should the spirit Of mortal be proud?"
His Excellency President II. d. Hayes
says, in a recent letter: 81 would be glad
TO be present at the memorial ceremonies
on the death of our dear Mary. We shall
always remember her with deepest feelings
of sorrow, and at the same time her charm
ing ways and beautiful character will be al
ways present. She is very real figure in
my memory"
We may often gain very correct idea of
the character, taste and culture of people
by knowing their favorite authors. Whit
tier was her favorite poet, and particularly
the piece entitled, Eternal Goodness"
Much of this she would often repeat espe-
cially these stanZas: \,
"And so beside the silent sea
wait the mufled oar;
No harm from Him can come to mo
On ocean or on shore.
know not where His islands lift
Their fronded palms in air;
only know / cannot drift
Beyond his love and care"
know that one may read poem, admire
its SMILES, comparisons, its beauties of eX-
nlNSolOug anu IT'S oulOOlu IONluE luul,
and have little appreciation of the senti-
ment. Miss Brchard was not the person
to read and admire such a poem, and not
weigh well the sentiment expressed that
it expressed the deepest feelings of her
heart we will not, need not doubt. Did she
love and admire those lines because that
" mutlled oar" would come for her so sud-
denly and noiselessly? What confidence in
the love and mercy of God are here eX-
pressed; what calm, sweet resignation TO
the will of God.
While she enjoyed society, and entered
into its amusements and innocent festivi-
ties, she regarded them not as the business
of life, but simply as seasons of relaxation.
The real estimate she put upon them may
be learned from these lines, quoted from
her diary:
VANITY, vanity, dead hopes and fears,
Dim fitting phantoms Of departed years,
thanksgiving shadows, vague and cold
OF thoughts and things that made my joys Of old
Sad memories Of the kindly words and ways
And looks and lives Of friends Of other days.
Alasi all gone, dream, very dream,
dream is all you are, and all you SEEM"
cannot close this sketch without refer
ring 10 her brother Sardis, whom she so
loved and mourned, as no words of mine
can adequately portray. She shall speak
for herself:
SUNDAY, Jan. lst, 1894 bright, beau
tiful New Years day-the saddest New Year
that ever dawned upon my life. Wisely
for us within nights sable veil God hides
the futurel Is it not happy New Year to
that loved one in the new life eternal,
where the wicked cease from troubling,
and the weary are at resl?' God grant that
this terrible a1Ilotion may draw me nearer
TO Heaven"
"Jan. 9. - Four weeks to-day since
heard of the death of my dear brother. He
died the Goth of Aug. in the slaughter-pen
Of the honorable chivalry at Andersonville.
Oh it is too horrible that he should have
died such a terrible death. 1t almost breaks
my heart to think of 1.-THE weary, dreary
days"
Jan. 2S.-One year ago now l was with
NV dear hrnIhpr. walking nrnnnd Ell Sln-