The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-06-11
THE DEVILS FUNERAL.
ON the Nov York Sun. ]


/ felt myself lifted up from my bed b,
| hands invisible and swiftly borne dow
| the ever narrowing avenue Of Time
Each moment | passed a century and en-
countered new empires, new peoples
strange ideas, and unknown faiths. :,
ri last | found myself AT the end Of the
avenue, at the end Of Time, under ;
blood-red sky more awful than the deep
| est black.
Men and women hurried to and fro
their pale faces rejecting the accurse6
complexion of the heavens. 4 desolatt
silence rested upon all things. Then
heard aiar Il low wall, indescribably
grievous, swelling and falling again ano
blending with thenotes Of the storm thai
began to rage. The wailing was answer
Ell by groan, and the groanmg grew
into thunder. The people wrmg then
hands and tore their hair, and Il voice
piercing and persistent shrieked above
the turmoil "Our lord and master Is
no more :" Then |, too, joined the
m0urners who bewuiled the Devils death.
An old man came to and took me by
the hand. " You also lovedand served
him." ne asked. | made no reply, for
knew not wherefore | lamented. He
gazed steadfastly into my eyes. " There
are SORROWS" he said, meaninglv, 8 that
are beyond utterance. " g Not, then, like
your sorrow" | retorted, {" for your
eyes are dry, and there is no grief be
hind their pupils" He placed his finger
on my lips and whispered, Wait."
The old man led the way to vast and
lofty hall, filled to the farthest corner
with a weeping crowd. The multitude
was, indeed, mighty one, for all the
people Of every age Of the world who had
worshiped and served the Devil were as
sembled there to do for him the last of
fees for the dead. | saw there men OF
my own day and recognized Others Of
earlier ages, whose faces and fame had
been brought down to me by art and by
history; and I saw many others who be-
longed to the later centuries through
which ! had nassed in my night progress
down the avenue OF rime But n l was
about to inquire concerning these the
old man checked me. i" Hush, he said,
land listen" And the multitude cried
with one voice, . Hark and hear the re
port Of the autopsy y
From another apartment there came
forth surgeons and physicians and phil
osophers and learned faculties ofall times,
charged to examine the DeyiPs b9dyand
t. discover, If they could, the mystery
Of his existence. . For" the people had
said, If these men of science can tell Us
wherein the Devil was the Devil, if they
can separate from his mortal parts the
immortal principle which distinguished
him from ourselves, we may still wor-
ship that immortal principle to our own
continued profit and to the amending
glory of our late lord and MASTER
With grave looks upon their counte-
nanccs, and with reluctant steps, three
delegates advanced from among the 9th
er sages. The old man beside me raised
his hand to command perfect silence.
Every sound of woe was at the instant
suppressed. | saw that one was Galen,
QaracelsuS another. and Cornelius Ag-
rippa the third.
q" Ye who have faithfully served the
master" said Agrippa..in a loud voice,
= must listenin vain for the secret which
our scalpels have disclosed We have
laid bare both both the heart and the
soul of him who lies yonder His heart
was like our own hearts, fifty formed t.
throb with hot passions, to shrink with
hatred and swell with rage But the
mystery Of his soul would blast the lips
that uttered it.
The old man hurriedly drew me lit
tie way apart. out of the throng. The
multitude began to surge and sway with
furious wrath. 1t sought to seize and
rend to pieces the learned and venera-
BILE men who had dissected the Devil,
yet refused to publish the mystery OF
his existence. What rubbish is this
you tell us, you charlatan hackers and
hewers of corpses p exclaimed one.
:: You have discovered no mystery; you
lie to our faces" ''Put them to deathp
screamed others. "They wish to hoard
the secret for their own advantage. We
shall presently have a triumvirate OF
quacks setting themselves up above US,
in place of him whom we have worship
ed for the dignity of his teachings, the
ingenuity of his intellect, the exalted
character of his morality To death
with these upstart philosophers who
would usurp the Devils soul -
We have sought only the truth, re-
piled the men Of science, soberly, g but
we can not give you the Truth as we
found it. Our functions go no further.
And thereupon they withdrew.
$ Let us see for ourselves" shouted
the foremost in the angry crowd. So
they made their way into the inner apart
ment where the Devils body lay in state.
Thousands pressed after them and strug-
gled in vain to enter the presence Of
death that they, too, might discover the
true essential quality of the departed.
Those who gained entrance reverently
but eagerly approached the massive bieI
of solid gold, studded with glistening
stones, and respondent with the min
gled luster of the emerald, the chrysolite
and jasper. Dazzled, they shrank back
with wild faces and bewildered looks.
Not a man among them dared stretch
forth his hand to tear away the bandages
and coverings with which the sur
geons had yelled their work
Then the old man who with me had
silently witnessed the tumultuous scene
drew himself up to grand height, and
said aloud: g Worshipers of the Devil
whose majesty even in death holds you
subject 1t Is well that you have moi
seized the mystery before the time. A
variety of signs combine to inspire me
with hope that that which has sealed the
| lips of the men of science may yet be re
vealed through faith. Let US forthwith
pnr the last sad tribute q our deFaztRE