The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1883-05-09
THE MIGHTY MYSTERY.
q Funeral Grafton by the
Greatest Living Master
of English.

!
Col. Robert G. Ingersoll delivered,
recently, at Washington City, funeral
Grafton over the remains Of his friend
John q. Mills, who died in that city.
Mr.. lngcrsoll, in pronouncing this part,
lug tribute ofhis friendship and human,
| ity, gave uttcrance to the following
words:
Again We are face to face with the
great mystery that strands the world.
We question, but there is no reply.
Cat on the wide waste seas there drifts
no spar. Over the desert of death the
sphinx gazcs forever, but never speaks.
In the very May Of life another heart
has ceased to beat. Night has fallen
upon noon; but he lived, he loved, he
was loved. Wife and children pressed
their kisses on his lips. That's enough.
The longest life contains no more. This
fills the vase ofioy. lie who lies here
clothed with the perfect peace of death
VAS Il kind and loving husband and
good father, generous ncighbor, IN
honest man, and these words build Il
monument Of glory about the humblcst
gave. He was alwaysa child-sinccrc
aud trank-a full Of hope as spring
lie divided all time into to-day and to-
morrow. Tomorrow was without Il
cloud, and from tomorrow he borrowed
sunshidc forto-day. He was my friend
lie will remain so. The living often
become cstmngcd; the dead are true.
lie was not a christian. In the Eden
Of his hope there did not crawl and coil
the serpent Of eternal pain. In many
languages he sought the thought oil
men, and for himself he solved the
problems Of the world. lie accepted
the philosophy of Augustc Comtc. Iu.
manity was his god-thc human race
the supreme being. In that supreme
being he rested. He believed that we
are indebted for what we enjoy to the
labor, the self denial, the hcrosm of the
human race, and that us we have pluck
ed the iruit Of what others planted, We,
in thankiuIncss, should plant for others
yet to be. With him Immortality was
hc eternal consequence of his own good
tets. He believed tha, every good
hought, every disintcrcstcd deed, has
ems the harvest Of universal good
his Is Il religion that cnrichcs poverty,
hat enables us to bear the sorrows of
he saddcst life, that peoples even soil. :
'dc with happy millions yet to be-
,llgion born not Of scllishncss and fear
ut of love and hope the religion that
lgs wells to Stake the thirst of Others :;
nat gladly bears the burdens of the I'm.
lrn.
In the presence Of death how beliefs
nd dogmas wither and decay. How
wing words and deeds burst INTO bios.
m Pluck from the tree of any life
lcsc flowers, aud there remain but the
,rrcn thorns of bigotry and creed. All l
ish for happiness beyond this lie. All \
'pe to meet again the loved and lost.
every heart there grows this sacred
over of eternal hope. Immortality is
word that hope, through all the ages,
Is been Whispering to love.
The miracle Of thought we cannot I'm. =,
'rstand. The mystery of death and Al
'pe we cannot comprehend. This OF
aos called the world has never been al
planned. The golden bridge of life re re-,
ON gloom energies and on shadow W. ="
SITS. Beyond this we do not know y
ate is speechlcss, destiny is dumb, and st,
g secret of the future has never been
IT, We love, we wait, we hope. The
ore we love the more we fear. Undcr =
g tendcrcst heart the deepest shadows Ii
IT, All, paths, whether filled with
ornS or flowers, end here. Here sue.
's and failure are the same. The rocs
wretchedness and the purple robes
power lose difference and distinction J J'l
TINS democracy Of death. Goodness ty,
ne lives. Love alone is immortal rcl
to all these comes time when tLo Ac
cred lips of life long for the cool, do. an'
ous kiss of death. Tired of the dust "T
I glare Of day. they hear with JOY the mi
ting garments of the night. Dor
W l'a' can we say Of death ? What ::ol'
we shy Of the dead? Where they IN int
c gone reason cannot 90, and from DE :
nee revelation has NOT como i p',
us believe that ovep the cradle na
, bends and smiles, and lovingly
We the dead in bcnediclicn holds her 7
stretched hands ''N' ;bn