Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1883-06-13
Us IT Beautiful"

How often the wish Of the Syrian
prophet as he stood on the top Of
Poor as been echoed by bumanhe irts!
But the coveted "death of the right.
eous" receives its chief significance
from righteous life that precedes it.
The "cdifying" deathbed of Louis
XIV, of France. after his mean and
immortal career, impresscs one more
as q successful theatrical performance
than as the closing scene Of a sincere
Christian experience. No such uns
happy suspicion hung over the dying
hours and ulterances ofMrs. Elizabeth
Barrett Browning, and no such con-
tradiction mars her biography or the
beauty Of lis end. Hers IVES lovely
Christian life, aud its close fulfilled
the Scriptural promises. A severe
cold 10 the summer Of 1861 socn de-
veloped into a threatening illness,
which confined her to her bed, in her
home in Florence from whose Casa
Guidi Windows" she had so often
longe6 with wisely wondrous eyes.
She rallied, however, and on the sixth
day an intimate female friend who
had visited her went away with no
suspicion of what was so soon to be
the terrible reality. Mrs. BrOwniug's
own bright boy babe his mother
"good.night," cheered by her Oft
repeated Il am better, dear; much
better"
Only one watched her breathing
through the night-her husband who
for fifteen years had ministered to her
with all the tenderness Of woman.
lit was night void Of suffering to her
AS the morning approached, and two
hours previous to the fatal moment
} she seemed to be in a. partial ec,asy
and, though not apparently conscious
of the coming of death, she gave hel
husband all those many words Of love
whose value death has made price
less.
Such moments are too sacred to
the coumon pen, which pauseS as the
woman poet raises herself up to die il
the arms Of her poet husband. 1T
knew not that death had robbed hin
of bis treasure until the dropping
form grew chill, md froze bis heart
; blood. At half-past four on tn
morning Of the Doth of June Elizabetl
Barrett Browning passed away.
n Her last words were at is beau
tiful :"
@ God was merciful to the end, spar
ing her and hers the agony of tren
zicd parting, giving proofs to thos
who were left of the glory and happi
ness in store for her, by those fe'
!, words: Kit is beautiful - The spirI
could see its future mission even be
t. fore shaking off the dust Of the eartl
Mrs. Hcmans wrote hopefully an
IS beautifully Of tue GROWING hours OF
:, a Christian life. In her last days sh
at said: 81 feel ike Mary, sitting a! tn
=, vs. feet of my Saviour, and learning c
q Him to be meek and lowly." \
, rs pen, she said, could describe the VI
=; sions Of blessednoss that rese upo
&c her spiritual sight.
ne Like Mrs Hemans; Mrs. Browni1
u wrote confidently of life's barye
days. In connection with this ane
dote, how like prophecy is her poer
"He Givelh His Beloved Sleep
beautiful !" Yet only those VIII
after hard struggles, climb to Il
hifh SUBMITS Of an unselti'h al
pureohearted life, see at last the
beautiful prospects. Not all &C.
n people have such disclosure here ey
Il at the last, but to very one who dc
his duty to God, day by day. t
4 prospect of the future life is beautif
Xomh's Companion.