Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-02-07
DIED..

At the home of J. V. Smith, her son, of
Union township, in this county. January
%, 1884, Mrs. Lucinda Smith, aged 81 years.
Mrs. Smith came to this county in 1870,
among the very first, and was loved and
respected by large number Of people. The
following lines were read at her funeral:
There is no time SO solemn as the hour OF
death, no service SO mournful as when, on
occasions like the present, we meet to per-
form our last duties to a dear and loved
friend. For her, life's itful dream is over,
with its tolls and suferings and disappoint-
ments. She derived her being IRON the
bountiful mother Of all she returns to her
capacious bosom to again mingle with the
elements. She basked In life's sunshine be-
yond the allotted time, and has passed into
the shadow of death, where sorrow and
pain are unknown. Nobly she performed
life's duties, and with unfaltering trust ap.
preached her end, Like one who wraps
the drapery of his couch about him, and
lies down to pleasant Dreams" As death
is both natural and inevitable, IL becomes
us as rational beings to regard it calmly,
and If by knowledge Of, and obedience to
the laws Of life, We may give our existence
a free and full opportunity to run out Its
three score and then, We shall not be SO re-
luctant to pass away. In that mellow age
man sinks as TRANQUILITY into the sleep OF
death as an infant falls asleep upon its
mothers breast. In youth We citing TO life |
We are terrified at the very thought Of per- |
sonal dissolution. Old age, on the other |
hand. has lost its strong attachment TO life. |
1t is like the ripe apple in autumn, you
touch it gently and it drops freely into your |
hand. Death, at ripe old age, is as natural
and beneficial as birth was at its beginning. |
The wise man sees he cannot change his
mortal fate. As he is mortal and therefore |
must die, he studies how TO live. lie can,
to some extent, fashion his life and career
after his own thought, but be cannot. by |
cherishing lear about the future, make bi.D-
self or those about him wiser or happier.
As therefore it does no good to cherish fear
of death and its consequences, but on the |
contrary makes our lives miserable. we
should gather courage and dispassionately
resign our minds 10 the memorable law OF
mortale. To those who have lived Alright,
death, in its gradualness and harmlessness,
is what Homer calls it, "the half brother
of sleep" The wise have every reasen to
welcome it as they would q nights repose
after wearysome day. Tyranny has no
terror, death no sting, celestial menances
no dread to the emancipated soul. The
fearless are the free, aud the free have no
forebodings. Armed by fortitude found
ed on love aud justice, on reason and recti-
tude sustained by the sense OF duty done,
and the consciousness of truth, integrity
and pure latent, they have lived life In
which they have meant well and will know
no dread of death. 1t is only the supersti'
tous soul that is m0lested with apprehen-
sfons of i'll. Those who know how 10 live
will know how to die. He who has man
fully met the stern realities Of life, has
robbed the grave Of its victory. We weep
upon our entrance into the world, but new
er when we leave it. Grief greets us at
the threshold OF life, the soothing sleep OF
death is natures welcome termination.
Our dead mother and friend was free from
the fears and misgiyings OF superstitous
belize. She worked out for herself the
problem of life, and no man was the keeper
of her conscience. Her religion was OF
this lIfe-a blameless lite, and the service
Of humanity her highest asperxtion. She
no authority but that Of natures;
adopted no methods but those Of science
aud philosophy; and repeated, in practice |