The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-02-14

late Mrs. Edwin Martin, of this village on
Thursday last:
We have come 10 say goodbye to one
whose virtues beat speak their own praise.
She has lived among you 50 many years, and
her life has been SD bameless and 50 worthy
that no eulogy is needed, save the commend
alton of your own hearts. To-day there is
no regret, only the regret OF parting. There
is no sorrow save the sorrow that we shall
see her face no more. All that brlghtens
and sweetens the grief of this hour As here
i'm the tender recollection of what has been,
and the tiim conviction of what now Is. The
cloud of sorrow above us this moment IS
tinged ON the one edge with the tender
beauty of earth. and on the other edge with
the transcendent glory Of heaven. The
wife. mother, sister and friend lie on the
earthward side of our grief. We remember
all that she was in each of these noble
Offices every amiable quality; every virtue.
While on the other side of our grief is the
freed spirit with its God. We see her at
rest No pain, no sorrow, no crying, no
tears, no death
Between this memory and this hope we
sit here in this hallOwed presence beside this
sacred form and calmly say goodbye. Gods
will De done. He doeth all things well.
1t Is beautiful to have lived and TO die with
no enemy on earth, TO pass away among
people in whose midst she has lived for
years, and bear with her only universal love
and sympathy.
II is a rare tribute to be paid TO anyone's
memory. to pass away bearing the love and
good will of all and the i'll will of none. Such
a character is worthy of all emulation.
The charm of this life lay III its uncon-
scious worth. It was beautiful because 1t
was retiring and modest. She performed
duty from the supreme love of it, and not
FROM the love of praise. She carried sun
shine wherever she went, and was no more
conscious of il than is the sun when he
gaddens the earth on June. day. Her
actions were surrounded by beauty as Un-
obtrusiye as that of the flowers she loved so
well. In that lay the charm of her life.
You will all remember this home, how gem
ial and how bright 1t was. You will all re-
member the pleasant faced woman who
could turn all thought from herself toyou, Ev-
en when III pain as III these later years and
months. she SO often was, she would dis
miss all mention of it and speak only of your
SORROWS and your trials. This was the I'M
selfish life she lived lrememberthat the first
and only revelation Of her pain that | ever
saw until saw il here on her dying bed, were
only those few silent tears. l could not
read their pathetic story then, but their mute
eloqueuCe has burst upon me since. But
even in pain. and when this shadow began TO
come over her life and TO creep into this
home, il was always the same bright smile
the same unwearied interest in you and others.
Oh, we miss sunshine on this earth, and
We shall miss this smiling face We shall
miss this unselfsh soul that could smile
even when in pain, to cheer others. We
shall miss the spirit that could repress suf-
fering. and AJAX Of the suffering of others
whom she knew were also bearing their heavy
load.
al this seems inexpressibly beautiful to
me, as. also, was her gratitude When flow
ers and other tokens of love came TO her
from her friends. her gratitude was as touch
ing az that Of child How tenderly would
sac speak of the kindness on those who
cared for her so gently. All! we may ell
learn lesson o. gratitude from the life of
this dear friend.
Tn sad thing that confronts Us to-day is
tn thought of suffering. The pure and the
good suffer. This is mystery. We shall
never know It's solution here. AL that we
know Is that tie sweetest characters on
earth nave suffered most. | believe that
there is a grand and beautiful solution of
suffering, but Oh. not here, not here! The
author of that noble book stepping Heav-
onward was woman. and a sufferer. The
steps she took heavenward were steps of
suffering IL have had 10 learn all that
teach, ia loneliness, suffering and conflict.
she wrote. The probem of suffering is deeper
and larger than we can conceive OF here,
1t embraces more than a single life. We
are wrapped about and linked together by
suffering. Heaven is bound to earth by
cords of suffering Oh it is a vast and
wonderful complication, and the solution
lies not here but Wonder. Heaven will be
fnil OF glad surprise 10 those who have
suffered. This dear friend has suffered. the
road over which she has journeyed to her
rest has been most thorny one. But they
have been steps heavenward, and she has
drawn as heavenward with her. Do You not
remember that saying of Christ, And 1, if
1 be be lifted up will draw all men unto me?"
When upon the cross suffering in His limo
cence and His purity, He drew all men unto
Him: they saw the beauty of the sublime
spectacle and were attracted to it. IL is SO
when any of his children are lifted upon the
cross and they bear it calmly and nobly as
did their Master. 1t has been SO with us
here. We are nearer heaven to-day, because
this gentle patient child of God has suffer
I'D in our midst. IKE cross on which she
has been lifted up, has drawn our hearts
heavenward and to-day, at this hour thew
are with her whittier she has gone The
way of suffering is inscrutable, but oh. il
leads to God. We shall find a noble solution
of it all there, in heaven.
Let us look moment at her christian life.
We claim no perfection for this Hfe
Her one plea was her great unworthi-
ness. How could she appear before the
great Cod and rningle in those holy scenes
above. This troubled her more than all
else. But, little by little the way grew clear,
and. at last, she could sing, in the happy
thought Of her release, and the beautiful
world and the dear friends to whom she was
going. Her religious life has always seemed
beautiful to me. II was of that broad. no.
ble, pare type that love. IL was growth,
an expansion. Her heart was large enough
and her love strong enough, to embrace all
mankind. The spirit of her Master actual
ed her. and she tried to live IL and to teach
il by her example, every day.
As the end drew near, her christian hope
grew brighter and brighter each day. Az