Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1885-08-10
geligious department.
A VACANT CHAIR.

What an appeal is made to our
hearts by the sight of a vacant chair
in the family room If it is chair
which was set apart. almost sacred
lv, for the use of some dear one-for
the invalid whom every one loved
and thought of, or for an aged faith
er or mother-we cannot look at it
without the sense of loss and the
reminder of pain. Silent, empty,
no longer needed, ii is eloquent and
pathetic, and the chord it touches is
quick to vibrate responsibility. We
cannot forget our beloved whom God
| has taken. 1t would be strange and
unnatural were our lives to 90 on
just as if there had come no change.
But we are wrong to nurse grief, and
grief only, as we think of household
voices hushed in our midst and fold
away the garments that are needed
no more on earth. Morbid sorrow is
pagan, not Christian. We do wrong
to the living who continue with us
when we so mourn our dead that the
home grows gloomy, the light is ex-
cluded and our sad faces are check
upon innocent mirth. If we could
but take into our hearts the full sig
nifcance of that wonderful phrase,
the "whole family in heaven and on
earth,' we should realize that God
has right to call some of his chill
dren home to rest, while others still
tarry that they may work till he is
ready to summon them to his lmme-
diate presence. There is great con-
ISOLATION in the thought that the va
cant chair in our group is vacant by
Gods direct agency. His personal
will has removed one who was dear
as the sight of our eyes. The death,
sudden, perhaps, or after loLg ILL
ness, was in either case no accident.
1t was intended of God and in his
time. The absent one is absent from
us but present with the Lord. 1t
happens sometime that the simple
faith of heather converts accepts
this truth and holds it in way not
always easy to us in our fuller light
and longer experience. Miss Adele
M. Fielde, in her interesting record
of missionary labor in China, tells
that in many instances the native
Christians ask that the words, "Dis-
ciples of Jesus may be inscribed
on their gravestones. Miss Fielde
asked an old woman first in her COM
munity to embrace the new religion
how many Christians there were in
her village. She said there were
twenty, and gave the name, age and
place of residence of each. Four of
the number were in heaven. / went
over the list and said, Then there
are sixteen women who are members
of the church here 'Ay,' said Sui,
there are twenty l remarked that
l had seen twelve of the sixteen, and
Sui responded, 'Ay, teacheress, you
have seen twelve of the twenty.
Like Wordsworth's little maid, she
had her way and always counted the
sisters who were in heaven" The
best wisdom is to take up our sor.
row in spirit of cheerful, or al
e least submissive, acqueiscence with
the divine will. When it's first an.
a guish has yielded to the ministry OF
time, then it is well to look about
and see what work we may do fol
the sake of the dead. Were they
+ forward in distribution of books anC
d papers among Gods poor? Did they
look after the prisoner and the sicE
in the hospitals! Did they try te
strengthen the weak, assist the
), | tempted, and lead back to the mar
row path the feet of the wanderer
IS For their sakes, let us take up thei
work which they were doing for Je
5 sus. And he who is their Lore
l. still, as he is ours, will bless thu
work of our hands and establish it
< and comfort us concerning the va
cant chair. -Christidn Weekly.