Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-03-06
MISS rLETCHElvs FUNERAL


The obsrquics at the Hospital. Remarks
orPrcsid"nt l5uClShnm. An Impressive
Occasion.
with entire fitness the funeral OF Mis-
Mary Fletcher took place from the Mar
Fletcher Hospital whittier she went To
die and from which, if her wishes mad
been made known, she would uuduubted-
ly have preferred to be taken for burial.
In sincere respect to her memory a NUM-
erous gathering of our citizens assembled
there at three O'Clock Friday afternoon.
The Directors, members of the Board u'
Visitors, and officers of the Hospital; the
trustees and staff of the Fletcher free
Library: trustees and faculty of the Uni.
vprsity; members of the medical faculty
and of the medical profession the clergy
neu of the city and many prominent
citizens, were among the number. The
remains, in simple cas>et of black broad
cloth, were placed in the reception
room ut the west end of the main
hall Two wreaths of beautiful en-
otics, one the gift Of the directors of
the hospital and the other of the trustees
of the Fletcher Library, lay ont the caSkct.
Most of Those present, as they arrived,
stepped into this room, to look upon the
features now cold in death, which, familiar
as her name was to all many had never seen
in life Among the relatives and cpnnec-
tons of the deceased present aS mourncrs,
were Col. A. y. Fletcher Miss Fletcher
and Mr. &. NJ. FLETCHER of Middlebury,
MI and Mrs. George G.. Chapman and
Col and Mrs. T. NJ Chapman of Middle
bury, Judge Alien and Mr. and Mrs. NJ.
+. Alden of Ferrlsburgh, Nj. ANA Mrs.
u. VI. Warner, with Mr. VI. Kelley.
The exercises opened. with the hymn
while Thee | seek, Protecting Power
sung by the choir, consisting of Miss
whitney. Mrs Van Nance, Mr.. Shaw and
Mr.. Rose.
Rev. H. &. Ware read some most APP
proprate and admirably chosen passages
Of Scripture. President Buckham then
spoke as follows:
President Buckham's Remarks.
1t is no common event which brings u~
together In this place to-day. Death Is in
Itself an event all too common it is the
one sad common place of human expert
enCe In Il sense il il az event which
comes alike to ALTO the righteous and to
the wicked to the clean and to the I'M
clean to INN that sacriceth and to him
that SaCrifiCeth not. But this event which
Is at most times but Il commonplace Il
dreary repetition of itself, becomes at
some times an event full of absorbing i'll
terest, frauSht with WeiEhtieSt meaning
and luminous with instruction. Such Il
death sometimes marks IN epoch in the
progress, of an individual or of com
munity in intellectual and moral enlight-
eminent From such Il death Outlines
date III many minds new views of life, Il
larger outlook upon truth and duty, fresh
impulses toward virtue and religion, and
quiCNcning of vitality in all the liDrcS Oi
the moral and spiritual life.
That which gives to such death its un
wonted elOqucnCc and power, 1t l. almost
needless to say, is the life to which it IS d
close. If there We're no long circuit OF the
summer sun over the broad heaven, Their,
would be no glory in its setting. If there
were no true and noble lie, glowing Will
truth and radiant with goodness, thcr,
would be no halo round its close 1t is by
reason of the virtue, the charity, the ben
eticence, the pety of the living, that they
being dead yet Spxlk.
1t is such Il death as this which ha
brought us here to-day. | do not wish,
do not dare, to eNaggerate this event
Every memory of her of whom we are al
thinking, every action and every word o
hers which | can recall, would reDuke an
attempt to magnify undUly what she wa
and what she has done. Nothing Woul,
be more contrary to her wishes or NOR
diStaStetul To her feelings than to parad
in set phrases her virtues and her BEN
licences or to hold her before the gaze of tn
"A
tntinu ask Durdon of her GENTLE suirj,
If INV limo + may iuudvartrutlv 81
.houIi seem TO he of this character Bu
can not resist the conviction or the ey
preston of il. that this wa, Il life of rare.
worth that God. i'm bpstuwinar the exam
nlp and the fruits of il ON TN. commuujt
has conferred ON rs one of hi. most precinu
riffs. which we do not vet begin to appr,
ciatp: and that il is no les, thann RELIGION
duty TO heed the call which thr deaf
makes upon us. to try to enter into tn
meaning and to put ourselves under tn
rrutln power of this life.
A siurle eyurps,iou uttered by Mi,
Fletcher at some time during her In.
slpepirss night. furnishes. believe. In
keynote To her character ~ think = 81
sa;d that nv work i. Mi finished" S;h
was thinl;inT dnuhtI-ss nf me vnrinI
plan, for d0inlr rood which She had che
ished durinU Ler life and that sha hn
snhstnntialT carried them out ns She hn
desirnrd and hnnrd to DO The VERY lota,
Of her nInns thnt nf dninu snmrthiu,r f,
her c1hrrh whirh had Innp been on h,
mind nnd hoI Given her some nrrnlnvit,