The Portland daily press., 1886-04-09
THE LAST CEREMONY.
Funeral Services of the Late The
ophiIus C. Hersey.
Appropriate Remarks by the Rev.
Frederick rockingham.
Rev. j. A. Bellows Tribute to the
Memory of the Deceased.

|
Of the leading business men of the city, rep
resenting the Board of Trade, Merchants
Exchange, the Odd Fellows, the old Mer-
camille Library Association, the Fraternity,
and the home for Aged Men, for all of which
the deceased was so unceasing in his efforts,
and the business enterprises in which he
took prominent part During the hour of
the service, the Board of Trade rooms and
Merchants Exchange besides some OF the
places of business on Commercial street, ana
in other parts of the city, were closed
Among those present were Hon. George T.
Wescott, l. P. Harrington, Hon. W.. W.
Thomas, Jr., Geo. S. Hunt,W. S. Dana, Hon.
Charles Mclaughlin, Fl. J. Libby, j. b. LID
by, Hon. w. L. Putnam w. FL. Smith, .. d.
Liscomb, Hon. Geo. f. Talbot, NJ N klch,
Capt. j. S. Winslow, Capt. b. W. Jones,
Eben Corey, D. F. Emery Charles ,: fooes'
Hon. Mark P. Emery, l.. U. Snort lhollaS
Shaw, E. C. Jordan and a large NUMBER
of friends and relatives.
There were many floral tributes from rela-
tiyes and friends, sheaf OF wheat and
star being placed upon the casket, while
| stands and tables bore bouquets and cut
flowers in profusion.
The services were conducted by the Rev.
Mr.. rockingham, former pastor of the de-
ceased. and were of most impressive char
| acter. The choir of the First Parish church
was in attendance, and sang Heaven is my
home" after which Mr.. rockingham spoke
in feeling and appropriate words of the life
and character of the deceased. He spoke
in substance as follows:
We meet today, friends, at the close of a great
sorrow; it fell heavy and cold on private life. 1t
fell with crushing force at time when the natur-
al force of man is not usually more than equal to
the needs of daily life. 1t fell at the close of a
life devoted to ends by the current opinion of his
fellow men, not deemed unworthy. And the sor-
row in this house today, my friends, the many ex-
pressions of sorrow among his friends, and the
resolutions which have been prepared by various
bodies of his fellow-citizens, and among them
tion and danger, showed that this life was not
lived in vain.
That sorrow caused not alone by disaster and
loss and the failure OF earthly hopes, but OF the
disappointment which struck to the heart a nature
so kindly sensitive by him to the good opinion OF
fellowmen.now comes to an end. In deaths
One who has right to say it, in speaking OF the
pearl-diyer's life has expressed the thought, how
fitting to our general human life, that in 1t are two
points: One when, beggar. he prepares to plunge;
one when, a prince, he rises with his pearl: This
is true of every life. And let us all remember, the
strongest for his inspiration and thelweakest for
his strength, that no soul shall miss its pearl.
Happy he who has won thu pearl of price. But
whether through the high conservation which
comes as near to sacrifice as man ever ought to
come. he wins that pearl as through that grace OF
God by which though through error and doubt
and failure and loss he becomes at last what ne
ought, it must finally be his, God cannot suffer
any child of His to fail
Here in the presence OF great death let US NOT
read the dreary lesson vanity of vanity, all is
vanity" Is not mighter and noble lesson
brought forcibly to our view, that namely OF
the Worth of the eternal verities. Here rise in
their majesty, truth, righteousness, honor, broth
erly love, service. And as we look at them DO not
our minds find speaking thro' them the great
Mr.. rockingham concluded by reading
number of selections from the scriptures.
At the conclusion of the reading, the choir
sang Nearer my God to Thee" The offici-
ating clergyman then offered prayer, and af-
ter the choir had sung "Rest, weary heart, y
the services closed with the benediction.
The body was inferred in the family lot in
Evergreen Cemetery, the following gentle
men acting as pall-bearers: w. S. Dana,
VIM. l.. Putnam, Geo. S. Hunt, j. S. Wins
low, Eben Corey, Geo. F. Talbot, D. F. En-
cry and NJ. P. Emery.
The Rev. j. A. Bellows the last pastor of
the deceased was prevented from participant
ing in the services by the condition of his
When two years and half ago, came to this
city to become pastor of the Second Unitarian So
ciety it was at this house, on The very day of my
installation, that was first received The recol-
lection is with me. very sweet and tender, of the
kind welcome. the earnest grasp OF the hand OF
him who today rests in God. 1t is hard that I
cannot, with nay faltering voice, adequately speak
of what he was to the church, and to me, its lat
est minister. That service will be most fifty rem
dered by one who knew him for far longer term
of years, and whom our friend loved much.
In him was witnessed once more the eternal tri-
umph of the strong will over the weak body. In
the last months that he was seen IN our streets
and Ways, or, as the few who knew him best saw
him in his own home, there was made very clear
that revelation of the soul which is the sweetest
power emergent from sickness and suffering.
Through the long wear OF pain and the high dIscl-
grace of the spirit, patient endurance, (when
nothing else can avail, Of the mysterious work
ton of life out of DEATH of higher good from seem
ing evil. Those who knew him in his many bust
ness relations will bear witness to his fa1thfuness
his honesty, his wonderful courage, when, seem
ingly, physical strength must fail him. But he
had aUiUed to live; and with such men the will
counts much that at last the body hardly counts
at ali. 1t was marvellous to see how when sudden
disaster and heartbreaking loss came upon him
trouble that would have crushed many far strong
er men-he came forth from the shadow of 1t all,
worn and exhausted indeed, but with that kind
of cheerfuness that marks the best of the Roman
our too c-i easy-going Christianity. he had died
many times i'll WEAKNESS of body, in anguish of
spirit in heartbreak over the disasters and cruel
ties of life before death finally released him.
like to think that for him, who was so tired, who
had so often found it hard or quite impossible to
~ days"
In the church. for the brief time that was its
minister he was constantly ready for any task re-
quired of him. He had the 0ld-faShioned notion
not the new fashion at all-that it is mans duty
to Ego to church," to take his part in carrying it
Because he was ABSOLUTELY physically unable etc to
get there; and very often he was there when pain
and suffering sat so plainly on his face that one
could have cried out for very pity at the sight:
With strong, religious convictions of his own, and
no man is good for much whose convictions are
not strong, very often, ii. may be, he differed
nothing could exceed his cordiality his kindness
when any word of mine seemed to him good and
helpful, and he would eagerly find for it, what
might seem to the preacher himself over praise.
Such men are pillars of the church" in more
than the common acceptation of the term; be-
cause. first of ALL they are living men, with spirits
potent to serve in the growth of that religion
which is the religion of lfe-a religion for human
Those who have worked side by side with him
in many noble charity, know how ardently our
friend put his time and money, his strength and
heart into them. 1t is surely a law that one gets
only what one gives. He gave himself, the best
gift one can offer humanity. and he got back the
tion,-the sight of the good work growing under
his hand. He lived to see what is not granted to
all men), that the judgment, the courage, and the
enthusiasm he had put into at least one noble I'M
dertaking-the Portland Fratenity-had borne
fruit hundred fold. Many time, when at some
one of their public meetings, where the orderly
him, visbly rescued from so much Of evil and
danger, he would recall for me the early days of
that organization when it was but doubtful eX-
pertinent, and the disorder and anarchy-call 1t
chaos-out of which had grown such fair fruit. If
the many lives of young men re.cued from the
lurking temptation could speak today their right
full gratitude for his aid, there would be need of
no word from preacher, no other eulogy than the
benediction Of those he so richly served.
The world is DOOrer for the want OF this faithful
honorable lfe largely spent in the service of his
fellow men. He will five for memory and love.
MAY the heavenly peace into which his tired
spirit has entered, touch and give light to those
who now dwell in the shadow of his loss.
During the day the flags on the City
Building and the International steamer Of
fees were at half-mast.