Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1886-06-24
AN AFFECTING SCENE.
The Sermon John Dubois Preached
from His Death Bed.

The Sermon John Dubois Preached
from His Death Bed.
The circumstances surrounding the
death of John Dubois, the father and
patron of this town, were very pathetic,
and have left deep impression on the
community, writes Dubois (Pa.,) cor
respondent of The NeW York San.
Although not an imiidel, he had lived
careless life. He seldom went to
church. preferring to spend Sunday
walking about his mills or his fine farm
of one thousand acres For year or
more, however, his mind had been
inclined to religious matters. He did
not go to the preachers with his per-
plexities. He read his bible and con-
suited with his lawyer about it. His
lawyer was Hon. George A. jerks, who
has just resigned the assistant secre-
taryship of the interior in order to keep
a promise to Mr. Dubois that he would
take the place of the latter as confiden-
tial adviser to n young nephew who
gets the vast estate.
A few days before his death Mr.. Du-
bois sent for Rev. Mr.. Bell, and, after
n long conversation with him, he was
DdpllLtu anu ltCtlNcu IliO llc ICSDy-
terrain church. He Immediately sent
for the heads of all the departments in
his works, and as many of the men as
could crowd into the sickroom, to the
number of about fifty. When they were
gathered he gave them such an exhor-
tation as had never been heard before
in this region. He told them he was
dying and that if he had been well as
sured of his eternal welfare week be-
fore he would not be living to talk
to them. He could not let 90 life,
he said, until he got that question set
tied. and he urged them not to put it
of; as he had done. He was willing
now to die, but if it was the will of
providence that he should live one year
longer. he would not wish to take up
his affairs again. He would put in
every day, he said, going about the
mills telling his men the great truth
that he had ut length found out, and
trying TO undo some of the evil his ex-
ample had wrought in his long lifetime.
His voice and brain was strong, al
though his body was wasted almost to
skeleton, and he could scarcely sit up
IN bed propped with pillows. The men
had worked for him-some ten, some
twenty, some thirty years. They were
rough, grizzly fellows from the logging
camps and the mills. but there was not
dry cheek in the room as he talked to
them and called them by name and
babe them good-by. Three days later
he didd. He was buried on his own
farm short distance back of the house
where he had lived. He picked out the
spot himself. 1t is on the top of
gently sloping hill. and overlooks his
mills and the town that he built For
the three DAYS between his death and
his funeral all hands in the town were
as idle as his own. Not wheel turned
in any of the mills. Nobody did any
business in the stores. Three thousand
people looked ut him in his coffin and
walked behind it to the grave.
Although his works were divided up
into different departments, each under
its responsible head, he knew all of the
eight hundred men who worked for
him, and always spoke to them as cour-
teously as if they were all millionaires
rs well as himself. Some years ago,
when times were dull and lumber fell
to low figure, the managers Of his
works agreed that there must be n re-
duction in tho wages of the men. and
so told him. He heard them through
and took the figures they had brought
him, but made no decision. The next
day he summoned them to meet him
again. and said:
This will not do. have examined
the books ut the store, and find that it
takes about all these men earn TO buy
necessaries for themselves and their
famil es. II we must reduce wages i
will begin with YOU. who are better
paid. Say no more about it; l guess
can stand loss better than the men
can n reduction ~