Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1889-03-26
MISCELLANEOUS.
ingalls, Idea OF Death,

Il
Mr.. ingalls,, president pro TEN. of
the Senate, in concluding his recent
eulogy upon the late Representative
Burnes, of Missouri, said: "When
this day week returns, one politica-
party will relinquish and another as
sumo the executive functions of gov
ernment. On every hand are visible
the preparations to welcome the
coming and speed the parting guest.
Events of great pith and moment are
waiting on the event of the brief in
terval. while pleasure wanders rest
lessly through the corridors of the
capitol, hope and fear, ambition, Gu
pidity and revenge sit in the gallaries
OF stand at the gates eager (lile the
dying Elizabeth) to exchange millions
of money for that inch of time on
which success or failure, wealth or
penury, honor or oblequy, depend.
At this crisis and juncture, when every
instant is priceless, the Senate, re-
sisting every inducement and solici-
tation, proceeds by unanimous con-
sent to consider resolutions of the
highest privilege-reported from no
committee, having no place on any
calendar, but which take precedence
of unfinished business and special or
ders on which the yeas and nays are
never called, and on which no mega
tive vote has ever been recorded
and reverently pause in obedience to
the holiest impulses of humer nature
TO contemplate the profoundest mys-
terry of human destiny-the mystery
of death. In the democracy of death
all men, at least, are equal. There
is neither rank nor station nor pre-
rogative in the republic of the grave.
At that fatal threshold the philoso-
pher ceases to be wise and the song
of the poet is silent. At that fatal
threshold Dives reIinquishes his mil
lions and Lazarus his rags. The poor
man is as rich as the richest, aud the
rich man is as poor as the pauper.--
The creditor loses his usury, and the
debtor is acquitted of his obligation.
The proud man surrenders his Dig
nifty, the politicians his honors, the
wording his pleasures. Here the
invalid needs no physician, and the
laborer rests from unrequited toll
Here, at least, is nature final decree
in equity. The irony of fate is re-
futed. The wrongs of time are re-
dressed and injustice is expiated.-
The unequal distribution of wealth,
of honor, capacity, pleasure and op-
portunity, which make life so cruel
and inexplicable tragedy. ceases in
the realms of death. The strongest
has there no supremacy, and the
weakest needs no defense. The
mightiest captain succumbs 10 that ad-
versary who disarms alike the victor
and the vanquished. james Nelson
Burnes, whose life and virtues we
commemorate to-day, was man whom
Plutarch might have described and
VandYke portrayed. Massive, rug
ged and robust, in motion slow, in
speech serious and deliberate, grave
in aspect, serious in demeanor, of an
tique and heroic mold, the incarcera-
tion of force. AS / looked for the
last time upon tl:at cauntenance, from
which (for the first time in so many
years) no glance of friendly recogni-
tion nor word OF welcome came, l re-
flectcd upon the impenetrable and in
soluble mystery of death. But, If
death be the end, if the life Of BurHes
terminates upon this bank and shoal
of time, If no morning is to dawn
upon the night in which we sleep,
then sorrow has no consolation, and
this impressiyeand solemn ceremony
which we observe to-day, has no more
significance than the painted pageant
I of the stage. If the existence of Bur
nes was but n troubled dream. his
death oblivion, what aYails it that the
Senate should pause to recount his
virtues? Neither veneration nor rev
erance are due the dead If they are
but dust, no cenotaph should be
reared to preserve for prosperity the
memory of their achievements if
| those who come after them are 10 be
ouly their successors in annihilation.
ii in this world we have hope and
consciousness, duty must be Chi
mera our pleasures and our passions
should be the guides of our conduct,
and virtue is indeed 4 superstition if
life ends at the grave. This is the
conclusion which the philosophy OF
inegation must accept at last. Such
is the felicity of those degrading pre-
cepts which make the epitaph the
end. If the life Of Bufnes is a taper
that is burned out. then we treasure
his memory and his example in vain.
And the last prayer of his departing
spirit has no more sanctity to US, who
soon or late, must follow him, than
the whisper of winds that stir the
leaves of the protesting forest or the
murmur Of waves that break upon the
complaining shore.
sHILOFs CURE win Immediately reliev,
/ Group. Whooping Cough and Bronehffis soId
| by G. Frank Jones.
| HACK8iETACK," a lasting and fraerar
4 N~ma~ Em-- II