The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1889-05-30

oH alive HUH UdItle. LII SlLuatlOuS IN
voving honor, courage. dignity. manhood
liberty or the preservation of others, the
majority of mankind, if told to ''siirrendei
or die,' would die, the dread of death be-
| ing slighter than the agony of surrendt /
| to foe of limited power. What humilia.
ton there is in death is but the humilia-
tion of helplessness. =,
| The dread Of death is in the normal
mind commensurate with the joy of Lying.
Satanic spectres are thrown into the un.
known darkness only by guilt. They
never terrorize the innocent. Nor do fear
narrowing fancies as to future penalties
properly constitute any part of the fear of
death. AS constituent elements in the
dread of death one can reckon only that
| which is peculiar to death. The pain of
the crisis itself then must be eliminated
| where one is correctly Informed that
physical suffering is often thousand-f fold
greater than where death ensues.
But beyond all associated fear, and re-
pugnance the dread of death as death
neither as awaiting penalty, quick burial.
nor the habitation of the house eternal
made with hands. but as DEATHS proper
tionate exactly with our love of life.,,. ID.
1t can not be pausibly urged against,
this that there is almost universal dissat-
isfaction with every present day, because
the very intensest elem emit of that dissatis.
faction is hope for JOY to- morrow. So if
1t were said 1.-THE. Joy of life constituting
Our dread of death, that dread would els.
appear altogether On that day of which we.
tire" it could be truthfully replied that,
the dread of that days death has disap-
peaIed, but the hope of morrow's Joy
holds US enwrapt and bound to life, and
so indeed will hold US ever in frantic
yearnlng, the years as they pass bestowing
just enough blessedness to compel our be-,
lief in tspossibility and render our despair.
wild at the thought of relinquishing the
pursuit. -, 49,.
I have often thought and. now believe
that the stages of this death,dread are
very easily traceable, and very appro.
priately under this thesis: ....Where the
treasure is, there will. the. heart be also."
1t. is observable that the child never
thinks. of death in relation to itself. In
the little undefiled heart the grim monster
OF dread hoYers over that. which is most
dear. The black shadow doesn t approach
self, but it approaches, when it appears at
all, il, the cbild's imagination, the very.
centre of the. ehild's heart, threatening
that which the child most loves, the one
into whose, affection the child inst inotivelv
cnddles for protection in all it's innocent
ways, and, for, the deepest joy it can yet
know, which Is maternal indulgence. Mer-
ciful is nature in not thrusting this
shadow often across the young mind.
When it comes it comes to attach its ugli.
ness to the child s mother, its most cher.
ished treasure Nor does it alter this fact
eff the heart and imagination. that even
while the innocent is under this unselfsh.
contemplation, death, grim and vuIture-
like, may stoop to carry it away. s-:..,-
When the blood, of youth courses holly
through the veins. when life is new, when
fresh vigor infpses every nerve and fibre,
when physical existence is a pleasure. then
the shadow Of death in the Imagination
approaches self, powerless. awe stricken.
trembling self, and in it's first approaches
we are appalled, end overpowered. But
this strong and jubllant life can not be
yielded. 1t is too intense in it's delights,
too everlasting in. the endurance of it's
joys. too Infinite in its, prospects. too
exalted in its hopes and ideals, to be ever
cut off; death that can be but a transition
where the soul becomes conscious of limit.
less expansion and eternity, and the refuge
of this life-lover for life's sake is seized of
the immortal hope and shall live forever.
Thus for this state of intense life the
dread is somewhat ameliorated by the
faith that all which is essential and good
is permanent.
:, Very pertinent here is word from the
English opium eater: That vast power
and possessions make a man shamefully
afraid of dying: and ana convinced. that
many of the most intrepid adventures.
who, by fortunately being poor enjoy the
full use OF their natural courage, would,
If at the very instant of going into action
news were brought to them that they had
unexpectedly succeeded to an estate, in
England of $4,000 per year, feel their dis
Ike to bullets considerable sharpened, and
their efforts at perfect equanimity and
Aself-possession proportionately difficult"
In the next stage the powers Of llfe!give
way and man experiences THAT. WEAKNESS
of earth which nature intended to deaden
the sorrow Of the parting hour The de
sire of life becomes satiated., Those pleas
ures which once enwraped the soul and the
heart there devotee are distasteful memo.
ries, Hope and joy once, they are now
satire and ridcule. and their hot and fry-
cred dupe now longs. for the cool, delici-
GUS kiss of DEATH Those. pleasures and
those treasures WHICH faseinate in. the,
morning relinquish their weary hold at ev-
ening, and dusty, worn. .incapacited man
hears with Joy the rnstling garments. of
the night" Friends have gone: loved one S
departed; all that is dear. is beyond the
veil. Nothing to do, nothing to. love,
nothing to enjoy; neither power for work
nor capacity for pleasure nor spirit for
hope. there is no desire for life and hence
no dread Of death. and that once seen as a
hitter and ,inyincIble foe we grasp to, our
| bOsOms as the most faithful friend; So, {.
An election contest at Forest city, Ark.
cn,the 18th, for the control of the public
school board, Resulted in the killing OF
three Snan.-.wo' ~hit q ind 'ona ca'orpd.