Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-07-18

family there, or nearly all of them there.
While you are talking and enjoying the
evening lioar there is a knock at the door.
and the door opens and there comes in Il
brother tlat has been long absent. He has
been absoIt-for years you nave not
seen him-and no sooner do you make up
your mind that it is certainly he than YOU
leap up, and the question is who shall give
him the first embrace. That is my idea of
hcaven-a great home circle, where they
are waiting for Us.
Oh. will you not know yourmother's voice
there? She who always called you by your
first name long after others had given you
the formal "Mistcr?" You We're never any,
thing but James. or John, or George, or
Thomas, or May or Florence to her. Will
You not know Your child's voice? She of
the bright eye, and the ruddy cheek. and
the quiet step. who came in from play and
flung herself in your lap very shower Of
mirth and beauty? Why, the picture is
craven in your soul. 1t cannot wear out.
If that little one should stand on the other
side of some heavenly hill and call to you,
You would hear her voice above the burst
OF heavens great orchestra. Know it?
You could not help but know it.
Now l bring YOU this glorious consolation
of future recognition. If you could get this
theory into your heart it whou~l lift u great
many shadows that are stretching across it.
When 1 was Il lad | used to go to the rail
road track and put my ea down on the
track, and | could hear the express
train rumbling miles away and coming on,
and to-day, my friends, If we only had faith
enough We could put our car down 10 the
grave OF our dead and listen. and near in
the distance the rumbling on ofthc chariots
OF resurrection victory. o Heaven, sweet
Heaven! Youdo not spell Heaven as you
used to spell ii. You used to spell it
H-c-a-v-e-n-Hcarcn. But now when you
want to spell that word you place side by
side the faces of the loved ones who are
gone, and in that irradiation of light and
love and beaut" and Joy you spell it out us
never before i'll songs and hallelujahs. Oh,
We whose hearts are down under the sod of
the cemetery, cheer up at the thought of
this reunion! Oh, how much you will have
TO tell them when once you meet them!
How much you have been through since
you saw them last. On the shining shore
YOU will talk it all over. The heartachcs.
weeping until you had no more power to
weep. because the heart was withcred and
dried up. Story of vacant chair, and empty
cradle, and little shoes only half Worn out,
never to be worn again. just the shape of
the foot that once pressed it. And dreams
when you thought the departed had come
back again, and the room seemed bright
with their faces, and you started up to greet
them, and in the effort the dream broke and
you found yourself standing amid room in
and then, hand in hand. walking up and
down in the light. No SORROW, no tears, no
death. o Heaven, beautiful Heaven!
Heaven. where our friends are. Heaven,
where we expect to be.
In the East they take Il cage of birds and
bring it to the tomb of the dead, and then
they open the door of the cage, and the
birds. flying out. sing. And l would to-day
bring a cage of Christian consultations to
the grave of your loved ones, and would
open the door and lei them I'LL all the air
with the music of their voices.
ON, how they bound i'll, these spirits be-
fore the throne! Some shout out with glad
ness, some break forth into uncomfortable
weeping for JOY, some stand speeches. in
their shock of delight. They sing. they
CULVER with excessive gladness, they gaze
on the temples, on the palaces, on the
waters. on each other, They weave their
Coy into garllands; they spring it into tri-
umPhal arches. they strike it on timbrels.
great circle around the throne of God
fathers, mothers, brothers. sisters, sons and
daughters. lovers, and friends, handto hand
around about the throne of God-the circle
jubilee to jubilee, victory to victory, until
the daybrcak and the shadows fee away,
Turn thou. my beloved, and be like a roe or
a young hart upon the mountains of
Bethcr."
Oh, how different it is on earth from the
way u is m Heaven when a Christian dies!
We say. Close his eyes" In Heaven they
say, Give him a palm" On earth we saw,
Let him dow in the ground" In Heaven
they say. "lt;ise him on 4 throne" On
it is: Welcome. WELCOMED" And so see y
Christian soul coming down the river of
death. and h" steps I'M" tho river una ,ne
water comes to the ankle. He says. Lord
Jesus: Is this death?' No" says Christ.
this is not death" And he wades still
deeper down into tho waters until the flood
comes tothe knee. and he says. Lord Jesus.
tell me; tell me. is this death?" And Christ