Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-12-04


tears of the storms"
REV. DIR. COOKIES ADDRESS.
Mr.. johnson closed with a poetic
quotation, and was followed by the
quartette, singing Evening Prayer"
The next address was delivered by
Rev. DR.. w. 81. Cooke, pastor OF the
Second Presbyterian Church. 1t was,
in substance, as follows:
DIR. Cooke said
"They who respect the dead, respect
| themselves. They bear our likeness, they
are subject to our inhrmities. ana the pos
sibilities Of our greatness belong to them
We do well to give them place Of honor
able sepulchre. When buried it was earth
| TO earth, dust TO dust, ashes TO
\ ashes, with the expectation OF
a blessed Immortality. 1t is well
from year to year TO keep their memory
! green by gathering as you do the beautiful
| flowers from the bosom OF earth ana de-
! posting them around this typical sepulcher
| to express still your hope that their mem
| ory being fragrant on earth, their services
are fragrant with holiness in the worship
| Of the upper and better sanctuary, the
| brighter and holier world.
"When you do honor 10 your dead you do
honor to your God. He was the maker OF
| their bodies and the maker Of their spirits.
These frail tabernaCles of clay, as we call
! them, are capable of receiving the eternal
| spirit to make them His tabernacle. we
! bury them in the earth, but our hope con-
| corning these bodies is that at the end they
are TO be fashioned like unto Christs glo-
rlous body in the resurrection Of the just.
| Whatever honor you do to Gods works you
| DO to God Himself.
| Whatever recognition you make OF
| Gods service TO any man, that recognition
! honors him, When, therefore, you honor
| the living or the dead whom God hath
| created to|serve Him here and hereafter,
| YOU magnify His name who is their creator
| In all ages Of the earth men have paid re-
| spect to the place of the sepulchre OF their
] departed. They are right ia so doing. It's
| an instinct of our humanity; it is prompted
| by the culture Of civilization, IL lis nurtured
| by the forces of our Christianity That
! man is surely bereft of the proprieties be-
! longing to his position as man who does
not respect places OF sepulchre. Ii that
! be so concerning the body, much more
| concerning the memory, for the memory
brings back to us the life OF those VINO
have gone before us to the eternal world
| all that they were TO their friends, all that
! they were to their kindred, all that they
were to their own career all that they
| were in their relations TO man and things,
! and the God that made them, and this al
| ternoOn we are rightly gathered to chersn
! the memory OF these departed brethren OF
! this order.
'But. brethren, YOU do it once year.
! Suffer me TO suggest 10 you, as citizens OF
| Wheeling, what has come into my mind To-
| day, that while this is a beautiful OBJECT
! lesson, teaching respect for the departed,
! there is every day exposed to our view an
! object lesson that is not beautiful, that is
not suggestive of respect to the departed,
! that is, if you suffer me 10 say as one OF your
citizens, a reproach TO US. It's the condi-
| ton Of the cemetery on the corner OF Six
! teenth and McColloch streets All these
exercises here to-day are so suggestive OF
respect and generation and love, and teach
| such import ant lessons, while what we see
| every dav at the place l have indicated,
! teaches Just the reverse. Shall we persist
| in educating the rising generation IN sen
! liment OF disrespect for the deed!
| Shall we nOtin some way protect the place
! Of sepulchre for those who seem to have
no relatives here, no rights that the living
seem bound 10 respect! Shall we not do
! for those what is 50 appropriate to protect
what is left there from further dissertation
and prevent the rising generation from
! concerning sentiments OF disrespect and
scorn? If there be no statutes let US make
! statutes, If there be no police regulations,
! let us insist upon police regulation, so that
what we do here once year shall not be
reversed as a lesson by what we suffer to
to be done every day in the cemetery to
which l refer.
| Brethren what shall we do to have our
| own memories cherished when we pass
from the earth, so that when we lie down
! in the dust of death and the tears or alice
ton are shed over US, and cultivate them
! Justly! l only know OF one way. Be true
! TO God, be true TO your fellows, be true TO
Yourselves. You ask me after what
| method! According TO the method indi-
| Gated in this open book that YOU so rever-
ence. Make il the man of your counsel, the
| guide to your path, let it be lamp to your
| feet, for it teaches what man ought to
| believe concerning God, and the duties God
| reQuireth Of man. Let US so live in all the
! gentleness aud meekness, sincerity and
| truthfulness, honesty and justice, and
| holiness indicated in the Scriptures, with
all charity to man, with malice TO none,
that men shall say, We have met with a
loss incalculsole.' When we fall at their !s
| sides, and at the place Of sepulchre, they
| shall say: a great man hath departed
| from among his fellows
"Give to each one his dues, not only in
| commercial transactions but in social and
individual life, that men may regret our
! our departure and gaze upward after US
! through their tears and bless God that our
| presence has been to them a benediction.
ooh. my friends, life is only worth liv-
| ing when in the spirit Of self-denial, in the
| spirit OF self conservation, we live TO God
| in the way of his appointment, so that men
! shall take knowledge Of US that we are like
| E1nk I OF vol q
| significant by going about doing good, de-
| stroving all forms of evil. You have de-
vised touching rite in commemoration OF
your departed dead; you have done wisely
| in appointing a special day in memorial Of
| them. You gather the beautiful OF earth in
| song, in flowers and In rite, and thereby
! YOU thank God for the life OF the departed
| and express the hope concerning your
! selves that men viii honor you in rite and
| in heart when you, too, like your fellows,
| these brethren, shall depart from earth,
| praying God that you may leave behind a
blessed holy memory"
CLOSING EXERCISES.
At the conclusion Of DR., Cookies ad-
dress, the male quartette sang 80 That
l Had Wings" one OF the best musical
numbers OF the afternoon, Then Al
fred Spell played in faultless style the
violin solo, "Reverie." Mr.. Zulauf
sang in a feeling manner, Jesus, Thou
Art Standing"
The lodge was formally closed with
the questions of the Exalted Ruler and
responses by the officers Of the lodge.
The entire audience joined in the sing
ing OF the doxology, and the exercises
were closed with prayer by Rev. Robo.
The memorial exercises throughout
were the most impressive ever conduct
ed by the local lodge of Elks, or any other
local organization. The committee was
composed Of c. Z. Tracy, A. a. Franz
helm, John T. Richardson, NJ. j. Ward,