Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1894-03-31
Obituary..

Floyd Duncan Bull, infant son of
James R. and Allie L. Bull, was born
Sept. 18th, 1890, and died March list,
1894. The memories OF our dead
children are set In tender light of
marvellous power. A light that re-
veals and indelibly fixes in memory,
little words, deeds, events, that 9TH
erwise would have made but evanes-
cent impressions. 1t puts new mean
ings'into words and acts. Simple
statements that in life seemed com
monplace. become remarkable"
Profound" From something said,
or done, we now see that the child
had a premonition; a presentiment
of its death. This light magnifies-
and sometimes even imparts-quali-
ties of person and character. Our
most beautiful cnildren-are the van
ished ones. Our child of the rare
mind is now--in heaven, Our good,
the blended truths and tender fic.
tons ever lift the dead child high
above the average, the ordinary
child. Well for us if this tender
light does not blind us to the needs
the love, the merits and lovable quail
tiles of the living children left us.
With this caution before us, let us
thank God that death eXalts
child in memory, as well as in fact.
But the memories of little Duncan
needs no loving inventions to eXalt
him as remarkable child. Physi
cally, he was a beautiful boy. Men
tally, he was unusually bright and
precocious But it was the large low
ing heart. the tender, afTectionate
nature that made the winsome child
q magnet for the affections of all who
knew him. His death was sudden,
bewildering blow. Until within
few hours of his death he was not
supposed to be really sick. On the
morning of March 1st he was appa-
rently enjoying his usual buoyant
health.
About noon, he expressed to his
mother wish ito go to bed That
same evening he died. Without any
noticeable signs externally, membra-
nous Group was accomplishing its
deadly work. SO secret and insidious
were the attack and ravages of the
disease, that his condition was not
discovered until he made the request
to get on the bed. Even then it was
not the outward symptoms, so much
as his remarkable words to his
mother, that first excited fear. AS
she placed him on the bed that day,
he said: "Now mamma, don't you
want to get in the bed too, and go to
Heaven with me?" Physicians were
called at once, but it was too late to
commence. a battle with the deadly
foe Not long before he died, he
looked up at the ceiling and asked:
"Is that the sky, and are those the
angels?" Who knows? Like Stephen
of old he might have cried-"l see
Heaven opened.n A few nights be-
fore his illness and death, while dis
robing, he said to his father: Papa,
don't you want to go to Heaven?"
Upon being answered in the aflirma-
tive, he said: Il tell you | want to
go. Heaven is good place to go to. y
Some children are in the habit of
talking about Heaven. but it was not
mis- habit, and this makes Lis say
ingsn the more remarkable. When l
remember that he was scarcely three
and half years old, and in view OF
all the circumstances, am constrain-
ed to regard his utterances and
death bed as the most extraordinary
of all have known during my min
isterial life. After all may not the
words of Jesus sometimes have a
precious literal application. He said:
II thank thee, o Father, Lord OF
Heaven and earth, that thou hast
hid these things from the wise and
prudent, and hast revealed them un-
to babes" =. g.
JOS. r. STURGio.