Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1894-10-04
DEATH.
who Knows What Becomes OF the De-
uarted spirit?


parted spirit?
The average duration Of human life
is placed ut 80 years: while in civil
lied countries the average Is some
what higher, Ia tropical lands.
and in Asia and Africa, which
contain much more than half the
human race, the average term OF life
is less than 33 years Taking the
eartL's population as 0,j00, coo, OO0)
fifteen hundred millions, the deaths OF
human beings number close to l25, ,0)0
every Iwcnty-iour hours, or D. $50
an hour, or 81 Il minute. What
death is n mortal knows. TO term
il a slerp or a cessation Of life does
not define it. The human body is
4 highly organized mass Of matter,
which. SO long as the soul or spirit
holds connection with IT, is said to be
endowed with life. No one yet un-
dcrstanGs the nature of the myster!-
Gus connection OF mind with the
body We only know the fact OF
such connection. and that when this
relation Is severed we have the phe-
nOmencn known AS death. The
mortal or material part OF man,
When lite departs, quickly resolves
itself into the elements OF matter,
becomes almost literally "ashes to
ashes and dust to dnSt," and science
tells US that much OF it is, no donht,
incorporated into other growing or.
gansms tt the departed man the
preacher says that the places which
knew bin shah know him no more
forever" ard the ioct observes:
few brief years and who can show
Which dust was B!u and which WAS Joe.
What becomes OF the departed
spirit is not given us to know. All
love to think and try to believe that
the soul lives on after death, possibly
in an astral body" that it preserves
its identity in a better state OF exist
ence aud many religions teach that
this is so, that "the ransomed spirit
disappearing in the purple distance
is lifted high into the land OF the
hereafter" Yet such pleasant words
are not wholly satisfactory to logical
minds, for such minds find difficulty
in believing where we cannot prove"
as Tennyson expresses it.
One thing we do know. and that Is
the certainty OF death, to which every
set of sun brings us one day nearer.
Mortals make up an endless pro-
cesslon. the front ranks Of which are
steadily passing across the dark
valley into the Unknown Land. We
90 to the oblivion which all sooner
or later achieve decade, perhaps,
suIficing for few near and dear ones
to strew our graves with flowers
while eyes grow dim with sorrowing.
I hen the long dreamless aud for
gotten rest where the blades Of the
grave grass quiver. where summer
shadows play and autumn leaves and
winter SHOWS fall,
While earth's brown clingiuy lips impress
The long cold kiss that waits us all.
1t matters little whether 1t be where
"A Cesar dead and turned to clay"
rests under m0ssy marbles or where
Each IN his narrow cell forever laid.
The rude forefathers Of the hamlet sleep.
the thought Of death Is solemn
one, especially to him
Who hath bent him o'cr the dead,
Ere tho first day OF death is hed.
Before Decays effacing fngeTs
Have swept the lines where besuty ltuaeFs.
Would that we all might believe
with Longfellow:
There ia no death What seems 20 ts transi.
This life OF mortal breath
j. but suburb OF the life elvsiaa,
Whose portal we call Death.