West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1894-06-07
Al wHITrIER's FUNERAL.


n OrIef account OF the funeral Of
Whittier by one present on that oc-
casion may not be unintercsting to
lovers of hls poetry.
Love and veneration brought
friends humble and great. The.
farmer member OF the Amesbury
Church drove in out Of brotherly
love for devout Der of the
congregation. while from distance
come those with love no less sincere
because inspired by"Maud Muller"
Eternal Goodness " and At
Last"
Mono ever on earth had sung
more beautifully about 1.-the life for
which he belongs" and how pres
ent it WAS in our minds that day
that death had newly opened the
gates and be has entered the real
ities of his dreams.
The season. summer b;ushing
INTO Autumn. the quiet pastoral
landscape lying around Amcsbury.
the family heard wash Of the dis
tant seashore, the subdued signifi-
cant greeting OF the citizen to ar.
irving strangers all furnished SAL
and appropriate Influences for a
poets burial day.
The body lay at the elm embow
cred home on Friend street and was
viewed by the public passing from
the portico at the front and on
through the study at the side. The
bier was almost buried under floral
tributes among which was mat Of
white rosebuds corresponding in
numbers with the years of the poets
life, sent by Oliver Wendell
Holmes-now indeed the last leaf
death when erasing all human emo
tons makes the face blank white
page, seemed to have left illumed
on Whittiers, the peaceful sunset
of pure life.
In the little orchard back of the
house, were held the funeral serv-
ices. 1t was fitting that the obse.
quies of one Of her holiest Worship
ers be held in natures own temple.
1t was decorated with the finished
work of the season, the purple
grape, the painted apple, the brouz
ed pear amid their leaves. There
was short plain sermon by friend
preacher. after which the Hutch
lnsons sang Lay Him low" Then
Mrs. Cortland, an elderly cousin of
the poet, tall and slender and
dressed in the plain garb of
Quakeress, arose and read cat
Last" On no other occasion could
this poem be read with such sig
nIficance. The readers voice was
tremulous with the sentiment of
the poem, but rich and distinct.
The author bad spent much of his
time at her home. Might he not
have been thinking of that house
hold in this verse:
BE with me when all else Is from me drifting
Earth; sky home pictures days Of shade and
And kindly face to my own uplifted
The love which answered mine.
There were brief remarks by diff
feTent members Of the assemblage.
We especially remember Edmund
Clarence Steadlnnn's beautiful trib.
ute to brother poet. After more
singing by the once famous Hutch
insons, the services closed with a
benedictlon, and soon after the
body, followed 10y the relatives and
immediate friends, was placed in
the tomb prepared in the little
Quaker church yard.
But Whittier, thy life lived in
such rare consistency with thy
written lines, takes not away i'm its
inspiration Tor mankind. 1t taught
the strength that lies in gentIcness.
The great warrior we admire and
honor, but to the poet we give our
love. Mingled with our regard for
the former may be a distrust that
not his own greatness, but the work
Of many men, has gained him his
brilliant page in history. 1t can
not be so with the latter. I'm a
comparison of this kind none could
represent the poets better than our
own Whittier.