Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-03-15

of the past to her, and she is living it over
again. walk quietly into the dining-room.
where somebody else is fixing up the old
silver, and that somebody else is trying to
look steadily at a baby's Christmas cup.
And wonder why it is that we women
find certain sad pleasure in bringing up
the past, seeing IL as it was, and us we were
and comparing all with the present.
Sometimes IT does lis good. IL docs every
woman good to remember what great
amount of belief she had once and to try
and bring back that belief again. 1t does
every woman good to think OF the mistakes
she has made, so that in the future she
may be more careful. And l think, my
friend, it does MS all good once in while
10 realize that this life doesn't mean for
ever. | don't think we ought to walk
around expecting to meet death every min
ute, that we should elect by continual
reference to be, so to say,
GowNED IN OUR GRAVE CLOTHES,
but we ought to be brave enough not to be
afraid to meet Death when he comes. He
Is so certain. And not one of us knows
now we will meet him; whether as q
friend coming to free lis from pain, or as
an enemy coming to take us from JOY.
do not think that we will be asked to chose
our times. You and | are prone to look
upon him as an enemy, and yet to so
many OF us he is good friend. He throws
over our faults the mantle of charity, and
makes those who are alive remember us
only as kind and good and sweet.
lie saves lis many pain and ache, and
1t is wrong to look on him as foe. You
can always be sure that, in time, you will
see why lie did enter your household when
there was apparently no reason for it. BE
sure that il he took that little one it was
because he wished 10 save il heart an |
body hurts. You may be sure that if he
took q fine, handsome boy of yours, he
took him now while he was credit to you
and did not leave him to become as was
possible o grief and distress. Sometimes
one cannot understand death. 1t seems
most dreadful when he takes away the
mother of the household, and the little
children suffer and the father is lonely
When see the mother 60 always look
al the father, and, oh ! so many times |
think the grief he shows is not pure low
ing grief, but that tinged with removse.
While she was alive she was SO willing and
so loving, and he was so selfish and so
thoughtless. He never knew, until she
was gone, all that she meant to him. and
he never realized until her eyes were closed
forever how often by thoughtiessness,
which is in reality cruelty, he had made
those eyes fill with tears. Yes, man, weep
for the mother of the household, ana with
ever tear you shed | hope there will come
might have been and what you are.
IN DEATHS EMBRACE.
Death comes into your house and into
mine and takes away those we love best
and then some one sits down and talks
theology to us and adds to our grief by
asking us such questions as, do you
think the dead see you?" | hope they
don't; don't know whether they do or
not; but hope most earnestly they don't
see any of the sorrow that comes to the
people they love, for ii they did, surely
Heaven would not be Heaven to them.
have left them all and am looking out
the window now, and the snow is making
the whole great world look white and pure.
and coming through the street, as if in
harmony with the background, is little
white hearse. Somebody's baby. Some
body's baby TO be put in the arms of
mother earth. | wonder if you think
about that us do 10 me it seems as If
that dead baby had become something in
| heaven that made it more than worth
| while to do what is right on earth SO that
| whoever 1t belongs to may be with it some
day. Perhaps my ideas Of heaven and of
| God and of His mercy don't agree with
yours. All | can think OF IS loving kind
ness; all l can remember is heaven and
mercy-I forget hell and justice. / can
only believe in that which is tender and
| gracious and considerable. Perhaps it is a
broad belief, but it is a belief which has
| love for its cornerstone and mercy for its
watch-word, and 10 that belief, in token Of
my faith, am only too glad to put tn,
nameof (!y BAB.