The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-04-11

Gel, and its mighty Strains rang through
the church like the strain of a band
marching at the head Of an army into
battle.
After the service came the sermon.
The preacher was an old man, with
white, silken hair. You have seen q skein
Of silk on cold day. The threads stand
out, one apart from the other That is
the way his fine white hair stood out
from his head 1t was like nimbus
frosted. His voice was low and soft and
sweet. He had sung as treble in that
choir so years before. Then he was a
tenor, and now for more than 30 years
he had been the rector.
81 am going to say something to you
today that l have said to you every Eas-
ter day for 30 long years "
That is the way the sermon began
"Christ, my children, rose from the
dead on Easter day, but before he rose
he died. Some day we may rise and
Join him in everlasting glory in para
disc, but before we shall rise from the
dead we must die. We all must die, but
when? Shall we be prepared when our
summons comes? Are we prepared to
die nowp Yes, now. Why not? We
know not when our time shall come
Every Easter day for one long genera
tion have repeated this warning as j
do today. And among those who heard
me there were many who were not alive
to hear me on the following year. Some
of you must die before next Easter day
When death comes to you, will you be
unprepared? Shall the blood Of him who
died that we might live alway be shed
in vain in even one sinlge instance? This
-alone--to-say"
Even the choir listened to this. The
boys stopped fidgeting, and the men
sat very still. The woman in black look
ed at the bunch Of violets on the altar,
and tears fell upon her gloves.
That was what he said, although he
used more words then have done and
took longer time to say it, and after
he left the pulpit and joined the assist
ant ministers back of the chancel raj
there were more wet eyes than thC
washerwoman' in that great church
and there were many promises made fol
the coming year that the makers viii
not live to keep.
y
Early Easter Monday the ladies of th
! Altar guild were again at work. Th
flowers which had been lent for the fes
tival were returned to their owners. Th
chancel stairs were thronged with serv
ing men and maids waiting to carr,
them home. The other flowers-the Gu
stalks from the florists, the bouquet
from the hothouses and the little buncl
of wild violets-were taken away in
wagon to hospital. The sick have thei
Easter ON Monday.
1t was in a long white floored ward
Near the end of it stood an iron cot b.
a window. This was Jim's cot. Jir
was a newsboy before a street car ha
cut off one of his legs Before that h
had been in the Fresh Air fund, and b
loved the country with love that tn
real country boy never dreams of unit
he has grown to be city man.
They carried down this long war
these fine flowers from the Easter alta
roses, orchids, lilies and still NOR
roses. Their fragrance made the al
!. heavy, and the lame boy turned his fac
toward the window.
After all had been distributed
nurse brought to him spray Of will
yiolets They were all that was lef
He took them in his hands and presse
them to his lips. Then he said SOM
: thing about the country so low that I'll
nurse couldn't catch it and fell asleep