Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-01-19
IS 1T PAINFUL TO DIE.
Last Words From Deathbeds Indicate
That Il Is Not.

Last Words From Deathbeds Indicate
That Il Is Not.
Rev f. j. Hardy In the Sunday magazine.
Many people, through fear OF death
are all their lives subject to bondage.
The questions, How shall we dies
When shall we die? and Where shall
we dies are continually worrying
them. Indeed. there have been sew
eral suicides caused by this haunting
terror Of death. The thought of it
made their lives insupportable, and
they killed themselves in order to
know the worst. And yet it is quite
possible that in respect to the physical
sensation of dying we resemble Don
Quixote. when he hung by his wrist
from the stable window and imagiu-
ed that tremendous abyss yawued
beneath his feet When Louis XIV
lay dying-"Why weep You he ask
I'd those who surrounded his deathbed.
Did you think Ishould live forever"
rheu, after pause. Il thought dying
had been harder DR.. Hunter was
mother who was agreeably surprised
~ his experience Of dying His last
words were III had strength to
iold a pen, l would write down how
.asy and pleasant thing it is to die. Z"
charming actress who had been
vice almost drowned told friend
hat dying was the incest sensation
hat she knew The late Archbishop
4 Canterbury. as his agony" befell.
quietly remarked, ut is really moth
ng much after ALL
Hundreds of other last sayings Of
wing persons might be cited to prove
ne truth Of Plinys remark that the
eparture Of the soul frequently takes
'laee without pain, and sometimes
ven with pleasure.
A man said to Socrates: "The
Athenians have condemned YOU TO
leath." "And nature" he replied,
has condemned them. We do not
hunk that death should be looked
ipon as the condemnation Of nature
nut rather as its happy release. This
vas the light in which Columbus
'iewed It, When he was old and
hained in prison it was a relief to him
othink that soon he would "sal forth
IN one more voyage" The Christian is
aved from this inward horror of
alliug into naughtp To him death
) not the king Of terrors, but the
euder consider, not the eud Of life,
out the beginning of a higher and
iobler state.
Il look upon death" says Frank
in, ito be as necessary to our consti-
utiou as sleep We shall rise refresh-
d in the morning
When death is bitter it is so, as a
general rule, far more by reason Of
lnxiety and remorse than from physi-
al causes, A man, for instance, can
scarcely die easy If he is leaving
widow and family for whom provision
las not been made. The medical man
Who attended Oliver Goldsmith in his
asst hour asked him if there WAS any
thing on his mind, as he could not ac.
count for his temperature being SO
high. The poet admitted that there
was. Debt was upon his mind. To
some it is riches and not poverty that
rem lers death painful
John Wesley was once asked by
lady: Suppose you knew that you
we're to die at ? o'clock tomorrow
night how would you spend the inter
vening time ?" "How. madam p he
replied, why, just as intend to spend
it now. should preach this night at
Gloucester and again at tomorrow
morning After that should ride to
Tewksbury, preach in the afternoon
and meet the societies in the evening.
should then return to friend Martins
house, who expects to entertain me,
converse and pray with the family as
usual, retire to my bed at 10 O'Clock,
commend myself to my Heavenly
Father, lie down to rest and wake up
in glory"
When told that he had only two
hours to live, Stonewall Jackson an
'wered VERY good; il is all right.
Order A. T. Hill to prepare for action.
Pass the infantry to the front rapidly
Tell Major Hawks" Presently a
smile Of inefiable sweetness spread Il.
self over his pale face, and he said
quietly and with an expression Of re-
lief: "'I.et us cross over the river and
rest under the shade Of the trees.
And then without pain or the least
struggle, his spirit passed away
A story told of Horace Greedy re.