Middletown transcript., 1895-03-09
A STRANGER LAYS
A Memory Wreath on . Beloved
Tomb.

A Memory Wreath on q Beloved
i Tomb.
! EDITOR TRANSCRIPT May stranger lay
his humble offering upon the honored
bier of Nicholas M. Browne, whose mem
ory, his own people who deeply loved him
met to honor last Sunday? His, not the
laurel that smells of fame-meed of the
ruthless oouqueror, but that nobler civic
trophy, token the highest that the Ro-
| man people could bestow, the 0Gken chap.
| let, given to him who in battle saved the
| life of citizen!
/ beheld, few weeks ago on the
occasion of his sepulture a spectacle
at once unique and moving-tender
and beautiful Men, women and
children assembled from far and near to
pay well deserved honor and homage to
his sacred dust; full score of his late
comrades in arms-ministers of Christ
vieing with each other in pronouncing elo-
quent eulogies upon rarely unselfsh and
devoted life;not perfunctory words ofcusto-
mary praise, but the genuine language of
hearts that knew him long and well, find
ing spontaneous birth in glowing words |!
And as l listened to those eloquent encom-
iums mingling with the sweet choral mel
odies, and beheld on every hand the mute
tribute of moist eyes. and then at last gazed
for an instant upon his kindly face, sleep.
ing so sereney amid the glory Of the lilies
and the wheat, like warrior reposing after
battle-it all made for me a scene of inef
fable beauty-not sad but triumphant-nOt
gloomy but glorious A picture whose
sweetness and power shall never forget!
But lovelier than than the flowers
Sweeter than the music or the eloquence-
is the perfume of the modest unselfish life
he lived-a life that as all men declare. was
rare in its unselfshness!
Strangely like his lowly Master-this
modest disciple of His, who throughout
his whole life sought not his own but his
fellows, good-ever ''in honor preferring
another" The church-the community
the world. cannot too highly honor SO love
ly character. Like refreshing breeze from
ocean falls the spirit of such life upon
the eager, greedy selfishness of this too
age Indeed, for the church
is priceless possession; and to those for
tunate ones who in the bonds of friendship,
have partaken deeply of the grace of such
a nature, it was privilege-o whose
results will distilI like balm ON
the soul, and fill the long years with in
cense and beauty; while around the lintels
of the home his spirit consecrated, will
there lingsr for aye fragrance more sweet |
Than than that of earth-a perfume like
tha. which must fill the divine mansions
that noble spirit has fled Why
then should the hearts be sad that so long
have been lowered with such riches Of
love and sympathy! How in the coming |
years may these miser-like, con over their |
ieweled memories more treasured than |
gems Or gold
1t is rather they who knew b i'm but for a |
lay. should mourn their deep loss as for
the grace of day that is dead"-From
he hour the writer first met him, he was
with his intellectual and spirit
lal modesty and be finds that the univer-
val verdict is that this was q character
IF rare simplicity, sweetness and unselfish-
Mr.. Editor, beg to be allowed to
i'd my mite alike in just praise of the
iainted dead and in the hope thereby to
to the living the priceless heri-
age of an example SO exalted-a tribute,
90, which on the late memorial occasion,
t would have been my great pleasure to
litter, had the time seemed to permit.
STRANGER.