The Pascagoula democrat-star., 1896-01-31
A CHILD IN HEAVEN.
New York Herald.

New York Herald.
Seeing his days are determined. the num-
Der Of his months are with thee, thou hast
appointed his bounds that he cannot pass
JOB, xiv 3.
OF all the bercavementS which are
possible 10 Il home the loss Of child
is perhaps the most disappointing
and the hardest to bear
There is no household hOwsoe'er
defended, but has one vacant chair"
ana the worlds sympathy is most
generously given when that chair has
been occupied by one in the halcyon
days Of youth,
At first sight it would seem as
though something had gone wrong in
the universe, and we are mentally
puzzled. We have tn, feeling that "A
young man has certain right to life,
and if he is robbed of it our faith in
the so UJdness Of God is taxed to its
utmost limit. Reason fails to follow
the ways of Providence, ard the
deeper our love the harder is it to be-
licye that mistake has not been
coGlGiittcd. Faith droops and we
talter in our allegiance to the Lord.
He was on the very verge Of great
things, we say, and the propcct was
specially alluring. He had noble gifts
had dreamed dreams of successful
career, was full of h0pefulnces, bouy-
ancy and vlgor. Then death inter
vened, and it instantly became i'm
possible for him to do what we should
have taken pride in seeing him Go and
what would have won for him an EN-
viable name among his fellows. How
can we be resigned under such cir
cumstances and in what way can re-
ligion explain the terrible problem?
There are 50 many instances or this
kind that solution must be found If
there Is one. | am aware that God
moves in mysterious way His won
ders to perform but he always leaves
footprints behind, and if we follow
them we are sure to find light. If we
cannot know all, we may discover
enough to set our hearts at rest,
enough to assure us that no mere
accident has occurred, but that the
eternal plan is being carried on with
out error. Religion deals with mat
ters which are beyond the reach of
our reason, but doubt If it ever con
Lradicts our reason. The intellect OF
man is as feeble an instrument with
which to find out God as GalileO'S toy
telephone was to separate the stars
in the Milky Way; but Calico got
gllmpses of the Creators plan, and
we may do the same thing.
There are certain facts which ought
to be beyond dispute, but possibly
you have neglected to note them. Ii
it is not wholly day, it is not wholly
night, and though objects are dimly
|
seen there is light enough to walk by.
That boy was a bunch of vital forces
which took the form OF character.
When death came it neither disslpated
the forces nor destroyed the char;
acter. You did not bury him. He
was your son when you carried his
wornout body to the churchyard, and
perhaps lie accompanied the sad pro-
cession. Vital forces are indestructi-
BILE, as science long ago insisted, and
personally remains intact in spite OF
all that death can do. Indeed, Death
is simply the server Of a summons In
accordance with orders from above.
Someone is wanted in another sphere
of cxstance, and Death comes to take
the person named in the warrant
When this person goes he carries his
entire personal entity with him, with
out the lvss Of a jot or title--hIs intel
lcct, his moral qualities and his af-
fections. That boy, therefore, thrills
with life today just as he did when
YOU folded him In your embrace.
That is the corner stone, as sound