The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-10-11
MEMORIAL SERVICES.
Held Last Sunday in Memory of
Late DIR. Smith.


Special memorial services for the
late DR.. J. X Smith were held both In
Lihue and Koloa on Sunday, October
3d.
In Lihue, the Malumalu School, of
which DR.. Smith was most generous
patron, sang Gathering Home" and
Mrs. w. II. Rice, Jr., sang very feel
ingly Nearer My God to Thee" In
Koloa Mr.. Spurgecn of the Salvation
Army spoke of the loss his work sus-
tanned in the death of DR.. Smith. Both
services were largely attended by all
classes. The services were conducted
by Rev. ]. NJ. Lydgate, an old friend
and school mate of the deceased. Mr..
Lydgate spoke, in part, as follows:
''The good man has place in the
heart of the community; and it is the
things of the heart that hold the deep
est place, and linger longest in the
memory. A man may have a large
place in the affairs of the community
by virtue of wealth or position, or even
ability, and yet when he dies he drops
out of the thought and memory Of men
almost as suddenly and completely as
water falling through sieve. He has
not found his way into the hearts of
his fellowmen, and SO he has no abid-
ing place in their memory. The good
man of the highest type is a man who
finds place in the heart, man whose
unselfish interest and ministration for
others call out the heart response and
the heart loyalty. Such a man, to a
very marked degree, was DIR. Smith.
am not going to describe at length his
life and character. I need not. Your
own memories are more eloquent in
his praise than any words OF mine can
be. I need not dwell on the grace and
dignity of his character; on his kindly
generous disposition; on his constant
readiness to help all who needed it;
on his large-hearted unselfishness,
ready to spend and be spent for his
fellow-men; on his genial, attractive
personality that made him universal
fayorite wherever he was known, these
are things you all know quite as well
as I do.
'There are different types of noble
character John is different from Pc
ter. Paul is different from fither, and
all are fine characters in their own
way. But the finest and noblest OF all
is Christ 1t seems to me-and l say
it in all reverence and in all honesty
it seems to me that our beloved friend,
Dr. Smith, to a very marked degree,
was the Christ. type of character, SO
rich in all the more tender and inner
graces-those graces OF charity and
forgiveness and forbearance which the
world needs most In any sphere OF
life DR.. Smith would have been be-
loved, in any profession he would nave
left a fragrant memory, but as physl-
clan this is especially SO. More than
any other man, it seems to me, the
physician has the opportunity to min
lister to his fellOw-men-mOre than any
other man to win his way into their
confidence and affection. To every
household in the community, sooner or
later. he comes in the time of distress
and danger, when the heart is open,
when the sympathies are tender.
Comes not only with his healing art,
but more important still, perhaps,
with his sympathy, his confidence, his
strength, inspiring faith and hope
from that time he is counted as
friend. Now combine the two-the no
BILE character and genial personality
of a man like Dr. Smith and the voca-
ton of a conscientious physlclan-and
is it any wonder that he was unlVer-
sally popular, that every one loved
him? | have read to you that passage
(Kings. 2:iD describing the transla-
ton of Elijah, because it seems to me
we. too, have lost prophet from our
midst. Is this misrepresentation OF
the old historic name of prophet!
don't think so.s The prophet is one VINO
bears a message from God, one VINO
interprets God, reveals God. Some OF
the old Hebrew prophets were men OF
great gifts. men of fire and eloQuence,
who could move and inspire the peo-
nile by their words; they spoke their
message. But there were others
whose words were few, and perhaps
not with power, and they lived their
message. they conveyed the revelation
and INTERPRETATION of God in their own
lives and characters. Which is the
strongest message? Which the fuller
revelation? Such prophet was Or:
Smith. He took of the things OF Gou
and showed them unto men by living
them. Like Moses of old, he TAXED
with God, and carried, even in ms race
somewhat of the glory OF the Things ne
had seen and heard. thank Goa, on
behalf of this community, On penail VI
mankind, on behalf Of Christianity 1or
such men as DR.. Smith. You have seen
on the back streets of some great city
some ignorant, besotted street musl-
clan. grinding out low-grade music.
with no interest beyond the blackmall
one-to secure pittance to move on
and it has deprecated your sense OF
music. and you have wondered wneth-
err after all, music wasn't failure
Rut when you have heard the master
hand on the great organ, executing Tue
masterpiece of the great artist, tnen,
as your eyes have filled and your heart
has swelled, your faith has come PACK
tn Won. and you have felt that music
is all that poets have sung, ana more
So too. when we look about us on the
caricatures of Christianity, on the halt-
way Christians all about us; when WE
look into our own hearts and see SO
many faults and imperfections. 90 we
not sometimes feel our faith in Chris
tianity ebbing away, feel like WONDER
ing whether, after all, there is mucn
in Christianity? But when we see d
life and character like this our heart Is
strengthened within us, our 1alth ~
Christianity is renewed, our nope Ioi
,,ar ic enlarged and we go on again