The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-07

Tears for the Dead.
Who weeps at Death either mistakes the
cause
For weeping, or is selfish in his grief
Ignores the best of Natures all-kind laws,
And in The Promise fails to find relief
Natures unbending laws, to all well
known,
Teach us that Death is but the stepping
stone
To life; than which the life that we lead
here
Is much more sweet, and beautiful beyond
compare,
And the dear promise tends to soothe our
pain
With the assurance that we soon will
meet again.
And who would shed such bitter tears as
flow
If he could realize, could feel and know
That that which brings to him such bitter
Is to the dead one only glorious gain?
Selfish, in that we weep that dear
friend
Should be set free, with sorrow at an end,
Selfish, in that we suffer, left alone,
And for ourselves we weep not for the
Who, happier than we, has gone before
To rest, to know life's troubles never
more:
Selfish unto the Dead, foT<etful too
OF all that were they living, we would
gladly do.
And yet:
II any pardon may be given
For faults that men commit on earth by
Heaven,
Surely our grief. all selfish though it be,
May be excused
For what so rends the heart with bitter
est pain
AS grief at parting, though to meet
And when some loved one lies all stark
and cold
Dearth all the sweet responsiveness of old,
Gallons alike to word, touch or caress,
The erstwhile warm heart cold within the
breast,
The loving eyes fast closed, the lips close
sealed
| The dreadful terror of our loss revealed
In every line of figure and of face.
| The mourner must have plenteous heaven
ly Grace
Who can remember what we all are
That that which lies before US goes for
naught;
That the quintessence of the thing we
love
Has flown. and lives and loves us from
above,
And that the parting. dreadful though
Is only for time, little while, and we
Shall meet again, where partings are I'M
known.
Where grief is not, and Joy ne'er over.
thrown
Aye. plenteous grace, for with the fact
Staring him in the face, that man is bold
And cold of heart. who easy dries his
tears.
And overcomes his doubts, and Gains his
fears
with primises, so trained are we to feel
That promises are too like brittle steel.
All know so we'll
IT'S hard to realize that Deaths dire
stings
Are but the philippians of an Angels
wings.
| IT'S hard to look upon the stricken form
OF one we dearly loved and stem the
OF tears that rise unbidden to the eyes,
Or to suppress the spirits natural cries
To soothe a heart all bruised and crushed
with pain
With faint hope that we may meet
again;
And so l say. weep on, no harm is done;
Nothing Is lost though little may be won,
Save that the heart may find some sad
relief
BY giving outward sign of inward grief.
The strain upon its strings be loosed, and
| fears
Seem less appalling through a mist of
| tears
Weep onl Weep oni
do believe IL we'd our natures train
To love the spirit, not the flesh and
blood
! That hide II, we could easier see the gain
Tn dying, and in Death see only good.
But even then we'd weep at parting, dear,
No faith in promises no hope so strong
To cheer us so that we could easy bear
A separation, whether short or long
For every moment spent apart from you
Is one bright jewel lost from out lifes
! crown.
And every moment spent in waiting, too
Would be another death till you were
| found
So weep and ease your heart, II so II be,
But for yourself net for the dead re-
pine
Weep that your eyes are blind and cannot
sec.
Weep that your faith should fail. OF
weak incline. III.