Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-04-29

some reptiles from the embroidered Pll-
low and to fight back imaginary devils.
And then they were laid out in highly
upholstered parlor, the casket covered
with flowers by indulgent parents
flowers suggestive Of resurrection with
no hope.
As you sat this morning at your
breakfast table and looked into the faces
of your children, perhaps you said
within yourself "Poor thingsl How l
wish l could start them in life with u
competence How l have been disap-
pointed in all my expectations OF what
/ would do for themW Upon that scene
of pathos l break with pecan Of con-
graduation, that by your financial losses
your own prospects for heaven and the
prospect for the heaven of your children
are nightly improved. You may have
lost toy, but you have won palace.
How hardly shall they that have
riches enter into the kingdom of God =
at is easier for camel to go through
a needles eye than for rich man to
enter the kingdom of heaven" What
does that meany 1t means that the
grandest blessing God ever bestowed
upon you was to take your money away
from you. Let me here say, in passing,
do not put much stress on the treasures
of this world. You cannot take them
along with you. At any rate, you can
not take them more than two or three
miles; you will have to leave them at the
cemetery. Attila had three ooffins. So
fond was he Of this life that he decreed
that first he should be buried in coffin
of gold and that then that should be in
closed in a coffin Of silver and that
should be inclosed in coffin Of iron,
and then a large amount Of treasure
should be thrown in over his body.
And so be was buried, and the men who
buried him were slain, so that no one
might know where he was buried and
no one might there interfere with his
treasures. Oh, men Of the world, who
want to take your money with you, bet
ter have three ooffinsl
Helpful Thoughts.
Again, remark, you ought to make
the very best of your bereavements.
The whole tendency is to brood over
these separations, and to give much
time to the handling Of mementos OF
the departed, and to make long vista
tions to the cemetery, and to say: "Oh,
can never look up again. My hope is
gone; my courage is gone; my religion
is gone; my faith in God is gone Oh,
the wear and tear and exhaustion Of
this loneliness. The most frequent be
reayement is the loss Of children. II
your departed child had lived as long al
YOU have lived, do you not suppose thai
he would have bad about the same
amount of trouble and trial that yot
have bad? II you could make a choice
for your child between 40 years Of an
poyance. loss, yexation, exasperatior
and bereavements and 40 years in heay
en-, would you take the responsibility
of choosing the former? Would yoI
snatch away the cup Of eternal blis
and nut into that child's hands the cul
Of many bereavements? Instead OF tn
complete safety into which that chill
has been lifted would you like to hoi'
il down to the risks of this mortal state
Would you like to keep it out on a SCI
in which there have been more ship
wrecks than safe voyages? Is 1t not
comfort to you to know that that child
instead of being besoiled and flung int
the mire of sin, is swung clear into tn
skies? Are not those children to be con
, graduated that the point OF celestia
bliss which you expect to reach by
pilgrimage Of 90 OF 60 or 20 years the
} reached at q fash? If the last H. Oo
children who had entered heaven ha
gone through the average Of human III
on earth, are you sure all those ~, w
, children would have finally reached IN
, blissful terminus? Besides that, N
, friends. you are to look at this matte
z as q self denial on your part for thei
benefit. If your children want to go o
! in a May day party, if your chlldre
. want to 90 on fowery and musical e'
ours.on, you consent. You might pref'
\ TO haye them with you, but their Juo
liant absence satisfies you. Well. you
= departed children have only gone out
{ a Nav day party, amid fowery and mi
= sical entertainment, amid joys and b
n larities forever. That ought to que
n some of your grief. the thought OF the
d glee.
r So it ought to be that you could mai
t the best of all bereavements. The Ia
IS that YOU have so many friends in heave
], will make your own departure veI
i cheerful. When you are going on Vo.
}, age, everything depends upon whei
% vour friends are-if they are Oh Il
/. wharf that you leave or ON the VIVA
l. toward which you are going to SAIL.
other words, the more friends you nav
2 in heaven the easier it will be TO g
J. away from this world. The more frien'
% here the more bitter goodbys; the mo
10 friends there the more glorious we
% comes. Some of you have SO MAJ
l. brotbers. sisters, children, frlends
3. heaven that do not know hardly ho
|. Won are going to crowd through. Wh'
l. the vessel came from foreign lands al
g brought a prince to our harbor, q
ID ships were covered with bunting, al
N you remember now the men-of-w
| Numbered brosdsides; but there was
W 10Y there compared with the JOY whl'
70 shall be demonstrated when you sail
10 the broad bay of heavenly salutatio
ps The more friends you have there &
i'd easier your own transit What is dea
t. to a mother whose children are IN hea
ID en-? Why, there is no more grief in
~ than there is in her going into nurse
Id amid the romp and laughter of b
Or household. Though all around may
as dark, see you not the bright light in {
clouds-that light the irradiated fac
- 20 of your glorified kindredl
!. Making the Worst Of Things
20 So also, my friends, l would ha
a you make tho best Of your sickness
When you see one move off with elas'
step and in full physical vigor, SON
m times you become impatient with 20
t...,o foot Whan n man describes