The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-10-20
RESURRECTION
OF THE SPIRIT
Comes Out of The Death of The
Body, Says Moses Hull.
oBsEoUIEs OF REUBEN ERWIN
An Extraordinary Funeral Grafton With
Some New Light on Old scripturaI
Philosophy Deceased Was
SpiritualIst.

| The obsequies of the late Reuben Erwin
held at his old home on North Market
street, Monday afternoon were eminent
| ly fitting and full of beauty. Typical
of the man around whose casket friends
gathered to pay homage, no effort was
made to conform to the usual conven-
tionalities. He was not orthodox in the
popular meaning of that term but
believed in Immortality more upon the
lines of philosophy as laid down by the
| Spiritualists. For this reason Moses
Hull, probably the foremost Spiritual
ist thinker in America. was brought
here to tell the assembled friends, as
he stated in the opening of his dis
course, what Reuben Erwin would tell
them could his lips again open and
speak of mortality.
The service opened with a scripture
lreading by Mr.. Hull. AS he finished that
he said he would read now a gem Of
modern inspiration and one of the most
beautiful poems of Ella Wheeler Will
cox was rehearsed. The invocation
which followed was as different from
1.-THE usual prayer as could be. There were
no stereotyped phrases. From the
first words: 20 Thou great Whole of
which we are a part" until the closing
lsupplication, the prayer breathed
philosophy as well as humility and
faith.
At the close Of the invocation Miss
LAWN sang "Abide With Me-"
Rev. Hull took as his text for the
funeral discourse a part of the four
teenth chapter of Job, beginning with
the words, "If man die shall he live
lagain." He said this was much mis-
understood. "Man should not live
again." he said. He only has one life.
He never loses that so he cannot live
another" The speaker said Reuben
Erwin was a Spiritualist. He had talk
ed with him in life repeatedly and he
, had come now to tell what Spiritualism
, means. 1t did not antagonize any
church or other religion but came
as an addenda to all to demonstrate
Immortality; it answered the great
question, Should man live beyond
DEATH" Christ said "Ye must be borr
again. Except ye be born again, W
cannot enter the kingdom Of
Heaven" He said also "That which il
: born of it's flesh is flesh; that which
is born of the spirit is spirit" Mar
t is born of the flesh into his physica
body, Mr.. Hull contended. He uses tha
useless and then he is born out of hi!
, body by the spirit into new form
He is born again. That was wha
: Christ meant. He is born not of flesl
now but Of the spirit, and born into tht
kingdom of the Father.
There is much in the new testament
about the resurrection. 1t does no
mean that these old bodies shall b,
!, brought up. That has always beer
? mystifying and is due to mistake II
' translation. The word resurrection ap
E pears several hundred times and al
! ways should have been translated t,
D read 'resurrect out of the dead rathe
4 than resurrection Of or from the dead
! The resurrection Is the being bori
= again. The spirit comes out of tn
dead into the new body.
), Death is not calamity to the dead
a The sting of death is not to the dead
The living feel the sting because tn
l loved one is gone, but he has gone t,
! ! prepare place for you and he has n,
sting in death.
2 And as we gather about the casket to
$ day and sob, "a man is dead" if w,
could see, we would probably discove
{. another concourse here, and they would
not be weeping, but in glory they woulC
, shout, "A child is born to us, with al
his wisdom and experience of 76 years
child is born into our kingdom Deatl
then is not to be lamented. 1t is a nat
7 ural change for the better"
In closing, Mr.. Hull said Reuben Err
win was reformer all his life. II,
= worked in the slavery reform, in tn,
: temperance reform, in the money reform
: Reform was his religion. 1t is the bes
religion in the world.
Miss LAWN sang beautiful selection
, accompanied by Miss Bolus on the piano
: and the body was borne to it's last rest.
: ing place by Messrs John Danner, Emo!
Brosius, III. S. Moses, Judge AA. Thayer
|, Col. Nathan Holloway and Hon. johnson
lSherrick.