Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-05-04

cattle browsing amid the mullen stalks
and the Canada thistles, and June morn
ing in Greenwood, the wave OF roseate
bloom rolling to the top. OF the mounds
and then breaking into foaming crests Of
white flowers all around the billows of
dust. 1t is the difference between sleeping
under rags and sleeping under an en-
broidered blanket. We want old Mortality
with his chisel to 60 through all the grave
wards In Christendom, and while he carries
chsel in one hand we want old Mortality
to have some flower seed In the palm Of
the other hand.
"Oh," you say, "the dead don't know;
it makes no difference to them" think
you are mistaken. There are not so many
steamers and trains coming to any living
city, as there are conveys coming from
heaven to earth, and II there be instan-
taneous and constant communication be-
tween this word and the better world, do
you not suppose your departed friends
know what you do with their bodies?
Why had God painted 'goldenrod" and
wild flowers In the forest and on the prai-
rie, where no human eve ever sees them.
He planted them there for invisible intelli-
gences to look at and admire, and when In
visible intelligences come to look at the
wild flowers Of the woods and the table,
lands, will they not make excursion and
see the flowers which you have planted in
affectionate remembrance of them?
When am dead, l would like to have
handful of violets--any one could pluck
them out Of the grass, or some one could
lift from the edge of the pond wster lily
nothing rarely expensive, no insane dis
play, as sometimes at funeral rites, where
tie display takes the bread from the chill
dren's mouths and the clothes from their
backs, but something from the great de-
mocracy OF flowers. Rather than imperil
catafalque Of Russian Gear, ask some one
whom l may have helped by gospel sermon
or Christian deed to bring a sprig of ar
butus or handful of China asters.
1t was left for modern times to spell re-
spect for the departed and comfort for the
living in letters Of floral gospel. Pillow
of flowers, meaning rest for the pilgrim
who has got to the end of his journey. An
chor OF flowers. suggesting the Christian
hope which we have as an anchor of the
soul, sure and steadfast Cross of fow-
ers, suggesting the tree on which our sins
were slain. II had my way, would COW
er up all the dreamless sleepers, whether
in golden handled casket or pine box,
whether kings mausoleum or potter's
Held, with rad,ant or aromatic arbores-
cence. The Bible says, 'In the midst of
the garden there was a sepulchre.''
wish that every sepuichre might be in the
midst Of the garden.
If you ask ne the question, What are
flowers good for? I answer, "For religious
SYMBOLISM" Have you ever studied Scrip
tural flora? The Bible is an arbc return, it
is divine conservatory, it is n herearium
OF exquisite beauty. II you want to illus
trate the brevity of the brightest human
life, YOU will quote from Job, "Man comerh
forth as flower and Is cut down." Oryou
will quote from the psalmist, "As the flower
OF the field, so he perisheth; the wind pas.
seth over 1t and 1t is gone" Or you will
quote from Isaiah, "All flesh is grass and
the goodness thereof is as the flower of
the field" Or yot will quote from James
the apostle, Gas the flower Of the grass, so
he passeth away" What graphic Bible
symbolismi
Flowers also afford mighty symbolism of
Christ who compared Himself to the ancient
queen, the lily, and the modern queen, the
rose, when He said: 81 am the rose of
Sharon and the lily of the valley Redo
lent like the one, humble like the other.
Like both appropriate for the sad who want
= pathzers and for the rejoicing who
hanqueters. Hovering over the mar
YIN, adding bell or
7ant
iage ceremony ike a Mo...
olded like u chaplet on the pulseless neart
4 the dead. Oh, Christ, let the perfume
( Thy name be waftedlall around the earth
lilly and rose, lily and rose--untii the
wilderness crimson into garden and the
ound earth turn int one great bud of i'm
4 Godl Snatch down from the worlds
banners eagle and lion and put on lily and
.ose, lily and rose.
But, my friends, flowers have no grander
lse that when on Easter morning we cele-
,rate the termination of Christ from the
,atacombs. The flowers spell resurrection.
There is not a nook or corner in all the
building but is touched with the incense. |
The women carried spices to the tomb of
Christ, and they dropped spices all around |
about the tomb, and from these spices |
nave grown all the flowers of Easter morn.
The two white robed angels that hurled the |
stone away from the door OF the tomb |
hurled 1t with such violence down the hill
hat 1t crashed in the door Of the worlds
,epulcher, and millions OF dead shall come
'orth.
However labyrinthine the mausoleum,
grand the metropolis, how
ever beautifully parterred the family
grounds, we want them all broken up by
The Lord Of the resurrection. The forms
that we laid away with our broken hearts
must rise again. Father and mother
they must come out. Husbands and wives
they must come out. Brothers and sisters
they must come out. Our darling chill
dren-they must come out. The eyes that
with trembling fingers we closed must
open In the lustre of resurrection morn.
The arms that we folded in death must join
ours IN embrace OF reunion. IHo peloVeu
voice that was hushed must be returned.
The beloved form must come up without
its inflrmities, without its fatigues-it must
come up. Oh, how long 1t seems for some
Of you'll Waiting waiting for the resur-
rection How longl How long! I make
for your broken hearts to-day cool, soft
bandage of lilies. I comfort you this day
with the thought of resurrection.
When Lord Nelson was buried in st.
Paul's Cathedral in London, the heart OF
all England was stirred. The procession
passed ON amid the sobbing Of a nation.
There were thirty trumpeters stationed at
the door OF the cathedral with instruments
of music in hand waiting for the signal,
and when the illustrious dead arrived at
the gates OF st. Pauls Cathedral these
thirty trumpeters gave one united blast,
and then ali was silent. Yet the trumpets
did not wake the dead. He slept right on.
But have to tell you what thirty trumpet
ers could not do for one man one trum-
peter will do for all nations. The ages
have rolled on and the clock OF the worlds
destiny strikes 9, 10, IL. ~. and time shall
be no longerl Behold the archangel hover
ingl he takes the trumpet points it this
way, puts its lips to his lips, and then
blows one long, loud, terrific. thunderous.