El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-04

shall have departed this life, even as
we cherish the recollection of those
that are gone. We long to hold a
place in the thoughts of those dear to
us, beyond the few years OF earthly ex-
istence. 'Twould be sad for us to think
that with the end of this brief period
of struggle we pass away completely
from human consideration. Mourn
fully, indeed, the psalmist proclaims:
GAS for man, his days are as grass: as
the flower of the field so he flourish beth;
when the wind passeth over 1t, it is
gone, AMI its place shall know 1t no
more" Our place may not know US,
but there are hearts that will cherish
US, provided our lives are deserving OF
remembrance, 1.-THE memory of the
righteous is a blessing, but"-con-
tinues the verse from proverbs,-''the
name of the wicked shall rot
One of the greatest benefits OF such
exercises as these tonight, yea the
chief value of the thought of death al
life. 1t sounds the most solemn ad-
mon tton to live Alright for it reminds
us of the end of all our striving. How
differently we might act, did we not
have to reckon with that dread Ger
tainty. And how differently ought
most to act from the way in which they
do, knowing what must come at last.
|
the objects on which we set our desire!
OF what real good are all the riches
we have heaped up, and in amRssing
which we have wearied and worn body
and brain? OF at lasting satisfac-
tion are all the enjoyments and pleas
ures we so greedily sought, and to
secure which we often sacrificed mob
lest faculties and fairest opportunities?
With one stroke the messenger of
| lbs n
worldly possessions. The fruits of
our selfish aims perish with US; but
our unsel6sh endeavors, the good we
have done to others, the services we
have rendered our kind, these remain
after US. They are the continuation
of our life: they make US immortal
even on earth. The objects of perma
tale of the ancient rabbins, called the
parable of the three friends.
A man was once commanded to
present himself Immediately before
the king in the royal palace. In
dread at this sudden summons and
fearing that perhaps he had been &C
cused before the king of some crime,
he sought friend to go with him and
plead for him. He first approached
the dearest friend he had, but this one
refused, urging tha he could not go
along. A second on whom he relied
much, accompanied him as far as the
gate of the palace, but then turned
back. At last he found a third who
went with him to the royal audience
chamber, pie AIDED eloquently in his be-
half and won for him the kings favor.
Even so will everyone of US one day be
summoned-we cannot tell how soon
| to the prese nee of the Supreme King,
| the Lord of the universe. The sum-
mons may come suddenly, too, and we
| will need some power to plead for US
before the bar of divine judgment.
The first friend of the parable rep
resents our riches, our earthly posses
sions that:we love 80 much. But these
| cannot go with US, thew stay behind.
Like the second friend are our dear
ones, the relatives and friends who
follow the mortal remains to the grave.
They accompany us to the door of the
palace of eternity, but then must turn
back. The third friend, who goes with
US to the very judgment seat, is our
below. These plead for us and win
the favors of the Almighty judge.
Perhaps you may say that human
thought is tickle. thai out of sight is
out OF mind. and even the best are
often forgotten. These, exercises aud
the movements of tender revery that
come to everyone are proof to the con-
trary. The honors paid by the world
today to the great men of the most dis
tapt past testify to the gratitude that
it cherishes for it's benefactors of ell
ages. But even If the righteous are
forgotten by name. what they have
done cannot be destroyed. Their in
fuence is a lasting power in the his
tory OF mankind, and the seed of their
planting bears fruit for future genera
tiors. Their work Is like thst of the
-
derful coral islands in the midst of th e
ocean by aping up their dead bodies.
Each one by itself is almost insignif-
cant, but piled one above the other
they rear those beautiful structures,
whose base is at the bottom of the
deep but whose crest rises above the
waves. Even go is the civil
cation, which to-day is = our
b boast "a and t our DELIGHT ds,aa 1 bull.
of the past. To the myriads in by
gone days who struggled aud died in
the fulfilment of their simple duties
we owe the : blessings we enjoy.
Insignificant as many one was in his
day, though most are forgotten in the
multitude, yet all together helped to
make the world what it is today. With
truth says the sage of the Apocrypba:
"There be some who have left name
behind them, whose remembrance is
as sweet honey in all mouths, and
there be some who have no memorial
who are persisted as tho they had
never been. But their righteousness
has not been forgotten, and the glory
of their work cannot be blotted out"
The only value in life is to be of use
to our fellowmen: and the only satisfac-
tion to US at its cad lis the conscious
ness that we have not lived in vain, that
we have done something to make the
world better, happier, nobler, for our
having passed through it. A fitting