Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1900-05-03

"a AOA hAS lie
/ old blind schooinaster, John Milton. has
just issued a tedious poem on the fall Of
man. II the length OF L be no virtue. it.
has none" There is Il beautiful monument
to Sheridan. Poor Sherident Ii he could
have only discounted that monument for u
mutton chop.
Oh, you unflial children. do not give
your parents 50 much tombstone, but q
few more blankets-less funeral and more
bedroomt II five per cent. Of the money
we now spend on Burns's banquets could
have been expended in making the living
Scotch poet comfortable, he would no,
have been harried with the drudgery Of an
excisenan. Horace Greeley, outrageously
abused while living. when dead is followed
toward Greenwood by the President or the
United States and the leading men OF the
army aud navy. Massachusetts tries to
atone at the grave OF Charles Sumner for
the ignomiDlous resolutions with which
her Legislature denounced the living
Senator. Do you think that the tomb at
Springfield can paw for Booths bullet?
Oh, do justice to the living All the JUS
iice you do them you must do this side the
gates Of tho Metropolis. They cannot wake
up to count the number Of carriages at the
obsequies or to notice the polish Of tho
Aberdeen granite ortO read epitaphal COM
memorat1on. G~entirman's mausoleum in
the suburbs OF Jerusalem cannot paw for
Bethlehem manger and Calvarean cross
and Pilates rufian judiciary. Post NOR
tenn honors cannot atone for ante-mortem
ignOminies.
Again, standing in this garden OF the
sepulcher, / am impressed with the fact
that floral and arborescent decorations are
appropriate for the place Of the dead. We
are glad that among flowers and sculptural
a~dornnents Christ spent the short time OF
His in humatiOD.
I ca1not understand what I sometimes
see in the newspapers where the obsequies
are announced and the friends say in con-
~nection with 1t, Send no flowers" Rather,
if the means allow say il the means
allow-strew the casket with flowers, the
hearsa with flowers, the grave with flowers.
Put them on the broW-it will suggest
coronation; in their hand-it will mean
victory.
Christ was buried in a garden. Flowers
mean resurrection. Death is sad enough
anyhow. Let conservatory and arboretum
contribute to its alienation. The harebell
will ring the victory; the passion flower
will express the sympathy; the daffodil
will kind!e its lamp and illume the dark
ness. The cluster Of asters will be the
constellation. Your little child loved
flowers when she was living. Put them in
her hand now that she can go forth no
more and pluck them for herself. On sun
shiny days take a fresh garland and put it
over the still heart.
Brooklyn has no grander glory than its
Greenwood, nor Boston than its Mount Au-
burn, nor Philadelphia than its Laurel
Hill. nor Cincinnati than its Spring Grove,
nor San Francisco than its Lone Mountain.
But what shali we say to those country
graveyards with the vines broken down
and the slab aslant and the mound caved
in and the grass a pasture ground for the
sections cattle? Indeed, were your father
and mother of so little worth that you can
not afford to take care Of their ashes? Some
day turn ont all hands and %straighten the
slab and bank up the mound and cut away
he weeds and nlant hR ShrlbS and How
ers.
Some day you will want to lie down to
your last slumber You cannot expect any
respect for your bones if you have no de-
ference for the bones Of your ancestry. Do
you think these relics are Of no impor-
lance? You will see Of how much impor-
lance they are i'll the day when the arch
angel takes out his trumpet. Turn all
your cemeteries into gardens.
Again, standing in this garden Of the
new sepulcher, | am impressed with the
dignity Of private and unpreterding obse-
QuleS.
Joseph was mOurner, sexton. liveryman
had entire charge Of everything. Only
four people at the burial of the King Of the
Universal. Oh, let this be consolatory to
those who through lack of means or
through lack of acquaintance have but
little demonstration Of grief at the graves
Of their loved ones. Long line Of glitter
ing equipage, two rows Of silver handles,
casket of richest wood pallbearers gloved
aud scarfed, are not necessary. If there
be six at the grave, Christ looks down from
heaven and remembers that is two more
than were at His obseguies.
Not recognizing this idea. how MANY
small properties are scattered and widow
hood and orphanaSe go forth into cold
charity! The departed left Il small prop
erty, which would nave been enough 10
keep the family together until they could
take care OF themselves, but the funeral
=. Expense absorbed everything. That went
for Grape which ought to have gone for
bread. A man Of moderate means can
hardly afford to die in any OF our great
cities. BY all means, do honor to the de-
parted. but do not consider funeral pageant
rs necessary. No one was ever more low
ingIy and tenderly put away to sepulcher
than Christ our Lord, but there We're only
four people in the procession.
Again. standing in this garden with a
new. sepulcner, | am i'm pressed with the
, met that you cannot keep the dead down.
; Seal Of sanhedriu, company Of soldiers
+ from the tower Of Antonia. floor Of rock,
2 roof Of rock. walls of rock, door of rock.
cannot keep Christ III the crypts. Come
out and come up He must. Come out and
come up He did. Prefguration. First
fruits OF them that slept. Just as certain
! ~ as We 80 down into the dust, just 50
1 certainly we will come up again. Though
All the granite of the mountains We're piled
49, ANH' 'c'c nina
I the cornis OF the deepest cavern Of the
Atlantic Ocean, We viii come to the sur
< fac.
&. With these eyes we may not look into
I the face of the MONDAY sun, but we shall
: have stronger vision, because the tamest
g thing in tie land to which we 80 will be
brighter than the sun. We shall have
bodies with the speed Of the lightning.
t Our bodies improved, energized, switched,
claritied-mortalitv. immortality. The
: door of the grave taken of its hinges and
g hurg fiat into the dust.
{! Oh. my brethren, death and the grave
are not SO much as they used to be; fol
while wandering in This garden with the
t new sepulcher | find that the vines and
g flowers OF the garden nave completely GOV
r cred up the tomb. Instead of one carder
g there are four gardens. opening into eacl
other-garden OF Eden, garden Of the
worlds sepuicher. garden OF the earth.
regeneration. garden Of heaven. Foul
e gardens. Bloom, 0 earth, Bloom. {
heaven. Oh. my friends, wake up to glad
n ness on this Easter morning., This day, i
| interpret 1t right, means joy-it mean
Il peace with heaven, aud it means peace wit
q all the world.