Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-03-16
Lead, Kindly Light"

udy, March llUl. MIS-. II. Dana MEAD
passed from the pains and SORROWS of
this world to che paradise above. For
about three years the had been in fail
ing health, and nearly two years since,
after the unavailing efforts of local
physicians to relieve her, she placed
herself under the care of DIR. Keith,
of Bellville, Ohio, where skillful treat
ment for several months so improved
her health that all had the bright
est hopes for her recovery, but certain
diScouraging symptoms soon made
manifest the fact that the most that
could be done for her was to prolong
her life and make it as bright and
comfortable so far as pain and diseased
conditions would permit. That this
was done and that her life was fraught
with many pleasures is evidenced by
the fact that in all her long sickness,
she neither longed for death or feared
it, but was content to live out her al
loted days in the sweetcompanionship
of her relatives and friends, enjoying
all its pleasures possible and bewailing
not her affections.
About three weeks since, her dis
ease took on alarming symptoms, but
she was not confined to her bed an
entire day until the day before her
death, when her rapidly failing condi-
tion showed the need of Summoning
of relatives, all of whom arrived in
time to converse with her before her
death.
Sunday morning, her pastor, Rev.
Gorrell, called on her, and his blessing
in the words of the ancient liturgy of
the church. reused her from the
-lethargy which enveloped her, and to
his questions came the calm and dis
tinct answers of her faith and love in
her Lord Jesus Christ, and of his love
and mercy for her, followed by thanks
for Mr.. Gorrell's visits to her. Soon
after this she fell into a calm and
peaceful sleep from which she never
wakened.
"Mrs. Mead, whose maiden name
was Alice Maud Mary Frost, was born
in Howard county just east of Cresco,
December u, 1873. Her parents were
originally from England, her father
having served for a number of years
in the English navy. Her mother and
one member Of the family passed on
before her to the reward of the just.
| The father and remaining brothers
and sisters survive her.
| lDS IlOSu GIlU MI. H. HlylliGl 4hStlN
were united in holy matrimonyy accord
ing. to the rites of the Episcopal churh
on Noy.12, 1895, the Rev. c. ID. Browne
officiating. Previous to their mar.
riage they were confirmed at the same
time in the church, by the Right Rev.
Bishop Perry, d. ID. Mrs. Mead was
a long and patient sufferer. If my
memory serves me right, three times
within the past year she knelt at the
chancel rail and received from her
pastor the Holy Communion. She
was a member of the Daughters of the
King, and as communicate and
Daughter was faithful and ready to dc
in church work, all she was able"
The funeral occurred on Tuesday,
March Ii, at 10 a. M, from the Episco.
pal church, the Rev. Gorrell otticiat-
| ing, and making a brief address on the
rest and joys of paradise, taking for
his text Rev. 2:7:
s'He that hath an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit saith unto the
churches:
To him that oyercometh will give
to eat of the tree OF life, which is in
| the midst of the Paradise of God"
And said in part:
"One of our members, Daughter OF
the King has passed on before, through
the admitting gate into the sweet rest
of paradise. Let us dwell upon the
word paradise us place of rest. One
answer comes to us not only from the
Holy scriptures but everywhere from
the most ancient liturgieS and inScrip.
tions on the earliest Christian tombs
is, that paradise is place OF
rest. There the weary, "rest from
their labors. Rev. 14:l3. The very
word paradise, the word which our
Lord Himself on the cross had en-
ployed to describe that place of dis
embodied souls, must have been ever
suggestive of this thought of rest. A
rest is naturally the first thought that
comes to us all. There is so much sor-
row, so much painfulness in this life,
even at the best, that the ever present
| idea of the new life must be a mega
tive one. The departing saint is like
the tired child, falling asleep in par.
entail embrace. and forgetting in its
deep peaceful sleep, the sorrows
through which it has passed: like d
weary toiler returning at the evening
hour to his home and ''resting from
his labors." In truth, the most touch.
ing of all revealed descriptions of the
blessed dead, even in their final state,
is that which is wholly represented in
this negative way. It is throughout
a list of negations. ''God shall wipe
away all tears from their eyes, anC
1 there shall be no more death, neither
sorrow. nor crying, neither shall there
be any more pain; for the former
things are passed away" Rev. 2l:4.
But is this the whole purpose O.
paradise; we think not. AS time went
on, as time has gone on with us, a!
centuries have taken the place o
/ years, it is evident that this paradise
rest, to the people of God Heb. 4:9)
could not have been the full purpose
of paradise. That holy place in th'
! intention and love of God, is not onl,
a place of sweet rest, bnt place o
preparation as WE'LL a place for the
| further development of character, ant
we are here reminded that there is NJ
reafonable ground for supposing tha
the law Of progressive development
is confined to any one part of God
universe, visible or invisible, angelic
or human.
| Our perfection for eternity, write
Archer Butler, ''may me progressiv
for eternity.n Methods may, an
doubtless are different, but time Ie
mains. Glow long, 0 Lord? is tn
cry of martyr souls" even in thei
blessedness in paradise Rev. 6:l0). Il
: the infinite mind of God alone, th
4 eternal 81 Am, all time is ever pre-.
ent, but with the finite mind this ca