The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1902-01-24


city. II is not surprising that we fin,
her on the way to the tomb. Chris
gave all TO Mary. and love asks all il
? return. Whosoever attempts to hol,
back from loved one anything, doe
not satisfy that craving of love.
Our poets have beautifully depicted
this craving of love, and Thoma
Moore. whose poems were once s.
widely read, photographs a lovins
heart, in one of his little pieces. g.
love thee. whatever thou art. - Low,
is the same through darkness anC
gloom. and Graves all because it give
all
Mary, this Galilean peasant-il
peasant she was-gave all to Christ.
She stands before us as the leader OF
all the loving hearts this world has
ever seen. Her act in seeking the
tomb. where lay all that was left OF
her Lord, testifies to her love. How
closely, how tenaciously we cling to
what once belonged to d beloved one.
In many homes there are treasured
little articles-a worn baby shoe, a
broken drum, faded flower, a little
garment, or letter, perhaps, of no
commercial value whatever, but
dearer than our heartstrings because
OF the associations belonging to them ;
and how the loving heart holds to
them as something sacred to the
memory of the loved one who had
flashed their little lights in our hearts
and home.
Mary goes to the tomb, and seeing
that the stone is rolled away, she
naturally interferred that the Jews had
removed the body, and she runs in
deep excitement to tell Peter and John.
We find point here in Marys life.
She did not wait to see all, but draw
ing her own conclusions, went to tell
How often we do that Perfectly frank
and perfectly true, but not discrimi-
mating in what we have seen and in
drawing our conclusions. That is
perfectly natural, too, and we sho uld
be more charitable in our views about
the way people speak.
Mary was only going to seek sympa-
thy from kindred hearts. What
blessed thing is sympathy How many
a soul it anchors How Mary longed
for it, and she wanted it from some
kindred spirit. Evidently she did
not feel alone when she ran to tell
tnat somebody had taken away the body
of the Lord.
| frequently see in cemeteries broken
column of an incomplete life. But
doubt if there should be any
broken columns / doubt if there are
any incomplete lives Life is not
measured by years John Summer
field, who thrilled the country with
his eloquence, died at the age of 81
yet his life was full and complete. We
cant measure life by time. We can
by sympathy-the best that we can
offer. The old Roman heather poet |
says: 'We are men, and nothing
that concerns humanity is to be in !
different to us.
The other Apostles came, and when
they saw the Lord was gone, they went
home. But there was no home for
Mary. Four walls and furniture don't
make home Home is where the
heart is. Mary's heart was with her
Lord. She was alone in the world-a
storm tossed spirit. We, who
know nothing about it, don't appre
ciate what life means ''all alone
An English poet says that though one
may be in a forest and far from all
humanity, he is not in solitude nor
alone, for he can commune with
nature. But to be amid crowd with
hone to bless us and none that we can
bless that is solitu e; that is ''alone.
That was Mary's condition. None
o bless her. Not a kindred spirit
lear. How lonely she was In all the
,road world there was no home for
Ter. So she stayed at the sepulchre, ]
and saw the angels; yet she
vas not startled. What would we give
or sight of an angelg We'd be
tartled. We are always startled when
rought on the verge of that other life.
here is something uncanny in a ceme- g
cry something we shrink from when s
We come in contact with that other +
fe. i
Mary was not startled because of her n
tate of mind. Life is what we make t
!. One man may look out upon the v
ain; he is a tramp, perhaps, and he "
ees nothing in the rain but mud. a
mother one looks forth, and he beholds 4
growing crop and rich harvests to be "
capped for himself and family. One
ian looks upon horse. He sees
othlng but work another looks and
Q sees the race. Thus we have the N
orker and the jockey. Life is what fc
e are. Ii
Take in account Mary's me ntal con-
tion. Her heart was filled withs her
le great sorrow, and che seemed
arce to have noticed the angels.
hus with us. How many useless T.
rrows we have, and tears we shed,
i'd burdens we carry. This was no
me for Mary to be weeping This
as the glad and joyous Easter morn,
hen Christ came forth with giant eff
rides, his steps attuned to the Of
iumphant strains of the great and an
orious resurrection. as
Mary's answer to the angels was tr,
teresting. In speaking to the NO
oostles, she had said 1.-THE Lord all
W it was "my Lord John and fa
ter can take up the threads of their DO
st lives, but she was alone: and ev
us absorbed as she was in her grief, HI
q turned her back upon the angels ha
9 only instance we have of any one or
Or turning their backs upon an
gel. So absorbed was she in her trs
eff for her Lord, that she dii not in
the light in the angels faces. We un