The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-11-28
THE CREERFUtNeSS OF DEATH.


A medical man, writing in the Outlook, gives
his impressions upon death. His name is Keen
w. w. Keen-and his conclusions prove that he is
keen scholar.
Most people," he says, "even most Christian
people, shrink from death. In sermons and hymns
and IN literature it is generally represented as
pulsive. 1t is spoken of as Deaths Cold Stream
The Last Enemy the Dark Valley of the Shadow
Death and the 'terrors of death are pictured in
vivid terms. For the Christian at least, this is
all wrong. Death should be in reality his best
friend; welcomed rather than feared.
$50 far as the physical aspect of death is con-
cerned, the universal teaching of physicians is that
the process of dying is rarely painful or even
welcome to the patient, though full of to
his family. A happy Inconsistencies in nearly all
cases shields the dying man from pain. The weak
ness, the fever the parched lips the labored breath
ing, all unfelt. Most people die quietly and
often almost imperceptfbly.
I'VE thought her dying when she slept
And sleeping when she died."
is often true Even when convulsive movements
occur, they are entirely independent of conscious
ness; merely physical in origin and character, and
absolutely unattended by any suffering.
IF, then, death is not an unpleasant process
physically, why should it be feared from the spir-
itual side? See what it does for the Christian.
at frees him from accident sickness and suf-
fering, to which his body has been liable all his
life, and from which he has often suffered some
times intensely and for long periods of time
at frees him from all sorrow No one who has
ever reached adolescence escapes sorrow. To many,
sorrows multiplied manifold and bear down
even the stoutest heart. The weary and the heavy
laden make up the mass of mankind.
ct opens the gates of heaven to him. While
we know nothing accurately of the details of heav-
enly life, we do know that there we shall live in
eternal bliss; there we shall be in the presence of
God himself; there we shall see and know intimately
our Lord Jesus Christi there we shall feel the in
fuence of the Holy Spirit; there we shall meet
the saints of all ages; there he shall be reunited
to the dear ones who have happily preceded us;
there shall come in due time the dear ones we
have left on earth; there our minds will expand
beyond our present comprehension; there all the
unsoved problems of earth will be clear as day;
there we shall learn why perpexity, disappointment
and trouble were our lot earth and were needful
for the orderly and sufficient development of our
own character, and of Gods large plans not only
for us, but for the race; there, in word all that
is evil shall vanish away and all that is good shall
be ours forever
IF death, then, is not painful, unpleasant
process, and if it does for us so much, it should
be- not the last enemy, but our best friend; not
dreaded as the messenger of evil, but welcomed
as the companion who will lead us into paths of
pieasantness and reveal to us the joys for which
we have been longing all our lives We should not
speak OF the terrors of DEATH but should feel in our
very hearts the cheerfulness of DEATH