The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-09-11
Funeral of Mrs. F. A.
OIds Held Yesterday.
PATHOS OF A SONG
"Peace, Perfect Peace" Brought Tears
to Eyes of Those Who Felt the
Pity of the Death of One
Whose Hope Still
Lives.

The funeral of Mrs Fred A. Olds,
held at the Cathedral Church of the
Good Shepherd at o'clock yesterday
beauty of detail and the simple quail
ity of deep feeling which the char
acter of the deceased justified and de-
manded.
The Episcopal service was read by
the Rector, DR.. l. NICK. Pittenger, who
was assisted by the Rev. DR.. NJ. M.
Marshall, of Christ Church.
The altar was covered with beauti-
full floral designs and flowers Of white
and blue lay deeply on the casket
which rested in front. Had it not been
for the hush that falls upon the people
at the touch of mysterious death, the
church, in its dim light, its cleaning
candles and the foWer-cOVered altar
might have seemed the scene of a we'd
ding instead of funeral. For her
whose funeral it was, dearly as she
loved the world, the time had held no
terror; borne on the Hope by which
she lived she had come to face death
with eyes wet with the partings at
home, with her soul smiling into the
future even as q bride goes glad but
halting into church to meet larger
life.
AS the funeral party entered the
church, the choir sang Just as | am,
without one plea" and at intervals dur
ing the service, Lead Kindly Light,
and as the body was taken from the
church, Ten Thousand times ten
thousand, all favorite hymns of Mrs.
Olds.
Before the last prayer Miss Louise
Pittenger sang that perfect song,
Peace, perfect peace"
Above the solemn breathing of the
deep-to organ her voice rose and
fell with the sweetness that searches
out the tear-pure and clear it seemed
to creep around the church whispering
its message of human love and hope
eternal. And, occasionally, the voice
quivered just a triie, half filled with
emotion like the string of violin
seems sometimes to aspire beyond it's
possi biities to translate the soul that
quivers in the players arm. 1t was in
finitely pathetic, yet comfortingly So
the tears it brought from the stricken
relatives and close friends came easily
from hearts that overlooked. 1t was a
tender song, one that came like a
caress from beyond the grave.
And then, when the pall-bearers
took up the casket and bore it from
the church, the choir sang strongly
tlldI DyHln tIdl HIS III II the spirit VI
Christian hope and courage, Ten
thousand times ten thousand"
1t was a beautiful, a typifying and
an inspiring service.
In the funeral party were Col. FREQ
A. Olds, Messrs. Fred G. and Douglass
Odds Mrs. ODDS daughters Mrs. 4. j.
Dupree, of Memphis, and Mrs. II. f..
l.. Bunch, of Washington, ID. c.; Mrs.
j. w. Hinsdale M ISIS Annie DevereuX,
Mrs. w. S. Primrose, Mrs. Della Gray,
of Raleigh; Mrs. w. ii. S. Burgwyn,
of Weldon; Mrs. Garland Jones' of
Raleigh; Mrs. r. l.. Stevens, of New
Bern; Miss Annie Hinsdale, Mrs. j. F..
Ferrall, of Raleigh, and members
of the Kings Daughters, the Ladies
Memorial Association, the Daughters
of the COnfederacy, and l.. OBJ.
| Branch Camp of Confederate veterans.
And, a token of love from the SOL
diers of the lost cause for whose
welfare Mrs Olds had labored so faith
! fully in life, there stood from the
| banked masses of violets on the casket
the barred flag of the nation that, gone
| like the woman on whose bier 1t was
| planted, yet lives like her for the pur-
! ity of it's ideals and the memory of
| it's heart born deeds.
| The pall-bearers who carried the
coffin and assisted at the services at
| the grave, where, too, the choir sang
| again, were: Messrs. w. S. Primrose,
IC. e. Johnson. Geo. Thompson, j. T..
F'er1all, Edgar Leach, William An
| drews, Joseph L. Seawell and Ernest
| Balm.
| The church was crowded with SER
| rowing friends many of whom accom-
| panied the remains to their resting
| pIaca in lakewood cemetery.