Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-11-11

the hillsides and see the vineyards with
their dying leaves. the most over
whelming fact that forces itself upon
me is the rapidity with which genera
lions go. Aye. the members of the gen
Grafton which preceded us as well as
many members OF our own generation
seem 10 have disappeared as the mists
at the sunrising. as the dewurops ere
kissed Off the lips Of the leaves, as the
tears on the check OF little child are
wiped away by sympathetic mother.
Wandering up and down the world, we
think OF all the friends we have on the
other side of the grave. Then we seem
to feel that the great character of the
Wandering Jew" created by Eugene
Sue, is not an absurdity, for every
where we go and everywhere we turn
we hear the voices of the dead. crying:
II am gonei l anu gone! 1 am gone!
/ have faded away as the leaf-as the
dying leaf"
Oh, the rapidity with which the hui
man family pass away! Some time
ago L picked up bound annual vol
ume OF weekly periodical L took for
some years. This volume recorded n
political campaign OF some twenty
years ago. AS turned over the leaves
and saw the faces of the prominent
men OF that day 1 invoiuntarily ex-
claimed on turning over each of the
pictures: "Deadi Deadl Dead, Dead!
Dead, Deadw So, speaking today OF
the dead, the multitudes of our depart
ed loved ones seem to pass before US.
There are scores and hundreds of
them. As the autumnal leaves fall, SO
they died. Whatever we are to do for
God we must do quickly, for we all do
fade away as the leaf. We are dying
as the autumnal leaves.
But, though the span of life may be
very short as n whole, yet, after all,
when death comes to most Of us, ii will
come as to the leaf, gradually. Death,
as a rule, does not spring out upon his
victims suddenly. Like a loved friend
travelling abroad, he sends message aft
er message that he is coming. He
sends notice after notice He sends
word to you just the same as the sol
diers fighting in the United States ar
my during the civil war sent mes
sages to their children at home. At
letters to her babies. Then she would
say: Papa is coming. Yes. some day
papa is going to come" Then when
the surrender at Appomattox came the
mother sang new song. "Now, chill
dren," said she, papa Will soon be
here" Then came the preparation for
meeting the train. Then came the ex-
pccted parent. Death comes to most
not as thief in the night AS rule,
death comes to us as he comes to n
leaf, gradually, very gradually.
Death Comes Gradually.
Did say death is coming to you
gradually? oh, yes, he has sent mes
sage after message to notify you OF his
early arrival. The first message came
to you when you We're about twenty
years of age. You had n fearful at
tack OF pneumonia. For days and
days they thought you could not get
well. You recovered partially, but
your lungs since then have never been
strong. Every winter you catch a cold.
Each year the cough is harder to get
rid of. Or years ago when a child you
had an attack OF dreaded diphtheria.
The nurse let us sit us too soon, and
the strain was too great upon the
heart. 1t left 1t weak For years you
did not mind, but now the old trouble
has come back. Or the message came
to you that death was on his way to
your home in failing eyesight. You
have to put on glasses now when you
read the Bible or the evening paper
Or you can hear his footsteps I'm your
dulled hearing. You find out that peo-
pie do not talk as loud. as they used
to do. You keep asking them the irri-
tating question, "Why do you not
speak more distinctly than you dor"
Or ii came to you last week in n star
Ting way. You had your picture taken
10 please the children. When the pho
tograph came home you were shocked.
Why, when you placed that picture
alongside OF the last photograph Of
your father and mother you found that
you looked just as old as they were
when they died. Yes, like the leaf. an
average man dies gradually. lie be-
gins to die first ut the extremities. His
hair whitens. His skin wrinkles. His
hand trembles. The once steady beat
or the heart becomes unsteady. The
windows OF his eyesight are bedimmed.
He has a pain ut the base Of the brain
because the circulation Is poor. God
gives to almost every man thousands
OF warnings instead of one warning
that he is fading away as the leaf. as
the autumnal leaf.
Is not the figure OF the leaf dying
gradually the symbol OF the average
mans death? or course some leaves
do meet violent and q quick death,
as nearly all wild beasts in their ma
tive haunts end their lives by a sud-
den tragedy. A mischieyous squirrel
may climb tree and Jerk a leaf from
its moorings and toss 1t to the ground.
The tall antlers of the deer may be the
pruning hook to lay bare a branch.
The keen ak may slaughter the leaves
as ruthlessly as the farmers scythe
mows down the golden grain in order
that the woodman passing the night in
the forest may have soft couch to
sleep upon at the foot OF some giant
oak. The sullen blizzard sulking boz
hind an arctic iceberg, may decide to
make spring journey back to the
PioNC NhCAC IL Huu III VAIN 10 Dat-
ter down the doors OF summer cot
taGe during the past winter months
and In one night destroy all the sprout-
Ing leaves. A forest fire may allow
the flames to feed upon the tender foil
age which has been exposed by nature
Tor few weeks 10 be colored by the
light OF the sun. Some men in their
youth or in strong middle age in full
health may be struck down by some
accident or contagious disease as QUICK
ly as soldier upon a battlefield may
have bullet pierce his heart and in
stantiy drop dead. And some men may
Instantly exterminate their lives by the
evil effects OF sin.
Man Dies as the Leaf.
But. after all, most leaves do not die
a sudden death. They live on through
the spring. They live on through the
summer. They live until the cold of
oncoming winter makes dormant the
wonderful forces which give life TO the.