The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-05-11
THE BEST TIME TO DIE.
A Thoughtful Article from the Pen
of Mrs. W. 81. Telron.

A Thoughtful Article from the Pen
Of Mrs. W. 81. Telron.
1t was a great poet who wrote the
following:
"Whon the gods love die young was said OF
yOre,
And mani deaths do they escape by this, :.
The death Of friends, and that which Stays still
more,
The death Of friendship. love, youth, all
that is,
Except more breaths, and since the silent
shore
Awaits at last even those who longest miss
The old archer's shafts, perhaps the early
grave,
Which men weep over, may be. meant to
save.
Perhaps I am not correct, but l
have long felt that Death is often
times the best friends that poor NOR
tai man may have, when life is hope
lessly filed with WEAKNESS Of spirit
and the burden of sorroW. II Death
means release from suffering, men
tai or physical, who will dare say that
Death is not a friend9
It is the philosophy Of life to bear
the inevitable with resignation and
patience, but the abstract proposition
here considered is whether it is the
best time to 60 before there IS noth-
ing left but endurance and mere
breath"
I know and understand the Chris
tian belief of ''Thy will be done," and
I would fain make it clear that it is
only Gods gracious promise which
can sanctify grief and hopeless sorrow
(the promise to be with US il fiery
trials and deep waters'), but still
/ contend that the best time to go is
when your good influence has reached
it's zenith and those who love you best
will mourn you most, whether in in
fancy or in four score years.
Have you never seen person out.
live health, wealth, friends and hap
piness?
What is Ghere 50 pitiful under
Heaven as a creature that is bank
rupt in all except "mere BREATH" a
poor mortal who is burden to the
world?
You have seen boys Of fine promise,
fine family, fine fortune make abso-
Lutte shipwreck Of all except the ca
pacity to breathe, to exist. God
aimed TO have them do well, but they
would not.
Wno will say they had not outliyed
their best time to die?
When I was a girl just entering my
teens, a clean hearted, upright, moth
erly neghbor made an afternoon visit
to my house and told the painful story
Of the downfall Of her daughter to my
mothers sympathizing ears. The
tragedy, the mothers grief, the awful
blight that fell on that home, on hel
young sisters, on the parents, on her
poor self, was my first view Of the
awful suffering such conduct might
and would entail on those who saw
such youth, love and friendship die
cruel and unnatural death.
Now, was it sin when that poor
mother walled aloud, "Oh! why didn't
she die when she was a dear, sweet
little baby?"
After the grief-stricken mother left
and my own dear mother clasped me
in her arms and warned me of the
evils and temptations to which that
poor young woman had succumbed, is
it marvel that 1 have always felt
that such misery was the deepest sor.
row and the blacklist gloom that coulo
ever. fall on any pure hearted mcther's
life?
If the poor creature had died in in.
fancy low the tears would have fall.
en-, and her memory would have been
cherished. But she outlived, out
wore, outraged the patience, the af.
fection and the comfort Of those who
have died gladly to have made hel
the clean once more.
Perhaps the early grave that men
weep over may be meant to save. .
Who knows?
Long years ago I read a story Of a
trip by sea from New York to Charles.
ton. a gay party on deck were talk,
ing Of the dangers Of the sea, and a
young mother said: II my little boy
should be taken from me, I know ]
should die, I never could give him
up"
A passenger, woman in mourning
dress, who had not spoken before,
said: Lady, you speak rashly; ]
knew woman as young as you are
who loved her boy as devotedly as
you do, and l heard her make the
same remark time and again. Once
her child was sick and she cried in
anguish: Save him, Lcrd, to me; I
must have him. / cannot live with
out him"
THAT woman lived long enough to
see her boy convicted and condemn
ed felon, a murderer, and he died on
the gallows tree. She must have
him, she said, and she did have him,
but she wished ten thousand times
ten thousand, that he had died when
she thus clamored for his life"
Rising from her seat the black
robed woman said: ''I am that dead
boys mother, and your clamor for
your boy has wrung this story from
an aDguished heart. Be careful what
you demand"
The world is full of suffering. The
outside weeks Of griefs are only tithe
of the sorrow the world furnishes.
The secret trouble, the hidden an
guish, the untold woe are the dread
full things which riot in poor mortal
lives. If the roofs could be lifted
how these carking cares would rob
pride of Its glitter and vanity Of its
gilded display.
1t is only righteousness which ex-
alteth nation and contented mind
is the only true heaven Of mortal e1-
istence. We should daily pray for a
proper understanding Of the best and
truest things for our own souls!