The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-08-17

all, it is strange shss we 80 pe1slst
emily ignore the thought Of it. Every
thing else, no matter how trivial it's
nature, can command our time and at
tention, but the moment the mind
turns in the direction of death we try
at once to divert our thought from it,.
Of course it is wise provision Of ma
ture that we should enjoy life and
provide for living even much longer
than we are likely to do. Not to take
such forethought would be foolish and
wrong; but at the same time it is also
we'll that we should make some pre-
paration for tae end coming at any
moment and accustom ourselves to the
thought Of it divested of fear. In
Thanatopsis Bryant bears testimony
how we shrink from these darker
musings" "When thoughts of the
last bitter hour come like blight
over the spirit" and he tries to re-
concile us to them by the assurance
that if we will but hold communion
with nature we shall find that "Her
mild and healing sympathy will steal
away their sharpness e'er we are
aware" But although Bryant knew
great deal about nature, for youth
of nineteen, he was not 80 we'll ac-
quninted with human nature, or he
would not have supposed that such
arguments as he advances would make
the inevitable any the more welcome
to US. We do not desire to be 90
brother to the insensible rock or to
the nluggish cold, and it is no con-
ISOLATION to us that "all that breathe
will share our destiny" 1t is neces-
sary that We should indeed have ian
unfalteriDg trust" to sustain and
soothe us, if we are to meet our sum-
mons with courage and cheerfulness,
but it is trust that does not come
from natures teachings, but from
revelation, from the assured faith that
death is but the gate to lifo eternal,
and that we have living Redeemer
who has faithfully promised because
I live, ye shall live Also"
So unnatural is it for men to crave
death, except as an escape from ex.
treme pain or from crushing trouble.
that the verdict most often pronounced
over suicides is that the man was tem-
porarily insane; and this voices the
common opinion that it is unnatural
and cowardly to kill ones self rather
than live to face life of hardships or
OF Disgrace. In instances where one
sacrifices one's life to save another, or
in some high cause, the verdict ia very
different. Then We reoogriKe tho fact
that the hero forgot liNsels and his
danger in his thought for others, or
that he preferred to die rather than
eslhoW cowaydiee by shrinking from
death Ina good cause. Probably many
Of the deeds that the world delights
to honor were done when the NAH tsae
too mneh carried away @!.h excite
ment and enthusiasm to realize his
danger, or else he was inspired by the
belief that he would escape the oonse.
quences naturally resulting from
aot. Whatever it a!s
, .-a --.7 he did Rot waht to die, hoA-
aSef willing he tna5 have beeh To take
His ShanSsA,
The Reluctance Is Make ooinie'ie will is
another proof Of the way we shrink
from VoHtemplatipg death. No mat
ter Aow dearly one loves his heirs he
does not like to imagine tho time when
they will have all he possesses on
earth save the aoant space which suf-
fees for his grave. There is a little
book of "Useful Information" in;
which one portion is given up to Ia,
BILE called Expectation of Life" If
the reader chances to be very young
he does not very much mind reading
that he may expect to live forty or
thirty..hve years longer, sine he prob
ably considers that by then he will
very likely have had enough Of life
any way; but If be be sixty and sees
in the next column that he has rea-
sonable expectations of living fourteen
years more it gives him quite start.
Why it is more than fourteen years
since his youngest daughter was mar
fied, and that seems just the other
day. and he can think Of half . dozen
events which happened within. that
period which make fourteen years ap-
pear but very short time. He con.
soies himoelf, however, With the re-
aaotion that it is quite likely he will
be one Of the exceptions to the rule