Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1904-08-01

enjot themselves unless they are moan
ing over corpse twenty years old. To
Evergreen cemetery of BROOKLYN. for
many months, there used to 90 wild
over who everybody said was crazy
He did not bury his wife in a grave
but placed her body in a vault. There
IN this tomb, he had all his wife's furni-
ture and kn.ckknacks. He had her mic.
ture hung upon the wall. and her chairs
by her casket, and her books upon ber
bookshelf, and her work basket and
table by her side. Then every dav this
widower used to go early in the morn
ing to that tomb and stay there until
late at night. He would sit in her
chair and read poetry to her deaf ears
and talk to her as though she Uare
alive You say that man was crazv9
He was no more crazy than thousands
of people who, day in and day out. 90
to the graves of their loved ones and
weep and lament over the past, instead
of going out into the world with Chris
tan courage and doing as tie dead or
rather as the redeemed, spirits of thpir
dear ones would have them do. Christ
in the words of my text, is not telling
that young man to be disrespectful to
his dead sire. He is, however. enun-
ciating the tremendous fact that
young man does not honor a dead par
ent so much by weeping over a grave
as by living the true, honest. noble
Christian life which that dead father
would have him live. LET the dead
bury the dead might be translated
into the words, LET the dead ones
precepts live in the living, and let the
living fulfill the mission Of the dead"
An Incident of War.
But I think there is another reason
why Christ spoke the words of nv
text. Jesus is here not only enunciat-
ing the fact that the primal duties of
life should never be made subservient
to the secondary, bu, also the great
truth that man has his duty to the
world at large as well as to his father
and mother, his wife and child, his
brother and sister and friend. Be-
cause men and women are bone of our
bone and flesh of our flesh that is no
reason why we have not a duty to our
fellow men who are not akin to us
by blOOd-duty to your fellow men
and to your fellow mems children
whom you have never seen. A man
never learns this lesson more easily
than when he is a soldier. I remem-
Der some years ago, during the Span
1sh-American war, we were encamped
in the old fair grounds of Springfield,
the Illinois capital. Dewey's guns at
Manila had spoken. The troops were
being hurried to the front. Our regi-
ment was to move south within a cOu-
pie Of days. The surgeon of our regi-
ment came to my quarters one night
and said, "Chaplain, read that" 1t
was letter from Chicago telling him
that his wife was lowering between
life and death as the result Of a very
serious operation, and she wanted to
see him just for a few hours before
he went south. why don't you run
up to Chicago tonight and come back
tomorrow? we asked. you will be
here in plenty of time" 1.-THE colo
come down that no leaves of absence
can be granted, as we may go to the
front any moment" "Orders be
hanged" said l impulsively. IF my
wife were dying, orders or no orders,
l would go to her" "Then you would
be captured as a deserter and perhaps
shot," said my companion quietly.
For the good Of the service 1 must
obey orders and go with my regiment.
My duty to my country is now even
greater than my duty to my dying
wife" Eyes, surgeon" said |, "you
are right. There are duties in life
even greater than those we bear to
our loved ones, dear though they may
be. God help you in this your hour
Of trial"
So Christ in these words of my text
was enunciating an infinite and omnip-
otent truth. Jesus is practically say
ing: young man, higher than your
love for father or mother or wife or
child is your duty to me and to the
great world at large. Come with me
and help save the millions who are
dying in their sins. Come with me
and bring back to a life of purity and
love those who will never know me I'M
less they see me as a result Of thy
guidance Come with me. Come with
me-" This sentence, Follow me, and
let the dead bury the dead is only
another wording of the same thought
which Christ spake unto his disciples:
''He that loveth father or mother more
than me is not worthy Of me, and he
that loyeth son or daughter more than
me is not worthy Of me. And he that
taketh not his cross and followeth after
me is not worthy of me-" Yes, there
come certain times in life when our
duty to Christ and to our fellow men
should have precedence over our de-
sires to be with our dear ones in our
own homes.
But, though these words Of my text
may seem to separate some of US for
a little while from our loved ones on