The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-05-04
THE BEST TIME TO DIE.

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following:
"Whom the gods love die young" was
said of yore,
And many deaths do they escape by
this,
The death of friends, apd that which Stays
still more,
The death OF friendship, love, youth, all
that Is,
Except more breaths, and since the 81.
lent shore
Awaits at last even those who longest
miss
The old archers shafts, perhaps the early
grave,
Which men weep over, may be meant
to save.
Perhaps [ am not correct, but
have long felt that Death is oftentimes
the best friend that poor mortal man
may have, when life is hopelessly fill
ed with weariness of spirit and the
burden Of sorrow. If Death means a
release from suffering, mental or ply
sioal, who will dare say that Death is
not friend?
Il is the philosophy of life to bear
the inevitable with resignation and pa.
tience, but the abstract proposition
here considered is whether it is the
best time to 60 before there is moth
ing left but endurance and "mere
BREATH"
know and understand the Chris
tian belief Of "Thy will be done" and
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 in 'sfery
trials anG "deep waters''), but still
I 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 q person out
live health, wealth, friends and hap
piness?
What is there so pitiful under
Heaven as creature that is bankrupt
in all except ''mere BREATH" poor
mortal who is burden to the world ?
You have seen boys Of fine promise,
fine family, fine fortune make absolute
shipwreck Of all except the capacity
to breathe, TO exist. God aimed to
have them do we'll, but they would
not.
Who will say they had not outlived
their best time to die2
When I was girl just entering my
teens, clean hearted, upright, moth
erly neighbor made an afternoon visit
to my house and told the painful story
Of the downfall of her daughter to my
mothers sympathiging ears. The
tragedy, the mothers grief, the awful
blight that fell on that home, on her
young sisters, on the parents, on her
poor self, was my first view Of the aw-
full suffering such conduct might and
would entail on those who saw such
youth, love and friendship die cruel
and unnatural death. IA /
Now, was il q sin when that poor
mother vailed aloud, s;Ohi why didn't t
she die when she was dear, sweet
little baby2"
After the grief stricken mother left,
and my own dear mother sclaspsd me
in her arms and warmed me Of the
evils and temptations 70 which that
poor young woman had sucoumbed, is
Il. marvel that I have always felt that
such misery was the deepest sorrow
and the blaokest gloom that could ever
fall on any pure hearted mothers
life :5.Fss}e =
II the poor creature had died in in-
FANCY how. the tears would have, fall
on, and her memory would have been
oherishedi But she ontlived, ont
wore. outraged the patience. the afes-
tion and the comfort OF those who
have died gladly to have made her the
clean thing once moro.
Perhaps the early grave that men
weep over may be meant to save
Who knows?
Long years ago I read . story Of o
trip By sea from New York 10 Charles
ton. A gay party on deck wore talk
ing Of the dangers Of the sea, and a
ysrss mother said: s.iIf my little boy
should lbe taken from ms, 7 know
Ishould die, I never could give him
up. Isl;
g passenger, q woman in mourning
drsss, WHO had not spoken before,
said: $ Lady, you speak rashly; ]
Jkuavs a sff,f7sArI 81 Id yfsfiI,n 5aa v.,s, ars,