Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1905-08-03
OLD PIONEER GONE
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which they made the trip. arriving May 8
l945 al uncle Tiberius Belongs where
% persons all told occupied the humble
log house for the night
About $50 when the Fox sisters began
their Spirtualstic demonstrations, Mr..
Wright became Spirtualist which belief
he followed till the hour Of his death,
making the request that Mrs. Durham de-
liver the address at his funeral.
The funeral was very largely attended
by many old neighbors and friends In
torment in the Otisco cemetery.
Mrs. Durham Of Ionia delivered fine
address and also Mrs. L. X. Webster of
this city. In part Mrs. Webster said:
AS we stand again in the presence of
this change, called death, and feel the in
fluence Of this long and beautiful life, just
closed, we feel that peace for the dead
should give peace TO the living" Death
is as natural as life, and we do not always
know which is the greater blessing. life or
death. We know that life we'll lived,
crowned with good deeds, is blessing, we
know too that at the close OF well spent
life, it is blessing to lay it down with the
satisfaction that we have done the best
we could, have made the world little
better for our having lived.
We derive our being from nature, the
kind mother of us all, and whatever the
future may hold, we feel that it is the full
fillment of natural law and is the same
for each and all. That our religion is to
do good, and the best life holds the best
religion, that religious duties consists in
doing justice, loving mercy and endeayor-
ing to make our fellow creatures happy.
A good life has gone out, has reached
the silent haven where the voyage of ey-
cry life must end, and we who believe in
the completeness of the wonderous uni
verse, must bear in mind that as living
beings we are but part Of the mighty
whole, links in an infinite chain of exist
ence. Ii is the fulnsss of belief in this
law that has robbed death-beds Of their
terrors and driven fear from the human
mind. In times like these creeds wither
and decay, empty, to crown the beauties
of the closing Of life well lived. In eve
ry heart there blooms the sacred flower
of eternal hope, and for this hope we are
not indebted to any book, nor to any creed.
1t is born of human affection and has its
home in every heart, in all ages and in all
lands, and will forever be found where
love kisses the lips of death.
The sadness of the present occasion is
the loss of kind and loving one to the
bereaved children, grand children and
relatives left behind, the sadness of others
is the manifestation Of human life and
sympathy.
Thus has closed good and useful life,
he has lived to see the deep and dense
forests Of Michigan, give. way to fertile
fields, and blossoming flowers, he watch
ed the Improvements that science has
given to the world, the telegraph, the land
traversed by the iron railaoad, the steam
cars, the telephone, the electric cars, and
indeed lived to see the worldly richer in all
that brings good to man, and more than
all he has seen the superstitions of the
past which you and perhaps have but a
faint remembrance of them as they were,
grow better under the touch of purer
and better religion, the religion of and for
humanity.