The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1909-07-15

V1llo several houses were moved from
their foundations and considerable
growing grain was destroyed by hail.
THE LATE JAMES r. BOYD.
Attorney Reynolds of st. Cloud Pays Elo-
'quent Tribute to His Departed Friend.
James r. Boyd (Old Boyd), who
recently died in Minneapolis, was
born in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1881,
and emigrated to this country in
1852. He came to st. Cloud in 1866
and remained there until 1906, when
he moved to Minneapolis. The re-
mains were laid at rest in the North
Star cemetery, St. Cloud, and
Attorney George 81. Reynolds spoke
briefly but eloquently at the grave as
follows:
In the shadow of this rough and
rugged monument placed here by the
hand of him now cold in death, you
are gathered to witness the fulfill
mentt of promise made by friend to
friend.
"In the presence of two awful
mysteries, Life and Death, I cannot
say which is the better of the two.
Life, with it's occasional thrills and
ecstacies, its smiles and tears, it's
thorny path strewn with the wreckage
of shattered hopes and dreams not
come true, or calm, peaceful, placid
Death. We dare to hope and dream
that this change is as sweet as
flowers, as blessed as bird singing in
springtime, as pure and clean as
drop of dew resting on the lips of
flower, waiting for the kiss of the
morning sun, as white as fake of
snow betokening the dissolution which
winter gives, striving the earth of her
summer wantonness and excess.
"The thousand criss-cross trails
that check the map of every human
life lead along mountain cliffs,
through dark valleys, and across
desert wastes, and neither Natures
fingers nor that of Man point out the
danger spots to the traveller Journey
ing between two eternities.
flames r. Boyd was a good man,
but not perfect man. Man perfected
is not man at all, but God. His
life Was largely spent in spreading the
gospel of Good Cheer and doing good
to his fellow-men. He loved nature,
and by music was moved to tears.
With keen and vivid Imagination
he scared on the painted wings of
Fancy, and spoke his splendid tender
thoughts in the poets tongue. He
was always loving, tender and con-
siderate in his family, and judged his
fellow-men without regard to wealth,
position or public clamor, and was as
staunch and reliable as the eternal
stars. BE wore no mask, and looked
his neighbors squarely in the face,
and around his life tender memories
cling like vine embracing the
sturdy oak.
"His good nature and spirits we're
as sweet and refreshing as the breath
of the morning, and dubbed forth as
from the fountain of eternal youth.
and his laughter was as merry and
musical as ripping brook on it's
journey to the sea.
lin doing acts of loving kindness
his great throbbing heart and
generous hand, without regard to
race or creed, divided in a modest,
quiet way his scanty store with the
poor and unfortunate, ever conceal
ing with craft and cunning the source
from whence the benefaction came.
Il will not say he is dead. I prefer
to think that where the purple twilight
meets the dusk he stopped to rest
awhile at the rivers brink, and when
the silver moonlight cast shadow
on the other shore he fell asleep, and
is sleeping still. And Mother. Earth,
we bring back another Of your count
less children for you to hold in your
gentle, loving arms, until the power
that closed his tired eyelids with a
kiss, shall by the same token, open
them again.
"With reverent hand I leave this
blossom in your grave with this fond
farewell: Those who knew you best
while alive loved you most, and while
asleep they love you still.''