The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-06-02
The Funeral Impressive Service.

Last Wednesday morning at half past nine
o'clock q multitude OF the good people Of
Abbevllle assembled at the A. r. P. church
for the funeral exercises over the remains OIL
their late friend and neighbor, F. l.. Morrow
who had died on the ptevious morning.
From the hon In which he died a large
number OF relatives and friends followed the
remains to the church, which could not hold
the great number that came as a testimonial
of good feeling for the dead and as a mark
of sympathy for the bereaved family. Ma.
sons, old soldiers, neighbors, friends and
kindred formed long procession ,
Pastor, Rev. E B.. Kennedy, conducted the
religious services. After the singing by the
choir, the preacher read suitable selections
from the holy scriptures. Sitting In the
presence OF the remains OF him whom all
honored and respected for the goodness OF his
heart as we'll as for the purity OF his life. the
congregation was In q receptive mood.
The deceased needed no eulogy before that
audience and none was made. Each person
there furnished his or her own testimonial
and received ~lesson from the circumstances
The prayer was more than appropriate. II
sailed not high In the air far over and above
the heads OF the people, but went direct to
The heart and brought every soul nearer to
the foot Of the cross. In the prence o: him
whose soul had so lately taken Its departure
for Its home beyond the stars, every. ear
listened to the words OF tbs preachers prayer
to the throne Of Grace. Without pretense at
great speech or effort at much speaking the
petitioner awakened a responsive prayer in
every heart. The preacher renewed 10 the
minds OF each of his hearers, sweet memories
OF the time when a christian mother taught
her child to pray at her knee. What old man
that lives, or ever lived, when In the second
childhood, and approaching the shadows,
who has not said:
Now 1 lay me down to sleep,
pray thee: Lord. my soul to keep;
H. should die before 1 wake,
Ipray thee, Lord, my soul to take.
Beside this little prayer the preacher in
cluded in his petition many OF the sweetest
words OF the Psalmist: Though l walk
through the valley Of the shadow OF death, l
will fear no evil,' were words that went to
every heart.
The prayer throughout was entirely rever-
entail and was absolutely free from vain
repetitions, or disrespectful use OF the Name
Of the maker and ruler OF the universe, and,
except in the needless statement at the
beginning OF the service that he would read
Goods word" the entire service was sweet
and without speech that grated on any ear
Tine congregation was sufficiently intelligent
to recognize the reading as being from the
Bible. and there were non present who
would have thought he was reading the
Karon, the Book Of Mormon, or Webster's
Dictionary.
There ia nothing that comes so near the hu-
man heart as an earnest prayer from an earn
est soul. The yearnings that well up in Us as
we feel our smallness and look up TO the
Great Father as only q child can look. The
heart hungeripgs can only be satisfied by
earnest, humble, sincere unembeIished SIM
pie prayer.