The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1909-10-28

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Zone who chsngcth not"
But beautiful Helen sank not as did
the leaves and blossoms to eternal decay
but was only transplanted to q fairer
garden, garden of eternal sunshine, a
garden not dependent on changes of sea-
son for growth, but garden ever fair,
ever radient, where no decay e'er comes
to cause weeping and anguish of spirit,
where no killing frost comes to "nip the
| bloom off the parent stalk" but a gar
den eternally radient, eternally verdant
because eternally changeless.
Helen Collier was born Dec. 26th, 1885,
in Brandon, Miss, and died, October r4th,
1909, and was the eldest daughter of Mr..
w. B. Collier, one of the most esteemed
citizens of that place.
During the twenty-three years life
had held naught but sunshine for her
since her young mother closed her eyes
on earth in her infancy, and left her, a
priceless legacy, to the dear old grand
motherMrs. T. d. Harris, who gave her.
self unreservedly to the trust with love
land loyalty but seldom seen.
As if imbibing the sunshine wherewit.l
her young life was surrounded, Helen
was the personification of brightness, of
sunny warmth of nature, of ever abund-
ant energy.
Her very presence suggested life and
her abundant vitality gave vent to it
self in many charitable deeds and kind
words for her loved ones, as well as the
friends whom she numbered by the score.
Unusually kind hearted, loving and hos
pitable her home soon felt the influence
of her personality and became noted for
its skiflful management, unusual where
SO young a girl welded the reins of gov
eminent.
Modern as was her education, received
at the most notable institutions of learn
ing of six different states, she yet be-
lieved in the woman of Eye olden times"
who made home an abiding place for the
weary, and who held that no higher art
could be found than to "fill simple hu-
man part lovingly"
Uuited with these qualities which go to
make up a perfect woman nobly plan
ned" were talents of rare nature. She
could evoke notes of the most dulcet
tones from the violin and had perfected
herself in voice culture and thus was
ever ready to charm and sooths many
a listening ear"
These accomplishments she gave freely
to her friends, to public benefits and to
sacred purposes and her faithful adher-
ence to their perfection rendered her a
power in the small musical world of her
home town and would doubtless have
achieved for her fame abroad had her
genius not thus early been nipped in the
bud.
Endowed with unusual bright, spark
ling conversational talents she drew a
round her a circle of friends and suit
ors both large and flattering, and her
lively wit and repartee charmed every
function she frequented.
Naturally such beauty, such talents
made her eagerly sought in the social
world and here she reigned as bright
particular star, but God had so willed it
that the human heart cannot be satisfied
with pleasure alone. 1t Graves something
higher and deeper and one day this long
ing came to Helen. Was it mothers
prayer on her dying bed answered; that
prayer for her baby girls that she
breathed while her breath grew faint and
the strands of life ran low; for them not
to love the world, that following it was
an empty existence whose pleasures would
surely turn to Dead Sea fruit" Who
can tella God moves in mysterious way
His wonders to perform, and we see his
guiding hand when Helen was called to
the sick bed of her loved Grandmother
then far distant from her home. While
there the warm hearted loving girl stop
ped amid round of pleasure that would
have turned older and wiser heads, at
tended protracted meeting then in pro-
gress at Tullahoma, Tenn, and felt the
STRINGS for a higher life. She was not
disobedient to the heavenly visions and
was baptized in the Christian faith and
became a member of the church of that
order. Thus to Helen's life was added
'sthe one thing needful."
Her memory must ever be radiant
one! The devoted father, staggering I'M
der his heavy load of sorrow, who IN
dulged every wish and who SO nobiy
filled the place both Of father and moth
er can have naught but radiant memory
of her, mingled though it is with the sad
ness of her early bloom and decay. And
- T.