The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-12-05
Death in Midst of Life.

Death in Midst of Life.
Brother F. C. Smiths address was
as follows.
Today the heart OF all Elkdom
throbs with sorrow.
On this day Elks everywhere are
solemnizing by fitting ceremony the
death of those of their members who
have gone before.
death. has been literally fulfilled in
our midst. for keokuk lodge has SUI
fered most severely from the hands of
the grim reaper during the past year.
Bishop Hall says: Death borders
upon our birth and our cradle stands
in the grave Shakespeare says;
Nothing can we call our own but
death and that small model of the
barren earth which serves as paste
to cover our bones" Dr. Young in his
Might Thoughts" declared that,
Death is the crown of life
Were death denied, poor men would
live in vain,
Were death denied to live would not
be life,
Were death denied, ev'n fools would
wish to die.
Bryant calls death the "Deliyerer,
and says: God Amounted it to free
the oppressed and curb the oppres-
sor" In Wordsworth: Death is the
quiet heaven of us ALL 20! eloquent,
just and mighty death" exclaimed
Sir Walter Raleigh, Whom none
could advise thou hast persuaded.
What none hath dared thou hast
done and whom all the world has flat
tered thou only hast put out of the
world and despised. Thou hast drawn
together all the far stretched great
ness, all the pride, cruelty and ambi-
ton of men,
h Byron was terrorized by a contem-
plation of death. He cries: oh God
it is fearful. thing to see the human
soul take wing, in any shape, in any
mood
But to Longfellow:
There is no death-what seems SO
is transition,
This life of mortal breath
Is but suburb to the life elysian
Whose portal we call death.
Yet this transition is a solemn and
fearful event for even the boldest
shrink in the presence of death, but
men must endure their going hence
no escape Some day the finger OF
God will touch us and we shall
sleep. The shadow cloaked from head
to foot who keeps the keys of all
the creeds will fall upon US and earth
and it's beauties. it's joys and its sof-
rows, it's interests and affections will
| fade away into the impenetrable mys-
teries of eternity.
Take a serious look at the world
and what a piteous spectacle 1t pre-
! sents. Imagine that you are standlng
on the outside where you can look "a
at the world and its generations oil
men. You can see its joys and It's
sorrows. its triumphs and its defects'
\ and being removed from the strlfes
1 and impulses of men you can Judge
| impartially To your view the world
would be one grand funeral process
sion Some are laughing, some are
crying but all are moving toward
4 the grave Some are walking with
1 slow steps, some are bounding with
I light and joyous tread, some are NOV
ing with stately bearing, but all are
carrying their burdens to the same
i place-the tomb Funeral bells are
/ tolling constantly-in one place a
peasant is being borne to his humble
resting place. In another a stately
procession in all pomp and splend1r
of earth is bearing a king TO the
tomb. He, too, lays all his wealth
/ and power and lobes, and even his
! crown, at the open door of the grave
The pale boatman receives them
both alike and bears them to their
4 home. One is not more distinguished
! than the other. Alike they cross the
river and alike they are received on
/ the other shore as far as their eal'a
I ly power and possessions are concern
ed. They take nothing with them eN-
cept their wealth OF soul and power
of manhood.
For ages past death has been an
occasion of sorrow and lamentation-
Rachel wept for her children and
when Job heard of the tragic death
] 40 "a