The Washington herald., 1910-12-04
HOPEFUL, OPTIMISTIC ESSAYS QNTEE SUBJECT OFDEATH


day. so with that if life. There may be
clouds, and yet II the horizon IS clear,
] the evening may be beautiful
! Is II not extraordinary that many men
win deliberately take IA road which they
know Is. TO say the least, not that of
| happiness? That they prefer TO make
others miserable rather than themselves
| happy?
Cicero mentions the approach of death
as the fourth drawback OF old age. To
! many minds the shadow of the end Is
| ever present. like the coffin In the Egypt
ian feast, and overclouds all the sunshine
| of life. But ought we so TO regard death
/ II is often assumed that the journey to-
THE undiscovered country from whose
! bOurn
! No traveller returns
must be one of pain and suffering but
/ this is not SO. Death is often peaceful and
almost painless.
| Goethe died without any apparent suf-
! fering, having just prepared himself 10
write, and expressed his delight at the
return of spring. We are told OF Mo-
Zart's death that 1.-The unfinished requiem
| lay upon the bed. and his last efforts
/ were 10 initiate some peculiar instru-
mental effects as ne breathed out his life
IN the arms Of his wife and their friend
Sussmaier"
And assuredly if in the hour OF death
the conscience Is al peace. the mind need
not be troubled. The future is full OF
doubt indeed, but butler still of hope.
For all we know
OF what the blessed do above
Is that they sing and that they love.
Waller.
NAE IL. SHAW
As Stevenson pointed out In "Aes Trip
lex" the prospect Of death has seemiDg-
| l. little effect on daily conduct. Fortu-
nate il is that We are so constituted that
If We are normally minded we do not
habitually dwell upon the thought OF
dying. Others all about us may be beck
oned by the grim angel but somehow
We feel that ours is a happier destiny.
Indeed. 1t is a memorable subject for
| consideration with what uneoncern and
gayety mankind pricks on along the
valley of the shadow of death. The
whole way is one wilderness of snares,
and the end OF IT, for those who fear the
/ last pinch. Is irrevocable ruin. And yet
We go spinning through IL all like a party
for the Derby
And that this is so is we'll To cherish
the fear OF death would be to paralyze
human activity, Our chief concern
should be with life. and If we live our
| life fully and fearlessly we shall also
meet death fearlessly.
An army surgeon tells the following
story: Far over in the Philippines, after
the battle OF Malolos came upon a boy
| from Pennsylvania. shot through and
/ through He was dying; he knew this
side OF life was ended for him, but he
was not afraid His blue eyes We're clear
as crystal water, and. suffering as he
was. his voice had strong ring In Il.
He was lean and scrawny from the long
struggle our troops had had 10 get TO
where they were, but the indomitable
spirit OF the not afraid was In him Say,
Doctor ne said 20 me. let mother know
/ wasn't afraid 10 cross the line Tell
her I'll be waiting on the other side,
tried 10 do my best,
That's IT, The best preparation for
death and for life 10 come is 10 live
well here and now-to do our best.
"And though you be done 10 the death
what then?
= II you battled the best YOU could.
II you played your part in the world Of
men.
Why, the critic will call ii good.
Death comes with a crawl. or comes with
a pounce
And whether he's slow or spry.
It isn't the fact that you're dead that
counts,
But only how did you die"
And 10 that l should add, how did you
, live?
ARTHUR W. BEER.
What's life? what's death? what's any
thing on earth?
Wherein doth death differ from our birth?
Each is phase of ever-changing life.
The one begetting tears, the other mirth.
We meet the guest with smiles and joy,
The tears and sorrow wheE We say
good-by?
One being good. why should not the
other
Be so. since both are edicts from the
sky?
The difference only is in parting. meet
ing.
Bidding godspeed or hearty greeting:
Joy and sorrow is in going. coming.
But all the while some phase OF life
repeating.
We weep at death because we know not
where
The traveller goeth through the viewless
air.
And lacking faith and trust in the
unseen,
Our souls give way to anguish and
despair
Ask the newborn soul II life is grand.
And II will smile and shake its dimpled
hand:
Then ask the heeting soul what of its
Joy.
It smiles and beckons from another land.
The happlest smile that ever earth has
shown.
From Flooding peasant to the highest
throne,
saw upon my dying friends pale face
As coming death revealed the great
unknown. II. V. BISBEE.
Sorrowful. dark, and gloomy indeed is
the passing of time toward the termina-
tlon of mortal life as seen with the pes
slmistic eye. The thought of the disso-
luton OF the soul and body fills the pes
simist with horror. and they shudder
with fear because their vision does not
extend beyond the grave. They think of
life as stage OF performing mortals;
then the curtain drops and we are no
more. But the truly optimistic eye sees
in death only Gods servant sent to CON
vey the spirit of Immortality to that
eternal life I'm a better world, where
sickness, sorrow, pain. and death are
felt and feared no more. The optimist