The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-05-26
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\ SERMONS
By
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THE TOUCH OF TIRE DEAD.

about ripe. Time for Moabitc raiding
parties. These foraging marauders
had worked their depredations until
the Israelites were panic stricken. A
funeral party ia winding It's way In
solemn procession alongside hill.
Suddenly some one calls, "The Moab
ties come!" The dead mans friends
look about where to quickly conceal
his body and escape. They choose
whether by accident or intention II Ii
not told--a cave which In the tomb OF
the prophet Elisha. The Jews made
no use Of collins. At the end Of the
tomb the body Of Elisha lay In It's
As the body Of the
young man was pushed into the sepus-
cher It touched the form Of Elisha.
The mere contact with those hallowed
bones produced that from Elisha
which had in life cost prayer and ex-
ertion. The man revived, stood on his
feet and fastened home with his
friends. Elijah had been honored In
his death. Elisha after his death.
The Afterslo~.
Life does not begin at the cradle nor
end at the grave. The sun sets in the
golden west, but leaves glorious twi-
light that leads us home. The tree
falls in the forest, but in after days 1t
burns and CLOVIS and cheers in our
crate. The tiny coral insect dies. but
the reef It raised breaks the surge on
the shores OF great continent. We
shall not only live in another, spirit
world, but we shall live on here as In
fuences and forces In this world.
1.-THE evil that men do lives after
them; the good Is often inferred with
their bones" said Mark Antony.
That's a miserable untruth, because IL
is a half truth. Not only does evh
live after us, but good too. David has
been dead 5000 years, but his Psalms
are following him. Moses and Paul
centuries cince were dust-not even
their place OF burial is known-but
their words will sway the rod OF en-
pire for untold generations. They be-
long to the roll call Of the past, those
"who being dead yet speak" Men
die, but their work lives on. The
world is young. For awhile we WELD
trowel or pen. Brain thinks, eye
looks, tongue speaks. The pyramid Is
building The twentieth century will
not rock It down, nor the thirtieth, nor
the one hundredth. Lincoln, living.
was an American, northerner, Repub-
lican. Today no section, no party
indeed. no nation-can claim him. He
belongs to humanity, to 1.-The parlia-
ment of man, the federation Of the
world" Death and fight Of years
have no power to destroy them.
Thoughts Expressed In Things.
The Olympic and the Titanic win
tell in a few months that Watts and
Stevenson still live. Marconi and the
Wrights will still live when their names
are illegible on the tombstone. The in
ventor is dead, but his busy fingers are
still weaving warm textures for the
poor. The road builder and the bridge
constructor will walk by the side Of
the daily thousands. The death Of a
wolf means a meal for the other
wolves. The death Of thinker means
q meal, mental instead Of physical, for
those left behind. Wolves feed their
dead. You cannot overestimate the
touch of the dead. They are the glass
es through which we look at the past.
The distant is brought near. A writer
in a garnet may shout q message to
the world. Who writes a book? The
man with a message. What are its
contents? The best in his soul. 1
can touch the bones Of Macaulay or
Emerson, Tennyson or Longfellow. and
the inspiration Of their lives lifts me
when sinking, and, like the young man
Of the text, l revive and stand upon
my feet. In my room I have the
worlds great men talk to me-histO-
rians, musicians, philosophers. preach
ers. And they talk their best-best
diction, best grammar, best style. best
thought. Out from the Bible Moses
and Joshua and Daniel thrill me as
they thrilled the Jewish heart centuries
ago.
1.-THE Touch Of the Vanished Hand"
The influence Of our dead is very
great. We think we have lost them
because we do not see them, and we
sigh
Oh, for the touch OF a vanished hand
And the sound Of voice that IL still
when they are near to us. Death is
cleansing. 1t sweeps away the faults
and blemishes we saw In the flesh and
leaves only remembrance that Is good
and beautiful. have known cases
where a mother accomplished things
after her death that she could not
while living. Many prodigal has been
brought home and comes to himself"
under the touch Of a mother that has
gone from him. l know parents who
are being led by little baby fingers
long since passed away. II I wanted
to appeal to their better nature l would
appeal to the memory OF that little
boy or girl. A mother shows me the
book in which the baby scrubbed
Wondrous skill. Here's the ''little toy
dog all covered with dust" Here's
the high school diploma the pale faced
sober eyed grille brought home one
June day. "She led her class" All,
me! Somehow l believe they are still
with us. Life is stronger than death
Love leaps the grave. II Christ be