The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1911-07-15
h SATURDAY
saM NIGHT
4 SERMONS
BY
RExsAKuHW.pUpMslD
THE TOUCH OF THE DEAD.

Of Elisha he revived and stood on his
feet.'-II Kings Kill y.
Early summer in Israel. Crops just
about ripe Time for Moabite raidirg
parties. These foraging marauders
had worked their depredations until
the Israelites were panic stricken.
funeral party is winding its way in
solemn procession alongside hill
Suddenly some one calls, THE Moab
ties conner The dead mans friends
look about where to quickly conceal
his body and escape. They choose
whether by accident or intention it is
not told--a cave which is the tomb OF
the prophet Elisha. The Jews made
no use of coffins. At the end of the
tomb the body of Elisha lay in its
graveclothes. AS the body of the
young man was pushed into the sepul-
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 ran revived, stood on his |
feet and FASTENED home with his
friends Elijah had been honored In
his DEATH Elisha after his death.
The Afterelow.
Life does not begin Mt the cradle nor
end at the grave. The sun sets in the
golden west, but leaves glorious twl-
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 1t raised breaks the surge on
the shores of Il 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.
"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 1t
Is n half truth. Not only does evil
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-
I pire for untold generations. They be-
4 long to the roll call of the past, those
\ "who being dead yet speak" Men
\ die. but their work lives on. The
Il world is young For awhile we WELD
X trowel or pen. Brain thinks, eye
L looks, tongue speaks. The pyramid Is
4 building. The twentieth century vii
not rock Il down, nor the thirtieth, mol
h,,ndpadth inanln living
was an American, northerner, Repub
lican. Today no section, no party
indeed, no nation-can claim him. HI
H. belongs to humanity, to 1.-The parlia
T. ment Of man, the federation of tn
f. world" Death and fight Of year
Id have no power to destroy them
st Thoughts Expressed In Things.
The Olympic and the Titanic wi
II tell In few months that Watts an
4 Stevenson still live. Marconi and tn
Wrights will still live when their name
- are ilegible on the tombstone. The IL
y ventor is dead, but his busy fingers ar
ST still weaving warm textures for tn
o poor. The road builder and the bride
of constructor will walk by the side G
the daily thousands. The death of
- wolf means meal for the othe
=, wolves. The death Of thinker meal
a meal, mental instead of physical, ft
!" those left behind. Wolves feed the
e. stomachs; we feed our brains-on IL
Of dead. You cannot overestimate ii
of touch of the dead. They are the glas
is es through which we look at the pas
m The distant is brought near. a WRIT
in garnet may shout message
the world. Who writes a book? III
ne man with message. What are i
ne contents? The best in his soul.
IN can touch the bones of Macaulay
OF Emerson, Tennyson or Longfellow, al
at the inspiration of their lives lifts n
nc when sinking. and, like the young ma
-. of the text, | revive and stand upC
my feet. In my room l have II
worlds great men talk to 'me-hist
oe- rlans, musicians, philosophers, preac
lu- ers. And they talk their best-be
rs. diction, best grammar, best style, be
ats thought Out from the Bible Mos
he and Joshua and Daniel thrill me
ve they thrilled the Jewish heart centuri
>,,. ago.
1.-THE Touch of the Vanished Hand.
The influence of our dead is We
great. We think we have lost the
me because we do not see them, and '
I'D sigh
Oh, for the touch of a vanished hand
ed And the sound Of a voice that Ia still
is when they are near to us. Death
IN cleansing. 1t sweeps away the fau
and blemishes we saw In the flesh a
leaves only remembrance that is go
eA- and beautiful. | have known cas-
les where a mother accomplished thin
So after her death that she could l
mas while living Many prodigal has be
ma brought home and comes to himse
lot under the touch Of mother that
AZ gone from him. | know parents W