Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1912-10-26
SATURDAY MIGHT
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REySAMUELK. pURvIS.D.D.
YOUR SHADOW FROM THE GRAVE.

tUelus Tue EOob - 'lt Ihtciltu WIN
their bones.' said Mark Antony over
the body of Caesar. That seems true
sometimes. But | believe both good
AMI III live after us. This story of
Elisha's bones Is startling. About $50
years before Christ maraudlng bands
OF Moabitcs were rayaging the fields
OF the Israclites. In the spring. when
early crops were ripening, was favor
ite time for these raids. One morning
funeral party had come TO the bury
In the midst OF the solemn procession
some one called, THE Moabites
Gomez The friends of the dead man
hasten 60 conceal his body In the near
est hiding place. They chose. whether
by accident or purpose IL does not say,
the tomb of the prophet. And as the
body was pushed into the cell which
formed the resting place for bodies in
Jewish tombs Il came into contact
with the uncofIined bones. The mere
touch OF those sacred bones worked a
miracle. The man revived. stood on
his feet and no doubt FASTENED home
with his friends
MOODY Is Not Dead"
Life doesn't begin nj the cradle nor
end ut the grave. The sun sets In the
golden west. but leaves a glorious
twilight that leads the traveller home.
The tree fell in the forest centuries
ago. but It's coal glows In your CRATE
tonight The coral insect dies out.
but the reef II raised breaks the surge
on the shores OF n great continent
Stars long since burned out are still
shining their light earthward. One
plants a tree. and when his body Is
moldering away weary ones rest In
the tree shade and pluck It's fruit
David has been dead 5000 years. yet
his songs are following him. Paul
inherited his crown centuries ago, but
his prison letters will influence many
centuries 10 come. The eleventh chap
ter of Hebrews is n long roll call of
the past.tho%e "who being dead yet
spea keith" John Bunyan still speaks
through his Pilgrims Progress" and
Tom Psinc through his Age OF Rca-
son" some day you will hear
Moody is dead" Don't you believe Il
I'll still live" said the great evangelist.
General William Booth. the Salvation
Army leader, still lives: so does Rob.
ert Ingersol We shall not only live
as souls In another world: we shall
t..a Ia, ~
building pyramids that shall last not
1000 years or 100000. but forever.
We put down our tools. but the pyra.
mid stands Neither twentieth century
nor one hundred and twentieth shall
shake H. II stands forever
Tho Ever Present Dead.
At twenty-five minutes past O'Clock
on the morning OF April Is. 1856. the
spirit OF Abraham Lincoln passed away.
As the calmness OF death settled on the
martyrs furrowed face Secretary Stan.
ton turned away, cxclaiminc, Now lie
belongs 10 the ages" True, His In
fucnce II larger today than in 1865.
He is greater as an influence dead than
living. So, too. Phillips Brooks. While
he lived be was the rector of Trinity
church and bishop OF Massachusetts
Now he Is larger than any church Lin
coin and Brooks. with many others, he
long to humanity. ito the parliament
of man. the federation OF the world"
The swift steamboat and the flying
train tell us that Watt and Stevenson
are still toiing for men. We think We
have lost friends when we do not see
their faces or hear their voices. but
often what they do after death Is more
important than in life. Death sweeps
away their faults and blemishcs and
leaves remembrance of that only which
was good and beautiful. | know men
who are held Alright by memory Of n
mother long since gone. Lots OF par
ents are being led heavenward by baby
fingers now in the cemetery. All they've
touched has influence. the path they
walked. the trees that Swallowed them,
the book they read. the song they sang
Even the pencil marks her baby had
scrubbed saved a frivolous mother from
sin. Life is stronger than death and
love than the grave. We do not forget
them-they surely do not forget us.
HE Being Dead Yet speaksth.'
II Is almost impossible to overcsti.
mate the influence Of the books OF the
dead. They are the glass through
which we look at distant ages. Who
writes book one that is worth
while? \ man with message. What
does he put IN Il? The very best In
his soul. lie dies. body dissolves To
dust but his inspiration. his book, re-
mains The story Of Daniel inspires
and thrills boys today as the story OF
Moses and Joshua did long ago.
can touch the bones" OF Macaulay
and Emerson. Wesley and Moody: the
inspiration Of their lives touches me,
and | 60 out "a do new work under
their impulse. In my room have the
great men of the past near me-his
torians. musicians. poets. philosophers.
They talk their best 20 me--best die.