The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-04-23
HOW 1T FEELS TO DIE

Probably most people Oill read tn
above title with sometime Ike a
shudder for If there is one thing Ger.
tain in this world it is that the vast
majority Of sane men and women re.
gard the very word death" with Tn,
creates; possible aversion. This is
largely due 10 the fact that they sell
dom allow themselves to think about
il, and also because of the SHADOW 81
he grim unknown which shruuds the
whole matter in mystery.
one thing is absolutely sure. how
ever, and that is that We have. AN Of
us got To die at some time or other;
and it is foolish To- blind. ourselves L.
the fact by putting the idca altogether
into the background. If only few
human beings were Obliged TO die
death might. indeed he terrible: bat
We have all got to go sooner or later
rich and poor good and bad, happy
and unhappy-and in this there is
great comfort.
one of the chief reasons why people
fear death is because they think that
it will be painful. ThcHiaNc. perhaps
seen a dear friend or relation i'm tn,
so-callr6 death agony" ANA they arc
under the impression that when thcil
time comes, they will have q vcr5
rough time of it indeed. Luckily, the
scientists are nearly all opposed
To the idea that death is painful. and
doctors tell us that no matter how
much a person may suffer some tim,
before death, the actual act Of dl ing is
absolutely painless.
Not long aSO Il man who had hcCr
certified as dead astonished all his
relatives 10y sittin" bolt upright IN
his coffin. He had not been actually
dead at all. but he had been 50 near
death that the medical men who at
tended him were completely deceived
His heart had apparently quite ceased
To beat, and he had shown all the
signs that are usual in cases OF real
death.
When questioned as to his expert
ences he replied that some time be-
fore he became unconscious he had
felt sure that he was about to die,
Although he had been i'm great pain
for many days. as soon as he felt that
death was upon him. all the SUFFERING
left him, and he experienced delici-
Gus kind of ecstasy that made him
completely happy. when he realized
that he was back i'm the material world
again he was almost indignant, for
nothing earthly was to be compared
To the delight he experienced when he
thought he was going"
Many nurses and doctors who have
seen numerous people actually die
have declared that the end was al
ways quite painless. no matter what
the pain might have been just before
hand.
A personal experience of what IT
feels like to he near death befcll m,
one day when out cycling. While geo
ing down a very steep hill on a muddy
day, my bicycle ran away" with me
/ knew that at the bottom Of the hill
there was "A high brick wall, and IL
crashed into this. which seemed newt
able, death was certain. When first
this idea entered my brain. the feeling
of fear was terrible hut after a very
few seconds the tcrro. Disappeared
and in It's place was feeling of i'm
tense expectation of a very plcasur-
able kind.
I'm few seconds ! shall he dead
flashed through my mind. What q
glorious experience 1t will be-" Bui
the experience was not of course
realized. Before reaching the wall
the bike skidded and threw me heavily
to the ground That sudden shock
brought me quickly back to earth" ia
moro senses than one. but ever since
then have never had any fear NJ
meeting death.
A correspondent writing To the
Times has recently recalled the fact
that William Hunter. the celebrated
anatomst who died in 17S2 said 10 n
friend in his last moments that IL No.