Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-12-30
WORK OF THE SILENT REAPER

Soon shall We meet again. meet nee
to sever:
Soon shall love wreathe her chains
round US forever.
During the past third of cen
tury the Gazette has on the last da!!
of the year published the names OF
adult Alexandfians who have died
during the preceding three hundred
and sixty-fve days. We today print
the list for 1916.
We have preserved these lists
They form what we call our Tomb
stone Book" Containing as it does
thousands of names of people who
,t one time lived and mingled with
us it's perusal brings much OF th'
history OF Alexandria to our minoS
ne there is more or less attached te
each one. All played their respec'
tive parts.
We often fall into rcveree wher
looking over this record. where are
they all at present? Are they LOOK
ING down upon those they left be
hind? Do they with interest wit
ness the sorrows and the joys whlcf
make up our lives? Or are they
mingling in happy converse witi
beings upon other planets far re-
movaI from mundane scenes!
The Patriarch job put this ques'
ton 'If man die shall he 1--we
again." An agnostic member OF th'
United States Senate many years
ago in delivering an culogy upon
deceased member of the body quot
.d the words of Job, and said ths
,,,erv remains unanswered We be
,;cve il has been and the longin!,!
for Immortality. INFORM III U.S. VII
h. satiated even as are our phySi'
cal wants.
We all hope to again meet thos'
taken from us by the law OF nature
This hope soothes our sorrows w"e'
all else fails.
f., this dark world al sin an" pam
NJ. only meet to part AGAIN
go, v.b,.u "a, reach IN. heavenly sh"r"
w. then snail meet to parl N" 'h"''
Socrates one said: IF the com
mon expression be true, thai "ea'l
CONVEYS us to those regions whier
are inhabited by the spirits OF de-
n,rted men, will it not be unspeak'
ably happy to escape from tn'
hands Of mere nominal Judges, 20
,nne.r before those who truly de
sn,ve the name, such as Mlnos anu
Rhadamapthus. and to associate
with all who have maintained '"'
c,use of truth and rectltude! Is II
ross;h,e for YOU to look upon tins
&c an unimportant journey! IS y
Nothing to converse with Orpheus'
and Homer and Hesiod? Believe me
| would checrfully suffer many d
death on the condition OF reali~'l's
such a privilege. With what pl eas,
ure could | leave the world to hoio
son>nunion with Palamedes, AlaS
and others. who. like me, have ha"
IN uniust sentence pronou''ee''
AGAINST them? Then would eN-
,lorc the wisdom Of Ulysses, Sissy
nbus and that illustrious chief who
Icd out he vast forces Of the Gre
elan army against the city OF Troy
Nor should | be condemned 10 deaSn
for INDUCING, as have done IN tree
inquiry"
Martin Luther was once asked u
rive his opinion on heavenly recog'
u;+;o, His answer was: Glow dc
Adam do? He had never seen IN NE
life Eve--hc lay and Slepc-se'
when he awokc nc did not sa!
Whence did you come" who al:
you?" but he said. This is now oon'
of nv bone. and flesh Of my flesh.
How did he know that this woman
did not spring forth from stone
He knew it because he was in pos
session of the true knowledge OF
Cod Into this knowledge and image
we will, in the future life. again b
renewed in. Christ; so that we Wi
know father. mother and one an
other. on sight, better than d''
Adam and Eve.