Middletown transcript., 1918-04-27
OBITUARY
THOMAS &. FOURACRE


Scribe to speak of the bereavements o
The transcripts readers, and he ha
always wished, if possible, a little t
assuage the poignancy of their grief
Now alas he must tell of the sad los
that has befallen the family Of Tn
transcripts editor in the sudden dealt
of their youngest child the three yea
old lad Thomas whom his parents fondl.
styled their "Baby.''
1t was but few days ago that tn
bright little fellow visited the printing
office, happy, sociable and seemingly il
fine health-now the dear little house
hold pet, with his CHEEKY presence ant
the music of his childish voice, is onl,
a tender memory, and his slender
form lies on its earthen couch lovingly
embalmed in flowers.
Doubly inscrutable is the mystery Of
Death, doubly sad the loss, when a:
here it is not the full blown flower, bu
a tiny bud scarcely yet opening it:
first fair petals, that hangs pitifully
broken on its fragile stem. The river
heart asks almost murmuringly why
Heaven to enrich it's supernal conser.
vatories thus robs our poor earthly
| gardens of their dearest blooms? Alas
in our human blindness. these strange
DEGREES of Providence, seen through
the mist of our tears, seem almost
cruel-too hard to be borne
Yet while the heart feels it's pang,
| is it not some surcease of sorrow to
know that its fond flower treasure has
only been transpIanted to Gods own
Garden there to have :! sweeter, a
diviner blossoming where no canker of
sin, no buffeting winds OF pain or sor-
row can ever come.
How tenderly the poet Longfellow
SINGS.
There is Reaper whose name is Death
And with his sickle keen
He reaps the bearded grain at breath
And the flowers that grow between.
''Shall l have naught that is> fair"
saith he,
''Have naught but the bearded grain :?
Though the breath Of these flowers is
sweet to me,
/ will give them all back again"
He gazed at the flowers W tn tender
eyes,
He kissed their dropping leaves;
1t was for the Lord of Paradise
He bound them in his heaves.
The funeral services We're held on
Wednesday Afternoon at the home of
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas S. Fouracre, and
were conducted by Rev. Van z. North
rup assisted by Rev. Percy l., Dona-
ghay. After Scriptura. reading and
prayer by him, the choir, composed of
Mrs. Adam Reed, Mrs. Hattie Downs
and Mr.. Charles Stuart, sang ''When l
Read That Sweet Story of Old, "Miss
Allie Mckee playing the piano accom-
paniment. Then Rev. Van Northrup
spoke for few minutes some appro-
pirate words of sympathy and consola-
ton to the parents and family, and the
choir sang, "When He Cometh To Make
Up His Jewels"
Masses of beautiful flowers fairly
embowered the little casket in perfume
and color.
How beautiful the wee lad looked,
all clad in spotless white, lying as
though asleep on his snowy bed, in his
right hand few lilies of the valley,
while all around him were the profusion
of lovely blooms the only things on
earth that could fifty symbolic his own
purity and sweetness Asleep, yes,
"Asleep in Jesus Blessed sleep
'From which none ever wakes to weep"
1t was all very tender, very beautiful,
this sad scene and the unfolded casket
offered not suggestion of the
e sad images
Of the stern agony, and shroud and pail
And breathless darkness and the mar
row house,
but instead, sweet, innocent Childhood
lying as if in peaceful sIumber-t truly
Like one who wraps the drapery of
his couch
About him and lies down to pleasant
Dreams"
He was taken i'll with stomach trouble
while in the printery last Wednesday a
week ago, and on Saturday was taken
by DR.. J. D. Niles, of Townsend, to the
Medico-Chi Hospital. in Philadelphia,
where an operation was performed on
Sunday. Until midnight of that day
when the little heart failed and he died,
there were good hopes of his recovery.
The friends Of the family share their
grief at losing so interesting and lovable
a child and are extending to them their
deepest sympathy
The pall-bearers were June NcWhor-
ter, Percy Donaghay. Ernest Tee and
Burton Williams.
"A number of automobiles followed
the auto hearse to the Forest Cemetery
where int"rment vas made.
Democrats Win in Blackbird Hd.
At the special election held in the
Fifteenth Representative district of