Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1941-02-13
we were disappointed,

Anthony In his grafton, said, Il
came to bury Caesar, not to praise
him" That seems to be the custom
of late. In the years gone by we
have heard and read obituaries that
were as far from the truth as Light
differs from shadow" We have
even felt sorry for the poor helpless
minister who had to stand before a
knowing congregation and read sucn
travesty On the truth. We have
listened to long drawn out eulogies
when three words would have told
it all-born, lived, died. Not infre-
quently do we hear a flowery eulogy
tackled onto a church membership,
when in truth the party had had
nothing to do with church for the
last 40 years. Is it any wonder
that a ministerial conference decides
to ban the custom altogether. 10
us, old fashioned as we are, it seems
too bad that when good man or
| woman dies, Just because that fea-
ture of the last sad obsequies is too
often abused, that it has to be dis
carded altogether. Must such an
| edict be ironclad? When good
| man dies, as we think of John Hen
ry knight, man who has stood
four square for the right,-been
affiliated with church and school
work, practically all his life-then
have to lay him away without a sim
gle word of praise spoken. What Is
the worth while of life? Is there nc
difference in humanity? A man
who "giving all diligence" has
added to his life, faith, virtue, and
knowledge, then the category n
"brotherly kindness and charity,
is he or she no more than "the foo
who hath said in his heart, there il
no Cod Are funerals going to Dt
conducted so formally that there car
be no discrimination? We wonder
Doubtless there are scores of meI
and women over the land, who
when they got the word OF Joh1
Henry's death, said, "He was m!
first school teacher" or Il went tt
1
thing. Unfortunately there are som'
5 who did not receive the prope
training in the home, but got 1T il
: the school room, and we know tina
> our deceased brother was that kline
of a teacher and Heaven only know
j, the credit that is due him.
The first time we met John Henry
| he was but a youth, but not In
youths place-it was man
place. His father had died an
there was the mother, two youn
| sisters, and a brother, to be provid
g ed for. The father had a littl
: store at the time, but early in liz
! had learned the shoemakers trade
, This boy, John, went into a shack
picked up his fathers tools an
went to cobbling to help support tn
family. In time these younger one
became self-supporting and job
Henry, by close application to hi
: books, launched out as a schoc
e teacher. Along with this, he Learn
ed some trades--dentistry, watch rt
pairing, photography, were ou
e standing Newspaper reports say n
Z was prominent farmer, he wa
! everything but that. True, his lii
Q was lived like many others by choic
Il mostly on a farm Skillful, inllueI
>. tial men live in the country but ne
L as farmers. Classifying all men WI
: live on their acres as 'prOmineI
III farmers" is trite. AS we have a
ready indicated, John Henry was
- genius,-he was also an arts
d When sitting in an audience,
J. most always had a pencil in =
! hand, and his eyes would be riVete
l. upon whatever blank page, or p
y per. by chance would be at han
4 You might think that he was giyiI
d but little heed TO what was beir
II said or done,-far from that,
d pencil like the early telegraph L
strument was recording what W;
e in, his sub-conscious mind,-a po
G traitor scene,-according to n
e fancy The light of John Hem
|. Knights life has gone out,-h
n spirit is with his Maker. Mar
il there be who will agree with I
that the Renrock community h;
d lost one of it's most highly esteeme
e / citizens, and there will remain VI
e cancy that will not be filled.
g Morganville