Henry Augustus Homes. 



9 



That he was faithfully and earnestly devoted to his duties, in what- 

 ever sphere his activities were employed, there can be no doubt. The 

 decease of such a man is a severe loss to the world. True, the life- 

 work of Dr. Homes was not such as to strongly attract the public gaze 

 and rank him among the most conspicuous characters of history ; but 

 it may, nevertheless, have been a greater boon to the world, more 

 influential for the best interests of humanity, than the deeds of many 

 whose names have filled the trumpet of fame. 



As in nature, so in human affairs, the noiseless forces are often the 

 most effective. The earthquake and the tornado are noisy and terrific, 

 but their force is insignificant in comparison with the silent rays of 

 the sun, or the noiseless but resistless energy of gravitation. We 

 study the record of the world's great battles, the rise and fall of dy- 

 nasties, of empires and kingdoms, and call it history ; but these are 

 only the prominent incidents of history, the culminations and out- 

 ward manifestations of potent forces, which for a longer or shorter 

 period had been silently preparing the way and pressing to their issue 

 the great events. To the quiet workers in the domain of letters, of 

 science, the arts, benevolence or religion, men of pure motives and 

 noble purpose, is the world often more indebted for its advancement 

 in civilization, in its grand achievements, than to the more distin- 

 guished historic characters who have worn the crown of civic or mili- 



It is no extravagance to say that the death of such a man as 

 Dr. Homes is a public calamity. I said the death of such a man. 

 " Death " is an unfortunate term. In the higher and truer significance 

 of what the word is used to express, it is a misnomer. To the Christian, 

 at least, the words of Longfellow are no less true than beautiful : 



" There is no Death ! What seems so is transition; 

 This life of mortal breath 



Whose portal we call Death." 



The term is more befitting Paganism than Christianity. I much 

 prefer the old Hebrew expression — " He slept with his fathers ; " or, 

 better still, the exquisitely tender uttterance— " He giveth His be- 

 loved sleep." But, to my own mind, neither "death" nor "sleep" 

 conveys a just idea of the exchange of worlds ; ' ' transition " is the better 

 term. Whether quite orthodox on this point may be questionable, 

 but I am unable to entertain the thought that the soul, the immate- 

 rial and immortal part of man, will ever be in other than a state of con- 



