My grandma Crawford, nee Pilcher, saved family photos and newspaper clippings including obituaries. One obituary was from 1912 for her young second cousin, Ruby Pilcher. (Recently I wrote about my distant relative, Rev. Dr. C.C. Crawford; Ruby was his first cousin.) When I was a teenager, helping Grandma work on the family history, I didn't know what to think of these words. They seemed so fervent. Now I recognize them as having been written by someone bereaved (one of her parents?) working out feelings of grief, unfairness, and faith via writing.
Realizing that Ruby died 100 years ago this past March 31st, I thought I'd share these words online as a little tribute. The clipping, quite brown and faded now, has no date or place but I assume it was from one of the newspapers in my hometown, Vandalia, IL, which included news of nearby Brownstown. (Grandma lived south of that village.)
"Into the home of Brother and Sister D. O. Pilcher, on March 24, 1893, was born a little babe, to this babe was given the name of Ruby. When she had reached the age of education she entered the public school of Brownstown, and graduated with the class of 1910, on June 1st. On her eighth birthday she began her studies in music, which were continued to her death. The last three years she was a student of Mrs. Geo. Kurtz, of Vandalia, in vocal music. Her voice was one of rare sweetness, and many have been the ears that have been delighted, and hearts that have been cheered by her songs. It
was no effort for her to sing, song was simply the bubling [sic] over her soul
which seemed to be constant in its flow.
"From a babe in her mother’s arms to the time her Master called to her she has been a constant attendant of the Christian church. Upon its platform she sang her first little song, within its walls she heard her first Sunday school story of another little babe called Jesus. For many years her voice has been heard in its choir. It was in 1905 when Brother Wilson was telling anew the wonderful story of Jesus that Ruby said to her mother, 'I am going to give my life to my Master,' and stepping down from the platform she confessed Jesus and took Him as her life’s teacher.
"I know not whether it was the purity of her life, I know not whether it was the sweetness of her disposition that was a reason for her Master’s call, but on the Sunday morning of March 31st, at 9 o’clock, He called her and reaching out her arms as to receive His embrace, with a hallowed glow and beauty smile upon her face she answered her Master’s summons. She had reached the age of 19 years and 7 days, but in those years she endeared herself to those who met her, and the true strength of her tendrals [sic] she had entwined about our hearts, are seen in our tears and felt in our heart throbs, as from our midst she [apparently some words are missing] was the Junior Supt. Of the Altamont District of the Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor, organist of our local Endeavor Society, Vice-President Class No 6 of our Sunday school and a
member of our choir.
"If I knew in what field the fairest, purest flowers grow of richest breath of rarest kind, I’d feel if I could gather them with glistening dew drops all undisturbed and in a cluster, lay them on her bosom, they would be but a symbol of the purity I feel she was. Since I know her feet tread paths bordered by such flowers as the earth never knew, her lips taste water of the crystal stream, her joy raptures of which we never dreamed, so I lay aside the pen, wipe away the trembling tear, thank God for such a life and ask that more like her to earth be given."
Here is Ruby's grave in St. Elmo, IL: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=26419416
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