No more does his gentle friendship minister strength and hope and courage to hearts that have learned to love him.

The death of a good man, in the midst of his usefulness, cuts off a blessed ministry of helpfulness in the circle in which he has dwelt.

But his influence continues.

Longfellow writes:-- "Alike are life and death When life in death survives, And the uninterrupted breath Inspires a thousand lives.
"Were a star quenched on high, For ages would its light, Still travelling downward from the sky, Shine on our mortal sight.
"So when a great man dies, For years beyond our ken The light he leaves behind him lies Upon the paths of men." The influence which our dead have over us is ofttimes very great.

We think we have lost them when we see their faces no more, nor hear their voices, nor receive the accustomed kindnesses at their hands.