Death of Mrs. Henry Mourned by Sisters
By Grace G. Durland
DEAR SISTERS: I need not attempt to express the sorrow that fills my heart at this time; for I know you all share with me in it, and realize the loss that has come to us in the death of our dear Mrs. Henry. It did not seem possible that she would die, even when the news came that she was ill. She seemed well and courageous when we returned from our long tour, and said that she felt able to start on another such a trip if the Lord so directed. She worked hard all through the summer. I often told her that she was doing too much, and tried to have her be more considerate of herself; but she had a message for the people, and she saw their great need, and felt that she must deliver her message. Every word of it was needed, and expressions of gratitude, of appreciation, of confessions of misunderstanding and misjudging her and her work before hearing her, would always roll in after her lectures. The difficulty was that there were so many places to visit on this long trip, and such a short time to spend at each, that she felt obliged to talk nearly twice as long as the ordinary public speaker, and often she would conduct from two to three services a day in order to bring out the truth she presented in a well-rounded way. She, however, was very particular to keep herself in harmony with nature’s laws, and it was a marvel how she endured the fatigue of long and interrupted journeys, and how strong and energetic she always was in her work. Not only did she do this public work, but between services she was constantly receiving calls from those whose hearts were heavy with perplexity and sorrow, or who had some question to ask in a private way. Soon after our arrival at Battle Creek the first of December, she was taken with a severe cold, and gave up for a few days’ rest and treatment. One of the brethren wrote, cautioning her to be careful of her health and strength in view of the great work she had upon her hands this year especially; and in reply she said, “I was not indisposed for many hours. I was at the sanitarium for treatment from Thursday until Sunday, and have been at work ever since. I am as good as new again. I am quite sure that my trouble was principally caused by the irritation in the air-passages from the alkali dust, which the doctor thought caused a violent catarrh and bronchial difficulty; and this, with a slight cold and some weariness, made rest a little necessary. I realize, as you say, that there is a heavy train to be moved, and I am not going to break down. I shall be at my post, and ready for anything that is required in an emergency.”
From this time she was busy, dictating letters and preparing matter for a leaflet for W. C. T. U. women, so as to have this work all ready to be carried on while she attended the general meeting at Graysville, Tenn. With happy expectations she looked forward to listening to the instruction from Elders Irwin and Haskell at this meeting. She had herself been giving instruction so constantly and so long that she felt hungry to listen to others. From the time she returned to Battle Creek, she seemed to have a special longing to receive Bible instruction. On hearing the opening song of a service, she would drop her work, which she felt was important, and which she was making a special effort to complete, and attend the meeting. She would come back seemingly refreshed, and speak of what a good meeting she had attended. A short time before she left for Graysville, she asked me if I had been reading the daily papers in regard to the attitude of the nations, and said that she never realized as she did then how near the end is. She thought best for me to remain in the office, instead of going to Graysville with her, and attend to the work that had to be looked after here. She left on the 3d of January. I received a brief note from her soon after her arrival, in which there was no mention of her feeling poorly; but on Thursday, the 11th, she dictated a letter to her daughter, from which I quote the following:— “I am obliged to write you by the hand of Brother Irwin’s stenographer, as I am very ill indeed—really fallen into the hands of the enemy. The letter will be disjointed; for I have very little rest. It is an attack of la grippe, with pneumonia complications, suffering with almost complete hypertrophy of the left lung. . . . I had my first attack of la grippe on Friday last. I remained in bed on the Sabbath, getting up, however, in the evening to go and speak to the college students; and went on from that all day Monday at the meetings, and, although suffering most intensely, I arose Tuesday morning and went to the early morning meeting. I felt that I could not afford to lose it, and yet I see now that I did wrong to go. I came near fainting in the meeting, although no one knew it. I put my head down, and I got over it as well as I could, and walked home, and went to bed, and have been in bed ever since. It is by the mercy of the Lord, in answer to the prayers of my brethren, that I am here this morning to write this letter. I must get out of this climate as quickly as possible, and be put away for care at the sanitarium until I am perfectly well.” Upon receipt of this letter, Dr. Rossiter, Mrs. Henry’s son-in-law, went immediately to Graysville; but when he arrived there, he found her too ill to be moved. She became unconscious a few hours afterward, and remained so until her death. The brethren prayed for and anointed her at her request, but the Lord did not seem to give her the assurance of restoration. From a human standpoint, it would seem to be a great calamity that she should be taken away at this time; but we can but believe that our Heavenly Father’s hand is in it, and that he will work out his own purpose. In my association with Sister Henry the last few years I have learned to love her as a daughter, and none know more of her faithful, untiring, and loving work during that time than I. She was always appreciative and considerate, and adapted herself perfectly to the experiences and life of a young person, and at the same time breathed out the inspiration of her motherly counsel and rich experience. Her whole heart was wrapped up in the woman’s work. She loved you, sisters, and nothing that you ever wrote her failed to receive her sympathetic appreciation or seemed unworthy of notice. Many a time, as she opened her mail and read the letters, has she broken down in tears because of the sympathy that she felt for those who wrote, and her longing to help them; but the Lord sustained her, and gave her messages of comfort and love, as you all know. She was taken from us suddenly, right in the midst of this work, and is now at rest, quietly sleeping until her Saviour comes. She will surely find a welcome entrance into her heavenly home, and receive a crown brilliant with jewels. When she arises in the first resurrection, I am sure that one of her first inquiries will be for the sisters in the truth, which was so precious to her, and for the success of the work that she left unfinished. Shall we drop the work because she has left us, or shall we faithfully live out the instruction she has given, and make sure of a home with her in the kingdom of heaven, bringing with us a record of work faithfully done? Let earnest prayer be offered for the work at this time, that the Lord will raise up some one to step into the place that has been made vacant, and lead on in the work. Yours in sympathetic bonds,