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Winifred Langlands (1850–1889)

Universal regret was expressed throughout Horsham and district on Saturday morning when it became known that Mrs. Langlands, wife of Mr. John Langlands, J.P., and one of the oldest residents of the town, had died the night before of typhoid fever. Though ailing for some weeks it was only the previous Sunday that the nature of the dread disease had been pronounced, and, notwithstanding the subsequent constant attention of Drs. Young and Cross, it made rapid headway and terminated fatally as stated. The funeral took place on Saturday and was largely attended, the coffin being covered with flowers and wreaths formed by the hands of loving friends; and six old residents, Messrs. W. Robinson (Mayor), E. C. Rogers, S. B. Bolton, S. Carter, G. Glenister, and J. Brake, acted as pall-bearers. At the grave the Rev. R. A. Whyte officiated, the funeral arrangements being carried out by Messrs. Walters Bros. At St. John's Church of England on Sunday evening occasion was taken by the Vicar, Rev. R. A. Whyte, to make special reference in his sermon to the death of the deceased lady. Some special features were also introduced during the service, the second lesson being part of the chapter of St. John's Gospel having reference to the death and raising of Lazarus, two of the hymns being selected from the "Burial of the Dead" and the well-known funeral march from the oratorio of Saul being played by the organist while the large congregation, at the request of the Vicar, remained standing. The anthem sung by the full choir was "I heard a voice." Mr. Whyte, before giving out the text of his sermon, referred to an extract from a report of the Central Board of Health published in a metropolitan newspaper, which stated that a most abnormal percentage of cases of typhoid fever occurred in the Horsham district. As a Minister he had special care of souls, but he also had his duties as a citizen, and both these functions involved fighting with evil of all sorts; and it was necessary to look to the care of the body as well as to that of the spirit. The sanitary condition of the district called for serious attention, and it was a pity that so fair a place should be spoiled by the presence of a disease that could be stamped out. Typhoid was caused by contamination in water and milk, and bad drainage. The way to avoid the disease was to boil the water and the milk before using, and it behoved all concerned to see that better should be made in regard to the drainage as soon as possible. The Vicar then gave out his text as the 35th verse of the 11th chapter of St. John, "Jesus wept." The ways of God were mysterious, and why? Because we, His creatures, only saw part of them, like a man finding a letter, the first and last parts of which were missing–he could not make out the complete story. In the narrative of Lazarus we had the full story, but our own lives necessarily were a mystery, for we could not have the whole narrative before us. But inasmuch as the result of Lazarus' story was altogether good, so might ours be although we did not know what would be the result. The preacher then dealt with the episode of the death in the family at Bethany, and during the course of his remarks said that trouble either came from wickedness or laziness and sometimes from the hand of God. Some people had an idea that trouble was always the work of the devil; but this was a mistake, seeing that we have it on Scriptural authority that "whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth," and, frequently, that trouble was sent on the world and His creatures "for the glory of God." The subject that was occupying the attention of the congregation was connected with trouble that they had been sent, not from wickedness or any other cause but that because God loved her and took her. To be loved even by fellow human beings was a very good thing; how much more then must it be a good thing to be loved by God? It may have been thought a hard thing that Lazarus, for instance, should have had to die "for the glory of God," but God never demanded a sacrifice without granting a recompense. The sympathy of Jesus was an estimable boon, and we were told that Jesus so loved Lazarus and sympathised with his family that He wept. The time of pain and sadness and death must come to all of us and it would be well to feel that Jesus was such a friend as he had been to the brother of Mary and Martha. Today we had sorrow in the congregation. One was gone from our midst who had been a loved member of the town and of the church. Personally, stranger as he was among the people, he had known her whom they mourned better than he had anyone else in this congregation, for he had met Mrs. Langlands before coming to Horsham, and since coming, when he was in the always uncomfortable position of a stranger, he and his family had received much kindness from her. He desired in the name of the congregation to express sympathy with the bereaved family in their loss, and earnestly directed attention to the heavenly hope that lies beyond the grave. In conclusion he impressed upon his hearers not to shelve the question of future salvation until the time came to face death, but to do so now; in fact to prepare not for death but for life.

Original publication

Citation details

'Langlands, Winifred (1850–1889)', Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/langlands-winifred-17093/text28932, accessed 19 March 2024.

© Copyright Obituaries Australia, 2010-2024

Life Summary [details]

Alternative Names
  • Foord, Winifred
Birth

1850

Death

22 February, 1889 (aged ~ 39)
Horsham, Victoria, Australia

Cause of Death

typhoid fever

Religious Influence

Includes the religion in which subjects were raised, have chosen themselves, attendance at religious schools and/or religious funeral rites; Atheism and Agnosticism have been included.