The Commoner.
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Vol. i. No. 35.
Lincoln, Nebraska, September 20, 1901.
$1.00 a Year
God's Will, Not Ours, Be Done."
These were the last words of President
McKinloy as ho bade farewell to the loving
companion of his life, to whom his kindness
and devotion have been so constant and
conspicuous. It was with this beautiful
Bpirit of resignation that ho turned from
the realities of earth to explore the mysteries
of the world beyond.
The struggle was over the struggle of a
week during which hope and fear alternately
gained the mastery. The book of life is closed,
and his achievements are a part of history.
After he became conscious that the end was
drawing near, but before the shadows quite
obscured the light, he was heard to murmur
some of the words of "Nearer, my God, to
Thee." This sacred hymn, which will be found .
in full upon another page, contains several iines
inspired by Jacob's night at Bethel:
"Though, lileo a wanderer,
. . T?he sun gone down, ;
tSi' ;;7u4,v t- va . -- v ,
XtHlVIlUBO UU UVU1 11J.U.
i.Vlii ?" ,
fcl- 'WW,.-!
.'i fii i.it ;iiKi.i' -
"Mrf vnaf i fetnniv " - '' '
ThuB do tho lines immortalize the pillow
which to Jacob must have seemed hard indeed
tho pillow which, when morning came, tho pa
triarch would not have exchanged for tho soft
est one on which a weary head was ever laid.
It is still true that one's sorest afflictions
and most bitter experiences are sometimes
stepping stones to higher rewards.
The terrible deed at" Buffalo, rudely break
ing the tics of family and friendship and hor
rifying every patriotic citizen, crowns a most
extraordinary life with a halo that cannot but
exalt its victim's place in history, while hiB
bravery during the trying ordeal, his forgiving
spirit and his fortitude in tho final hours give
glimpses of his inner life which nothing less
tragic could have revealed.
But, inexpressibly sad as is the death of
McKinley, the illustrous citizen, it is the damn
able murder of McKinloy, the president, that
melts seventy-five million hearts into ono and
brings a hush to the farm, the factory and tho
forum.
Death is the inevitable incident of every
human career. It despises the sword and
shield of the warrior, and laughs at the pre
cautions suggested by science; wealth cannot
build walls high enough or thick enough to
shut it out, and no house is humble enough
to escape its visitation. Even love, tho most
potent force known to man love, the charac
teristic which links the human to the divine
roven love is powerless in its presence. Its
contingency is recognized in tho marriago
vow "until death us do., part" and is written
upon friendship's signet ring. But the death,
even when produced by natural oauses,of a public
servant charged with tho tremendous responsi
bilities which press upon a president, shocks
tho cntiro country and is infinitely multiplcd
when tho circumstances attending it constitute
an attack upon tho government itself. No ono
can estimate the far-reaching effect of such an
act as that which now casts a gloom over our
land. It shames America in tho eyes of tho
Stricken among nations, Columbia weeps,
Prostrate at tho bier of her dead son.
Yet. not alone she this last vigil keeps
An hour like this and nations are as one..
Lfke lightning's awful flash the dread news sped,
And king and peasant, fearing with our fears,
Bowed with us at the words, OUr chief is dead,
And mingled with their own, Columbia's tears.
Dark though the sky, the promise still is set
The bow above tho 'blue new comfort gives.
Our chief Is dead, but God will not forget.
He reigneth yet; tho government still lives.
' Will M. Maupln.
world; it impairs her moral prestige and gives
the enemies' of free government a chance to
mock at her. And it excites an indignation
which, while righteous in itself, may lead to
acts which will partake of the spirit of law
lesssncss. As the president's death overwhelms all in
a common sorrow, so it imposes a common
responsibility, namely, to so avenge tho wrong
done to tho president, his family and tho
country, as to make tho executive's life seoure
without bringing insecurity to freedom of
speech or freedom of tho press.
zmmmmmmmmmmmmMmmammmmmmmmm
1 WILLIAM M'lONIiBY.
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Husband and Wife.
One of tho many striking and touching incid
ent occurring at Buffalo was tho meotingbotwecn
tho President and Mrs. McKinloy for tho first
time after the assault. Tho dispatches report
that Mrs. McKinloy took a seat at the bedside
and held tho President's hand. The distin
guished ftufferor looked into tho faco of his
good wife and said in a low tone, "Wo must
bear up;p it will be hotter for us both." With
tears streaming down her checks, Mrs. McKjln-'
loy nodded assent.
There is a depth of pathos in this little in
cident that must appeal forcefully to thoso who
appreciate tho strength of tho ties that bind a
good, husband to a go,od' wif 0;
Then may bo some pe6t)le whpjiavji.nd
wea or sue uiougms mat wore passing tnrougn
tho minds of this couple at that moment.
Thoro are, however, many others who can im
agine what those thoughts were. There, on
tho bed of pain, lay the strong, powerful man.
By his side sat the frail woman, whose physi
cal weakness has been, for so many years, the
subject of this husband's tender solicitude. In
an humble way thoy began life together. Two
little graves had for them a common interest.
In prosperity and in adversity they had stood
together, participating equally in the joys and
sharing equally in the sorrows of life. Tho
wife had shared in tho great honors that had
come to her husband, and now, when the very
summit of political ambition had been reached
and political honors had become so common
that the conveniences of a quiet, domestic life
were longed for by the woman, in order, as sho
often expressed it, that she might have her hus
band to herself, tho bullet of an assassin had
done the work that threatened to blast the
highest ambition of this woman's life.
"Wo must bear up," said the president; "it
will be betterfor us both." It matters not to
what extent other men and women may have
grieved; it matters not how many tears other
men and women may have shed and how much
other hearts may have ached. All of this
grief and woo could not have been so acute as
was the grief and woo which this man and
woman suppressed in compliance with the
suggestion, "it will be better for us both."
There is nothing in all this world more
beautiful than a happy marriage. There is in
all this world nothing more inspiring, nothing