* < X'X "X * * "X"X "X * 'K- *
Commoner Comment
} i Extracts From W. J. Bryan's Paper.
T A4 .
Tho Xutlon Mourns.
The nation bows in sorrow and in
humiliation in sorrow because its
chief executive , its oificial head , is
passing through the valley of the
shadow of death in humiliation be
cause the president of our republic lias
fallen a victim to the cruel and cow
ardly methods employed in monarchies
where helpless and hopeless subjects
sometimes meet arbitrary power wilh
violence.
In morals and in the contemplation
of law all lives are of equal value all
are priceless but when seventy-five
millions of people select one of their
number and invest him with the au
thority which attaches to the presi
dency , he becomes their representative ,
and a blow aimed at him is resented as
an attack upon all.
Beneath the partisanship of the indi
vidual lies the patriotism of the citi
zen , sometimes dormant , it is true , but
always active in hours of peril or mis
fortune. While the president's life
Jiangs in the balance there are no party
lines. The grief of personal friends
and close ( political associates may be
more poignant , but their sympathy is
more sincere than that extended by po
litical opponents. Although none but
his family and his physicians are ad
mitted to his room , all his countrymen
are at his bedside in thought and sen-
tiinent , and their prayers ascend for
his recovery. It was characteristic of
his thoughtf ulness that , even amid the
excitement following the assault , he
cautioned his companions not to exag
gerate his condition to his invalid wife.
The latest dispatches give gratifay-
ing news of his improvement , but
there is still deep solicitude lest unfa
vorable symptoms may yet appear.
And the humiliation ! Are our pub
lic servants those who are chosen by
the people and who exercise for a lim
ited time the authority bestowed by
the people are these to live in con
stant fear of assassination ? Is there
to be no difference between our consti
tutional government and those des
potic governments which rest , not
upon the consent of the governed , but
upon brute force ?
There is no place for anarchy in the
United States ; there is no room here
for those who commit , counsel , or con
done murder , no matter what political
excuse may be urged in its defense.
The line between peaceful agitation
and violence is clear and distinct. We
have freedom of speech and freedom of
the press in this country , and they are
essential to the maintenance of our
liberties. If any one desires to criti
cise the methods of government or the
conduct of an official he has a perfect
right to do so , but his appeal must be
to the intelligence and patriotism of
his fellow citizens , not to force. Let
no one imagine that he can improve
social or political conditions "by the
shedding of blood.
Free governments may be overthrown
i" but they cannot be reformed by those
i"r i"F who violate the commandment , "Thou
shalt not kill. "
r Under a government like ours every
1 wrong can be remedied by law , and
the laws are in the hands of the
people themselves. Anarchy can be
neither excused nor tolerated here.
The man who proposes to right a pub
lic wrong by taking the life of a hu
man being , makes himself an outlaw
and cannot consistently appeal to the
protection of the government which
he repudiates. He invites a return to
a state of barbarism in which each one
must , at his own risk , defend his own
rights and avenge his own wrongs.
The punishment administered to the
would-be assassin and to his co-con
spirators , if he has any , should be such
as to warn all inclined to anarchy that
while this is an asylum for those who
love liberty , it is an inhospitable place
for those who raise their hands against
all forms of government.
While the laborers for the United
States Steel corporation are fighting
for the privilege of organization , it is
announced that the president of that
trust , who is said to draw an annual
salary of 81,000,000 , has purchased a
tract of ground for a residence , pay
ing therefor the sum of 8800,000 , and
that when completed Mr. Schwab's
home will have cost in the neighbor
hood of 82,000,000. It would seem that if
the revenue from the trust is sufficient
to enable one of its officers , who , a
few years ago was a poor man , to build
a palatial home , that the trust is suffi
ciently prosperous to give its working-
men the privilege of organizing for the
purpose of protecting their bread and
butter.
Jackson , in his celebrated message
vetoing-the extension of the bank char
ter , said that the humbler members of
society were the victims of injustice
whenever the government , by grant
ing legislative favors and privileges ,
made the rich richer and the potent
more powerful. If the men who eat
their bread in the sweat of the face
I
would act in concert at the polls , a
speedy and inexpensive remedy would
1 ! be found for every evil complained of.
Fusion in Nebraska resulted in wrest
ing the state Irom the control of cor
rupt republican rings. Fusion prom
ises to do the same thing in Pennsyl
vania. Good sense and good morals
demand that no one condemn a move
that results , or promises to result , in
good to all the people.
Mr. Grosvenor is missing a golden
opportunity when he fails to impress
upon the farmers that the high price
of potatoes is due entirely to the Ding-
ley law and the good graces of the ad
ministration. Can it be that Mr. Gros
venor is growing careless in his old
age ?
Che Two Should Stand Together.
The toilers on the farm and in tte
factory have cause to believe that they
are being cheated out of a part of their
earnings.
One ofthe things that labor has rea
son to fear is the effect of private mo
nopoly. The trusts have been grow
ing rapidly during the last few years
and all wage'earners are menaced by
them. Some have suggested that the
employes should join with the employ
ers in controlling the industries and
then divide the advantages of higher
prices. Such a proposition is immoral
as well as impolitic. The employes
could no more justify aiding the trusts
to eAtort from the consumers , even if
they could share in the results , than
an honest citizen could justify giving
aid to a highwayman on promise of
part.of the plunder.
But such an agreement would be as
unwise as wrong. If trust made arti
cles are sold at high prices , compared
with other products , the demand will
be reduced and labor thrown out of
employment.
In a test of endurance the farmer can
stand it longer than the man in the
factory , but why should the laboring
man in the city array himself against
bis best friend the farmer ?
The trust hurts the consumer first ,
and then the producer of the raw ma
terial , and last and possibly most
the laborer. All three should combine
to destroy the private monopolies now
in existence and to prevent the creation
of any new monopolies.
Next to the trust in its evil effect
upon labor is what is known as govern
ment by injunction. According to our
theory of government , the executive ,
legislative and judicial branches should
be kept separate and distinct , but it is
coining to be the custom for the judge
to issue an order declaring an act to
be unlawful and then assume the pre
rogatives of the executive and enforce
the law , while as judge he sits without
jury to condemn the person whom he
is prosecuting. The main purpose of
this judicial process is to deprive the
accused of trial by jury , and while
every citizen should resist this attack
on the jury system the employes of
great corporations arc just now its
special victim.
The wage-earners as a part , and as
an important part , too , of society , are
interested in all questions which effect
our civilization , but they are at present
experiencing the necessity of reform
along the lines above suggested , j
Will They Remember ?
Mr. Davis , vice-president of the
amalgamated association , in a recent
speech , charged , T. Pierpont Morgan
with a fixed determination to destroy
all labor organizations. He said :
' 'The steel men are picked as the
first organization to be wiped oui.
That is why the opposition to us is so
bitter , so uncompromising , so regard
less of the possibility of arbitration.
Next will come the poor old miners , if
we are beaten. Then the carpenters
and machinists , and after them one
trade after another. If we are defeat
ed we will all become slaves , and life
will no longer be wortli living. "
That the trusts , if permitted to ex
ist , will ultimately destroy the labor
unions , is too plain a proposition to
admit of dispute , but will the laboring
men remember at the polls the lesson
they are learning at the door of the
factory ? The wage-earners have it in
their power to destroy every trust and ,
by so doing , to restore the era of indus
trial independence , but will they exert
that power on election day ? No one who
understands history or human nature
can doubt that private monopolies are
a menace to employes , as well as to
producers of raw material and to con
sumers. The time will come when the
evils of the trust system willv recog
nized by all , but in the meantime
many bitter lessons are being learned.
"Experience is a dear teacher , " but
apparently the only one whose instruc
tion is heeded.
The republican party is determined
to retire greenbacks and substitute
bank notes , to be issued by the banks
for their own profit and controlled by
them for their own advantage. We
must resist this effort or place the
democratic party in a position entirely
antagonistic to the position of Jeffer
son , Jackson and all the democratic
leaders down to the time when Cleve
land betrayed the party into the hands
Df the Philistines of finance. The pa
per money issue is entirely separate
and distinct from the silver question ,
and yet it | is a significant fact that
those who declare the silver question
dead have nothing to say about the ir
reconcilable conflict between govern
ment paper money and national bank
notes. The increased supply of gold
toes not affect , one way or the other ,
bbe question of paper money , but the
influence of the money power is such
that whenever it can bribe or terrify
i man into the support of the gold
standard it can silence his opposition
to banks of issue.
Dodging the Trust Question.
The St. Louis Globe-Democrat says
that Vice President Roosevelt's Minne
sota address was the ' 'most interesting
iddress which labor day called out
mywhere in the country. " Then the
jlobe-Democrat pointed out certain
features of that address and omits to
xjuch upon the most important part-r-
; hat wherein the Vice President frank-
y admitted that it is "more and more
jvident that the trust problem must be
grappled with l > y the federal govern-
nerit. "
LOOT IS FORWARDED.
SEVERAL CAR-LOADS OF IT IS SENT
FROM CHINA.
It Consists Chiefly of Bronzes , Porce
lains and Carrlngs from the Palaces
It Will Be Installed on exhibition
at New York.
Part of the loot from China , several
cars full , has been started for this
country. It is in charge of H. G.
Squires , secretary of the United States
Legation in Pekin. The dispatch from
the capital of the Celestial Empire
says : "Mr. Squires intends to present
the collection , which consists largely
of porcelainbronzes , and carvings
from the palaces , bought from mis
sionaries and at auctions of military
Joot , to the New York Metropolitan
Museum of Art.
\Vhat a disgrace to the American
people that one of the representatives
of our country should return loaded
with loot from the temples and palaces
of China. What can the Chinese'think
of us who have pretended to be their
friends in the negotiations that have
not yet been concluded.
The government of the United States
should return this loot to the Chinese
and tell them we much regret that we
ever touched it. If Mr. Squires has
purchased any of it from Chinese tliat
of course , belongs to him , but the
purchaser of stolen goods is in all
civilized countries regarded as a
worse criminal than the thief himself.
Minister Conger said there was' no
looting by the missionaries and yet
we have carloads bought from them at
auction accumulated right under his
nose at the legation. There has been
similar reports that Conger and his
family were not free from this looting
mania which if true , makes the whole
matter the more disgraceful.
The evidence is gradually being
gathered that the Boxer uprising was
perfectly justified by the provocation
that the people of China had received
from the missionaries and others. If
the San Francisco Star is "correctly in
formed Bishop David H. Moore of
Frankfort , Ind. , who has been sent as
a representative of the Methodist
church , especially commissioned to
visit China to investigate the causes
of the Boxer uprising , in a letter fore
shadowing his report , writes : "Great
wrongs the Chinese have committed ,
but with a tenth part of the provoca
tion we would have done a thousand
times more and greater. " The full re
port of the bishop should make inter
esting reading to those who believe in
the ' 'matchless diplomacy" of the ad
ministration.
ro BE A WORLD POWER MEANS
FREE TRADE.
The proud boast of the imperialists
that the United States is now a world
power and not hemmed in by the con
fines of one continent will , if true , also
exact other reorganization of policies.
Ihe protectionists will find that the
fabric of the tariff they have weaved
with so much care and trouble cannot
sxist under the flag of a world power ,
rhe imperial policy of political and
commercial expansion may fill their
souls with joy , but it will not fill their
aock'ets unless they are willing to
ibate to a great extent the protection
.hey have granted to favored interests
ind monopolies. A world power must
iliow its own markets to be invaded
jy other nations or they will close
.heir doors , for the protection of their
special pets and commercial expansion
s at once put a stop to. There is only
me way to force trade with foreigners
ind that is to take possession of the
lesired country , as we have PortoRico
ind the Philippines , give them free
rade with us and a prohibitive tariff
igainst others.
Are the imperialists , who are also
he protectionists , ready and willing to
jo this far ? If not they must resign
he world power business and reBsime
he Chinese wall that they have erect-
id to keep out foreign products. Of
: ourse in spite of tariffs there will be
orne trade , if Europe wants bread-
tuffs , is famishing for it and they can
my it here cheaper and better than
rom some other country that has a
urplus and the tariff against each
ountry is the same , the wheat or flour
irill be purchased to feed their people.
A world , power must be willing to
rade on favorable terms with all na-
ions or enter on the other alternative
if forcing trade by the power of armies
.nd navies.
As trade today is entirely a matter
if dollars and cents the .trusts and
leneficiaries of the protective tariff
laving the home market , want the
oreign market also , and they will be
luite willing to see the balance of us
ight and obtain it for them.
It is for the people to say if they
hall have their way or if the tariff
fall shall be lowered , even if the
rusts are hurt and a fair trade v/ith
ther nations inaugurated. The al-
ernative of fighting they surely will
ot indulge in , for they would have to
o both fighting and paying.
TWO SAMPLES OF PROSPERITY.
Last fall when the hired spell-bind-
rs of Hanna were carrying out the
lanna instructions to claim that the
reatest prosperity in the history of
tie country had been brought about
y the administration of President
IcKinley , there was one Beifield of
Ihicago , who was especially loud on
rosperity and short on veracity. The
xposure of this hired orator is
rought about by the inquisition of
tie Chicago tax commission which is
; ying to make these prosperity howl-
rs pay their share of taxes which
rom the context they seem very
\
loath to do. The Chicago News thus
tells the story : "Both reviewers and
assessors laughed today over an in
terview with S. J. Klein , representing
Joseph Bieffeld & Co. , who tried to
get a reduction of the firm's assess
ment on the ground that it was losing
money every day. The two boards Bat
in joint session. When Mr. Klein
sat in the witness chair to plead the
cause of hard times for the manufac
turing firm he represents , a smile
spread over the face of Assessor Gray ,
who innocently asked : "How about
those prosperity speeches made by Mr.
Beifleld in Central Music hall last fall
during the campaign , in which he as
serted that last year was the great
est year of prosperity he had ever had
in his business ? " Mr. Klein was taken
off his guard , for he had finished say-
Ing the firm had lost money all of
last year and that it was losing more
this year. The reference to his part
ner's public statements to the con
trary staggered him. "Well , " he
stammered , "you mustn't take a man's
political arguments too seriously. "
THE PHILIPPINE TROUBLES TWO
VIEWS OF THEflli
Congressman Hull has' returned from
the Philippines after spending two
or three months there. He was inter
viewed on the condition of affairs and
among other things he said : "Of
course the present conditions of bri
gandage make it exceedingly unsafe
for people to settle in the islands , away
from the protection of the military
posts. But the people , or the great
majority , desire peace and safety , and
are doing all they can to help the
troops attain this end.
"We shall have to govern them with
firmness , as well as with kindness. I
think 40,000 soldiers should be kept
there for some years tocome. . "
Now Hull is a Republica and would
thus hardly make things appear worse
than they are. On the same day an
other view of the situation is publish
ed that has .evidently passed the hands
'of the censor who has felt all along
that the American people are not able
to bear the truth so he or someone else
advises us of the situation in much
more glowing colors : "Manila , Aug.
29. Civil Governor Taft returned here
today from the north. He is pleased
with the condition of the parts of the
country visited. During his trip he
established civil government at La
Union , Ilocos ( south and north ) , Abra ,
Cagayan , Isabela , Zambales and Bocot.
He intends shortly to amalgamate the
provincial governments , abolishing
the cumbersome governmental ma
chinery of the smaller provinces. "
Now both of these accounts of the
situation in the Philippines cannot be
true , and we are constrained to believe
that Congressman Hull's is the most
truthful account. Over a year ago we
were assured from the same source
that now sends the Manila dispatch
that the rebellion was over. We now
know that since that time scores of
engagements have taken .place , hun
dreds of Filipinos have been killed
the dispatch published on September 1
reports fifty and a number of our sol
diers killed and wounded. This bol
stering up the Philippine policy by
prevaricating dispatches may lull
those who want to believe it is so that
peace and civil government are estab
lished facts , but it cannot deceive
those who can add two and two to
gether.
The best possible proof that the
revolution is slumbering , if not open ,
all over the islands , is that nearly 70- ,
000 soldiers and a large fleet are still
necessary to keep order in the prin
cipal towns and villages on the edge
of the ocean and that the interior of
the islands are run by the Filipinos to
suit themselves.
Nearly $100,000,000 a year to pay
for such an enterprise and no return
for this immense outlay is paying
rather dearly for the whistle that the
administration bought for us.
The Boston Advertiser does not seem
to grasp the reciprocity issue when it
says : "Of course , if the treaties should
be adopted the house of representa
tives would be asked to authorize the
specific tariff changes which might af
fect revenues sufficiently to come un
der the head of the constitutional re
strictions on revenue legislation. "
The Constitution requires that ali'
revenue bills shall originate in the
house of representatives and the pres
ident and the senate cannot usurp
Ehat provision. The attempt made in
the Dingley bill to violate the Consti
tution by allowing the executive and
the senate to do what is expressly pro
vided can only be done by the house
3f representatives was an effort to
svade a wise provision placed in the
Ztonstitution for the purpose of keep
ing the power of taxation in the hands
3f the representatives of the people ,
rhe Constitution cannot be amended
jy the protectionists in this way.
What a streak of virtue struck the
epublicans of Nebraska at their state
: onvention whey they demanded of the
epublican governor that he revoke the
mrdon he had granted the defaulting
itate treasurer. This shows the ad
vantage of having political parties
ibout equally balanced , as it compels
jven the most ultra partisans to make
i show of honesty. This action in Ne-
jraska was also a rebuke of President
tfcKinley for his too free use of the
mrdoning power to bank wreckers.
How quickly Senator Hanna would
; ettle the steel strike if he or President
klcKinley were candidates this year ,
mt with Brother Foraker on the
ifixlous seat , to whom the strikers a
: onstant terror , one can fancy Hanna
aughing in his sleeve at the Forakur
lervousness.
Delivered at the McKinley Funeral
in Canton.
A SWEET AND TENDER STORY ,
arcKinlev'8 Devotion to Ills Invalid Wife
How the Dead Statesman Became
ft Christian The World's Grief Over
Our Nation's Loss.
The following is the full text of the
sermon of Dr. C. E. Manchester at the
McKinley funeral in Canton Thursday :
Our President is dead. "The silver cord
is loosed , the golden bowl is broken , tho
pitcher is broken at the fountain , the
wheel broken at the cistern , the mourn
ers go about the streets. " "One voice is
heard a wail , of sorrow from all the land ,
for the beauty of Israel is slain upon the
high places. How are the mighty fallen !
T am distressed for thee , my brother.
Very pleasant hast thou been unto me. "
Our President is dead. We can hardly
believe it. We had hoped and prayed ,
and it seemed that our hopes were to be
realized and our prayers answered , when
the emotion of Joy was changed to one
of grave apprehension. Still we waited ,
for we said , "It may be that God will be
gracious and merciful unto us. " It
seemed to us that it must be his will to
spare the life of one so well beloved and
so much needed. Thus , alternating be
tween hope and fear , the weary hours
passed on. Then came the tidings of a
defeated science , of the failure of love
and prayer to hold its object to the
earth. Weseemed to hear the faintly
muttered words : "Good-bye all , good-bye.
REV. DR. C. E. MANCHESTER.
It's God's way. His will be done. " And
then , "Nearer , my God. to thee. "
Passes On to Be at Rest.
So , nestling nearer to his God , he
passed out into unconsciousness , skirted
the dark shores of the sea of death for
a time , and then passed on to be at rest.
His great heart had ceased to beat. Our
hearts are heavy with sorrow.
"A voice is heard on earth of kinfolk
weeping
The loss of one they love ;
But he has gone where the redeemed arc
keeping
A festival above.
"The mourners throng the ways and from
the steeple
The funeraf bells toll slow ;
But on the golden streets the holy peo
ple
Are passing to aud fro.
"And saying as they meet , 'Rejoice ,
another
Long waited for is come.
The Savior's heart is glad , a younger
brother
Has reached the Father's home. "
The cause of this universal mourning
Is to be found in the man himself. The
inspired penman's picture of Jonathan ,
likening him unto the "Beauty of Is
rael , " could not be more appropriately
employed than in chanting the lament of
our fallen chieftain. It does no violence
to human speech , nor is it fulsome eulogy
to speak thus of him , for who that has
seen his stately bearing , his grace and
manliness of demeanor , his kindliness of
aspect but gives assent to this descrip
tion of him ?
Loved by All Who Knew Him.
It was characteristic of our beloved
President that men met him only to love
him. They might , indeed , differ with him ,
but in the presence of such dignity of
character and grace of manner none could
fail to love the man. The people con
fided In him , believed in him. It was said
of Lincoln that probably no man since
the days of Washington was ever so
deeply embedded and enshrined in the
hearts of the people , but it is true of
McKinley in a larger sense. Industrial
and social conditions are such that he
was , even more than his predecessors ,
the friend of the whole people. A touch
ing scene was enacted In this church last
Sunday night. The services had closed.
The worshipers were gone to their homes.
Only a few lingered to discuss the sad
event that brings us together today.
Three men of a foreign race and unfa
miliar tongue , and clad in working garb ,
entered the room. They approached the
altar , kneeling before it and before the
dead mants picture. Their lips moved as
if in prayer , while tears furrowed their
cheeks. They may have been thinking
of their own King Humbert and of his
untimely death. Their emotion was elo
quent , eloquent beyond speech , and it bore
testimony to their appreciation of man
ly friendship and of honest worth.
Soul Clean and Hands Unsullied.
It is a glorious thing to be able to say
In this presence , with our illustrious dead
before us , that he never betrayed the
confidence of his countrymen. Not for
personal gain or pre-eminence would he
mar the beauty of his soul. He kept it
clean and white before God and man ,
and his hands were unsullied by bribes.
"His eyes looked right on , and his eye
lids looked straight before him. " He was
sincere , plain and honest , just , benevo
lent and kind. He never disappointed
those who believed in him. but meas
ured up to every duty and met every re
sponsibility in life grandly and unflinch
ingly. Not only was our President brave ,
heroic and honest ; he was as gallant a
knight as ever rode the lists for his lady
love in the days when knighthood was in
flower. Jt is but a few weeks since the
nation looked on with tear-dimmed eyes
Some of tho Abases of Reading.
"What are the abuses of reading ?
These : 1. Hurried reading without
concentration. 2. Reading for mere
entertainment without reflection. 3.
Reading when we ought to be doing
some other thing.-
Governor loves Fine Horses.
Governor Geer of Oregon is a lover
3f fine horses. He has given a great
3eal of time to this fad and is now
said to be the best judge of horses in
the state.
as : t saw with what tender conjugal de
votion he ut at the bedside of hlH be-
Iffvetl wife , when all feared that a fatal
Illness was upon her. No public clamor
that he might show himself to the popu-
Ja e. no demand of a social function was
sufficient to draw the lover from tho bed
side of his wife. He watched and waited
while we all prayed and she lived ,
Tender Storj of Hi * Lore. *
This sweet and tender story all tho
world knows , and the world knows that
his whole life had run In thla one groove
of love. Jt wan a strong arm that she
leaned upon and it never failed her. Her
smile wan more to him than the plaudits
of the multitude and for her greeting his
acknowledgments of them must wait.
After receiving the fatal wound his first
thought was that the terrible news might
be broken gently to her. May God in this
deep hour of sorrow comfort her. May
his grace be greater than her anguish.
May the widow's God be her God. Anoth
er beauty In the character of our Presi
dent , that was a chaplet of grace about
his neck , was that he was a Christian.
In the broadest , noblest sense of the word
that was true. His confidence in God was
strong and unwavering. It held him
steady In many a storm where others
were driven before the wind and tossed.
He believed In the fatherhood of God and
in his sovereignty. His faith in the gos
pel of Christ was deep and abiding. He
had no patience with any other theme
of pulpit discourse. "Christ and him cru
cified" was to his mind the only panacea
for the world's disorders , ire believed It
to be the supreme duty of the Christian
minister to preach the word. He said :
"We do not look for great business-men
in the pulpit , but for great preachers. "
Ever a Trne Cbrlntlan.
It is well known that Ills godly mother
had hoped for him that he would become
a minister of the gospel , and that sho
believed it to be the highest vocatloji In
life. It was not , however , his mother's
faith that made him a Christian. He had
gained in early life a personal knowledge
of Jesus which guidded him in the per
formance of greater duties and vaster
than have been the lot of any other Am
erican President. He said at one time ,
while bearing heavy burdens , that he
could not discharge the dally duties of
his life "but for the fact that he had
faith in God. William McKinley believed
In prayer , in the beauty of it , in tho
potency of it. Its language was not un
familiar to him , and his public addresses
not Infrequently evince the fact. It was
perfectly consistent with his life-long
convictions and his personal experiences
that he should say as the first critical
moment after the assassination ap
proached. "Thy Kingdom come ; thy will
be done , " and that he should declare at
the last , "It Is God's way ; his will be
done. " He lived grandly ; It was fitting
that he should die grandly. And now
that the majesty of.death . has touched
and calmed him we find that in his su
preme moment he was still a conqueror.
I-essons from the Sad Kvent.
Let us turn now to a brief considera
tion of some of the lessons that we are
to learn from this sad event. The first
one that will occur to us all is the old ,
old lesson that "in the midst of life wo
are in death. " "Man goeth forth to his
work and to his labor until the evening. "
"He fleeth as it were a shadow and never
continueth in one stay. " Our President
went forth in the fullness of his strength ,
in his manly beauty , and was suddenly
smitten by the hand that brought death
with it. None of us can tell what a day
may bring forth. Let us , therefore , re
member that "No man liveth to himself
and none of us dleth to himself. " May
each day's close see each day's duty done.
Another great lesson that we should heed
is the vanity of mere earthly greatness.
In the presence of the dread messenger ,
how small are all the trappings of wealth
and distinction of rank and power. I be
seech you , seek him who said : "I am the
resurrection and the life ; he that bellev-
eth in me , though he were dead , yet shall
he live , and whosoever liveth and be-
Heveth in me shall never die. " There Is
but one Savior for the sick and the weary.
I entreat you , find him , as our brother
found him. But our last words must be
spoken. Little more than four years ago
we bade him good-bye as he went to as
sume the great responsibilities to which
the nation had called him. His last words
as he left us were , "Nothing could give
me greater pleasure than this farewell
greet'ng this evidence of your friend
ship and sympathy , your gootf will , and ,
I am sure , the prayers of all the people
with whom J have lived so long and
whose confidence and esteem are dearer
to me than any other earthly honors. To
all of us the future is as a sealed book , ,
but if I can , by official act or adminis
tration or utterance , in any degree add
to the prosperity and unity of our be
loved country and the advancement and
well-being of our splendid citizenship. I
will devote the best and most unselfish
efforts of my life to that end. With this
thought uppermost in my mind , I reluc
tantly take leave of my friends and neigh
bors , cherishing in my heart the sweetest
memories and thoughts of my old home
my home now and , I trust , my home
hereafter , so long as I live. " We hoped
with him that when his work was done ,
freed from the burdens of his great of
fice , crowned with the affections of a hap
py people , he might be permitted to close
his earthly life in the home he had loved.
Sadness of the Home-Coming1.
He has , indeed , returned to us , but
how ? Borne to the strains of "Nearer ,
My God , to Thee , " and placed where he
first began life's struggle , that the people
might look and weep over so sad a home
coming. But it was a triumphal march.
How vast the procession. The nation rose
and stood with uncovered head. The peo
ple of the land are chief mourners. The
nations of the earth weep with them.
But , O , what a. victory. I do not ask you
in the heat of public address , but In the
calm moments of mature reflection , what
other man ever had such high honors be
stowed upon him , and by so many people ?
What pageant has equaled this that we
look upon tonight ? We gave him to tho
nation only a little more than four years
ago. He went out with the light of the
morning upon his brow , but with his task
set , and the purpose to complete it. Wo
take him back a mighty conqueror.
"The church yard where his children rest.
The quiet spot that suits him best ;
There shall his grave be made ,
And there his bones be laid.
And there his countrymen shall come ,
With memory proud , with pity dumb *
And strangers far and near ,
For many and many a year ;
For many a year and many an age , ,
While history on her simple page
The virtues shall enroll
Of that paternal soul. "
The bloom on fruit is said to be na
ture's waterproofing. Where' it is
rubbed off damp accumulates an decay
soon follows.
LITTLE CLASSICS.
Believe me , upon the margin of ce
lestial streams alone those simples
; row which cure the heartache. Long
fellow. -
Those are really .highest who are
aearest to heaven ; and those are low-
jst who are the farthest from ic. Sir
John Lubbock.
Economy may be styled the daugh-
: er of prudence , the sister of temper-
ince , and the mother of liberty. Dr.
Samuel Smiles.
