The Hawk-eye and Iowa patriot. (Burlington, Iowa) 1839-1843, 1841-04-22
Death of President Harrison.

ed ueltn OIL tliS DelOyed anu muci Id
men,ed Chief Magistrate of these United
States. In that announcement, as we
copied it from another paper, there APP
peared 10 be bare possibility that the
report might be nnfounaed. This faint
hope was clung to in ,his community with
the greatest pertinacity, until later and
mere decisive intelligence arrived. twas
then that all parties united in their sym.
pathiss with a bereaved nation. 1t was
then that all party anin,osi,y appeared
buried in oblivion. and a glorious and
heart-cheering tide Of national American
feeling seemed TO well up in every bosom.
Although the occasion was a melancholy
one, still the national lie that binds us to-
peilier was plainly discernible. This in
a great measure mi,iga.ed the severity of
the stroke, and assuaged the wound which
In view of this great national calamity,
all must excIaim, Thy ways, o Lord,
are inscrutable. y In the midst Of life we
are in death. There is no exemption
from this situation. The high and the
low, the rich and the poor, are alike sub.
ice, to give UP life whenever Death calls
for it. and happy are they who are as
well prepared to do this as was President
Harrison. In theelast record of his event
ful history, which his own hand had
made, his yeneration for, and his adhe.
renee TO, the Christian religion, are con-
spicuously apparent.
While a vast majority Of the American
people were looking up to him with the
greatest confidence to carry out meas
ures which they deemed of the greatest
importance, in the midst of his usefulness,
and in the act of concentrating their
wishes, he was cut down-like the full
grown oak that has stood amid the storms
Of ages was he cut down-perhaps to
adorn an edifce of far greater grandeu,
than any this earth can exhibit. "
While such universal sympathy has
been awakened all over the country on
account of this dispensadon Of Divine
Providence. it is not wonderful that one
small circle should be almost forgotten
II is that of his stricken widow and faith
erless children, grand children, and neal
relations. They feel this stroke mos
acuiely-as if an iron had entered theil
souls. What are the honors or the ap
plause of the world to them? These can
not minister comfort or consolation tc
their desolate hearts. Their head anc
protector is gone--gene, never TO return
Their sorrow is deep-none can sympa
thize fully with them, and surround thai
desolation with which Death clothes the
soul under such circumstances with ligh
and hope, but Him who has promised &c
be the widows God, and the Father OF
The faiherless; and to his Almighty care
we now commend them.
This is the only blow of the kind that
mas ever befslen our nation. We read of
one who once became SO popular that the
people pronounced him God Jeho-
vah's judgments fell upon him immediate
ly. We may by some be thought TO be
simple in throwing Out the idea; but be-
leving in an everything Providence, can
it not be possible that He who has ever
guided the destlnies of our nation, and
who will not give his glory to another,
might have seen in the career of our la
men,ed Chief Magistrate SO much for the
people TO applaud, that there was danger
ne would become the idol of their affec-
tions! TO save the People from idola-
try, then, God may have seen it was me-
eessarY to make this removal. We do
not, of course, assert that this was the
case; we merely hint at its possibility
Examples might be addueedto show such
hypothesis 10 be plausible, but they
would be considered ont of place. One
of Goes principles Of dealing with fatni-
lies is, to chaslise them in this way for
their good, and why, we ask, may not
the same principle be applied to nations!
Whatever may have been the motive of
his removal. President WIN. HENRY HAIR
RfsoN, who bid fair TO be one OF the most
popular Presidents of America, has been
taken from us; and it is BETTING, while
almost every newspaper; and hall Of JUS
lice, and sanctuary, and school-house are
clothed with the habiliments of mourning,
that some right and serious impressions
should be made on the hearts of the reo-
pie, who are thus called upon to mourn
over his sudden departure. 'a sos
No nevsnaner euIoCy is needed to bla.l