The Portland daily press., 1865-05-24
Wednesday Morning, May "a, 1866.
The Unitarian Pulpit of St. Francisco and
its Preachers.

The Unitarian Pulpit of St. Francisco and
its Preachers.
The assassination of Mr.. Lincoln was re-
ceived 10 San Francisco with the same out
burst Of grief as everywhere else. On the
Sunday following, vast crowd gathered at
the Unitarian church. The building, both in
side and out, was draped in mourning, and
the tomb of Mr.. King was festooned with
Grape. 1t was the largest congregation ever
packed in the church. After a fervent and
peculiarly appropriate prayer and hymn, Mr..
Stebbins arose, and in the most solemn man
ner, and without notes, spoke as follows:
Parishioners, friends and citizens-On last
Sunday we came to this house of worship,
having, as we thought, special cause of graft
tude. The rebel capital had fallen, and the
insurgent army of Northern Virginia had cap
itulated TO the great captain Of the Union
host We came into this house OF God with
our national banner here, that our eyes might
rest on it's beauty. Songs of victory were
sung TO Him, who was, and Is to come. And
when we went out, we went with praise and
thanksgiving. But within these few days that
have intervened how changed are our habita-
tions how changed the aspect of our city
from window, balcony and house-topl Weep,
ye strong men; bow your heads and ye Choir
al company sing no longer hosannas, but
mournful natsereres instead. The President is
dead! Although death comes to all, high and
low, rich and poor, and in itself is not an evil,
yet there are times when lives are exceeding
ly precious; times when a nation seem to lean
upon one man; when the life Of people is
personifed in an individual, and we feel when
that individual is gone, the glory and life of
the State has departed. Such man was our
President who had been promoted a second
time to that high Office by the moral power of
our people. IL is SO natural for the mind to
lean on what it loves, thai we feel that it can
not live without it; and SO with our President;
he seemed SO much part OF us and ours that
we could not live without him. He was SO
American, so humane But dsath came not
to our President in the usual order, but in
dark mysterious conflict with dark and evil
passions. There are hours when the mind it.
self refuses the offices of intelligence; when
the heart no longer throbs in sympathy with
the agony it feels. The occasion oppresses
me; am not equal to IT,, and your eyes tell
me that no one-no human person is equal to
this day. On Thursday of this week--the day
which had been appointed by him as day Of
festvity and rejoicing, but which, as If by
prophecy, is to be the day of his funeral-we
will come together to discourse more at
length OF the great departed. In this hour OF
our almOSt 6OnGbsteu gflci tner6 Is not Time
to do Justice TO his memory.
What we want now Is to preserve the calm
ness OF our minds, the patience ofour hearts, the
determination ofonr wits. Let us see to it that
we bear ourselves as men, that we mistake
not passion Tor energy, nor the symptoms of
our grief for the depth of our convictions. II
any man dares to insult our grief in these
days by any expressions ofsympathy with the
last great crime of treason, let him be taken
h. @l,a and Int, r
any woman is so lost to humanity and decen-
cy as in any manner to attempt to palliate it,
let her also be taken by the authorities and
shut out from the bright sunlight. 1t is not
my design to undertake to cast the horoscope
OF future events: but will not allow myself
to think for one moment that this last wicked
act of the rebellion can disturb or hinder the
progress of our cause. If it shall hearafter
appear that this terrible murder was con-
spiracy Of a few individuals, all the Govern
ment bas to do is to bring these individuals to
summary justice, which, at the best will be
but poor attonement for their fdamnable
crime; but ii it shall turn out that the con-
spiracy had any root in the rebellion and has
received any encouragement or support from
the cabinet at Richmond, then / say let the
lightnings of the North be unsheathed until
every habitation Of iheirs is swept from the
earth. Spontaneous and unanimous applause
throughout the vast audience, lasting several
seconds.
Inc spesoel - s sa. ~ elus'ot me
mara ehnllision Of nassion brt the ofisnrino Of
firm conviction and determination. Hehoped
the contingency would not prove true, but II
1t did, this was his deliberate sentiment. The
speaker then referred TO the position Of Mr.
Llncolns successor, ana alluded 10 the morti-
flying spectacle presented to the world In his
disgraceful conduct on the day OF the inaugu-
ranon. me matter had become 100 puohc 70
conceai, ana tne only way was 10 meet 1t. he
was not witnout tne nope mat andrew John
son Woqlu yet prove eqnal 70 ine occasion.
w, we an KNOW tnas sone q .ns np1iesI natures
nau lailen Victims 70 appeslue, ana not unIre-
quensy greas ocGssioh nau caiieo ,ortn. res
oiusion so ~ snss & sna"eI sIem La - s.rks on tne
passaon as = Oi0w. tay iopeu w !. wousu Oe 30
faaI I1io i. ,,ot ,e' ~
this, and that no man was more ready ana