, 1865-05-03
ABRAHAM T.VNC0EAN AND
HIS DEATH.
Speechra by the Rev. DR.. Hitchcock
and Mr.. u iil1Qm Ne EFAfts.

and Nj. y nlIam d. ETarts,
The following addresses were delivered at
the meeting Of the New York Historical So !
ciety on Tuesday evening:
REV. DR. u1TCHco0k's SPEECH.
~ ut Is said Of the ancient Thraciaus that
they used to weep when child was born, but
n toiced when they bore man to bis burial,
I am not sure that the Thrac1ans were SO
wise as that. But We, under the light Of
Christian skies, which at present arc shaded
by the da! kness OF the gloom o'c,spreau over
the nation, are able botn to weep md reiolce.
Weeping Is an instinct which appertaina to
our nature. Death is one Of tue incldeuss
and penalties, Of o1I sinful state. We would
mingle our grief with family made desolate
b5 the loss Of noble husband aud father.
We would mingle our grief with nation be-
reaved In this its hour Of supremacy. We
have more Joy and rejoicing for Abraham LID
coin personally than OF mourning. He
renown. Had he lived through his second
course, had he gone down peacefully to his
grave, 1t would have been among heroes. But
the hand oil an assassin has given him place
among martyrs. How few men, whether for
the church or: state, are permitted this re-
Keeping s Of IN eternal God. We bless him in
this secure rcnown. We arc safe in ass gning
him the next place to Washington. WASH.
irgton gave us the beginning Of national
career. In The PeFoEaton OF ons Of The
bis eyes upon our flag: j" see upon it but
two words, Liberty and Union, now and for
ever, one and inEeparable." Washington
gave US Union and Liberty for . caste. Abra-
ham Lincoln has conserved the. Union and.
made Liberty universal. This one word,
+ of will
his monument. This word will bapt!ze bis
name forevc1morc. We often say Of the dead
that wc wish they could see the misery
and grief attendant upon their death.
By what right can one Of you say
that the spirit Of Abraham Lincoln Is not now
b1ot ding over this country. >.
'.lf he could choose he would wish to take
his seat in Washington once more. think
he would rather t9ke the place which God llaa
given him. cannot reckon the death OF
President Lincoln as calamity to the na-
tion. know what We have lost. I know
1t Is great loss for a nation to have it's lend
er stricken down when he has lncarnatcd its
best principles into its very Constitution.
But we belong to TINT race that can vote
ST. ndily under fire. A milton that cannot,
but by annibtiation, die. nation that has
not one head: We have series Of men that
by the Constitution can tAke the head Of the
nation in order upon the event Of the dtsa-
bility Of predecessor. Never plank
started, not mast crushed in the great ship
Of State at the sudden deprivation of its
guide. The nation could have goue through
e7en WORSE calamitles. We know now the Coy
mcnt Of the people and by the people. This
has been demonstrated. This side Of the
world Of perdition there is no greater mis-
take than that you can annihilale principles
by striking down Its head. Out Of ths
Key ashes Of sysy martyr aa fsgs tS @ the
Dire Of Rome destroyed By the assassina-
fIon Of Julius C;esars Thirteen, years after
every one OF the assasstne had died bloody
death, and the nephew, of Julius CnsaF was
given the very position which Cnser had
Wished him to oeenny, the Enperorahi1R 19,,ef Of
has Nr. Lincoln died: He has died for two
wo,ds-Ltberty and Union. What is the re-
| suit today An oath more stern than thai
at Carthage shall never live, nor
Slavery, which ha'ches Treason: The blood
ofAbraham Lincoln has sanctiied the country.
| We have sworn this before. We owed It to
our fathers, but now to the blood Of our mar
| tyred President. Let us keep q clear vision
SCI what We ought to strike. This is the
natural product Of that which Professor
l!eber has calltd the grand anacronsm Of
the Government. Tue reaction has been
upon the leaders and demotalizcd them. Let
| rs sec 10 It ard swear it over the ashes of
Ab,aham Lincoln; with the top, the
root OF the tree shall also he destroyed"
There Was lond and continued applause
upon Rev. Dr.. Hitchcock taking bis seat.
III. VIM, NJ Eyarts then addressed the
meeting. He said:
III. EyART'S SPEECH.
"Not Us ret does the intensity Of this grief
abate. nor will it for long time. There Is
come terror in:the grief Of a nation. Our
country presents az appalling sight,aud:
this br one man. We, people. bend IN
q sorrow that 1t ls capable ofisubdivision aud
distribution through every house in the laud,
aud it Is Us Il SOMEONE WAS dead In everyhousc.
This laa not come as bereavement but as
blow to civilization, to our pride, to our
hopes. Truly, this nation Of ours is eating
Of The tree of knowledge Of good and cvil.'
Assassination We should have been free from.
The brief tenure of office, the feebleness OF
rower Of the Presidential chair, surely could
hare found no food to feed q dagger nth.
Dove 1t not seem as il 2 nation which had
to He'll? The King Is dead. Though tho
moi arch yields 10 death. majesty yields no
gap. As we, your representatives., stood at
the obsequies Of our late lamented President,
we noticed the chief mourner over the
grave Was the President. Thera is
no fear for the Government from any. person
al assault. We have Government perna-
nent and durable, far beyond that Of royalty,
for that ceases when the pedigree Is destroy.
ed. What have We to say OF this our dead
President? No more wonderful Career than
| that Of Abraham Lincoln Is told In sacred
| history, or furnished In romance. He has
been direct example of what any one may
| come to under our constitution. He has
taught tha: not BY accident, bat BY worth,
We Teach such eminence. No one starts With
any considerable advantage In this country
I 10 say what accident plaeed him, at the age
| oi AlIy, in the Presidential chair, but what he
had worged out with hls own hands. Take
| him In his public career, whatever has he
| done on which fortune smiled At the com
mencemcnt? The future that smiled upon
| him might hare terrified Napoleon or q
/ Casas. who did not think that this Was
! storm LIE conld no. guIde the ship OF state
| through. He took power when the people
! were divided more bitterly than ever before.
Before his death bis OWN party landed MS
every act. The North :, conhded u and
upon him as the best mediator between
! their guilt and the law. The greater points
Of Lis character were justice, elncerity, tntre-'
! pldi1y, kind, mild. bentgnant, element, sa-'
gacious, patient, polite. Without favor he
has been able to maintain his position, and
Ia power during life. Cali no u1an fortunate
until DEATH, The manner OF his d.atb5 adds
1usser to Bis tame. There Was not one trait
in his character that should create personal
enemy: He has been slain as no other man
before was slain; for his goodness, and BY
benefit by his living. There is one lesson
which we may draw from his death.
Our public men deserve better. treat.
meut Than they receive. The only thing that
public servant Tas suroot was to be Sian.
der has been the terrors OF public lifc.'
The whole scope Of treason has been re-
action Of barba'ism that laughed at society,