Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1865-04-28
Hoaors to the Martyr President.
Meeting in WOOdberry.--Addrcss by the
Rev. Mr.. Forney.


At meeting Of the citizens Of Middl,
Woodberry township, held at the Methods
| Episcopal Church in the town Of WOODBURY.
on Monday evening, April II, 1866, on mo
ton, SAMUEL J. CAsrNKR was called to til,
chair, and VIM. S. Elder and Jacob S, Bass
Ter, Vice Presidents, aud DR.. Samuel II. Snitl
was appointed Secretary. On motion, Johr
II. AWilkiRson, Jacob Breneman, John q
Miller, Abr'm. L. Beckhoeffer and Jeremiah
Mentzger, were appointed committee tc
draft resolutions expressive Of the feelings O
the meeting On the committee retiring, the
Rev. Mr., Forney of Chambersburg was called
upon to address the meeting, and taking the
stand delivered the following very appropriate
address:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: We are called
| together this evening under the most peculiar
j ly solemn circumstances that have ever char.
acteriZed an American audience. 1t is the
acknowledged and inevitable lot of all men,
whatever stations in life they are called to
fill, sooner or later to die. In consequence Of
this universal and irreyocable sentence, the
/ American people since the formation of their
! Government, have witnessed the departure OF
| their most eminent statesmen and honored
civil officers, and military captains. But it
was In general the happy lot of these eminent
men, quietly and peaceably, to close their
eyes upon the scenes of their lahors and tri-
umphs, and without violence to be gathered
to their fathers. But tonight we are con-
1 vened to do honor to the memory of him,
than whom none among the living or the
1 of tho
! great nation, and who by violence cruel ma
| lignant, unprovoked, internal violence was
torn from the now bleeding affections of the
American people.
| In accepting the kind invitation of COM
mittee Of your citizens to appear before you
this hour, to pronounce a eulogy-on the
| character OF him over whose premature death
whole nation mourns, | am not insepsible
either to the honor conferred upon me, nor TO
my inability properly to discharge this sol
emn duty. BY way of apology let me say that
| knew our worthy Chief Magistrate alone in
his public capacity as President of the United
States: But it is in that capacity that he has
especially endeared himself to the common
people. | have not at any time even consec-
utively read his life, and have been obliged to
prepare this brief panegyric without single
document relative TO his character, life and
public actions with me. If therefore should
not be as minute in details, or as prolix and
accurate in dates and statements of the vari-
GUS prominent events in his life as might be
desirable, you will know to trace it to the
proper cause. 1t is maxim that the dead
should be well spoken Of And this entire
legend is contained in the expressive word
eutogy, by which we designate our orations
for the departed. So that whatever may have
been the faults of this truly great man, let us
in the spirit of generous patriotism east the
mantle of the deep flowing Lethe upon them,
and honor his memory as becomes his station
and his sterling merits.
The early history of our late President, like
that which characterizes all great men, is
marked with features of special interest. The
prominent lineaments of his character in
public life were early and distinctly visible in
his prirdte life. He was in his youth con-
stantly Injured to such dangers, tolls and
hardships as were peculiarly calculated to
prepare him for the delicate and onerous du-
ties of his brilliant public career. Thrown
upon his own resources. while but a lad, he
has gradually carved his own way through
the almost insuperable difficulties which sur
rounded him, until he reached the very pima
Gle of earthly fame, and the highest summit
of human ambition. He has thus passed from
almost the lowest, and through every inter-
mediate to the very highest stratum of Amer
can society. His enviable position before the
American people, and before the nations of
the earth, and his eminently fehcitous and
brilliant career are striking comment upon
the genius of our benignant institutions.
More loudly than words can possibly express
it, do they declare to the world that merit,
and not the accidents of birth and pedigree
constitutes the truly great men of the world.
t., har faf4bftlfx- OboJiarf fC
the Divine injunction, sin the sweat of thy
brow thou shalt eat thy bread. ;" For some
time the prospective President was engaged
in the common ayocatlon of the yeoman.
subsequently he was running barge on the
Ohio and Mississippi rivers. At the breaking
out Of the Black Hawk war he acted as
commissioned officer in one of the companies
of his adopted State. After he had arrived
at his majority we find him for a short time
engaged in the mercantile business, on
scale commensurate with his means. During
his leisure hours he assiduously devoted him
self to the study of law, bringing to the diff
cult work of self culture nothing but that un-
tiring industry, indomitable energy, and per-
sistant purpose which ever marked the man.
1t was here that he laid the foundation for his
subsequent eminent and successful career.
After being admitted to the bar, he rose rap
idly to place of distinction among his breth-
rem of the legal profession. Though never
dazzling and brilliant, he was strong and in
flexible, able and lucid as an attorney and adj
vocate. Men Of the most comprehensive and
eminent talents have long since ranked him
among the foremost in the legal fraternity.
Others have been his superlors In all the orn-
aments of rhetorical defamation, but for
simple sound, logical and irrefragable rea-
soning, he was inferior to few of his genera
tion. From the bar, as natural and almost
inevitable sequence, he entered the political
arena. Destitute of the feelings, instincts
and passions of mere partizan, he was new
ertheless a faithful, efficient and lucid ex
FOUNDER of the distinctive principles of the
party under whose banner he enrolled his
name. Some of the most imperishable lau-
rels that encircle his brow were gathered in
this field. Though unsophisticated in the
cunning articles SO common among that
class of men, he was still able, by the superior
strength of his positions to vanquish his po-
litical opponents. He was more inclined to
the investigation of the elementary and fun
damental elements of the questions involved
in the contest than of the subsidiary or collat
eral issues. This fact marks one Of the pecu
harities of his political career. 1t was of
such special advantage to him that even his
defeats, in the final assize of the people at the
ballot box, were the elements out of which
his subsequent triumphs were wrought. Sell
dom did he advance so rapidly and rise so
as after his apparent reverses.
In no instance in his life is this mofe palpable
than in his memorable debate with the Hon.
Stephen A. Douglas and his subsequent tri-
umph at the Presidential election of 1860
His political views were also remarkably COM
prehensive. He was IN no sense of the word