Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-12-11

against evil. by indignant robuke Of wrong,
by stesdiast advocacy Of truth, justice, and
freedom, work bene6ciently for man, most
truly work for God and work with God.
How faithfully, how efFoctualy he for whom
we hold these solcmnitios to-day wrought
bis work to that end it is superhuous for
me to show. He enlisted in that war from
which there is no discharge. lie contended
against what he believed to be wrong, in.
spred not less by the goodness Of his heart
than by the strength Of his mind. He
struck for what he believed to be right UNI
Ill mind and heart gave way, and, marked
by scars and honors, he lies dead upon the
field. Permit me still further TO say, as
unfolding also, in this hour, its practical
lesson for ourselves, that Mr.. Greeley
work in life was eminently practical work ;
goodness was no mere sentiment. For him
i was organic force. There are those also
who regarded him as what they call avis.
ionary man" For my part | am thankful
for all such visions as rest upon such solid
ground Of usefulness, and precipitate such
concrete results No man, it seems to me,
was less given to mere idle speculation by
speech or pen, or used more telling words
to tangible effects. How wide, how mani
fold was the circle Of interest which he
touched How close TO mems homes and
bosoms the convictions which he wrought.
How many, many minds has he instructed
with practical wisdom. How many lives
has he INFLATED to wholesome energy.
How many young men gratefully acknowl-
edge him as their teacher and guide. What
various interests of arts and labor, Of edu.
cation and temperance, Of domestic purity,
Of freedom miss him, mourn for him to-day.
WELDING with so much power the mightiest
engine of the time--placed in the editorial
chair, which in our day whether for good
or for evil exercises an influence greater
than any official seat or throne on earth
it is no light thing TO say that however
strenuously and, some may think severely
he used it as the instrument Of his own
thoughts and purposes he never debased
it as stimulant Of impurity, or made it 0
vehicle of a single social wrong His work
was wide and various how wide aud how
various this spectacle here to-day bear
witness. The associations represented her
are composed Of men who disagreed witt
Mr.. Greeley upon many points, yet VIII
truthfully claim fellowship with him upo
some one point, and spontaneously honor hi
memory-all these testify how closely hi
life was Incorporated with the practical in
terests Of men. At least they testify tina
while Horace Greeley had many antago
nists, he had few if any enemies May
not without violating any Of the proprie
ties Of this occasion, express my satisfac
ton that, while all political issues as !
were lie sealed within those enclosing lid
10 demonstration Of the truth that peace hs
victories more renowned than war, th,
highest representative of the nation Join,
with this national testimony in honor Of the
thinker, the worker, the patriot, and the
man. Let me refer to one more lesson Of
the hour, and | will relieve your patience
1t is the lesson Of Horace Greeley's life
it is the lesson of his death would thai
in life and death it might be the leseon il
lustrated by us all--thelesson Of the power
the suficiency of the Christian faith. Fal
be it from me to take advantage Of this
occasion, which has assembled men Of diff
ferent creeds and different forms Of wor.
ship, to urge the point of Mr. Greeley
sympathy with those interpretations o
Christianity which usually find expression
here. Only suffer me TO say, however
that he found at least whatever errors may
be mixed with his view, he found in it
strength to live and strength to die by.
But grander fact than this is that upon
the essential truth of Christianity, the
truth which all believers trust in, Horace
Greeley leaned his weary head and weary
heart and died. Now, my friends, not be-
cause it is my Office; not because it is a
professional theme that | should speak so,
do | say that the more sec, the longer
live, the more | believe in every fibre of
my heart, in that Christian faith alone is
true peace and quiet in our life and in our
death. The mere intellect may find sat
isiactioD in speculation concerning God, or
whether there be any God at all, or in sci
entifc excursions through the universe: in
the seeming remote prospects Of our own
dissolution we may raise curious queries
about future life-whether this still, cold
form which lies before us is itself the com.
pact substance, the fnality of our being, or
whether from this motionless frame there
has not vanished something that thought
and knew and spoke and lived and evident
ly is not here. In the assumptions of our
modern wisdom, knowing so many things
and as we think impartially, we may criti
else the claims Of the ancient Bible and O
the historical crises but when the force
Of nature press upon the life-springs of ou
being, and we want to know something o.
the power that bears us up and carries u
along when the lamp of our conscious be
ing hickers in the advancing darkness o
the grave, and the question rises s,raigh
before us, is this the end of ALL or /
there something more2' Oh when on
evil habits accuse us, aud our false lives re
buke US, aud we feel our moral weakness
and know we cannot erect ourselves abov
ourselves, then, indeed does it come to us
Joy and as victory the truth that wa
uttered by Horace Greeley: 81 know
that my Redeemer lveth.' Job was
great sufferer. Affection after afllictiol
came upon him with wAirlwind blast anC
lightning stroke. lie mourned and wept
and looking through tumultuous struggle
that came upon him he ended with tn
peace Of the grave, where the wicked ceas
from troubling, and the weary are at rest
but still through and beyond all he recog
nized this truth, tina there was to him
helper, a indicator, redeemer, and tina
was his strength and his victory. Gu
friend and brother had his hour of desola
ton and darkness. Affection after aillic
tion fell upon him, and he longed for rest
No doubt he breathed the spirit Of the sim
pie verse
Life Is the torrld day,
Burned by the Wind and sun
And death the calm, cool evening hour,
When the weary day is done.
But he looked through and beyond this
Those were the transient shadows, and
thank God from my heart and from ny
soul, not only for myself, but for ALL tina
from the lips of this dying man, when al
earthly good was crumbling like scaiiolding
be was 30 strong and triumphant as to ute
from his soul this simple sentence that !
written over me. My friends, that was tn
victory Of Horace Grecleys life, as well a
the lesson Of his death. II is the consola
ton Of the hour. | dare not trust mysel
to speak to those smitten hearts. | dar