The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-10-25
Moses M. Butler.
FUNERAL OF THE EX- MAYOR.
Proceedings OF the Bar Association and
City Government

City Government.
| The funeral services over the remains OF the
late Hon. Moses M. Butler took place yester-
day afternoon at the First Parish church.
| Notice of the death of Mr.. Butler was, how
ever, taken prior to the last rites by the Bar
Assoc iation and City Government.
THE BAR ASSOCIATION.
| AT 1870 D. M Hon. Bion Bradbury an
nounced the death of Hon. Moses M. Butler TO
Judge Virgin, now holding court in this city,
| as follows
| Gas the organ of the Cumberland Bar AS
| ISOLATION, it becomes my duty to announce "
| the Court the death of Hon. Moses nj. Butier'
| In the midst of the performance OF his PROBES
sional duties in this court room he was Sudaen-
! ly stricken down, and, lingering TIL Iuesday
| evening last, he expired, surrounded by MS
| family and friends. desire to make this an
nouncement to the Court and to advise the
| Court that the funeral exercises will take
| place this afternoon at 3 o'clock at the Uni-
| tartan church, and to ask such action to be ia
ken as you think proper"
In consideration of the announcement the
co urt adjourned till Saturday morning at nine
! o'clock.
CITY GOVERNMENT.
| At215 p. m. the City Government met and,
in Joint convention, after Mr.. Buffers death
had been announced by Alderman Small, ap-
pointed Mayor Walker, President Chapman
and Chairman W. T. Small committee to
draft resolutions of respect and present them
at the next regular meeting, and voted to at
tend thefuneral in body.
THE FUNERAL SERVICES.
At3p M the funeral services took place at
the First Parish church The body pews were
reserved for the friends Bar Association and
City Government. The casket was placed IN
front of the pulpit and bore several beautiful
floral decorations, including one bearing the
word Father in violets. Among the prom
inent persons present, we noticed Judges Vir-
gin and Symonds of the Supreme Court, Judge
Bonney of the Superior Court, Judge Cleaves
of the Probate Court, Judge Knight OF the
Municipal Court, Hon. T. B. Reed, ex-Mayors
McCobb, Kingsbury, Wescott and Mcclellan,
Hon. John Mussey, Hon. j. I'll. Drummond,
U. S. District Attorney Lunt, Hon. Henry z.
Peabody, Judge elect of the Probate Court,
Hon. w. W. Thomas, Jr., Hon. Nathan Webb
and Hon. N S. Littlefeid, the Nestor of the
DdF. Liz Dial Wdo NOi isiSSAJ NSP-SSS>~'
The City Government was represented by
about all it's members, the clerks OF both
branches, the City Treasurer, Marshal Bridges
and Deputy Crowell, City Messenger and
Street Commissioner, while probably the other
departments were well represented in the
church. The School Committee. of which
Mayor Butler was for so long most efficient
member, were all present as we'll as Superln-
tendent fash. The pall-oearers were Mayor
Walker, ex-Mayors Thomas, Richardson and
Fessenden, Judge Fox of the U. S. District
Court, Hon. Bion Bradbury, j. P. Baxter,
Esq, and M. P. Emery, Esq.
The exercises were as follows:
Funeral MISUNDERSTANDING.
Funeral Hymn. ........J. baptlste
First Parish Choir.
Reading of Scripture.
Prayer.
Aat.lem Rest spirit, rest :.......,Ro Rookie
First Parish Choir.
Funeral address by Rev. DIR. Hill.
Chant-Shall we meet beyond the river?
First Parish Choir.
Benediction.
Voluntary.
The music was beautifully rendered. The
following is an abstract of DR.. Hills address:
DIR. Hill began by observing that the COM
monness of an object is, to believer in God,
an indication of the utility of that object.
Tins also the commences of an event is an in
dication of the usefulness of that event in the
education of the human soul. The uniformity
of natural law is the only means Imaginable
by us of developing the human intellect; but
in sudden and frequent apparent variations
and changes in the natural course OF events, is
found the most efficacious and almost the only
conceivable way of leading the mind to con-
temptation of the primal questions of philoso-
phy and religion. Thus premature death, a
terrible, unmitigated loss if we did not raise
our thoughts to spiritual themes, becomes one
of the most potent of all means of raising men
to serious thoughts and noble endeavor.
Those who are cut off prematurely, they share
in a degree the work of the Redeemer OF men,
dying that others may live. As for the de-
parted, who go too early, God knows how to
make them abundant recompense in eternity
for the years they have lost here.
The preacher next passed to the character of
tbe one who had been so instantaneouSly ar
rested in the midst of arduous labors and called
to everlasting rest from earthly cares. DIR.
Hill's acquaintance with Mr.. Butler had been
of foo recent formation, and had ripened into
too little intimacy for him to feel that he un-
derstood fully how much strength and sweet
ness Law concealed under gentle modeSty and
silent reserve. But Mr.. Butler had always ap-
reared to the speaker like one who had been
from his youth strong, clear, cautious; seldom
if ever erring in judgments patient in lnvestls
CATION, wise in decision; but who had after
ward, through suffering, been made more near
ly perfect, by having added to him the higher
qualities of kindly sympathy with others, OF
humility. reverence, and desire to walk nearer
to Christ and to God.
DIR. Hill next touched upon the great loss
sustained by the immediate family, but passed
rapidly to consideration of the loss to the
parish and to the city. All men of any emf
hence have peculiarly marked individuality, so
that the loss of any man of public usefulness
void yvh ioh cannot he S1pOlled In
no instance was this more true than the pres
emit Mr. Buffers knowledge, training and
character, both of mind and heart, rendered
his counsel peculiarly valuable at the present
juncture in our community, and his loss was
emphatically irreparable. His professional
work lay beyond the power of the preacher to
understand and appreciate, but from the sti-
mony of competent members of the bar 1t was
evident that it was the training received III the
earnest and successful pursuit of that high
calling whose function it is TO determine what
is just and true, which had given him at length
so keen sight, and so unerring Judgment,
that his soundness of mind, his breadth OF
views, and the accuracy of his decisions had
become apparent to us all.
The preacher then passed to the more en-
phatic lessons pressed upon us-the lesson that
we should work while it is day; work ever as
remembering that we are to give account to
God; as remembering that we know not VIII en-
the earthly account is to be closed for US, nor
how sudden our own summons may De. Liz
whole Of the latter half of the sermon was oc-
cupied with the teachings of the Gospel with
regard to the preparation for death. The dis
course closed with the expression of a wish
that all those whose attention is arrested by
this solemn parting with a revered and be-
loved laborer in these earthly scenes, might be-
come imitators of his industry, his integrity,
his purity his gentle modesty and humility,
his love of the wisdom of the wise, his
reverence for the Christian religion and for
sacred things, his conscientious endeavor to 40
from day to day the duties to which Provi-
dence, in the judgement of his conscience, had
called him.
Flags were at half mast throughout the city,
and the bell toiled as the procession left the
church.
MANI NETCCTNG