Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1881-09-26

A BEREAVED PEOPLE.

of mourning. to say that the death of
the president comes into almost every !
American home like personal bereave-
ment. This would not have been true
in the sense in which it is true now, i'll
the president had died under the assas-
sins hand. While the president came
to his seat personally known to larger
number of the people than any recent
president except General Grant, he was
not known as he has become known
through his long martyrdom. His ca
reer had attracted the admiration of the
whole country His intellectual gifts
and his high moral character were recog-
nized on every side. During the four
months of his active administration he
had left an impression on the methods
of the government and the constitution
of our politics which will never be oblit-
Grated SO long as the American people
remain true to their best ideals. And
vet to a vast number of them he was
only name. He was an able and sue
cessful president, whom many of them
would never see. HIS personality meant
little more to them than that of any
other great and good man with whom
thew never came into contact.
But it is far otherwise to-day. For
eighty days the president has lain on
bed of suffering, and every fuctuation
of the pulse, and every beat Of the brave
heart that alas is now stilled forever.
has been watched in all the millions of
homes with almost as much solicitation
and anguish as if some loved one in
each family was at deaths door. There
has been no case like it in the worlds
history. There has been no case since
the telegraph and press reached their
present development, in which the whole
world was interested, and in which, at
the same time. the long lingering gave
hopes. now bright, now vague, of final
recovery. Every morning almost the
first question in every home IN America,
in every office, on every street-corner,
wherever the daily newspapers were to
be had or telegraph wire ran, was,
"How is the president 2" and hearts
rose or fell with the answer. The news
was awaited in every household with al
most as much anxiety as if the word
was to come down from some chamber OF
sickness under the same roof. Tears OF
ioy stood in womens eyes when they
read, in the days when hope was bright
est, that the president had been able to
take his first cup of coffee. Men and
women alike learned to stop every day
in front of his pictures in the shop win
dows, and look with ever growing admi-
ration at the erect, manly figure, strong
with all the strength of vigorous anC
clearly manhood, and the large, noble
head. All this while the people were
coming to know him and admire him al
friend. Every detail of his life hac
been thrown open to their gaze and hi
had shown himself, with death confront
ing him for eighty days, always brave
and yet gentle and resigned; Away
the true Christian and the true man
This spectacle conquered the love of tn
whole people. His death bereaves then
with personal bereavement, and Their
is no American home upon which it viii
not bring the shadow of grief.
And yet how many will feel a sens
of gratitude that, if it was the Divin
will that he should die, he was spare
further suffering. The long struggl
has wrung the heart of the nation, an
many were ready to pray that if he mus
be taken away, the poor suffering bod
might be at rest speedily. That III
spoken prayer has been granted. Tn
weary waiting is ended. The brave so
der who would have liked to live fc
the sake of his noble wife and children
and of his country, but who alway
looked on death with firm eye, ha
passed away, leaving in the hearts {
the people precious memorable
York Tribune.