The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1881-09-23

pervaded the scene and its surroundings.
Not harsh word was spoken, not q rude
expression was made in all the vast multi
tudc. Men talked almost in whispers, and
women remained mute rs they awaited In
painful expectation through the hours for
the funeral cortege
Mrs. Garfield Not mt the Funeral.
Mrs. Garfield was so overcome by her
grief that she did not attend. Neither did
any other of the family. The President and
his Cabinet arrived at 3 o'clock. They CHI
tered ut the north door, and were shown to
the front seats reserved for them. AS they
entered there was stir In tho crowd, and
everyone arose to receive them. President
Arthur came first with Secretary Blaine,
and was followed by cx-President Grant and
cx-President Hayes, armain-arm, and Secre-
taries Hunt, Window, Lincoln, Kirkwood,
and Postmaster General James with their
ladies. The crowd kept standing until all
had arrived and taken their seats,
when, at given signal, they all
did likewise. Tho President occupied u
seat Mt the head of tho caslsct with Gen.
Grant and Gen. Hayes at the opposite side.
When all were seated, Rev. DIR. Power, pas
tor Of the Christian Church, who conducted
the services, assembled the reading desk and
| thtO tnt StTNlttS WOulu COUl-
mencc with the singing of an anthem,
whercupon the choir sang with beautiful
effect the hymn
"Aslccp i'm Jesus
Rev. DIR. Rankcn then read selections
from the Scriptures appropriate to the oc-
casion, which was followed by fervcnt
invocation to the Almighty by Rev. Isaac
Errctt, of Cincinnati, editor of the Chris
tian Standard the official organ of the
Christian Church. During this touching
prayer the
President Seemed Deeply Affected
and shielded his face with his hat to hide
his emotion. He afterward took down his
hat and covered his eyes with his hand. DR..
Errett said "Our beloved President is
dead. He was stricken down by the hand
of an assassin, but to quote from our late
beloved one,
God Rciglss and the Government at
Washington StiH Lives
We humbly pray that the President who
succeeds may be endowed with wisdom to
| perform the responsible duties of President
| of this great country"
of the late President brought tears to many
eyes. He closed by asking the blessing of
God on the new President and his Cabinet.
AO4s VI HeSNs EOWSE DlSCOoTEc.
Mr.. Power said The cloud so long pend
ing over the nation has at last burst upon
our heads. We sit half-crushed amid the
ruin it has wrought. A million million
prayers and hopes and tears, as far as human
wisdom sees, were vain. Our loved one
has passed from us. But there is relief.
We look away from the body. We forget,
for time, the things that are seen we re-
member, with joy, his faith in the Son of
| God, whose gospel he sometimes himself
preached, and which he always truly loved.
And VIC see light and blue sky through the
cloud; structure and beauty instead of
ruin; glory, honor. Immortality, spiritual
and eternal life in the place of decay
and death. We see the goodness of
God which crowds all His works,
and the Fathers love from which no might,
no terror, no relentless force in nature, no
stangeness of lot or circumstance, no power
of evil in man, no unbcnding necessity of
any law, can ever separate us. Peace
thrOned above sorrow and love the bright,
infinite power over all. In the light of rev.
| citation it matters little where man stands
in this life, or how feeble platform of
worldly prosperity, in how deep slough of
dcspond, or how lofty a pinnacle, or how
lOwly plain. They look upward and see
| far beyond all clouds of doubt and sin, all
the brightness and glory and fading gloom
of this earth, all the sphere of mans
strength, and even all the scope of mans
mprehension-beyond all human hopes,
and elevations and imaginings, as well as
| human burdens and trials, sorrow and pain
and sec dwelling with God, rs vast as He is,
| as eternal rs He is. as universal as He
is, as benevolent as He is as sure and stead
fast as He, are love, mercy, pardon,
redemption, the rich promises of God, the
power of the life to come, the great, loving,
sparing, plying, provident hand of the
Father stretched to all points of the needy
earth and showering blessing and peace.
1t is the hand of God In it we confidc.
Into it we commit onr beloved. Beneath it
we rejoice; as 1t beckons us we follow. We
are reminded to-day as We stand beside the
nations dead, that the King of Kings and
Lord of Lords Is supreme; that the Lord
gave and the Lord taketh away, and his
name is blessed in both the giving and the
taking; that the Lord killeth and maketh
alive. He bringcth some to the grave and
bringeth up that the Lord maketh poor
and maketh rich, bringeth low and
exalteth, and that though man goes
to his long home and the mourners go
about the streets and the body returns to
the earth as it was, still the spirit shall re-
| turn to God, who gave it and the dead
that die in the Lord are blessed. Christian
faith dwells not upon the body but looks
away to the spirit at rest with God. The
| chief glory of this man, as we think of him
now, was his discipleship in the school of
Christ. His attainments as scholar and
statesman will be the theme of our orators
and historians, and they must be worthy
men to speak his praise worthily. But it
is as Christian that we love to think of
him now. Speaking of his attendance upon
| tha ltttla phuraI, an Narp,npt bo
said to me: / am not there as President of
the United States; l am there simply as
disciple of Christi" and it is in this
attitude that he stands to-day before the
God whom he so sincerely worshiped. He
was n wonderfully symmetrical man; rarely
have men seen 30 much physical beauty it
took deadly bullet to waste it, Seldom
have men known such vigOr of intellect.
No task seem beyond him. Equally com
plete was his spiritual life. lie approached
the unrevealed mysteries Of God with
deepest reverence; tho revealed duties of
man he accepted without question. HUI
mility is the base Of every virtue and in
religion, as in the world, is the avenue to
all true glory. There was genuineness
and simplicity about his religious life that
was exceedingly beautiful. When 10 years
ofage lie made public confession of Christ
in a school-house. When at Williams he
would walk twelve miles to a little
church of the Disciples to break
bread on the Lords day. When he entered
| nuhlio lifa In this city he met weelxlv with