The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-10-01
"Somc divinely gifted man.
Whose life in low estate began;

Whose life in low estate began;
Who breaks his births invidious bar,
And grasps the skirts OF happy chance,
And breasts the blows Of circumstance,
And grapples with his evil STAR
Who makes by force his merit known,
And lives to clutch the golden keys
To mold mighty state 8 decrees
And shape the whisper of the throne,
And, moving up from high to higher,
Becomes on Fortunes browning slope
The pillar of peoples hope,
The center OF worlds desire
Such life and character will be treasured for
ever rs the sacred possession OF the American PEG
ple and of mankind, In the great drama OF the Re-
belon there were two acts The first was the
war, with its battles and siegcs, victories and de-
feats, it's sufie,ings and tears. That act was just
closing year ago tonight, and, just as the cur
tain was lifting on the second and final act, the
restoration of peace and liberty just as the curtain
was rising upon new characters and new events the
EVIL Prta Of ss ree a an 10, Of ne ne
strike down ,iiSne enrahanr in.Redfn It was me
embodied spirit of treason and slavery, inspired
with fearful and despairng hate, that struck him
down In the moment OF the nations suprcmest JOY.
All sir, there are times in the history OF men ana
nations when they stand so near the yell that sepa-
rates mortas from mmorals, time from eternity,
and men from their God, that they can almost hear
the beatngs and feel the pusations of the heart of
the Infinite. Through such time has this nation
passed. When two hundred and Gity thousand
brave spirits passed from the field OF honor through
that thin veil to the presence of God, and when at
last its folds admitted the martyr president to the
company OF the dead heroes OF the republic, the
nation stood the veil that the whispers Of
God were heard by the children OF men. Awe.
stricken by His voice, the American people knelt
In fearful reverence and made a solemn covenant
with Him and with each other that this nation
should be saved from Its enemies that all Its glo-
rcs should be restored and on the ruins OF slavery
and treason the temples of freedom and justice
should be built and should survive forever II re.
mains for us, censecraled by that great event and
under a covenant with God, 10 keep that faith, TO
20 forward in the great work until II shall be com
pleted. Following the lead of that great man. and
obeying the high behests of God let us remember
that
" He has sounded forth trumpet that shall never
call retreat;
He is sitting out the hearts of men before His
judgment seat;
Be swift my soul TO answer Him, be jubilant my
feet
For God Is marching on"
My countrymen, with what terrible
power and pathos do these words come
to us to-day Again this nation and the
men OF this generation stand so near the
veil which separates mortals from inn
mortais, time from eternity, and men
from their God, that they almost hear
the beatings and feel the pulsations OF
the heart of the Infinite, so near The veil
that the whispers of God are heard by
the children OF men. There was Won
derful power in those words of our dead
President that | have recited in your
hearing to move the hearts Of the men
who listened to them. L remember we'll
the hushed silence in that vast hall, the
eager attention and the fearful eyes bent
upon him as, with low voice and tremu-
lous with emotion, he uttered them.
Suppose that some seer had been COM
missioned on that day to unveil the
future and to bring before us the
scenes of this-to have shown us the
form of him who was then
speaking of the dead President himself
a dead President, also slain by the hand
of an assassin the man who was then
giving expression to the grief OF ma
ton over the great man whom the ma
ton loved, his own sad fate the cause
of equal mourning and bitter grief. Ii
we could have been shown the symbols
of woe with which the whole land Is
draped in mourning for the man who
was then giving expression to the grief
of nation, what thrilling interest
would have been added 10 the scene
To-day millions of people mourn for
him who on that day gave expression to
the common sorrow. The whole land IS
again draped in symbols of woe. Leav-
ing their ordinary occupations, the peo-
pie of this nation to-day unite in one
great funeral service. With heavy
hearts and hushed voices the people
come to weep together-men of all po-
ltical parties-and TO give expression
to universal sense of great and COM
mon loss. The tears of nation lowing
spontaneously over the grave of public
benefactor are more eloquent testimo--
NAL of his worth and of the affection OF
his countrymen than the most highly
wrought eulogy from the most eloquent
tongue. The heart is not always the
fountain OF words, but is always the
source of tears. Ii is something grand
and impressive, this great sorrow that
has come upon whole nation at once.
This widespread atiliction that, like a
funeral pail, covers the whole land, a
snrrnw so sincere and earnest that II has