The Portland daily press., 1881-07-12
THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION.
Sermon Of Rev. DR.. Seward at Plymouth
Church.

DIR. Seward preached last Sunday morning
at Plymouth church from Gen. 40: 22-23-"The
archers have sorely grieved him and. shot at
him and hated him. But his bow abode in
strength and the arms of his hands were made
strong by the hands OF the Mighty God of
Jacob"
Many of us are recalling in these last days
that dark morning in the war when the terri
bic tidings of the assassination of President
Lincoln fell upon our ears and in one hour
darkness filled the land with gloom and hor-
ror. Then we were accustomed TO bloody
tragedies. The whole country was in deep
commotion, the passions Of men were seething
and surging. The rules of peace were suspend
cd, and violence and lawlessness held their
reckless sway. The two great sections Of the
country were arrayed against each other in
bitter strife. And the North had the feeling
that the South would scrouple at nothing and
stop at nothing which promised victory for
them and defeat for their opponents. The
terrible crime was at once attributed to South
ern animosity and the fierce temper of conflict
was whetted at the North. But when cur
Chief Magistrate was suddenly stricken down
a week ago, it was q thunder-bolt out of a clear
sky. Darkness overspread the brightness of
the morning. All at once the nation was stir
red into the deepest emotion, Grief and in
dignaton struggled together in mems souls.
But this time it was impossible to find at once
a motive for the deed. This time evidently
the South could not be held guilty. SO the
impetuous feeling vented itself in suggesting
wild theories, in utterine suspicious OF innocent
persons, in charging plot OF murder upon
group of scheming politicians. Before long
CCr,r, xrnA
be an unbalanced, half-crazed fanatic, who
had been tho nuisance and the
plague of the dispensers of political
patronage. No conspiracy has been
is likely to be- proved. The presumption is
that the act was that of but one man, and he
of disordered mind, though it is not clear that
he may not be justly held responsible for his
act. The tidings of assassination were speedi-
ly followed by the tidings that the Presidents
life was fast ebbing away. Then were our
towns and cities clothed in sackcloth. The
wheels of business almost stopped revolving
and mems hearts failed them for fear. The
life of a man--of only one man-was lowering
between life and death and the whole nation
were holding their breath in fear, IN suspense,
in agony. That dying man, for he was close
to the other world, few OF the nation personally
knew, few had ever seen his face. Yet here
was the depth and tenderness OF personal in
terest and regard.
1t was touching, it was beautiful, to note in
the first outbreak of grief the one heart, the
one mind, the one sympathy of thousands, and
this for two obvious reasons. This wounded
victim of crazed and disappointed ambition,
was our President. Each OF US had right
had an interest, had a property in him.
We honored him for his office. But there
was more than this in our sorrow. We had
come to regard him with personal interest.
We had come TO respect, admire and love him.
We enjoyed drawing the contrast between the
humbleness of his youth and the dignities and
greatness of his manhood. We observed the
modesty and courtesy, and grace of his de-
meanor. We were sure that he would pre-
serve our national honor, that he would de-
fend our national rights. We were not asham-
cd to have him stand up beside Gambetta and
Bismarck and Gladstone. We felt that in him
was fulfilled the saying OF the wise man:
"Seest thou man diligent in his business, he
shall stand before kings he shall not stand be-
fore mean men," Israel was not prouder Of
her kings than was this nation of her new
President, and in an hour she would probably
be robbed of the gift! The shadows fell upon
our homes and the faces of our children were
overspread with contagious sadness The
whole nation became as one strong suppl1ant,
and the air was loaded with prayers. No pill
grim close by the opening gates of eternity was
ever held back by stronger cords OF love and
sympathy and prayer. God was merciful, and
ii now in the future our rising hopes should be
blighted and our President should die OF his
wounds, we should never fail to bless God for
the respite, for his possession of reason for his
courage, his hope, his faith.
The preacher then considered some of the
lessons of the recent tragedy, anaiyzing at
some length the changes in public thought
and feeling during the last fifty years and the
causes which made possible much loose think
ing and living-a practical atheism, denial
of Revelation, disbelief in a future state, a
lessened regard for the acredness OF life, the
importation to our soil of German socialism
and French communism.
He also said: There is in political life spir-
it which sets all courtesy, all trust, all decen-
CIV at defiance. Offices and hoDors are distrib-
uted as rewards, as the spoils of victory. 1t is
| the vocation of one side to complain, to crltl-
| else, to attack; OF the other to snatch, to de-
| fend, to hold. A great excess of power is
| lodged in the chief executive. He becomes
| the idol of the office hunters who w1n-tne en-
| envy of those who lose.
| The scenes of the last week frown upon the
| narrow and cruel spirit OF partizanship L
| speak without the slightest tinge OF reference
| to one party OR the other Look at these bit
| ter wranglings noisy with SANDER and denun-
| citation. How cruel, how wicked they seem in
the.light of that tragic scene at Washington!
| Eminence has to pay the penalty OF his height,
| as on the crest of Mt. W ashington beats the
| fierceness of the storm.
The speaker alluded with much feeling to
| the universal expression of sympathy 1or the
| President We now all belong to the same
| party. From no source has come more touch
| ing testimonials of affection, of grief, than
| from the South. It is well that God hurnbles
US so that He may unite US, and this event has
| brought us as nation nearer to God, in ac-
knowledging the need and the value of prayer,
in recognizing God as the Bulwark and Defen-
| der of the nation. The darker the night, the
| brighter the stars: so with the new sorrow
| there is new cause of thankfulness. Let the
church of the Redeemer throughout the land
entreat the Lord TO spare the life of our Presi-
! dent and make him more than priest or proph-
ct living martyr for the beauty and power OF
10 rutI,