The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-09-22
STAUNTON. VA.
The Dead President.


President James A. Garfield died at Ell
boron, Long Branch, at 1885 p. M. of thek
10Th inst. At ten O'Clock he had fallenf
asleep, and so confident were his physicianst
that he would pass a comparatively quiet
night, that they left the room, Gems. SwaimE
and Rockwell remaining by his bed as the
attendants for the night. At 1915 the Pr es-
ident awoke, and complained of severe
pain in the region of the heart. DIR. Bliss
was instantly summoned, and feeling theI
pulse of the PROSTATE man, discovered that
he was dying. Mrs. Garfield was notified
and was present when. few moments al
forwards. the spirit of the good and great
man passed to the God who gave it.
The tragic close of such an eventful lifeI
could not but stir the deepest emotions OIL
the American heart. His whole history
was an exemplification of the possibilities
within the reach of the humblest boy, mol
less than an illustration of the beauty and
beneficence of our institutions. At the agel
of fiftyAin the very bloom of his manhood
he had achieved fame that should crown
the highest ambition of man under our form
of government. The great energy of his
nature and his marvellous intellectual endow-
ments were equal to every occasion and every
demand, and as each difficulty in the path
OF life was surmounted, he seemed strength.
ened for still higher achievements, until
the grandest honor his country could confer
was laid at his feet. Public sentiment and
necessities seemed to demand his services.
and without apparent effort on his part. he
passed from position and honor to position
and honor until there were really no more
to bestow. 1t is remarkable fact that al
the time he was chosen Chief Mag istrate
of the nation, he was Member of Con-
gress, United States Senator elect, and
President elect of the United States-a rart
cluster of distinctions to centre upon the
brow of one man. This simple statement
illustrates how great was the confidence Of
his district, his State and his country il
his commanding capacities and elevated pa
triotism, and the measure of usefulnes:
he might have filled had the hand o
death not arrested him in his brilliant eivi
career.
But probably no more appropriate periot
for the perpetuatiOn OF his fame coult
have been chosen for him to pass away from
the conflicts and responsibilities of otllcia
position. He had reached the goal of thu
most extravagant ambition. He hac
sounded all the depths of poverty and priva
ton, and enjoyed all the secrets of triumph
until his useful and brilliant life, in the full
maturity of his manhood and mental de
velopmeht, had been rounded out with thu
browning honors of the American states
men. He could have gone no higher, no
aspired to a broader and deeper confidence
North and South, East and West. the heart
of the whole people went out to him il
warm sympathy and most confiding trust
1t is possible that this very sympathy an
confidence would have looked for more thai
the possibilities of the situation could hav
assured and in the vicssitudes of forum
there might have occurred something t.
mar the symmetry of character tina
0au reached the lmlIS OF human peIIeC
ton.
Sad and touching as is the event the ma
ton is called upon to mourn, we recognize
in it the hand of that Providence which
rules the council of nations and holds with
in the hollow of His hand the destnies 0
men. He does all things well and wisely
however inscrutable to the children o
men, and out of this great sorrow. we hav
the most abiding confidence good will come
s'God reigns and the Government at Wasl
ington lives" and in his own beautiful Lar
guage, individuals may wear for time th
glory of our institutions, but they carry
not to the grave with them. Like rain
drops from heaven, they may pass throug
the circle of the shining bow and add to il
lustre, but when they have sunk in the cart
again the proud arch still spans the sky an
shines gloriously on"
The stricken family of the President wi
command the tenderest and most affection
ate sympathy of the civilized world, an
especially of the American people. TIL
bereaved wife and children, and the age
mother will be enshrined in the nation
heart and watched and cared for until til
summons come to them to go hence.