New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1882-03-08


FIRST CALLED CHRISTIANS AT ANTIOCH.
But however high Garfield reasoned of
fixed fate, free will, fOreknowledge
absolute" he was never separated from
the Church of the Disciples in his affec-
lions and in his associations. For him
it held the Ark of the Covenant: to him
twas the gate of Heaven. The world OF
religious belief is full of solecsims and
contradictions. A philosophic observer
declares that men by the thousands will
die in defense of creed whose doctrines
they do not comprehend, and whose ten
cts they habitually violate. It is equally
true that men by the thousands will cling
to the church organizations with
instructive and undying fidelity when
their belief in mature wears is radically
different from that which inspired them
as neOphytes. But after this range of
speculation and this latitude of doubt,
Garfield came back always with fresh
ness and delight to
SIMPLER INSTINCTS OF RELIGIOUS
FAITH
which, earliest implanted, longest sur
vived. Not many weeks before his as
sassinatiOn, walking on the banks of the
Potomac with friend, and cOnversing
on those topics of personal religion, con-
corning which noble natures have an
uncOnquerable reserve, he said that he
found the Lords prayer and the simple
petitions learned in infancy restful to
him, not merely in their stated repeti-
ton, but in their casual and frequent re-
call as he went about the daily duties of
life. Certain texts of Scripture had q
very strong hold on his memory and
heart. He heard. while in EdinburQ
some years ago.
AN EMINENT SCOTCH PREACHER
who prefaced his sermon with reading
the eighth chapter of the Epistle to the
Romans, which book had been the sub
ject of careful study with Garfield dur.
ing all his religious life. He was great
ly impressed by the elocution Of the
preacher, and declared that it had i'm
parted a new and deeper meaning to
the majestic utterances of St. Paul. He
referred often in after years to that
memorable service, and dwelt with ex-
altation of feeling upon the radiant
promise and the assured hope with
which the great apostle of the Gentiles
was persuaded that neither death, nor
life, nor angels, nor municipalities, nor
Powers, nor things present, nor things
to come, nor height nor depth, nor any
other creature shall be able to separate
us from the love of God which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord. The browning
characteristics of
GEN. GARFIELD'S RELIGIOUS OPINIONS.
as indeed of all his opinions, was his
liberality. In all things he had charity.
Tolerance was of his nature. He re-
spected in others the qualities which he
possessed himself; sincerity of convic-
ton and frankness of expression. With
him the inquiry was not what a man
believes, but does he believe it? The
lines of his friendship and his conf
dence encircled men Of every creed, and
men of no creed, and to the end of his
life on his ever-lengthening list of
friends were to be found the names of
a piOus Catholic priest and of an honest
minded and generous free thinker. On
the morning of Saturday, July 2, the
President was
A COMMENTED AND HAPPY MAN,
not in an ordinary degree, but jOyfully,
almost boyishly happy. On his way to
the railroad station, to which he drove
slowly, in conscious enjoyment of the
beautiful morning, with an unwonted
sense of leisure and keen anticipation
of pleasure, his talk was all in the crate
full and gratulatOry vein. He felt that,
after four months of trial, his Admins.
tration was strong in his grasp of af-
fairs, strong in popular favor, and des-
tined to grow stronger; that grave diff
culties confronting him at his inaugu-
ration had been safely passed; that
trouble lay behind him and not before
him; that he was soon to meet
THE WIFE WHOM HE LOVED,
now recovering from an illness which
had but lately disquieted and at times
almost unnerved him; that he was 60
ing to his alma mater to renew the
most cherished associations of his young
manhood, and to exchange greetings
with those whose deepening interest
had followed every step of his upward
progress from the day he entered upon
his college course until he had attained
the l0ftiest position in the gift of his
countrymen. Surely, if happiness can
ever come from the hOnOrs or triumphs
Of this world, on that quiet July morn
ing James "A. Garfield may well have
been q happy man.
NO FOREBODING OFEvn HIM.
not the slightest premOnitiOn Of danger
clOuded his sky; his terrible fate was
upon him in an instant. One moment
he stood erect, strong, confident of the
years stretching peacefully out before
him. The next he lay wounded, bleed
ing, helpless, doomed to weary weeks
of torture, to silence and the grave.
Great IN life, he was SURPRISINGLY great
In death. For no cause, in the very
frenzy of WantOnness and wickedness,b by
s tho no na'1 hand of murder. he was thrust