The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-02-28

n Church cfthe picipies in his affection
Q aud in his associations. For him Il hell
Q the ark Of the covenant. To.him II wa
n the gate Of Heaven. The world OF religion
d belief Is full Of solecisms and contFadic
d tons A philoaophic observer declare
y that men by the thousand will die In de
Q Tense Of creed whose doctrines they do MOI
! comprehend and whose tenets they habit
!. ually violate. II Is equally true that men
+ by the thousand will cling to church organ.
/ iEatons with instructive and undying q,
$ deity when their belief in maturcf years
: Is radically different from that which in.
q spired them as neophytes,
: But after this range OF speculation, and
8 this latitude oil doubt, Garfield came bach.
1 always with freshness and delight TO the
: simpler instincts Of religion faith, which,
} eaElleSt implanted, longest survive, Not
} many weeks before his assassination, walk,
Ing on tho banks Of the Potomac with q
!. friend, and converting on those topics Of
personal religion, concerning which noble
natures have an unconquerable reserve,
he said that he found the Lords Prayer
} and the simple petitions learned in infancy
; infinitely resttul to him, not merely In their
stated repetition, but In their casual and fire.
, quent recall as he went about the daily
duties Of life. Certain texts Of scripture
had q very strong hold on his memory and
his heart. Ho heard while in Edinburg
some years ago, an eminent Scotch preacher
who pretaced his sermon with reading the
eight chapter Of the Epistle TO the Romaus,
which book had been the subject OF careful
study with Garfield during all his religious
lie. He was greatly impressed by the
elocution oil the preacher and declared that
It had impaired new and deeper meaning
70 the majestic utterances OF Saint Paul,
He referred often in after years 10 that
memorable service, and dwelt with exalta.
ton Of feeling upon the radiant promise
and too assured hope with which the
great apostle ofthe Gentiles was "per.
suaded that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor
things, present, nor things to come, nor
height, nor depth, nor any other creature,
snail be able to separate US from the love OF
God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The browning characteristic OF General
Garheld's religious opinion, as, indeed OF
all his opinions was his liberality. In MI
things he had charity. Tolerance was Of
his nature. lie respected in others the
qualities which he possessed himselt-sin.
eerity OF conviction and iranknesJ At ex.
preston. With him the inquiry was not
so much what man believes, but does he
believe It? The lines Of his friendship and
his confidence encircled men OF every !
creed, and oil no creed, and to the end Of
hta life, on his cver.lengtheAing list OF
friends, were to be found the names OF |
pious Catholic priest and Of anhQnestmind.
ed and generous.hearted free.tIiinker.
On tho morning Of Saturday, Jaly Cd, the |
President was 8 contentod and happy man
not in an ordinary degree, but joyfully,
almost boyishly happy On his way to the
railroad station to which lie drove slowly,
in conscious enjoyment OF the beautiful
morning, with anunwoRtea sense OF leisure
and a keen anticipation Of pleasure, his
talk was all in the grateful and gratulatory
vein. He felt that after four months Of trial
his administration was strongin It's grasp
Of affairs, strong in popular favor and de-
stined TO grow stronger; that grave ditficnl.
ties confronting him at his Inauguration had
been safely passed; that trouble lay behind
him and not before him; that he was soon
to meet the vile whom no loved, now re-
covering from an illness which had but
lately disqaieted and at times almost I'm.
nerved him; that be was going to his Alma
Mater to renew the most cherished associa-
tons OF his young manhood, and TO ex-
change greeting with those whose deepen.
ing interest had followed every step of his
upward progress from the day he entered
upon his college course until he had at
tanned the lottiest elevation In tho Gift OF
his couutrymen.
Surely II happiness can ever come from
the honors or triumphs OF this world, on
that July morning James A. Garfield NAV
well have been q happy man. Noiorebod.
ing OF evil haunted him; no slightest pre.
monition OF danger Clouded his sky. His
terrible tate was upon him in IN instant.
One moment he stood erect, strong. con.
fdent in the years stretching peacefully out
before him. Tho next he law wounded
bleeding, helpless, doomed to weary weeks
Oh torture, tosllence, and the grave.
Great in LIE he was surprisingly great in
death. For no cause, in the very frenzy Of
wantonness and wiskedness, by the red
hand OF murder, he was thrust from the
full tide OF this worlds interest, from its
hopes, Its aspiration. Its victories into the
visible presence Of death-and he did not
quail. Not alone for the one short mo.
ment in which, stunned and dazed, he
could give up life, hardly aware Of its re-
!lnquishment, but through days OF deadly
languor, through weeks of agony, that was
not less agony because silently borne, with
clear sight and calm courage, he looked in
TO his open grave. What blight and ruin
met MS anguiShed eyes, whose lips may
tell-What brilliant, broken plans, what
battied, high ambitions what sundering Of |
strong, warm, manhood's friendships, what |
bitter rending OF sweet household ties Be-
hind him a proud, expectant nation, a
great host OF sustaining friends, a cherished |
and happy mother, wearing the full, rich |
honoTs Of her early toll and tears: the wifGI
Of his youth, whose whole life lay in his:
tho little boys not yet emerged from child. !
hoods day Of frolic; the fair, young daughter;
the sturdy sons just springing into closest |
companionship, claiming every day and |
every day rewardinga fathers love and care;
and in isheart the eager, rejoicing power to
meet all demand. Before him desolation
and great darkness And his soul was not
shaken, His oountrymen were thrilled |
with instant, profound, and universal sym-
pathy. Mastertul in his mortal weakness,
he became the center OF a nations love, en-.
shFincd in the prayers Of o world But all !
the love and all The sympathy could not
share with him his suffering. He trod the |
wine-press alone. With unfalterlnp front
he faced death. With uniailing tender.
ness he took leave Of life. Above the de-
nonial hiss Of the assassiRs bullet he heard
the. voice God. With simple resignation
he bowed to the Divine decree.
AS the end drew near, his early craving
for the sea returned. Tho stately mansion
oil power had been to him the wearisome
hospital Of pain, and begged to be- taken
from Its prison walls, from its oppressive,
sitting air, from its homelessness and its
hopelessness. Gently, silently, the love OF
a great people bore the pale sufferer to the
longed.tor healing Of the sea, to live or to
die, as God should will, within sight of its
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