New-York tribune., 1882-02-28

white. The greatest interest shown by the audi
ence was i'll the Chinese legation who attended in
their native dress, consisting for this occasion of
dark purple jacket and a skirt of lighter purple,
parted in front in the middle over skirt of pale
blue. They wore their black velvet caps. with red
tops each surmounted by the gilt button that
marks the rank of the wearer. Three of the four
wore spectaccs, which seemed to add to the look of
wisdom and gravity with which they watched all
the proceedings and listened to every word Two
members of the japanese Legation were present in
evening dress. Members of the other lega-
tons including many spruce young sec
retaries, were dressed in costumes moro
or less brilliant. All of them wore Grape
on the arm and those who carried swords, as anum-
her did had them also tied with Grape. The corps
took their seats both sides of the main aisle just
behind the row in which the President was to sit.
As the hand of the clock on the nick of II
Speaker Keifcr, with two blows of his malle hushed
the chatter of conversation and called the House to
order The whole assemblage on the floor rose rev
erently as the Rev. Mr.. Power the House chaplain,
offered prayer At its close Clerk Mcpherson made
his appearance IN the reading desk, and read the
rcsout on Of the two houses under which the days
services were 10 be held Then the Senate was an
nOunccd and the assemblage again rose as the Sena-
tors filed in two by two, headed by Sergeant-at-
Arms Bright and Captain Bassett, the white
haired and white-bearde doorkeeper. There we're
several ex-Senators among hem, including Messrs.
Wallace of Pennsylvania, Mcdonald of Indiana,
Williams of Oregon, Creswell of Maryland, Bout
well of Massachusetts,. Gordon of Georgia, Cling
man of North Carolina, and Bruce of Mississippi.
Among the Representatives on the floor were num-
Der of former members OF the House, the most con-
spcuous of whom General Robert c. Schenck
and Augustus Schell of New-York.
A. +Lo ,bo1o hrs roth
body, the mind went back by irresistible assoca-
ton to another Monday in February, sixteen years
ago. when Congress gathered for the first time in
American history to commemorate murdered Pres
ident. The contrast between the aSSem5lagc OF
that day and this is q striking illustration of the
rapid shifting of public men to and from the
scene and the swift changes in the life of the Nation
1t is only sixteen years since George Bancroft spoke
his eulogy on Abraham Lincoln, but only nineteen
men who were members of the Congress which
listened TO him are III Congress to-day-two Sena-
tors, Messrs Anthony and Sherman, and seventeen
members, among them Messrs. Kasson Randall
Kelley, VOORHEES,, Allison, Dawes. Windomand Nor
ril RUTH crford b. Hayes, Roscoe ConklIng, James
A. Garfield and James G. Blaine were members of
that House Garfield then only thirty-four years of
age and already taking high place, and the bril-
liant young leader from Maine, already near
TO the Spcakership. The Pres lent of that
day is dead. No doubt he listened
to Mr.. Bancrofts Grafton, he meditating the
famous serenade speech delivered ten days later,
which was the beginning of his apostasy. Three Of
his Cabinet are dead and the Chief Justice of that
day and the President of the Senate, Lafayette S.
Foster, and host of great ones with them. a new
generation has come on the stage. The country has
lived through long history IN those sixteen years.
Grant was present at that ceremony in his Lieuten
4, MI pl with
pau>e The stormy cras of reconstruction and
Grantsm were yet to come Jeleron Davis was
still a prisone in Fortress Monroe, aud Alex
audcr II. Stephens-whose shru lkcn figure
Is usually seen in his wheeled-chair in
the space in front of the Speaker,
but is missing to-dav-had been few months be-
fore released from Fort Warren. Senators Vest and
Cockrell, who are sitting to-day side by side in
places of honor as Senators. then prisoners of
war. parolled by the United States Cove nment
Senators Hampton, Coke, Harris, Lamar, Malone,
Maxey and Ransom likewise. Eleven States were
under military rule twenty-five States only were
represented in the ceremonies, and the blacks had
not been enfGanchised. In the audience that list
ened that day to the oration of the hale old man of
eqhtv-one who sits in the front row Of the audi
cnce to-day, were all three of Andrew JOhnsOn's
successors in the Presidency down to the present
Grant Hayes and Garfield. Wirz had been hanged
lust three months before for his infamous crimes.
the grand final review of the war had taken
place less than a year before. and it was not till
several years after that Washington, now that
rarely beautiful city, had jubilee over getting its
principal avenue well paved. But the Speakers
nalet cuts short "reminiscences of this sort.
The Supreme Court are announced and enter
in their gowns, Chief Justice Waite
at the head. and the towering form
hui.
Exclusives Strong and Swayne were among Them
also in their gowns. At twelve minutes past II
there was another stroke of the gavel and the Prcs
dent and his Cabinet entered, duly announced, the
President being escorted by Senator Sherman and
Representative Mckinley. The President was
dressed in mourning. His appearance was
greeted with applause, accompanied by a
SLIGHT sound of disapproval from those
who seemed TO think any demonstration of
applause Inappropriate The President and Cabinet
had hardly taken their seats when the officers an
nounced "the Hon. James g. Blaine, orator of the
day" The ice had now been broken, and there was
n hearty round of applause as Mr.. Blaine appeared
escorted by Messrs. Sherman and Mckinley, and ac-
companied by William L. Chandler 5. B.
Elkins ex-Delegate from New-MeXico, T. H. Sher-
man. Mr., Blaines secretary, and Emmons Blame,
his son, Mr.. Blaine took his place III the Clerks
desk and his manuscript placed in front OF him.
II was written on heavy paper, with wide mourn
ing border and i'll hand SO large that it could be
read from the reporters gallery, above. This
spared the speaker the necessity of using glasses.
He spoke in manner cminently beht-
ting tie occaion-with delibcradon, and
with an absence of all effort ut
oratorical display. Mr.. Blainc's natural pace in
speaking is sIngnlarly rapid. The shorthand re-
portcrs of the House have traditions of his aver
aging during some animated debates 24O words n
minute. But to-day he spoke graSely and slowly !
Every word was listened 10 by the audience
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