The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-16

healthfuness of the body be, in any sense, re
sponsive to the will, then his long survival of
so severe an attack may be attributed to
the power and influence of his strong
will-to that settled fXedness of
purpose which constituted the basis
of his character. 1t was this undoubtedly that
gave him such enduring vitality, and would have
assured to him much longer life of usefulness
and distinction had not the immense pressure of
his official responsibilities weighed him down by
Frustrating his nervous energies and making his
system more susceptible of disease. Having,
however, literally exhausted himself in the pub
lie service, even his great will-power was not
sufficient to resist the insidious disease, and
when the end came the whole public realized
that a brave and resolute man had fallen at his
post of duty. Pardon me for saying that to none
can this Providence seem more mysterious than
it does to me. My congressional career
closed nearly twenty years before his commenced,
yet L am permitted to survive him, to take
part in these ceremonies, and to bear testi-
mony to his wellearned eminence as a
statesman, his disinterestedness as a patriot,
and his unselfsh and tireess devotion to
all his duties. The last time | saw him was
very shortly before his death. Accompanied
by a friend for whom knew he entertained IL
degree of respect bordering upon affection, and
by one of the greatest and most generous hearted
OF his political adversaries in the State, with
whom he had measured weapons III sharp and
keen debate visited him, as l then felt assured
it would he, for the last time. As we stood by
his bedside and saw his strength wasting away
how like a child he lay in the grasp of CON
Stunning disease-we were all oppressed by the
melancholy thought that, in a few weeks or per
haps days, the light which had shone so bril-
liantly would be extinguished forever. His eye
was yet undimmed, and his mind retained all its
PROFESSIONALLY as clear. bright, and fresh as
ever. The scene was impressive, and one not
easily forgotten. His greeting was so cordial,
and his conversation so like himself, that he APP
peared to be mere resting from the fatigue of la
Dor. The tokens of respect between him and his
old and mostformidable political adversary were
especially impressive and touching. There were
no poisoned arrows to be extracted, no heart
burnings to be healed no wrongs to be avenged,
and the two great men, one the victim of pain
and suffering, and the other in the full maturity
of life and health, demonstrated, in their brief
intercourse, that, Notwithstanding strong passions
are sometimes aroused by political antagonisms,
there are yet bright spots in life which these an
tagOnisms are powerless to obscure-gentle and
knd-hearted amenities which make life worth
living" The incident was alike honorable to the
dead and the living statesman, and presented
such scene cannot transpire except between
those in whose hearts nature has planted those
kindly affections which bud and blossom by cuI-
tlvatlon and send out upon the world the fra
GRANGE OF a sweet perfume Our parting was sad
intensely sad-for we all felt that it was our
final interview with the PROSTATE and dying
statesman And SO it turned out In a little
while | was summoned to attend those ceremon-
les in this city, by which his body was consigned
to its last resting-place. After long and pain
upon his eloquent lips-his heart ceased its throb
bing-and, with placid composure and the cour-
age of true hero, he passed away into inn
mortality. His last words, spoken to his attend
ing physician, were: II am worn out; | am dy
ing" They were distinctly uttered. showing
that he realized his condition. and that the fac
ulties of his mind remained unimpaired up to the
last moment. And thus with quietude which
springs from consciousness of duty well dis
charged, and in the full realization of theinstant
of transition from this to higher and better
sphere, the light of life went out gently the
last Pickering of a wasted taper.
I'VE grieve to see the Hfeless form
The livid cheek. the sunken eye:
But sweet to think, corruptlon's
The living spirit can defy
And claim its kindred with the sky,
Lol where the earthen vessel lies!
Aloft the Embodied tenant flies"
God has made known to us only such of his
providences as attest his omnipotent and crea-
tive power. All beyOnd this is wisely shut out
from human understanding. One of the great
est of the Greek poets called it impious to
search into the essence of the divine nature"
with a view ''to know what God has not re
vealed," thus teaching lesson to the Christian
mind no less instructive because of its origin in
that of pagan. In whatsoever light we view it,
death is mystery. But it is not so mysterious
as life. How the divine purpose of our creation
was formed, and how we are endowed with the
capacities Of thought and action. know no
more than we do of the vast agencies which ma
ture employs to set the sun and the moon, and
the stars i'll the sky, to hold the oceans in their
beds and cause the tides to ebb and flood to
move the earth upon its axis, and
keep the planets in their spheres Each
individual. in his corporeal being, is but q mere
atOn-bearing q kindred relation to the universe
of God. with that which the tiniest speck discov-
cred by the microscope bears to theineOmprehen-
sible millions of atoms which float in the atmos
phere. Why then, since we live mysteriously,
should we wonder that we have also to de2 Gods
wisdom surpasses ours and He knows what is
hest MS al nd "a 40 oh IN IA
veal to US why our friends are cut down when in
the full possession of all the developed facul-
ties of their minds, and whilst their careers of
usefulness are in active and successful progress,
He has allowed Us to realize i'll our hearts that
lit Is not all of life to live'-that there is nat
ulal body, and there is a spiritual body-and
that, when the one sinks into the corruption of
the tomb, the other-''in moment, in the twink
ling OF an eye-shall put ON immortality"
HIS WORK WAS FINISHED.
Untitnely as the death of Governor Morton
seemed to us all and sad as was the event. in all its
aspects, we may, nevertheless find some CON
ISOLATION in the reflection that, while many of us
lost friend, and the State faithful servant,
and the nation an eminent and courageous de
fender of its life and honor, he lived long enough
to see the end achieved for which he labored
with the most intense devotion-the tide of war
"olled back, the return of peace with healing
IS wings, and the national Union rebuilt upon
foundations which can never heremoved. There
fore, il is BETTING in us, while doing honor to
his memory by these public ceremonies to in
woke the blessings of Almighty God-as he
would invoke them if he could return to earth
upon common country, for whose peace,
honor, glory, and prosperity he wore himself
out. And it is no less befitting in us to cherish
the hope that when we have joined him in the
world of spirits, our children and their children,
for generations to come, as they gaze upon
this almost speaking statue, may be in
ItpH nv 70 he pf Ieh 1Aotp ipTia
virtues as made all the years of his public serv-
ice the admiration Of the old and model for the
imitation of the young.
These ceremonies would be incomplete with
out few additional thoughts suggested by our
immediate surroundings. More than half cen
fury ago this city w., selected the capital of
the State account of its central position. The
Circle, now appropriated to the statue of Gov