National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-07-24
ULYSSES s. GRANT.

scene would have come us it did an
when it did.
Had Gen. Grant died before the war Of
the rebellion the great possibilities of his
nature and character would never hav,
been even suspected by his countrymen
he would have fallen in the race of life
unhonored save by the small circle OF
friends who had learned TO love him for
unobtrusive worth. Had he died at
any time during the war his military
career would have been i'm unfinished and
iIharmonious structure Had death come
to him Turin either Of his eight years in
the presidential office more than one gen
Grafton must have elapsed before the bit
terness of party feeling could have been
30 far allayed rs to insure Justice to his
memory II his career had ended when
his reelection for third presidential
term was contemplated or Mt later
period. when he WIS taking part in po.
litical affairs, how different would have
been the feeling in millions of henrts
from what il is to-day. If his last mo
ment had come amid the gloom and dark
ness Of the financial ruin wrought by the
scoundrel who conjured with his great
name, he would have died broken
hearted, leaving unexplained many
things, a clear understanding of which
was necessary to n just appreciation of
his lofty character. Had the summon,
came to him "to join the innumerablt
caravan" when Congress was hesitating
over the bill to place his name
on the retired list, he would
have felt, in the hour of death and the
feeling would have been just-that his
country was ungrateful. Dying then,
his friends would have arraigned those
who had denied him justice, and that
party or faction might have attacked the
dead heros memory in the hope of nit
igating public censure. Had he gone
hence, even when that bill had been
passed, when it had been signed by the
just inaugurated President, and when, the
harsh voice of fiction being hushed, all
the people were rejoicing that reproach
had been averted from the nation-dy-
ing even then, he would have left un
written the simple but immortal work to
which most of the hours of his long i'll.
ness were devoted.
Andlet us not forget the teachings of the
closing months of that great life. In his
sick room in New York and at Mount
McGregor, the foremost man of all the
earth, he who had taught men how to
live, was permitted to teach the grander
lesson-how to die.
There is no test of war that so tries the
mettle of mankind as the ordeal through
which Gen. Grant passed after the ineyi-
tably fatal character of his malady was
made known to him. In the excitement
Of battle, amid the roar Of artillery. the
rattle of musketry. and the scro"nIins OF
shells, when years of lie seem com
pressed into minutes, when the common
est men are heroes, it is easy to lead
charge, to look calmly into the very eyes
of death.
But, in the full maturity Of manhood,
with glorious past, happy present, II
bright future; with all that could bind
one to the world. to calmly, serenely face
death in its most dreaded form to sit in
ones chamber day after day, feeling that
the destroyer is doing his fatal work, AM
to use each Aeeting hour as Grant used
his, is to give the crowning evidence of
sublimely heroic character.
Long before the final scene was set
Gen. Grant had forgiven all who had
wrongel him. His heart was filed with
love for his fellow-inen. The messages
that came from the sick mans room,
written by his hand after his tongue hal
become palsied, we're bunedictions to
mankind.
And rs he died loving all mankind, so
we are glad to believe there was no un
kindness, no bitterness. no malice in any
human soul toward him rs. week after
week, he was being gathered into the
relentless embrace of the grim mes
senger.
He goes to his grave mourned by the
,tion, and by none III re sincerely than
by the people of the south, to whom his
magnanimity ut Appomattox was such II
revelation of character rs they and their
descendants will not permit to be for
gotten.
We do not undertake to say that
Grants character was perfect, or that his
course was always the best possible,
Perfection is not an attribute of human.
ity, and all the elements of greatness are
not given TO one man. If you get close
TO the Washington monument and care
to look for imperfections, you can see Il
few unsghtly spots and ugly scratches.
But who thinks of these when, Gt II
proper distance for fair contemplation
of that structure, he beholds the mighty
shaft, like "the great white throne,
lifting its glitterng pinnacle to the
clouds, commanding an almost deyout
admiration by its calm, simple grandeur
its unsulied purity, its seemingly eternal
serenity? 1t were vain to write for him
who does not see in this parallel to the
life and character of U. s. Grant.
An extra REPUBLICAN, which was on
the streets yesterday twenty minutes
after the closing scene at Mount Nc
Gregor, and which gave to our citizens
the first notice of that event, contained
this brief editorial mention;
The long, brave struggle is ended
Gen. Grant is dend. To him the Kinl
of Terrors was pitying angel. Since
there was no other relief from his suffer
ings, death was blessing. But death e