Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-12-09

I
ment. A surging mass OF living, sympathzing
humanity, packs to repletion the adjacent streets
nation turns its fearful eyes towards
! our city and counts the feeting time by heart
! throbs, while it reads the clickngs OF the light
ming to learn the successive stages of our last sol
emn tribute which the living can ever pay to the
| greatness and the virtues and the memory OF the
| dead, and beyond us and above us could only
with the eye of flesh penetrate the veil, there is
still vaster assemblage of "angelsand archangels,
| and all the company of heaven" who desire to
| look into the mystery of human redemption and
! rejoice over the triumph of a redeemed sonl. at
| such q time as this, when the gates, perchance,
| are still ajar and the place we stand upon
is holy ground, it i'll behooves any one of us to
| attempt to voice forth the common plant, TO ex-
| press the vast aggregate of respect and love and
| honor, and to illustrate and enforce he lessons
of this hour and this scene 1t is better, far bet
ter. that we let our illustrious friend, on whose
account we are gathered here. impart to us such
| instruction as his life and his death supply
| while with bated breath and in rapt at
| tention stand about his bier. And to this task
we address ourselves foregoing all personal al
! fusion, for there are such illusions, many and
| tender and consOling, to concrete incidents in
his social and religious, in his private as dis
| tinguished from his publiclife.
| His youth had a prolific lesson for the youth
| of our own land In an adjoining county some fifty
years ago this luteage began. The days so often
spent by thOughtless boys in pointess diversions
| from hard study, he with energy and applica-
ton devoted to the acquisition of usefulness, per-
manent knowledge, laying-with painstaking
| earnestness and perseverance and zeal-the
| foundations of that sturdy, indominable charac-
ter which in later life carried him to the proud
| pinnacle of exalted success and with such
| teachings the lads of our day should not shrink
| from the daily tasks of the common schools, nor
| the sterner studies of the university. And thus
hand findeth to do, do it With thy might" and
"Work while 1t is called day for soon the night
| cometh wherein no man can work."
The Yeas of his early manhood were years OF
| trial and comparative privation-the common
| lot of those who, apart from the thrOnged haunts
| of denser populations, stem the tide of pioneer
verify the adage that Westward the course of
| empire takes its way" To such spirits resist
ance is discipline, growth, development, and
with the sturdy men who were his CO.
laborers in the aggressive work carved out in the
wilderness great and prosperous and happy
the work S of t their oW er
them. And we are advised that as young man,
| while occupied with the labors OF character
building he was an honest, brave, exemplary
young man who scorned to do mean or I'M
worthy action and taught his fellows so; who
recognized the restraining influence of moral OBJ
anf by 6o5n Pee M
so he taught and so he teaches now to all the
young men of our city and our state and our
| o young man in thy youth, and let thy heart
cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in
the way of thine heart and in the sight of thine
| eyes, but remember that for all these things God
| will bring thee to judgment"
| Then in maturer years we have this sturdy,
| hearty man With strong mind and warm
earnest prominent part in the affairs of his state
| and country-as an able and successful advocate;
| as a painstaking and conscientious legislator
| both helping to build new constitution in his
state and adjust it to the complicated relations of
| the whole people and so acting a, distinguished
| of Congress as the able manager of the pub
lie landed interests of the country as
| the second officer in the administration
| of this great nation he was everywhere and al
| ways the same able, conservative, consistent and
conscientious character which he early illustrated
| when first he started out upon LIES arena OF
trial and conflict and of triumph and sowed the
precious seed of honor, virtue and temperance
And so he has taught this urgent lesson, "Be not
deceived, God is not Knocked; for whatsoever q
man soweth that shall he also reap. For he that
soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corrup-
tion but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the
spirit reap life everlasting" He carefully chose
his seed and he has abundantly reaped his har-
vest.
And again he would preach to us one other
head He would impress us with the shortness
| and uncertainty of life. He was in his usual
| health until near the moment when the silver
cord was loosed and the golden bowl broken. He
the very dividing line which separates between
| things which are seen and temporal and the
| things which are unseen and eternal. And yet
he knew not that he was coming and in moment
without warning he was as one "who wraps the
drapery of his couch about him and lies down to
pleasant dreams" and this notable feature of his
| departure warns us all in emphatic terms that in
the midst of life we are in DEATH and admonishes
| us that we know not the day nor the hour when
| the summons shall come to us.
These things his good and great life teaches US,
| and, OIL that we might beamenable to the teach
ing and OIL that all might learn from his uni
formly graceful bearing, his polite manners, his
courteous Difference TO others views his thought
tul consideration for others feelings even while
| differing with them in opinion, or in conduct
learn TO cultivate the amenities and courtesies OF
| lie under the guiding inspiration of politeness
| and urbanity.
run no hazard in asserting that such consid-
crate Difference toother's feelings and wishes and
such regard for their rights and privileges is the
touchstone of all true manliness, the crite1.
on of genuine Christianity And to this crucial test
| no one ever responded more thoroughly than our
dear friend who lies here so calm and peaceful SO
forclbly demonstrating the great mystery that en-
shrouds the problem OF human life. and yet his
courtesy did not outstrip his benevoience. No
one who appealed to him for sympathy and coun-
sci and assistance ever turned away empty.
Though his right and his left hands were not in
each others confidence, still there is record
somewhere of his open snded liberality In num-
terless cases of restitution and suffering. He
perienced in his daily life the joy of faith and
the patience of hope and the comfort OF love.
These were with him ever-Faith, Hope and
Charity these three, but the greatest of these
Charity; And the admirably organized charities
his sk1llful hand and been cheered by the SYM
pathetic throbbings of his generous heart.
Dare we tread upon the verge of hallowed
ground and touch upon the conjugal relations Of
Gov. Hendricks and describe, how, forty years
and two months he passed along with dignifed.
| steady and faithful pace beside the noble and
! devoted woman whom he had chosen tor better
or worse; and how, through storm and sunshine,
like isaac and Rebecca, they lived faithfully to-
gether in perfect love and peace and kept the VOW
and covenant betwixt them, made in the firm
and graceful ponds of mutual affection? We
dare not do it here at this time and in this pres
ence. But we must not tarry longer
Life is short and time is heeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still like muff1ed drums are beating
Funeral marches to the grave
To our graves, and we must be up and doing if
we would receive and apply the lessons our
friend has taught us in the incidents of varied
and conspicuous career. These lessons all con-
| verge to one point: BE We also ready" They
| all show with great emphasis the vanity OF
human hopes and wishes.
The boast of heralding, the pomp power,
And all that beauty, all that wealth ere gave,
Await alike the inevitable hour,
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.
But the path of virtue, the path of truth, the
path OF duty and honor and is.tee rity and tenn
perance, all these paths that he trod patiently
and persistently and successfully, have ushered
him to the bosom of his God in the full fruition
of eternal life.
Eminent citizen, faithful friend, Christian gen.
| tleman, honest Farewell.