National Republican., 1885-08-09
ULYSSES S. GRANT.


If the Great DisposCr of human events
had, by special intcrposition of His provi-
dcncc, ordered the time and manner of
General Grants death with particular re-
gard to the pcrpctuity of his fame, the
closing scene would have come ~ it did
and when it did.
Had General Grant died before the war
of the rebellion the great possibilities of
{ hiSnaturc and character would never have
| been even suspected by his countrymcn ;
! he would have fallen in the race Of life
unhonorcd gave by the small circle Of
/ friends who had learned to love him for
unobtrusivc worth. Had he died at any
/ time during the war his military career
would have been an unfinished and in
! harmonious structure Had death come
| to him during either of his eight years in
! the Presidential Office more than one gen
Grafton must have elapsed before the bit
| tcrnesS of party feeling could have been
so far allaycd as to insure justice TO his
memory. If his career had ended when
his reelection for II third Presidential
term was contemplated, or at later
/ period, when he was taking part in po-
/ litical affairs, how different would have
| been the feeling in millions Of hearts
| from what it is to-day. If his last mo-
mcnt had come amid the gloom and dark
/ ness of the financial ruin wrought by the
Scoundrel who cOnjurcd with his great
name, he would have died broken
| hearted, leaving unexplained many
! things, IL clear understanding of which
was necessary to Il just appreciation of
his lofty character. Had the summons
came to him "to join the innumcrable
caravan" when Congress was hcsitating
over the bill to place his name on the
retired list, he would have felt, in the
/ hour of dcath-and the feeling would
have been just-thnt his country was un-
| grateful. Dying then, his friends would
| have arraigned those who had denied
| him justice, and that party or faction
might have attacked the dead hcro's
memory in the hope of mitigating public
censurc. Had he gone hence, even when
| that bill had been passed, whcnit had been
signed by the Just inaugurated President,
and when, the harsh voice of fiction being
hushcd, all the people were rejoicing that Il
rcproach had been avcrted from the nation
dying even then, he would have left
unwrittcn the simple but immortal work
to which most of the, hours of his long
'rIiness wereaevoteSts,- ,------------------'s 49,
And let us not forget the teachings of
the closing months Of that great life. In
his sick room in New York and at Mt
McGrcgor, the foremost man Of all the
earth, he who had taught men how tu
live, was permitted to teach the grandcr
lcsSon--hOw to die.
There is no test of war that 50 tries the
mcttlc of mankind as the ordeal through
which General Grant passed after the in
cvitably fatal character of his maady
was made known to him. In the excite.
mcnt of battle, amid the roar of artillery
the rattle of muskctry, and the scream.
ing of shells, when years of life seem
compressed into minutes, when the com.
moncst men are heroes, it is easy to lead
II charge TO look calmly into the very
eyes of death.
But, in the full maturity of manhood
with II glorious past, Il happy present, Il
bright future with ull that could bind
one to the world, to calmly, scrcncly face
death in its most dreaded form; to sit in
ones chamber day after day, feeling that
the destroyer is doing his fatal work. and
TO Ms" each nccting hour us Grant used
his is to give the crOwning evidence o
Sublimcly heroic character.
Long before the final scene was sci
General Grant had forgiven all who had
wrongcd him. Ills heart was filled Will
love for his lclow-mcn. The message,
that came from the sick mans room
written by his hand after his tongue had
become palSicd were bcncdictons IL
mankind.
And as he died loving all mankind, st
we are glad to believe there was no rn
kindness, no bitterness, no malice in any
human soul toward him as week after
week, he was being gathered into til,
relentless embrace of the grim mcsscn
ger.
lie goes to his grave mourncd by the
nation, and by none more sincerely thar
by the people Of the south to whom hi,
magnanimily at AppomuttoX was such I
revelation of character us they and thcil
; descendants will not permit to De for
gotten.
: We do not undertake to say tina
Grants character was perfect, or that hi
course was always the best possible
Perfection is not an attribute of human
r ity, and all the elements of greatness ar,
not given to one man, If you get clos,
TO the Washington monument and ear,
to look for impcrfcctions, you can see !
few unsightly spots and ugly scratches
= But who thinks Of these when, ut
! proper distance for fair contemplation o
> that structure, ,hc bcholds the mighty shaft
| like "thc great white throne" lifting ii
= glittcring pinnacle to the clouds, com
p manding an almost dcvout admiration
: by its calm simple grandeur, it, unSullic'
= puritV, its seemingly eternal serenity