The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-05


the ladies under the in the grove before the
cottage Those who failed to secure leafy shade
used their umbrellas. The ceremonies opened
with the reading of Psalm xc which was fol-
lowed by an impressive prayer by Rev. Bishop
Harris The hymn my Faith Looks Up to
Thee" was joined in by the whole assemblage
present, with fine effect DR.. Newman then
came forward and delivered sermon on the
subject of the dead General, the family sitting
meantime about the remains in the parlor.
DIR. NEwMAN's SERMON.
"Well done, thou good and faithful servant enter
thou into the joy of thy Lord. Matthew XIV q.
Such my brethren, is the eulogy that God shall
| pronounce upon human goodness and fidelity
| wherever found among the sons of men. The
accidental distinctions between prince and peas
| ant, millionaire and pauper, commanding general
| and private soldier, are but the dust in the
| balance in His estimation of personal worth; He
regards not the person of any man; He looks
| searched an ancient city for man. God is ever
| in search for a character, which, in His sight
| outweighs the transitory distinctions of earth
and time, and out Of which are the issues of
| life Tell me not what a man possesses-the
| beauty of Absalom, the glory of Solomon, the
| wealth of Dives, the eloquence of Apollos, the
| learning of Paul-but rather tell me. what he is,
in his modes of thought, in his emotional being.
in the trend of his passions, in the temper of his
mind, in the tenor of his life. out of which come
| the totality of his existence and the fnality of
| his destiny. This is the man as he is, and by it
let him be judged. In the intensity of this divine
| light let US to-day recall the character of the
| illustrious man whose death nation so tenderly
| mourns
| Some comrade in arms shall speak of the splen-
| dor Of his martial genius; some statesman shall
| review the ma jesty of his civil administration;
some historian shall place him on the pedestal of
| his m q H.
| gon, dwell upon that great character which will
! ever be his crown of glory and the imperishable
heritage of the country he loved SO we'll.
| You have seen him in the fury of battle, in the
| glory of victory, in the chair of State; you have
seen him the guest of the world, honored by
| crowned heads and sceptred hands, by renowned
warriors and eminent statesmen, by foremost
| scholars and adOrlng peoples; you have seen him
| in the quiet of private ife undistinguished from
his fellow-men other than by the SO virtues which
| made him conspicuous, and by that fame which
| came from honored deeds; you have seen him in
the sorrow of misfortune, such as has often come
| to the best and wsest fnancers in the world;
| you have seen him IN the suffering OF the sick
| room through nine weary months, enduring the
! ndescribable tortureS Of malignant disease,
| and that without murmur; and to day you see
| him in the repose of death, in the undisturbed
sleep of the Just. And could you rend the veil
| that obscures our mortal vision, you would see
him in his better form of immortality; with all
his mi ghty faculties in full play, unchanged in
| his Individuality the same cam earnest, sincere
soul, purified and exalted, and intent on the
| realities Of his better life.
| Shall we pause to inquire the meaning of
| these embems of National sorrow and universal
grief:-the flag at half mast, the minute gun, the
muffied drum, the tolng bell, the solemn
| march, the reign of silence in schools of learn
| ing in courts of justice, and in halls of egisla-
| ton, the suspension of business, public and
private buildings draped in black streets
| thronged with mourners marching with measured
step to strains Of saddest musicl Shall inquire
why sweet childhood has forgotten it's innocent
| joys, why womanhood is clad in sackcloth, why
| manhood is bowed with grief, and why ali
mourn as for a father, husband brother, friend'
! Shall We inquire why the land is filled with
| lamentations from the savannahs of the South
| to the snow-ca capped hills Of the North, and from
where the Atlantic moans along its ancient coast
| to where the Pacific sobs on Its golden shore;
| why poets lament, orators deplore. editors dep
| recate and ministers turn TO the Unseen for con-
| ISOLATION; why kingdoms. and empires, and repub-
| lies stand with our great Nation chief mourn
| ers around this bierl
Who is dead? OH ye sobbing winds of Mt.
| McGregor that famed his brow, tell it not.
Whisper it not, ye mountain pines that shaded
his form. And keep ye silent o. ye summer
| skies of love and beauty that smiled upon him.
| Do you tell me, my friends, that great man
is dead!-greatest among warriors, foremost
| among statesme noolest among patriots! Do
| you tell me that he led our armies to victory!
| That he administered our government in
wisdom? That he best illustrated the essential
| principles of our national lifel Do you tell me
that he was the truest of husbands, the kndest
of fathers, the frmest of friends, the purest of
| philanthropsts, the humblest of Christians!
True. thrice happily true! Are these the reasons
| why we will not be comforted; because those
calm eyes cannot respond lovingly to our gaze,
| and those pure lips cannot greet us as of yOre,
and those ears cannot hear nations cry, "ro
| arms! To arms' for the foe is nearl
| But whence the secret of the power of this one
| life on the thought of the world and the love of
| mankind!
Others have insured for themselves imperish
| able renown for their martial prowess for their
profound craftsmanship for the display of their
marvellous intellects, but where in all
| the annals of earth and time shall we
| find another who more than he stamped
all that he said and all that he did with
such purity and ioftiness of character! His indi-
viduality most intense. This was the source
of his strength, the power Of his action, the glory
| of his achievements. He was never other than
himself He acted with spontaneity all his
own.
And what were the elements of that character,
so unique, symmetrical and now immortall God
| had endowed him with an extraordinary intel
| lect For forty years he was hidden in COM
parative obscurty, giving no indications of his
wondrous capacity; but in those four decades he
was maturing, anG at the appointed time God
| lifted the veil of obscurty, called upon him to
save nation, and give a new direction to the
civilization of the world. How calm his judg-
ment; how clean, and quick, and accurate his
| Imagination, how vast and tenacious his mem.
| ory! Reason was his dominant faculty. He was
Il natural loglcan. He could descend to the
smallest details and rise to the highest general
| izations. His wonderful understanding was like
the tent in story; fold it and it was toy in the
| hand of child, spread it and the mighty armies
of republic could repose In It's shade. He
could comprehend continent with greater ease
than others could master an island Under his
vast and comprehensive plans continent shook
| with the tramp Of advancing armies, as out Of
some immense mental reservoir there came
fertility of resources displayed in hundred bat
ties, in the greatest emergencies and in a three.
| fold campaign, carried forward at the same time
without confusion, and each the part of one
stupendous whole.
- His was the genius of common sense, enabling
| TO v1o@o ~ =