Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-08-14


, not be permitted to lie by his side
, and mingle her ashes with his, wa
characteristic of his entire life Of Low
, ing loyalty, and chivalrous devotion
to the noble woman whom he hal
crowned with the sacred name o
wife in the sweetness and freshness o
her youth. In these days of SO mucl
, maritiarinfelicity and scandal, and sucl
, frequent divorces, 1t is . matter o
rejoicing that the most conspicuou
, figure ofthe country has set an ex
ample Of conjugal truth, tenderness
and fidelity worthy of all imitation
In survey Of Gen. Grants character
however brief, it would not do t,
overlook the native modesty of hi
nature. If the teaching Of Carlyle j
. correct, that the truly great man il
ever unconscious of his greatness. thel
we have here, the perfect measure o
our dead hero's colossal proportions
He seems not 10 have known that b,
was the personal center around which
had crystalized the most wonderful
achievements of the Nineteenth cen
fury, ifnot of the ages. He was neve
known to boast and it was, to him
an uaceasiug wonder that peopl,
should make such fuss about him
and attribute SO much to his persona
worth and influence. The blaze o
glory in which he lived during the las
twenty-five years of his his life, nevel
dazzlcd his to the defects in his owl
character, or blinded them to
the real excellencies of his
associates and contemporaries
When traditions, most flatter,
ing to him, began to grow up around
some OF his great battlefelds, he was
the first to touch them with the wand
Of truth; even though it should turn
them into tame and commonplace
affairs His mOdesty was the secret
of his seli-possession, when he was
made the target of abuse, scandal and
malignant detraction. He never stood
on the defensive, or rushed into print
with frantic speed. as though suffer
ing world was hanging in a life and
death suspense upon the vindication
of his character. Mr.. Lincoln has left
on record that Gen. Grant was the OH
ly officer who never complained, who
never asked for promotion and who
went to the duty assigned him with
the unquestioning obedience of the
true soldier. He simply tried to do
his duty, and, in doing that, he achiev-
ed deeds that will shine, like the stars,
in the armament of time forever.
Gen. Grants msgnanimity has been,
and ever will be, an inspiring theme of
poets, orators and historians He
seems to have been entirely free from
pride, prejudice and bigotry, those
three soul-fetters SO fatal to true mag
nanimity of character. Many man,
to-day, of fine intellect and pure NOR
ais, would be broad and strong, very
giant in church or state, could he but
rise superior to these enfettering evils.
Gen. Grant was always first to ac-
knowledge the true worth of All enemy
and last to heap unnecessary insult, or
humiliation upon that enemy when
in his power. He never used his hi Oh
position and fortunate combination
of circumstances either for purposes
of personal revenge or personal
exaltation. A smaller man than Gen.
Grant would have made all the capital
he could out of the surrender of Lee,
and would have posed before the
hushed and gazing world in all the
magnificence of pomp, pageantry and
personal pride of triumph, character
istic of the ideal hero and conqueror
But Gen. Grant Invested the deathless
scene of all external or meretricious
splendor, and left il TO speak for Itself,
in sublime simplicity, to all the ages.
One writer has said. alexander
would have demanded Lees sword;
Cesar would have claimed il as his
right: Napoleon would have been un-
happy without it, bu. Gen. Grant was
too great to take it," His memorable
terms of surrender to Lee have no
parallel in the annals of history. Quit
fighting and go home. Take your
horses with you for you will need
them to put in your spring crops"
IL would require The pen of Dante,
or a Milton, adequately to set forth
the true magnanimity and grandeur
of soul, embodied in the silent humble
conaueror in that supreme hour of
his boundless might and eternal glory.
But 10 crown all this life of virtue,
greatness and usefulness Gen. Grant
was true and earnest Christian. No |
more devoted husband and father ever
breathed the breath of life, no truer |
patriot ever drew the sword from it's
but first, and above all these
was his loving and devoted loyalty to
the God of families and nations. Drs.
Newman and Tiffany, two of his
revered aud trusted pastors, unite in
saying that he was not molly man
of pure morals, but of profound
religious convictions and belief as
well. He read and studied the Bible.
He believed and trusted in the atone
ment of our Lord. Jesus Christ. He
the church and was q reg
nlar and devout attendant upon all
her services. No more conspicuous
object was in his home than the fam
ly altar. In his last great battle with
\ painful and conquering disease he
was sustained by the consultations of
,ur holy religion and went down
earlessly into the valley of the shadow
Gaming on the strong arm Of Jesus.
Though apparently defeated, it was
II truth, the grandest victory of his
life. He went from ma 1
ion Of sincere mourners, and from the S
and reverence of an on I
,azing world into the everlasting :
ight and love and beaiitude of the :
ternal camping ground of God. The
nan who led his fellow-countrymen to )
ictory and placed the crown of free
ON upon the heads of more than 4
our million slaves, was himself led to +
ictory and crowned with eternal q
Tory by the great Captain of the a
'orld's salvation. Thus that life of q
ire and almost faultless splendor has s,
one out from our midst. but its in
uence will rest like long line of
ght upon the path of bis country's
estiny and will increase in potential r,
y as the generations go by. Around
he tomb of the man who reached the d,
ghest type of American manhood, "