St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1888-03-29

I
or parties it was real conclusion upon
which all could reckon to the end.
When any great cause sought repre-
sentative from this state his name
passed easily to the front as worthy to
represent worthily the state he loved.
As its Governor in the centennial year,
cies of craftsmanship, and declared that
with him public office was not an hon
or but claim, it's gifts were not high
privileges but sacred duties. He serv-
ed the public as he served a friend
because it was his friend. 1t is appro-
pirate that our Chief Magistrate should
this day represent the state in it's sor
row and in the honor it brings to
crown his memory.
The deepest and creative reality of
his life was his religion. This was
not to him one interest among many,
but the one power that was to teach,
illumine and command all of them.
Religion was to him not one of life's
duties but life itself. His religion was
never to him as cloak, it was always
his blood. 1t was with him life after
Gods idea of life, and as the Man
Christ Jesus was Gods thought of a
human life so he honored that Man by
faith, love and obedience. This real
religion gentilized every thought and
force in him, it threw a warmth of
spring about all his sympathies and
made them promising and pure; it fell
like showers upon every purpose and
reached it's flower and fruit by way of
it's root. He loved religion more than
theology, theology was the cask to
hold the wine, there cannot be wine
without a cask to hold it,-huR there
can be cask without wine. Have the
cask strong and beautiful for the wine
is precious. He loved forms but he
hated cant. He desired all the forms
of life and worship to be beautiful,
finished. AS religion is the best thing,
everything connected with religion
should be done in the best way. He
made all the conduct and speech of his
life ritual of religion, and felt that
coarseness or vulgarity of speech
or conduct could not be congruous
with spirit that was fine and pure.
In him there was no separation of re-
ligion and conduct. Religion was not
way of life, not it's exceptional joy,
not it's "food or medicine" it was not
vacation journey, it was not an ex
hibition nor an observance, it was life
itself. He had the listening and the
active soul. Like st. James's religious
man he was nearer and doer of the
word, who looked into "the perfect
law of liberty" and kept himself Gun
spotted from the world" His religion
commanded him to meet all that is
human with respect. He could not
fawn upon conventional greatness nor
patronize conventional inferiOrity. He
never looked down upon a "laboring
class" Whoever respected himself he
respected. Poverty did not shut any
out from his sympathy neither did it
admit him. For man as man he had
sympathy. l have asked many among
the thousands that have served him,
what have you now to say OF him, and
the answer is always the same, che was
a man whose Scripture was, Honor all
men, from him we have had kindness
and Justice" o men, how high is this
employer placed by the pathos of your
grief. No bitter memories mingle with
your sorrow. There is no reserve in
your faith that he has ''passed through"
into the life eternal. Your gifts of
flowers are fragrant with your affec-
ton while their beauty utters the
prayer-"Thus may we all enter into
the kingdom of God" Blessed capital,
that has been so employed as to draw
such usury from the hearts of those
who are the sons of toll.
Of that sacred love that shone with
serene beauty within his home we can
not speak. They only can tell us of
the religion of the husband and father
in whose hearts it now rests as the
most blessed thing of life. There the
Scriptural charity found Il real COM
muniOn as the one soul in that house
hold looked toward God and over hu-
man needs together. In that beauti-
full home in the sunny and leafy corner
of our village he now sleeps among his
books and pictures. There the quiet
and gracious heart has given courtesy |
and wisdom to many who have sought |
his sympathy. There we shall ever
think of him as looking forth from his
eyes of welcome the power of a charity |
that lifts us up to Il share in his own
faith in Him whose name is Love. He
has gone. "My Father, my Father, the
chariot of Israel and the horsemen
thereof" But with our sorrow we will
join our gratitude, that so long as his
memory lives in US we can never go
back from that life where charity
felSnS supreme.
A former pastor, always friend of
Mr.. Fairbanks, sends as his expression
of love q sonnet in whose tender and
hopeful movement we can all join =
o Friend whose radiant life made day more bright
And nights refreshed with cooling twilight dews
Thy deeds had little need our words to use
But told their own clear story in our sight,
Yet thy free spirit took narrow flight,
Nor place timerestrained thy kingly thought
Thou with thy God for worlds to come hast
wrought,
Thy God in coming worlds shall be thy Light
Yea, mourn we must, our days are darker grown,
And dimmed all the stars that shine above
Our comfort from the immortal spring flows
down.
Oh, come victorious Faith, and work with Love;
Hath he not in the Kingdom gained his erown9
Heal and lift up hearts, most holy Dove.
After the sermon the audience join
ed in singing the Portuguese hymn,
How firm foundation, We saints of the Lord
Is laid for your faith in his excellent wOrdi
Mr.. Fairbanks's favorite hymn.
At the close of the service all who
desired to look once more upon the
face of Gov. Fairbanks were invited to
his old home on Western avenue, and
a large portion of the assem- blage avail
ed themselves of the opportunity.
In the library, surrounded by the
books and pictures that he loved so
we'll, laid the earthly remains of Hor-