Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-25
AT DOUGLASS BIER
Continued from First Page.)

18th street, could not get in, but the police
insisted on perfect order, and the process
sion of Dd-faced people poured steadily
into the church at one door and out at the
other The guards constantly cautioned
those who fingered past the instant that
gave a feeting glance at the face sof the
dead. Some would have stood and shed
their tears upon the casket, but the pro-
cession was kept moving, and no time was
given for the demonstration of GRIEF. 1t
was a wonderfully impressive throng Of
people. There were white-haired old men,
who, had known Mr.. Douglass from the
times when the struggle for race liberty be-
gan in this country. Fathers and mothers
lifted little children to see the face of their
champion. Men and women wept, and
upon all there was the sober look of gen.
uine sorrow for the death of a benefactor.
Here and there in the long, persistent
stream of humanity came one bearing
flower, a fern leaf or a bouquet, which was
silently laid upon the casket. Thousands
upon thousands thus looked for the last
time On the face Of Frederick Douglass,
greatest Of their race In this age.
The Funeral Services.
When the hour Of pm. arrived and the
funeral cortege assembled in the lecture
room Of the church the streets for blocks
away were packed impassably dense with
people hopeful of admission. At the doors
the police with difficulty kept order. Many
with tickets failed to gain entrance. The
procession. led by Rev. DR.. Jenifer reading
from the litany, entered the main audito-
rum Of the church promptly at o'clock.
The church was then thrown open and
rapidly filed to the last inch of standing
room. In seats set apart for friends sat
the widow of Mr.. Douglass alone, until, by
change of seating arrangements, Justice
Harlan, Senator Sherman and Senator
Hoar were seated in the same pew There
sat in the front seats delegations from
New York, Baltimore, Norfolk and Annap-
lit, T~l,, Wy ,1,slxy for
of the church, read the opening hymn,
Nearer, My God, To Thee which was
inpressively sung by the choir. The Rev:
Alexander Crumell of ST. Luke's Episcopal
Church then offered prayer.
The program was as follows: scripture
lesson, read by Bishop S. w. Wayman; re
marks by the pastor, DR.. Jenifer, followed
by tributes by Rev. Hugh 7. Stephenson
DR.. J. E. Rankin and Bishop A. w. Way
man; music; tribute by Mrs Elizabeth Cady
Stanton, read by Miss Susan b. Anthony.
Mrs. Sewall and M. Clement Faentjens,
the Haitian minister. Prayer by Kew.
Anna H. Shaw closed the services.
The Pastors Tribute.
Rev. DR.. ]. T. Jenifer said. selecting as his
text 2 Samuel, 1888: 'Know ye not that
there is a prince and great man fallen
this day in Israeli" and Revelations, lib:
"And heard a voice from heaven saying,
Write blessed are the dead that die in the
1T, that they may rest from their labors,
and their works do follow Them Dr. Jen-
ifer said: "ThurSday last the peoples or
five continents and the islands read with
regret the sad intelligence, Frederick
Douglass is dead Today the world unlteS
in sympathy with us, who sorrow for our
great loss by this death. We mourn the
taking away of him who was our eminent
and loved leader, and most illustrious eX-
ample of our possibilities as people
Frederick Douglass, a representative ever
faithful to his people, their champion, wise.
counsellor and fearless defender. Such
life as his is itself an GRAFTON and this
gathering an echo.
mo man can give the people Frederick
Douglass funeral discourse. He has de-
liyered that himself by his life and labors
His career is written in fifty years of his
country's eventful life. For seventy-eight
years he was passing through the most
thrilling epochs of his peoples experiences
in this their land of conflicts and of suffer-
ings.
"Our text tells us of great man that
had fallen in the national struggles in
Israel All parts of history are tributaries
to the vast whole as rivers that go into
the ocean help to make a whole 1t was
the leading spirits among the Egyptian,
Assyrian, Grecian, Hebrew and Roman
peoples that made them potent factors
in the worlds advance In civilization. Each
of these peoples at it's appointed time came
into its place as part of this vast whole
of history. The Hebrews have been large
y
vancement. Moses, David, Abner and their
kind evinced the possibilities in leader
ship. When this republic entered as a
tributary to this current of events George
lows, led them. The Afro-American be-
came an important factor in American his
tory, and Frederick Douglass has been the
pre-emnent leader of them.
Men show themselves great in the first
place they evidence their ability to over
come difficulties and rise to the achieve
ments that benefit their fellow man. as
well themselves
An Inspiring Example.
what an inspiring example of possibili-
ties the life of Frederick Douglass has set
before young men. A hungry slave boy in
coarse trousers, tussing with the dog Tip
for g crust of bread to the conqueror Of all
opposition; the sign boards his alphabet
From this he advances-the devourer Of
books; the student of great thoughts; the
orator, writer. author, lecturer, editor; the
foreign traveller, consort and counselor
with great men; United States marshal, re-
corder; the foreign diplomat and commits
soner. How full his life! How completely
rounded out! How interviewer in the warp
and the wool Of his country's history!
"When all the great questions Involving
this country's interest or his peoples well
fare had been spoken upon or written about
then what Douglass had to say was eagerly
looked for; because he always said some
thing that gave an old subject new set
ting and threw upon trite question new
light. His comprehensive scrutiny and
logical expression compelled the most dis
corning to say: We never saw it before
in this light"
Hence, in what he wrote, on the platform
or in companionship Frederick Douglass
was never an occasional man; but ever
guarded, ever apt and ready, never disap-
pointing those who heard him. Loving and
sunny in personal contact, simple and I'M
assuming in manner, he ever impressed one
with the greatness of his character. His
tenderness Of heart, love of children and of
young people, high regard for womanhood,
with that broad sympathy for suffering.
ever invoked the trend of his great soul
Godward. He looked upon man as man.
How BETTING, then, for such a man to die
on such an occasion, discussing such sub
ject! One whose life, devoted his has
been, in conflict for manhood liberty-on
what occasion and place more appropriate
for such a soul to take it's fight from labor
to reward than from an assembly Of the
women of the world, struggling for the
larger freedom and higher development of
her sex, in the interest of better wife,
mother, daughter home?
Mr.. DOuglnss' Religious Convictions.
"a great deal has been said and written
about Mr.. Douglass religious convictions
and Frederick Douglass as church man.
What 1 shall say upon this point will be
tO1I -, ,1lf