The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-12-28
SERVICE AT THE CHURCH.
An Impressive Cere mony-Appro-
pirate Music Rendered by
the Choir.


Long before the hour of o'clock, sci
for the commencement of the service at
the church, large number of people pa
tientIv awaited the opening of the doors,
and Immediately afterward the church
was crowded. Of those present there was
pr obably not one attracted by no deeper
sentiment than mere curiosity. The ma
jority, it is safe to assert, were there as
mourners, and the personnel of the spec
tators included many of the most promi-
nept and highly respected citizens, both
OF San Francisco and of the State. The
occasion was one which forcibly appealed
to every class in the community capable
of admiring genius and regretting its I'M
timely removal from sphere of useful ac-
tivity.
The fact that the death of Miss Kate
Field is regarded and deplored as Ma
tional loss was eloquently indicated by
the presence of floral offering from Presi-
dent Cleveland, who, through his private
secretary, Henry f. Thurber. wired the
San Francisco Press Club in the following
terme:
The President will be very glad to avail him.
self OF your kindness TO have a floral offering
placed on the bier of Kate Field for him.
These directions were complied with
after the coffin had been transferred
to the crematory, a tasteful wreath of
white roses being the silent tribute from
the Unions chief executive. Similar Of
ferings from Governor Budd on behalf of
the State of California, from Colonel
Shafter on behalf of 70. the officers
and men at the Preside, from Mayor
Sutro and Mayor-elect Phelan, represent
ing the City of San francisco, were also
among the most conspicuous of the pub
lie tokens of sym pathy.
But these were but a few of the many
exquisite floral EN- Diems received from the
friends and admirers of the deceased. The
chancel of the church, which still retained
its Christmas garb of foliage, was a mass
of glorious color early in the day, and ad-
dItional bouquets and wreaths were re-
ceived within few minutes of the COM
mencement of the service.
Promptly at 2 o'clock the officiating
minister, Rev. George E. Walk, entered
the church at the head of the funeral
cortege, which had assem- bled at the un-
dertaker's. As the coffin, escorted by
twelve pallbearers, passed slowly up the
aisle the solemn strains of Beethoven's
funeral march were heard from the organ,
at which DR.. H. ]. Stewart presided
The choir then sang an appropriate Sc
lection, after which the officiating minis
ter read the lesson from the First Epistle
of st. Paul to the Corinthians, chapter
XIV, beginning with the twentieth verse,
Mrs. Mile Flynn Wratten gave an ex-
qulsite rendering of HandePs feeling aria,
ANGELS, Ever Bright and Fair" the
pure soprano tones of the vocalist peing
admirably adapted TO the devotional
nature of the solo; the rector and the
congregation of mourners joined in prayer,
the choir sang "Abide With Me-" and the
first portion of the ceremony was con-
cluded.
DR.. Stewart played Chopih's funeral
march as the cortege re, formed and con-
veyed the coffin to the hearse outside.
The choir quartet was composed of the
following: Mrs. Olive Reed, contraIto !;
Mrs. Mile Flynn Wratten, soprano; H.
NJ. Fortescue, tenor; Osgood Putnam,
basso.
The pallbearers were, with few excep-
tions, members of the profession with
which Miss Kate Field was so honorably
connected during her lifetime. They
were: c. M. Coe and w. c. Bunner, rep
resenting the Press Club; f. C. Roberts,
the Post; ]. P. Booth, the Report; ]. S.
Tyler, the Bulletin; Henry James, the
Examiner; H. S. Scott. the Chronicle,
and W. F. Burke, The CALL, and w. H.
Mills, James D. Phelan, Henry E. High
ton and A. w. Foster.