Rocky Ford enterprise., 1896-02-13
The Late Geo. B. Cheney.

There is ''a sadness not unpleasing
in the task of recounting the virtues oi
licensed friend, and l readily accede to
vour request, Mr.. Editor, that l write q
memoir of my late friend Cheney.
knew him intimately. We came rom
the same part of the east, where we had
mutual acquaintance, and we came Oh
the same errand-to fight fell disease'
Tn that fight it has CHANGED that my
friend has fallen first. Had the order
been reversed no service would have
been too great for him to do for me.
George b. Cheney was born at OVID
Mich, in the month Of Juno, 1856. The
sturdy independence which was the Key,
note of his character early asserted itself
and when very young he started out TO
make his own place in the world. Tel
eyraphy was quite novel art yet and TO
that he gave himself, beginning as mes
senger boy in small office and rising oy
degrees to first place under the chet
superiptendent of IN important railway
system. Had his health not failed hm
tho topmost place would no doubt IN
time have been his. But the more cred.
,
not climb to place and prominence by
the crowding down OF other men. On
the contrary there Is more than one man
in railway positions of importance today
who acknowledge the help given them IN
the word of praise spoken to superior OIL
GERS in their behalf by George Cheney;
And after he came west he was surprised
himself at the number Of comparatively
unknown friends who sent kindly in-
ouiry about his health and asked when
he was coming back.
Ii is the custom always to speak OF q
man 8 religious affiliations IN his obituary.
My friends theology was notable chiefly
Tor what it did not contain. Only once
did our personal conversation turn seri-
ously upon that theme. l remember We
were spending few days in Pueblo to-
getker. Our families wero both in the
east. We were alone and i'll and all the
elements seemed combined Just then to
make us talk OF "worms and graves and
epitaphs," and the substance OF what he
said was this:
l do not know how to voice my
thought of God. You might say it,
Taylor, il 1 could get my idea into your
head, but have no language that seems
equal to the occasion. l simply feel it.
As to prayer, there was time when l
might have done it, but it strikes me that
ii would be q very poor and cheap affair
il undertook now to give the Almighty
any information concerning myself. He
probably knows my record farther back
than ! do, and bolieve he will excuse
me for not saying anything about it. AZ
to heaven, he said, l haven't the faintesi
idea on which to locate 1t, but wherever
it is feel that it must surely be better
world than this for Il man to grow in
We shall surely shake off some OF our
meanness, our pettiness and our ntfecta
tions of what we neither think nor feel
II will surely be place where our sue
cess will not turn co much on othel
mems failures; it will not be a game o
chess where each of ,is must watch th'
other in order to checl;mate him or pre-
vent ourselves from being cEeckmatcl
We shall not climb on stepping stones o
our dead fellows 10 Eobler things there
for that is what We seem to be dom,
here.
Mr.. Cheney wus always student o
business rather than books, but he hat
nevertheless an artistic touch in his M
turc. and during his illncss found som'
strength md leisure in which to develor
n latent talent for drawing lie Ind no
previously known himself possessed OF
But the discovery came too late to b,
made much OF. His waning strength
would not respond TO his genius. He in
terested himself in our Unity circle Al
far as his strength would allow and nctct
rs its secretary-lrcasurer He contribut
cd with his means TO the development o
our town, md was in nll things deJira
bic citizen. Some who stood with m,
beside his bier sighed, .poor Cheney
I mn N.aF
We who are unfortunate when trul,
righteous man dies .jus, where man
hood's morning reaches noon" We hav,
laid him In the kindly arms OF Mothe
Earth, to be resolved to earth again. ant
from his dear and honorable dust mn,
vio!et1 md forget-me-nots bloom.
G. Ii. T.