The Portland daily press., 1899-04-01
ISAAC n. BAILrrs FUNERAL.
Eulesy Pronounced BY colonel Robert
u. IngersolI.
The Idee Of Immortality that Ebbs and
Flows Beneath the Mats and Clouds

i efDoubt.
AT the funeral Of the late Isaac II.
Bailey, who wss buried in New York
city, and who had many friends In Port
land, Robert 6. lnsersoil, who was a
friend of tho deceased, delivered an slo-
quent eulogy. saying;
/ "When one whom we hold dear has
reached the end Of life and laid his burden
down, 'it Is but natural for as, hit
| friends. TO pay the tribute OF respect and
love; to tell his virtues, TO express our
sense of loss and speak above the soulp-
| tured clay some woid Of hope.
/ "Our friend, about whose bier we
stand, was In the highest, noblest sense
| a M an. He was not born TO wealth-he
| was khjs own providence, his own teach
er. With him work was worship and labor
was his only prayer. He depended on
him self, and was as independent as IL is
possible for man to be. He hated debt,
| and obligation was n chain that soari ed
his flesh. He lived long and useful life.
In age he reaped with JOY what he had
sown in youth. he did not lnger 'un-
til his flame lacked oil, but with his
senses keen, his mind undimmed, an !
with bis arms filled with gathered
sheaves, in an instant, painlessly, upl
consciously, he passed from happiness
and health to the realm Of perfect peace.
We need not mourn Tor MIN Dut Tor
ourselves, for those he loved.
ale was nm absolutely honest mana
man who kept his word, who fulfilled
his contracts, gave beaped and rounded
measure and discharged all obligations
with the tabled ohivalry Of ancient
knights. He. was absolutely honest, not
only with others, but with himself 10
his last moment his soul was stainless.
| He was true to his idea. true to his
thought, and what his brain conceived
his lips expressed.
"He refused to pretend. He knew that
to believe without evidence was impossi-
bic to the sound and sane, and that to
say you believed when you did not was
possible only to the hypocrite or coward.
He did not believe In the supernatural.
| He was a natural man and lived a natu
raj life. He had no fear of friends DE
cared nothing for the guesses OF inspired
savages; nothing for the threats or
.'he enjoyed this life-the good things
of this world--the clasp and smile Of
friendship, the exchange of generous
deeds, the reasonable qualification OF the
senses-of the wants OF the body and
mind. He was neither an insane ascetio
nor fool of pleasure, but walked the
golden path along the strip OF verdure
that lies between the deserts Of extremes.
with him to do right was not simply
| a duty, IL was n pleasure. be had phlloso-
ply enough TO know that the quality OF
actions depends upon their consequences
and that these consequences are the re-
| wards and punishments that no Gou can
give, infiict, withhold or pardon.
THE GENIUS OF FRIENDSHIP.
"He loved his country, he was proud
of the heroic past, dissatisfied with the
present, and confident of the future. He
stood on the rock of principle. With him
the wisest policy was to do right. DE
would not compromise with wrong. de
had no respect for political failures who
became reforp,ers and decorated fraud
with the pretence of philanthropy or
sought tc gain some private enc IN the
name of public good. He despised time
servers, trimmers, fawners and all sorts
| and kinds of pretenders
'He believed In national honesty; in
the preservation OF public faith De be-
lieved that the government should dis
J charge every obfigntion-the Implied us
I faithfully as the expressed. And l would
| be- unjust to his memory IL / did not say
that he be ieyed in honest money. in the
| best money in the world, In pure gold.
And that he despised with all his heart
financial frauds, and regarded o0 cents
that pretended to be dollar as he would
a thief In the uniform Of policeman, or
q crimina in the robe.of judge.
."he believed in liberty and liberty for
| all. He pitied the slave and hated the
master; that is to say, he was an honest
man. In the dark days of the Rebellion
he stood for the right. he loved Lincoln
with all his hesrt-loved him for his
| genius, his courage and his goodness.
| he loved Conkling-lo ed him for his In
dependence and his manhood, for his un-
wavering courage, and because ne woulu
NOT bow or benu-loved him because he
accepted defeat with the pride OF VIC
tor He loved Grant. and in the temple of
| his heart, over the altar, In the highest
niche, stood the great soldier.
| Mature was kind TO our friend. She
gave him the blessed gift OF humor. This
| filled his days with the climate of au-
tumn, SO that to him even disaster had Its
sunny side. On account OF his humor he
appreciated and enjoyed the great litera'
| ture OF the world. He loved Shakespeare,
| his clowns and heroes He appreciated
ami enjoyed Dickens The characters OF
| this great novelist we're his aoq uain
tanoes. he knew them alt; some were
| his friends and some he dearly loved. he
had wit of the keenest and quickest. The
| instant the steel Of his logic suiote the
flint of absurdity, the spark elittered.
! And vet his wit was always kind. The
| flower went With the thorn The targets
| of his wit were nos made enemies, but al
mirers.
| - he was social, anu dlter tuo lea5t VI
serious conyers ation ha loved the vine
of wit-the dessert Of a good story that
blossomed into mirth. He enjoyed games
was ueig ted by the relations of chance
the curious combinations OF acoiGent
He ha the genius of friendship. In his
nature tnere was no suspicion. He could
not lie poisoned against n friend. The
arrows of slander never pierced the shield
of his confidence. lie demanded Demon
| stration he defended a friend as he de
Tended himself Against all comeTs he
etood firm, and he never desert tsd the iield
until the friend had fed. have known
many, many friends-have clasDed the
hands of many that | love. but in the
journey of my life 1 have never graspeu
the hand of better, truer, more unset
fish friend than he who lies before US
clothed in the perfect peace OF death. He
loved me living and l love him now.
IDEA OF MORTALITY.
In youth we front the sun; we live
| in light without fear, without thought
of dusk or night. We glory In excess