The Washington times., 1901-09-16

Solemn services were held in all the
churches Of America yesterday. when the
ministers of the gospel Of Christ paid
reverent tribute to the memory Of PIesi
dert Mckinley. With their congre cations
they Joined in prayers for his devoted
widow in her hour of tribulation. In all
the places of worship in the Capital.
whatever the denomination. from the
humblest chapel TO the greatest church
of the city, the services were Of the same
spirit, deploring the death of the Presi-
dent. and expressing the grief, not only
of this country, but of the entire civil
lied world.
Eloquent and pathetic words of comfort
and hope for the nation in the great loss
just sustained were said in all the pull
pits OF Washington. while all creeds join
ed in hymns of profound lamentation over
the sorrow which, coming suddenly as
a bolt OF lightning from a clear heaven.
has left the world stricken and Mortified.
Never before in the history Of the
country has so much sorrow been shown
as over the passing away Of President
Mckinley, and never did man leave be-
hind him so strong a love In the hearts
Of his fellow men. The services at the
various local churches were pathetic and
sincere The death of the President en-
gagged the attention of ministers. while
large congregations OF sorrowing WASH
fngtonians filed each edifice to the doors.
TO express their grief and keen personal
loss.
II was as though summons had gone
forth TO gather the people into the taber-
nacles They came from all portions of
the city. and among the faces Of those
who listened to the words from the chan
tg laE he &C. Hprn
before within the portals of any church.
Large numbers OF persons who listened
TO the divine services yesterday at the
various churches were those who belong
ed to no church, but so profound is the
grief in Washington that the people Of
the Capital of the nation came together
as of one accord The gatherings were
spontaneous, and showed plainly the deep
hold which President Mckinley had upon
the affections OF the P2ople of Washing
ton, with whose citizens as a whole he
was better acquainted than with those
OF any other city in the country.
Sorrow profound and universal, was the
sole theme in the churches. Grief for the
bereavement of a great nation overshad-
owed everything else. From the Presi-
dents church TO small and humble mis-
sions in distant portions of the city. the
SUBJECT WAS the same, ana the Srlei Was
none the less sincere. In the Catholic
churches as well as in the Protestant the
same sadness and sorrow prevailed.
BY the harsh turn OF fate many of the
sermons which were prepared early in
the week, when the entire world was
ringing with the glad intelligence that
President Mckinley would recover from
the wound of the assassin, were yester-
day altered TO lamentation over his tragic
death.
The character of the President was Gu
logized and hitting tributes paid to his
memory. The fact that he was the Chief
Magistrate of powerful nation. states
man, and a public figure in the history of
the country was forgotten in the consid-
Grafton of his Christian qualities and man
ly virtues of character. The nobility of
his life from his boyhood to manhood,