The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1901-10-05
TWO TAGEpIES.

The mos, pititul. the most perverse
and. as It should be. the mos, impres
. sively instructive Of all contrasts In hu
man tragedies is tha, which now has
tens to It's fnal scene It would have
been a grateful relief to le; the curtain
.an forever upon It with the passing
II righteous sentence against the dss-
p!caole wretch who brought 1t all about,
Blu; a power more strong than inelln-
alton or desire dictates a moral which
al the worli may probably heed
Only a few days ago President Nc
Kinley died. and the whole world stood
in prayerful suspense and sympathy
about his bed and n ineonsolable sor-
row abou; his bier. Never in human
history was The dea;h Of man more
universally lamsnted. Never. not even
/ by Socrates, was death more nobly met.
All tina, tender sympathy and rever-
ence ani spiritual majesty could lend
to glorify the scene was there, Apart
from the pain and the w,ckei1sss u the
catastrophe, there is no man 50 really
and 80 resigned but thar he might well
envy Mckinley his death. and echo the
praptr Of Balaam "Le: ny Gea,h be
Ike his," I, was a scene upon which.
despite Its sadness. the thoughtful mind
mus; dwell with chas;ened gratitude.
devou;ly thankful tha, 50 great a spirit
ual vlctroy was possible TO mortal man.
Look here upon this picture. and on
this" The miserable author q a ma
tionsl woe stands appalled, at the mis-
chief he has wrought. He owns to the
hideous magnitude OF his mistake. He
has not a word to Offer IN self-exculpa- |
Jon. Amid The teeming multitudes OF /
earth he stands Isolated in the Internal |
loneliness Of universal execration. Or |
II he Is not altogether execratsd 1t ls
because his meanness lets a half plying |
contempt usurp the place of the more |
strenuous passion. And so the most abb
ject. the most iespised. the most loathed
creature in the world Is borne from the
bar OF justice TO the cell Of death. coll
lansing in utter tgnominy.
Let the curtain fall on the piiable. the
abomnlable scene. Yet it Is well that
some memories Of it should live in hui
man minds. 1, would be well 4 those
anarchists and militant socialists who
plo, assassination aud laud {. as an act
of heroism should forever remember
how this anarchist received the sentence
of his doom. A fine thing 1t seems to
them. under the Indictment Of drink
and brute applause, to rant about the
,ause" and about the glory Of serving
/; in a deed" and 10 send some wretch ]
ID "comrade" forth to do the deed. But
what is 1t to stand where this one stood.
Ind stands? Do the Mosts and Cold
mans and their tribe envy such fate
ls his? Do they envy the utter. abb
ecr terrcr and the irremeilable remorg
which now torture that fallen soul?
And well win it be, too. for the intem-
)erate clamorers Of an. .unbridled press ;
o mark and to remember this sequel
o their sensational fulminations Re- q
member wha; this murderer was in mis-
rial and what he is in his cell No I
;lory. no heroism. no applause. no SYM
,athy. no martyrdom, no sustaining 2
ense Of self-approval Nothing but in =
inite horror and rem1rse within and !
Universal detestaI1n and contempt 4
Without. Is there another anarchls; b
Who desires such a fac? Is there an a
gitator who would incite even his q
worst Zoe to seek It? a