The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1901-09-25

he was sincere, plain and honest,
Just benevolent and kind. He never
disappointed those who believed In
him, bat measured up to every duty,
and met every responsibility In life
grandiy and unAinchingly. Not only
was our president brave, heroic and.
honest, he was as gallant knight as
erer rode in the lists for his lady
love in the days when knighthood was
In flower. It is but a few weeks since
the nation had looked ON with tear
dimmed eyes as it saw with what ten
der conjugal devotion he sat at the
bedside OF his beloved wife when all
highest vocation In life. It was not,
however, his mothers faith that made
him Christian. He had gained in
early life personal knowledge of
Jesus which guided him in the per
torrance of greater duties and yaster
responsibilities than have been the
lot of any other American president.
He said at one time, while bearing
heavy burdens, that he cCNld not dis
charge the daily duties of his life but
for the fact that he had faith in God.
William Mckinley believed in pray
er, In the beauty of It,; in the pc.
tency of 1T. Its language was not I'M
familiar to him and his public address,
es not infrequentIy evidence the fact.
1t was perfectly consistent with
his life long convictions and his per-
sonal experiences that he should say
as the first critical moment after the
assassin approached, THY Kingdom
come; thy will be done;" and that he
should declare at the last: at is Gods
way His will be DONE" He loved
grandly; IL was fitting that he should
die grandly. And now that the ma
jesty of death has touched and calm
ed him. we find that in his supreme
moment he was still conqueror.
My friends and countrymen with
what language shall attempt to give
expression to the deep horror of our
souls as l speak of the cause of his
death? When we consider the magni-
tude of the crime that has plunged
the country and the world into unut-
terable grief we are not surprised that
one nationality after another has has
tened to repudiate the dreadful act.
This gentle spirit who hated no one,
to whom every man was a brother,
was suddenly smited by the cruel hand
of an assassin and that too. while in
the very act of extending kind and
generous greeting to one who ap.
preached him under the sacred guise
of friendship.
Could the assassin have realized
how awful was the act he was about
to perform, how utterly heartless the
deed, methinks he would have stayed
his hand at the very threshold of it.
In all coming years men will seek In
vain to fathom the enormity of that
crime. Had this man felled by the
shot of tyrant, an oppressor, an in
sane frenzy to rid the world of him
might have some excuse, but 1t was
tho peoples friend whom &c fell wnen
William Mckinley received the fatal
wound. Himself son of toll. his
sympathieJ were with the toiler. No
one who has seen the matchless grace
and perfect ease with which he greet
ed such, can ever doubt that his heart
was in his open hand. Every heart
throb was for his countrymen. That
his life should be sacrificed at such a
time, just when there was abundant
peace, when all the Americas were re.
joicinE together, is one of the inscrut-
able mysteries of providence. Like
many others 1t must be left for future
revelations to explain.
In the midst of our sorrow we haYo
much to console us. He lived to see
his nation greater than ever before.
all sectional lines are blotted out.
There is no south, no north, no east,
no west. Washington saw the begin
ming of our national life. Lincoln
passed through the night of our his
tory and saw the dawn. Mckinley be-
held his country in the splendor of its
noon. Truly he died In the fullness
of his fame. with ST. Paul he could
say and with equal truthfulnesB, II
am now ready to be offered" The
work assigned him had been well
done. The nation was at peace. We
had fairly entered upon an era of I'M
paralIeled pros kerity: our revenues
were generous. Our standing among
the nations was secure. Our prest-
dent WAS safely enshrlned in the afToc-
lions of united people. 1t was not
at him the fatal shot was fired, but at
the very life of the government. His
Offering was vicarious. 1t was blood
poured upon the altar of liberty. In
view of those things we are not sur
prised to hear when this great soul
passed away that he never before saw
death so peaceful, or dying man
SO crowned with grandeur. Let us
turn now to a brief consideration of
some of the lessons that we arc to
learn from InlS Sdu event. 1hS III SN
one that will occur to us all is the old,
old lesson that in the midst of life we
are in death. Man GoGth to his work
and to his labor until the evening.
He feeth as it were a shadow and
never continueth in one stay.
Our president went forth in the full
ness of his strength, in his manly
beauty and was suddenly smited by
the hand that brought death with it.
None of us can tell what n day may
bring forth. Let us therefore, remem-
Der that mo man llveth to himself
and none of us liveth to himself"
May each days close see each days
duty done. But our last words must
be spoken. Little more than four
years ago we babe him good bye as he
went to assume the great responsible.
tiles to which the nation had called
him His last words as he left us
Nothing could give me greater pleas
ure than this farewell greeting-this
avIdanpe Of yOur frIandShiD and VOur