New-York tribune., 1901-09-20
THE WORLDS SYMPATHY.
occasion

Never before was there so powerful demon
stration as there was Yesterday of the truth OF
the words which Shakespeare put into the
mouth of Ulysses, zone touch Of nature makes
the whole world kim The touch of nature
was woful one. But in that woe the whole
world seemed involved. Our news columns
have teemed. and teem to-day, with reports of
tributes 10 Americas dead paid by other and
distant lands. The French Republic tempered
it's welcome 10 the Russian Car with signs of
mourning for our loss. The German Emperor
sent his personal representative TO memorial
service and put the flags at ha1fmast on the
vessels of his navy. And so the tale goes around
the world, to the antpodes and back again.
Differences of race and of form of government
seemed for the time forgotten. There was
something In Americas bereavement which
transcribed all such artificial lines. There was
a sharp. deep touch of elemental nature. and 1t
made the whole world kin in bonds of SYM
pathy.
1t will not be regarded as invldious II especial
remark he made upon the manifestations OF
sympathy made in the British Empire, both In
Europe and In America. II was unique thing
for the King to order his court into mourning
for an American President, and so II was for
such services as those of yesterday 10 be held
at St Paus and Westminster 1t was n not
able thing for the great commercial exchanges
throughout the kingdom 70 be closed for the
flags to be halfmasted in the navy, and for
memorial services to be held in cathedrals and
churches everywhere memorial service at
the British Embassy at Constantnople.
salute from the guns OF Gibraltar. and the
closing of all banks, exchanges and places
of business in Bombay are only a few items
from an innumerable host telling Of the I'M
feigned sympathy Of our kin beyond the sea-"
In the Dominion of Canada the demonstra-
ton was perhaps of all most marked. The
heir apparent to the throne had Just landed, and
all the country had prepared TO welcome him
with funess of rejoicing. But for the time OF
our mourning Canada, too, mourned scarcely
less generally than we. Yesterday was made
day Of cessation from business and from
pleasure and d day of mourning and prayer,
north of the border well as south OF IT, In
that respect the traveller would scarcely have
been conscious of having crossed the line from
the one country into the other. For the day
the dream of continental union was In senti-
ment realized. Canada and the United States
were one in some of the tenderest and not least
strong bonds that can bind humankind together.
The generous and sympathetic messages and
actions of England's King in this sad drama
will henceforth cause Americans TO regard him
with added frendliness. So the fact of his
participation in the mourning of the Dominion
for our lost President will cause the Duke of
Cornwall to be esteemed with love and graft
tude by this nation, which would have been
glad under happier auspices to welcome him TO
it's soil.
Our day of mourning was thus gently illu-
mined with the light Of sympathy and grati-
tude The American people thank the world,
perhaps more than they themselves realize
But we have only to imagine the contrary. we
have only to suppose that some nation had done
the impossible thing Of exultng In our woe and
to picture to ourselves the Indignation we should
have felt at the heartless outrage. AS our
wrath would have been so should be and so Is
our gratitude for the worlds sympathy. And
shall not forget.