Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1901-09-25
TRIBUTE OAN OBLEL LIFE
Continued from first page.

and the 3Sth verse: know ye not
that there Is a prince, q great man,
fallen today In Israeli" Abner, one
OF the greatest warriors OF fold Testa-
ment history, had been cruelty asssssi-
mated. Some OF the people who had
come to invite the king to a banquet
were received with this question.
He had explained to them the fact
that it was improper for the king or
the nation to engage In b~anqueting
at such a time, and then said: "Know
ye not that there is a prince, a great
man, fallen today In Israeli"
Julian, the great musical leader,
standing before five thousand players
and singers, with n stroke of his
baton could hush that vast throng
into silence. But God has done more
than this. With one act, a simple
act OF removing from amog US one OF
our citizens, he has hushed into silence
seventy millions OF people. All, l
would say he has hushed into silence
u whole world, for today the whole
world mourns the loss OF a prince, a
great man, In Israel.
Moses was taught OF God for forty
years before he became the leader OF
that great nation. Forty years spent
In learning how to conduct a great
people into peace and plenty. When
l read the life of our lamented presi-
dent find that God has been leading
that man from childhood to the day
when he took his seat as president Of
the United States. He led him
through the school OF experience,
where lessons were taught and les
sons were learned. At the early age
OF eighteen we find that young boy
In the army, clothed with the blue,
and there he follows the fortunes of
war for four long years. Four years!
Who a measure that time? Four
years OF grave-digging; four years Of
funerals, Of collins, of shrouds; four
years of the cry Of the widow and Of
the orphan ringing in his ears; four
years OF destruction and pillage; four
years of murder. oh, God! What
can four years OF such life not teach
a man? And when, years later, the
war clouds again lowered above this
nation, and the chief executive waited
and waited, hoping and praying that
there might be a rift In the darkness,
men had the audacity to cry out,
"Coward!" But to the mind of Presi-
dent Mckinley there came u vision
the vision o. a battlefield! All. those
torn and mangled bodies! All, the
cry from the north and the south:
"Give me back my boy! Give me
back my husband!" The cry OF the
orphan: "Give me back my father!!"
Such was the vision that came to
that man, who was no coward. but
who knew what the nation would be
called upon to endure; ne had gone
through four years OF this hell upon
earth; four years, In which 1t was
said that there was not an American
home but that remembered one dead.
And after those four terrible years
were ended he entered upon the study
OF law. The warriors course had
come to an end, and the statesman's
career now begins, and we can nee
why God pointed out that way; the
future should hold great and deep
problems; problems that would tax
the human mind to the fullest ex tent;
problems that would need the mind
Of a lawyer, that would need the
mind Of IA thinker, that would need
the mind Of the brOadest statesman
that our land could produce, fOrsolu-
ton. God pointed out the way and
our president followed the leading OF
his Maker, and In that school he
learned some OF the things which
have come down to us as the fruits
OF his study. And we look today
upon that man who now lies cold In
death as the German people look
upon their Bismarck: The man who
has given tn us an empire; the man
who was able to lead US through a
crisis, and to bring us out and up on
a plane that is higher and that is
better than that which preceded 1t.
We believe that we owe to our
beloved president the honor and dis
tinction Of creating an empire upon
which the u W sets. But l say
1t required the school of preparation
to produce such n man, and God led
that man step by step until he gave
him to US ns the finished product, as
the first American citizen.
But there was another school, and
one which is perhaps just as impOr-
tant as the previous two. There was
that narrow home circle. Who can
read the story OF this mans life and
not feel that never had ason anobler
mother? All, never had a mother a
nobler son. Their ways were knit
together in that life which has be-
come an inspiration to the American
people. And then that more tender
tie. that love that exists between
man and his wife. We dare not touch
upon that sacred thing, but 1t was a
school. There was suffering In that