Waterbury Democrat., 1901-09-23
WATERTONN JOTTINGS.
wATERTOwN PAYS TRIBUTE TO MEMORY OF LATE PRESIDENT

Hundreds of People Struggled to Gain
 Admittance to Memorial Exercises
 Father O1Donnelrs Address Roberts
 Boy Terribly Injured on an Elevator.
 Services in memory of William Me kinley, late president of the United States, were held in town hall Water town, last evening at o'clock, and long before that hour the hall was packed almost to suffOcatiOn. Hon Horace D. Taft presided. Services were commenced with voluntary, fol- lcwed by the hymn, How Firm Foundation" The joint chOirs of all the churches sang and Rev William II. Holmes conducted responsive reading. Rev W. W. Winans led in prayer and the entire congregation sang President Mckinley'S favorite hymn, Nearer, My God to Thee" Rev Fl. N. Cum ningham conducted Scripture reading. The Hon H. D. Taft's introductory ad- dress was especially appropriate. The address of the evening by the Rev James Fl. O'DOnneIi was something that will not soon be forgotten. Such elOquence, such feeling. or such ora tory have been seldom introduced within the walls of the town hall- The address was inspiring, and as hun dredS expressed q desire to forever re- tain those expressions in memory the address is herein published, as fol lows:
 Blessed are the dead. who die in the Lord. for their works follow them." -ApOc. xiv-13.
 Beloved Brethren: Around the hal lowed tomb of William Mckinley we er1fhDr in Spfrff fd-rferhf and with rOw-laden hearts place upon it ;ne wreathS of our sympathy and affection and love. In union with millions of our loyal fellow countrymen we meet to pay tribute to one who well and faithfully discharged the great and on erOus duties that devOlved upon him as the chief magistrate of this repub- lie. and who. while honOring himself in carrying so creditably the respOnsi- bilities of his exalted office, brought glory and renOwn to the nation he loved so fervently, and than which there is none grander nor more ben- efficient on the globe. When the cruel bullet, so fOully dispatched on its er- rand of death, laid low our chief ex- ecutive. there went out from life as pure. as kindly, as lOvable, as gener- OuS-hearted q man as ever guided The deStinieS of a people. Men may have
 
 cies; they may have wished that he had steered his course according to their reckoning, but all will admit, must admit. his purity of purpose. rhe ,ectitude of his motives. the sincerity of his convictions. his disintereStednes and unselfishneSs. Time, with it's mel lowing influences, will do justice 10 our martyred president, and the inn partial verdict of history will place him among the greatest of our states men and will cOncede to him an eX- alted position in the temple of fame.
 It is not my purpose to pass in re view the various stages of the late presidents eventful career; but rather to call attention briefly to one trait that Shone conspicuously in his char acter. And if there was one more pro- nOunced than another it was his stead fast devotion to duty. He seemed 10 have taken inspiration from the words of Wellington: We can all of us go straight forward and do our duty.' and with Nelson at Trafalgar he could say at the end. '.I have done my duty; praise God for ii" Duty ever foaud William Mckinley a faithful and de- voted servant. This nobIest of words was writ largely across his heart It inspired his actions and gave force and character to his utterances. It was the impelling force that urged him on to the successful accomplishment of deeds that are now part of the nations history. the priceless heritage of the youth of our country. From the hour in which he shouldered his musket as a private in the ranks of the armies of his country to the awful moment when the nation was thrilled with horror at the tragedy at Buffalo. the majestic figure of duty was ever in his pathway pointing to still higher aims. to nobler deeds. leading him to still higher heights To the recognition of this ob- igatiOn to follow the behests of duty he owes his martyrs crown. His trust in the people over whom he ruled was bCundleSS. He loved them as few rulers have loved their people. Though occupying the most exalted position m their gift, he felt that he was from the people and of them. He wished to mingle freely with his cOuntrymen, to take their hands in his and to speak those kindly and gracious words that never failed to charm all who came under their influence In this. as in matters of grayer concern. he recOg- nized the voice of duty, and as we know now all too we'll. it was in the discharge of this to him pleasurablc duty that the wretched, cOwardly as- sassin, the degenerate disciple of A1cuuSa-AdCeu SHHu lGLIl6l messenger to the vitals of the man whose hand was outstretched in fra ferDal greeting. Merciless. heartless. cOld-blOOded murderers have staIketl across the pages of history leaving q trail of blood and wreck and ruin. but my readings enable me to recall none more merciless. more heartless none more cOwardly than the vile creature who shot to death the president We have seen crowned heads swept from life by men frenzied by tyranny; we have seen the deSpOtic ruler hurled from his throne into eternity by sub jects maddened by the burdens under which they grOaned; we have seen heads of states whose personal quail ties rendered them objects of hate to men of evil hearts; but it is ineXplica- ble that a ruler universally beloved, against whose personal character no word of scandal was ever breathed, upon whose name there was no stain, the very persOnificatiOn of gentleness, kindIiness and graciOusness. the large hearted head of the freest government on earth. the idol of millions of liber- ty-loving people: the devoted, affec- tionate and model consort; it is mex plicable, I say. that hate should be come so terrible as to destroy such