The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-09-20
AT CHRIST CHURCH.
Splendid Tribute to President Me-
kinIey by Rev. Mr.. Stryker.

A union service of the Episcopal
Churches, in memory of President Nc
Kinley, was held in Christ Church yes
terday at II o'clock and was largely at
tended. The programme was begun
with a funeral march (Oesten's), play
ed by Miss Gnospelius, which was fol-
lowed by a hymn by the choir and con-
gregation.
The first part of the service was con-
Quoted by Rev. DR.. C. H. Strong, rec
tor of st. Johns Church. who recited
the prayers for the dead and read the
scriptural lessons. This part of the SER
vice was followed by hymn and then
by a prayer by Rev. NJ. Campbell
Stryker, in which he asked the bless
ings of the Almighty upon the Presi-
dent, cabinet and people of the land,
and then, after the singing of Lead,
Kindly Light" he delivered, in part,
the following address.
I'VE are here to-day under the shad-
ow of a great and genuine grief, the
like of which trust we shall not know
again. We mourn the death of the
President of these United States, more
terrible on account of it's suddenness
and, to us, seemingly it's uselessness.
We could understand the assassination
of Lincoln, while deploring it. Garfield
was the victim of a disappointed office
seeker, whose disappointments had I'M
balanced his mind and made him a
monomaniac. But Mr.. Mckinley had
no enemies in one sense of the term.
There were those who differed from
him radically in politics, and yet. even
while condemnng his acts, revered and
admired him as a man.
After a brief sketch of the life of
the dead President, the speaker con-
tinued:
This outline sketch of the life of Mr..
Mckinley does not differ greatly in
outward form from that which might
be written of many other men. 1t was
not, on the face of it, an unusual ca
reer. There is nothing in it except the
closing scenes, essentially dramatic.
To what then, can we ascribe the uni
versal grief and its unusual manifes-
tation? The fact that he was President
will not alone offer an explanation
Even the matter of his death does not
account for the fact that high and low,
rich and poor. monarch and subject,
Democrat and Republican; men, Wo-
men and children bow their heads and
express their sorrow. We must do as
did he for whom we mourn-look be-
meath the surface. The secret is that
all recognize, in different ways, the
innate nobleness of the man. The man
is yet TO arise who shall ascribe to this
chief magistrate an act not dictated
by conscience, not carried out in strict
adherence to what he considered his
duty. He was great not because he
was President of the greatest nation on
earth, but because he was noble. hon
orable and upright. He was loved,
not because of what he did, but be-
cause of what he was. His kindness,
his consideration for others, his court
esy, these were the things that broke
down opposition that he encountered.
The gentler traits were what endeared
him mostly to the country at large
a magnanmity. a generosity, a SYM
pathy not always found in those whose
ambitions have been gratified. SINGER
fly of purpose marked his dealings with
men and things. We cannot now judge
dispasisonately of many things in
which he was concerned. but l believe
that whether they turn out to be wise
or not. future ages will not question