The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-10-09
THE WIDE WORLD WEPT
All Nations Paid Homage to the Men,
ory Of William Mckinley.
THE C0UNTRY'S DAY OF SORROW

| Remarkable Demonstrations ofthe World
Wide Feeling Aroused by tho Death
of President McKinley-For Five Min
utes tho Nations Business Was Sus-
pended as a Tribute to the Dead.
Washington. D. Cat the stroke OF
a church bell in a country town on
Thursday the world listened, then
st cd still, then knelt and then prayed.
Sorrow overleaped the bounds Of
space. The knell that sounded at
2.30 o'clock in the Ohio town Of
Canton-the one great metallic voice
that seemed to say "Rest! Rest! Rest"
as the body Of William Mckinley was
borne to it's tomb-grew and grew to
a thunder of sound with the greater
leagues that 1t covered.
To east and west it spread. and as
that voice, now chanting solemnly.
Mourn! mourn! mourn" swept over
the earth. all peoples prayed; the
prince, the priest, the citizen.
Never before in the history Of the
world had that world been so swept
by sorrow-a tidal wave Of emotion
that surged from pole to pole, from
east to west, blotting out class and
creed and race in the universal tribute
Of tears.
The bell that changed out its message
in the little Methodist church in Can
ton was like q heart sending out it's
pulses through the body Of the world
like a great central station with a
million wires. making a web each
strand Of which touched heart some
where.
In this Nation 1t mattered not
whether men were on land or water
They ceased the moments step for a
| full five minutes to say, "God rest
himr' The engines Of great ships and
little river boats stopped, and as the
craft lay idle, again came the simple,
solemn phrase, "God rest him"
Time had been deied; the great
| Clock Of the Human Heart marked
only the one hour. 1t was 2.30 o'clock
in Canton; it was 2.3O o'clock in spirit
in New York City, in San Francisco,
in Hawaii, in Hong Kong, in Bombay,
in Constantinople, In Paris, in London.
Truly the wide world wept.
Never before in all the history OF
the United States or the world was
such q tribute paid to the memory OF
one man. In every city and town OF
the United States all commerce was
stopped, while hats came off and voices
sadly and solemnly Joined in one OF
! the dead Presidents favorite hymns.
In New York City the most remarka-
BILE scenes occurred. In the public
squares thousands gathered hours be-
fore the time for the bells to toll the
news that the last solemn act Of the
great national tragedy had begun.
Patiently and silently they waited.
Then, as the first deep notes Of the
bells were heard every hat was
raised, and no man stood there coV-
cred. Many handkerchief was
lifted to tear-flled eyes, but not a
sound was uttered. Trolley cars were
at q standstill, and so stood all until
the last strokes Of the bells announced
that the gates of the tomb had been
closed. Not car moved in the city
during this time. Not telegraph In
strument clicked. In the great harbor
not propeller turned.
| All over this country similar scenes
were enacted. Street car lines and
great railway systems came to dead
stop. Even those never-ceasing max
ers of speech, the telegraph wires, lay
pulseless for five minutes-for that
only five minutes Of all the ages IN
which the world stood still in reVer-
ence Of a memory of man.
In England's capital memorial serv-
ices were held in Westminster Abbey
that were second only to those IN
honor of the lamented Queen Victoria.
The representative Of King Edward
VII. was present. as was a most dis
tingulshed assemblage. Services We're
also held in st. Paups and in all the
great universities Of Great Britain
and Ireland.
In every capital of Europe and in
nearly every civilized country OF the
world memorial services were held, sa-
lutes were fired and flags lowered to
half staff. Wherever the warships of
Great Britain and Germany were sta
toned the guns joined in the salute
due to the head Of the new great World
Power. Throughout the British en-
pire such reverence was paid by voice:
gun and flag as has never been pa'o
before to any one save queen Vlctoria.
In the American church in Paris
Frenchmen and Americans mourned;
to the services in Berlin the Kaiser
| sent a special representative.
And of William McKinleys own
country, what need to say that It's
grief was the greatest 1t ever has
known! From outermost cape of the
East to our westernmost island pos
session, from Seattle to Cuba, the
churches were filed and the nag tnat
he loved dropped at half-mast.
The ceremonies. the services, the
decorations, the actions of the citizens
were the same in capital and IN nam
let. The eulogies differed only as the
limitations and abilities of the speak
ers differed. All were alike in that
they breathed forth the deep sorrow
th great love of a weeping Nation.
The story Of the ceremonies ana OF
IT, closing of business houses ana 1 rae
tories Is the same everywhere. Ine
story of one city's action Is the story
of every city and village within tne
Jurisdiction of the United States Grlel
and mourning were general.