The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-09-16
DIR. M'FARLAND's TRIBUTE
Tragedy Proves That American Peo
pie Appreciate Noble Character.


DR.. j. ID. McFarland's sermon Sunday
night at the First Methodist church was
heard by a congregation that entirely
filed the church. On the platform at
the side of the pulpit was an easel hold
ing a picture OF William Mckinley
draped in Grape and flags.
In his sermon DR.. Mcfarland said:
There is deep impreSsivenesS in the
grief of q nation. 1t is safe to say that
not since Lincoln was struck down has
the heart Of a nation SO deeply ached
as now. We stand with grief and
horror about him, who a few days ago
was our president and who the world
had come to love as a far seeing and
loving statesman. This tragedy shows
US that the American people have not
lost the power to love and appreciate
a noble character
''Forrresses may be built and war ships
we may send forth as pickets but with
all this the head Of our government is
stricken down. 1t shows us that any
time the most noble and princely man
may be stricken down. This is the first
serious stroke Of anarchy. Anarchy
nowhere, not even in the empire of the
unspeakable Turk. is tolerated. Some
answer may be made to explain the
deadly blow that killed the car No
president of the United States ever at
tempted to play the tyrant and no
president could succeed if he tried 1t
seems incredible to us that anyone
and social conditions of Russia and
then have put forth his hand and
stricken down the one who stood at
the head of the nation Of benehcent
laws in this land Of personal liberty
1t is Coos Will These words were
in accordance with the life of William
Mckinley. But let us not construe this
to mean it was Gods order. 1 believe
it more than 10000 times more horrible
in the eyes OF God than in the eyes of
o nn0DIa
of evil men in carrying forward his
purpose In spite of evil men he carries
out his purpose We sometimes say 1t
is Gods VIII but say it is the work of
the devil Men have sinned the laws of
God have been disregarded and the So
cial ills come from the wrongs of soci-
ETY.. What society soweth that also
shall it reap. Let US see it in this light
and not with affected piety call it
the work Of God It seems a pity
that Lincoln, Garfield and Mckinley
suffered for the wrongs not committed
by them. The Son of God suffered also
for the sins of the world in which he
had not participated.
TN the sound of the assaSsin'S pistol,
if we could analyze the sound, would
be heard the echo Of past centuries. We
would see in this Pole the evidence of
heredity, one of the children of fathers
who have felt the heel OF tyranny on
their neck It reminds US that children
shall receive the heritage of evil as we'll
as good. It shows US that we must take
an interest in every nation Of the globe
We are in danger with a fever stricken
island near our shores, we are in dan
ger Of the ships from India bringing to
our shores the plague We must see
that other nations purge themselves of
that which brings disease Our inter
ests are not in our own city, state OF
nation but in all the world. So We ara
exposed to the moral contagion OF all
Europe. There may now lie in q moth
er's arms in some foreign country a
man who a quarter Of a century hence
viii strike down some man ais noble as
he who lies in Buffalo. Every evil man
in the remostest quarter of the earth is a
menace to the entire world. We must
send light to the men living in dark
ness. We must evangelize the world
This was damnable deed of a damnable
doctrine. We should hunt in the shad-
ows and jungles until we find the men
and women who inspired this man, who
slew our president"