The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-09-25
POftman Letter.

NOW when the name of our beloved
PRESIDENT, deceased, seems to cast halo
OF sanctity over the land, and there is
none 80 poor as not to do him reverence.
ana none 80 malignant as not to do him
respect, 1t is superflaous to utter further
ocho upon the sentiment of his life.
rnere !s, however, reflection In this fact
that the reverberation of a great gun will
roll through the valleys and echo from
tho mountains long after the rescn.n.
ooncussion has shocked the air and dis
turbed the shadows in the forests.
The name Of our President Is not yet
dead, neither does 1t sleep, and long will
tho time be before the shock in many
hearts is stilled.
"lIe was good mani" Is what shall he
SAID OF him instead of the eulogy: "He
was great President!" AS President
he pleased none entirely and dissatisfied
many in part. AS President he dis
tinguiahcd his position by individuality.
He raised manhood above the Office Of
the nations chief ruler, and the mass of
the worlds population can better bear
with bad executive than with good
man. Therefore, the good such q Presi-
dent does is often accounted to him for
evil. Re did many things that pleased
not his best friends and many that pleased
his enemies; between both they rever-
emily lift the pail that covers his dead
body and weep over the wound the as
sassin's bullet went through. "But he
was ambitious!' say the assassins-the
anarchistic body of the worlds insane
B~utus, "Not," said Che arch friend.
"that love nations President less but
annihilation morer' And over the ami
hilation, over the bullet; enemies and
friends gather and say, "he wes Sooi,
man!' =
Goodness Ia of no color or creed, and
while reflecting thus we wonder what
denomination the Presidents goodness?
His goodness was not confined within
tho scarlet curtains of an ecclesiastical
profession. He worshipped in cathe-
dral, butt was not the gold and purple
inscriptions of Venetian window upon
his brow that designated the royalty of
his goodness. The American people dis
like gold and purple Inscriptions n They
are Democratic, though many of them
may be of Republican principle. They
like the goodness that is fsckoti on Its
forehead by the yellow light through the
cottage window by the bright blaze Of the
hearthstone fire. President MoK.nley's
goodness began when the cottage was his
ambition and the fireside his Joy. This
goodness ran through the warp and woof
OF his life, through the egreensward:o suc-
cess and the thorny paths Of dissenaions
through the troublous journey from: :the
plain old rocker In the cottage to the
divan In the luxurious chambers OF the
executive mansion OF the United Estates.
The denomination Of the Presidents
goodness was dcmestioItyy-.ttss ,,ovo of
home and OF homes inhabitants.
When mans love ceases to be hum
BILE enough to find joy In his own home
he I'LL never be great enough at death to
merit nations mourning. This man,
the head Of aeventy-s.1 millions Of en-
lightened people, before whose nod or
dissent great nation, auds rival nations
beyond the waters, brooded seriously-
this man was the least ip household Of
two, he was willingly absorbed in thf
dignity OF little sick woman. That
domestic love OF many sick years will
idealize thu man when the faults of
the President are folded away in peace
and his Victories cease to be idolized.
We have little to say more about the
great man, greater in peace than in war;
great though he was as President. still
greater as man; and the wife--the silver
bowl still remaining wherein aparkled
tho nectar Of his life, what her part lin
this revsTsa distinction OF her husbands
career? Well might the dove of pure felio-
ity descend and prophesy upon her youth
in its baptism into his life. "She will do
him good and not evil all the days of her
life" And the companion Of such wife
what saith the Scriptures of him? "The
heart OF her husband doth9safely trust in
her," And as q still further consequence
Of this fidelity: "Her husband is known
In the gates, when he sitteth among the
elders of tue land" The secret of every
mans greatness is his wife or his mother.
There Is lesson throughout the land
in this useful life departed; not in the
ambition for greatness, because greatness
may lead unto death, abut in the ambi-
s'cA Aoh tSoOouo5S boCnuSo BOOuub6S may
lead unto greatness. a man whose name
Is upon his church's register and whose
love and respect Is in the heart of his
wife. cannot be slnall or mean man,
and though in the turbulence of princi-
pie or sentiment "the block may soak
his gore" yet she never dies who dies in
a great causa''
Onr President has left inc young men
of our nation greatel example than that
Of Napoleon or Alexander. He has DEM
onstrated in the life of the keenest wit
ness of O mans condnot-his wife-that a
man can be great and be good, that he
can be rich and be faithful, that he can
be worldly employed and be Christian.