The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-09-26
AT THE CENTRAL
UNION CHURCH
An Impromptu Service of Grief
at Last Nights Prayer
Meeting.

The regular Wednesday evening
gathering at Central Union Church was
made the occasion last night of a
memorial service in honor Of the late
President, William Mckinley, at which
many tributes to his greatness as the
magistrate of the nation, as a Chris
tan, as a husband and as a friend
recalled. The service was well at
tended and fraught with every mark of
sorrow usual to public meeting OF
the kind. After the opening prayer
by the Rev. j. P. Erdman, the mem
bers were asked to pay their tributes
| to the late Presidents memory.
! P. C. Jones made an earnest address
upon the simplicity of the martyred
| Presidents life, his devotion to his
wife, and the Christ-like forbearance
which marked his career, even when
the assassin's bullets were singing in
/! his vitals, wherein he asked that the
man be dealt with leniently.
Il never had the pleasure of q per-
sonal acquaintance with President Nc
Kinley," said Mr.. Jones, although /
was present in Washington in 1889
when the Mckinley bill was introduce
ed by the author. 1 was then visit
to Washington, and he invited me to
attend the session and hear the OPEN
ing speech. 1 was astonished at the
memory of the man. He quoted sta
tistics by the hour, and they were cor
rect in every respect as far as l was
able to judge. You know we were then
very much interested in the matter of
the duty on sugar. Mr.. Carter plead
ed with Mr.. Mckinley to keep it on.
Mr.. Mckinley, as you know, said the
people were crying for a free breakfast
table, and he has been for the people
ever since, and that is what made
him President.
4 think in the hearts of his coun-
trymen he stands third-next to WASH
ty-five Presidents who have occupied
the White House, I am sure he is the
third of the great men. We all know
his record. He has done what he be-
lieved to be right. The glory of his life
is his Christ-like forbearance-he was
broadly Christian man. l think we
ought to rejoice in having had such
man for one OF the Presidents OF
the United States.
Mark the last words of his life,
Goodbye, ALL I don't believe he
meant by that his immediate family,
but the whole American people. When
/ read those words / felt that he sent
the message to me as an American
citizen. Then mark when he said, 1t
is Gods will think if we can get
ourselves to realize the Importance of
saying Thy will, o God. not mine, be
done 1 believe we can get nearer
heaven.
Il think the death of President Nc
Kinley was the fulf1llment of Gods
promise. Mark the perfect man, for
the end of that man was peace"
Following Mr.. Jones address the au-
dience sang Nearer My God TO Thee"
with a fervor that was impressive and
profound.
W. A Bowen spoke briefly of the
Presidents life:
Il believe that Senator Hoar spoke
the truth when he said No one can
know Mr.. Mckinley but to love him.
In his Christ-like temper he is almost
alone among rulers and great men,
| 8 Let no harm come to him, said
the President, referring to the assassin.
Does not that carry us back to the
words of Christ on the cross? I think
| we find the Christ-spirit in those
words asking that leniency be display
| toward the man who had sought his
! life. The lessons we learn from this
| phase of the Presidents life are such
(, as should always abide with u.s.
| ]. B. Anterior followed in similar
strain. He said:
I'm looking over the references to
! his parentage 1 could not help but
| thinking that after all there is good
| deal in the parentage from which the
/ President sprang. He came of Scotch
/ American descent, and also from Puri-
/ tan stock. A good deal of his strong
character came from those people.
was much interested In reading an ac-
! count of his visit to San Francisco as
| showing how much he was beloved
| by the people, and how much he put
! himself out to please them and to
| show himself one of them.
| "One instance of my own knowledge
| of him was two years ago, when he
| was rendered a reception and banquet
j by the great men of Chicago. He re-
| fused to attend the banquet until late,
/ as he wanted to address the BrickIay-
! ers' Association, and he took that op-
portunity first to attend the Bricklay-
| ers' Association, and then to be en-
| tertained by the magnates of the city.
| In his trip across the continent it
| is related of him that none were SO
| porters. He was always open and free
| to talk to them. They, as a body,
| have no reverence for a man except
| they find him a true man. They found
/ Mr.. Mckinley a true man. Thus it
/ is recorded that he was man of tact,
a man of kindness, of wisdom. I,
! too, believe that in the hearts of the
American people he stood third-Wash-
ington, Lincoln and Mckinley
Henry Waterhouse said he remem