The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-09-28
THE LAMENTED PRESIDENT.
A Grand Tribute to His Memory BY
Rev. Father Keane.

At the memorial exercises held in
the Exposition auditorium in honor OF
President Mckinley on Thursday OF
last week, Rev. ]. ]. Keane, Of Immac-
ulate Conception church, delivered an
eloquent and impressive address as
follows:
"Fellow Citizens-Our country pre-
sents to the world solemn spectacle.
The straining of energies which was
pushing our commercial supremacy
over continents distant has ceased,
and the nation is robed in mourning.
Personal sorrow arises from a
sense of loss. 1t is intense in proper
tion to the nearmess of the object.
Only a few of those who in this great
land are weeping had opportunities of
seeing the best characteristics in the
life that has gone. These are revealed
only upon continued intimate inter-
course.
Every many in the country were
not in sympathy with many OF the
acts of the official career of President
Mckinley, and yet all the animosities
and political passions that sometimes
embitter our national life have dled
away at the grave, and there is over
this great land but one pulsation-
that of heartfelt SORROW and common
sympathy.
ION many things but yesterday we
were divided; by one single misfortune
we have forgotten all differences and
are one. That is a revelation of our
greatness. Where there is greater
Capitalization of power than here,
there is less personal interest among
the people of the nation. Our ruler
is the single instance in the world to.
day where the supreme head of the
government is truly the representa-
tive of the individual citizen.
'"rhe person of our president is sa-
cred to every citizen. Having conf
dence in his personal worth, we COM
NIT our interests to his keeping, and
there results a closer reunion than can
exist in any aftcrform of government,
Then, too, we had learned to admire
William Mckinley for the integrity of
his personal character, and the purity
of his life.
eve loved him for his devotedness
and duty and singular magnanimity.
He served his country in life, and in
death he made solemn profession of
llis faith in that force which can save
society-religion.
1--WE mourn and the world weeps,
The president Of the United States is
dearer to the hearts of the fast in
creasing multitude of free men, who
have caught up the democratic spirit
in countries ruled by kings than is
their own sovereign.
Sorrow may before have been more
intense, but it never has been so uni
versal for temporal ruler. While we
mourn, it might be wise to give more
thought than is our wont to some of
the great problems which seem but
half solved.
sis it not possible that we are Civ,
ing too little attention in this country
to the training of moral character?
IF with the spread of education we
are forced to deplore the increase of
certain classes of crime, then there
must be something defective in our
training. Then, too, what we praise
most, liberty, may be abused, and
what we call liberty may become
license.
II can never indorse the liberty Of
the press in America in many ways. l
cannot understand what right stran
ger has to pry into the secrets of tile
home, to reveal such secrets of life.
Individual OF domestic, as cannot
much affect the community.
''The pandering to vitiated tastes is
calculated to create a morbid or a
venturesome disposition and those
whose finger is upon the pulse of the
people are persuaded that a large
contingent Of our youth are being per-
verified by reckless journalism. They
fire the passions Of youth and make
him ambitious to cope with the assas-
sin of yesterday. If we cannot SUD-
press RIGHTEOUSNESS in high places let
us forever exclude the red journal Of
anarchy.
Perhaps the close to sacrilegious
crime that resulted in the loss to the
government of it's chief executive may
not have been inspired by press or
pamphlet, but do believe that reck,
less journalism is daily inspiring boys
and men with thoughts of adventure
and crime.
President Mckinley is gone. We
live in fuctuating community, to
whose continued existence no partic.
ular individual is necessary. The
agencies of our government will move
on and while he who devoted his life
and finally sacrificed it for our interest
Is departed, his memory will Live and
live to be cherished. I am Roman
citizen, was the boast of the son of
the world, empire; am an American
citizen is the proud title which secures
to President Mckinley a place in the