Evening star., 1901-09-23
CHURcHESIN UNISON
ALI Pay Tribute teMemory Of Presi-
dent Mckinley.
DTCOURsES By PROMINENT DIVIHEs
immense Gathering Of People Yes
terday at, 1Chase's Theater.
AN OVERFLOW MEETING
II. H

On the first Sabbath after the laying
| away of the body of William Mckinley,
the beloved President of the United States,
| thousands of people of Washington, his
| official home, gathered to give expression
| to their esteem and affection for the man
| and President, and to draw from his life a
| lesson OF loyal devotion to country and
| mankind No audience chamber within the
bounds of the city was spacious enough to
| hold the immense concourse of men and
| women who devoted the day to the honor
| of the guiding spirit of the republic, and
| so 1t happened that an out-of-doer over
flow meeting was held within sight of the
| White House, and the strains Of music
floating on the autumn air were waited
to the home of the head of the nation, so
| recently bereft Of tenant. There in the
| open the sweet, reverberating chords of the
song, Some Time Well Understand like
the breath OF a spirit and prophet. were
| heard on the evening air. The full volume
| of harmony of his favorte hymn sounded
| across the spacious lawn where SO recently
he had listened to the enchanting cadepces
of the national band that now accompanied
| the words of the singers. His last words
| were re-echoed in a mighty chorus thou
sands Of voices singing Nearer, My God.
| Washington's tribute to President Me-
! kinley was given yesterday afternoon in
Chase's Theater. Long before the hour Of
meeting every seat and all available stand
| ing room were occupied and the doors were
| closed. Then the crowd, filing sidewalk
| and street, disappointed in not being able
| to participate in the services within. waited
IN the vain hope that the doors might
| again be opened. But 1t was imnossihle
and the line Of uniformed officers at the
| entrance was maintained, and admission
was refused to all who came ~
The ceremonies within were begun. and
still thousands of people fingered without.
| Speakers were then provided for an ouen-
air meeting, and from the balcony on 18th
| street the assemblage was addressed bv
those who had already appeared on the
stage within.
| No more representative gathering of the
people of the District of Columbia could
nave been arranged. than that which filled
and assembled outside the theater All re-
| ligious denominations were there represent
| ed IN the audience and by the speakers
.sen ofall politicala affiIiations we're as one in
| paying a tribute tothe virtues of the Presi-
| dent they had learned to trust and love
as the head of the nation rather than as
the leader of any party. There were pres
ent as many women as men, and they had
come early and Willingly stood on the side
walk asaen before a thesdoorsc were. opened
,S,s qtasr to reehtag ever witness the
..~a.,arI arpstefdT Decorations, e...ss
| The theater was simply and tastefuily dec
+ Grated over the stag hung iafsepfesi-
dent 8 flag and st 1s fight 'bef6w it asmann-
|. moth o.wEeatRs Of seysEgTeen With crossed
leaves Of slender palms was placed, a small
81 White nnks fb5i being e. pear e Fiji? tie
eeHce. Jofa!he reHs IF. fooelights:. R5fes.vy
drapslfXs ct plackss plassd las aBs9pt the
prosssa1am. ;sh While zahotit the stage. on
Whlchs WeSe seated .manya distinguished
men. were7towe ring palms. At the rear q
large crayon portrait s6f President MeKi,l-
leyI.was draped, I'M Black, with large
| Ameyicapseh nag festoohed onseither side
al mst asnomIsatiess fr9
E1h e {s .ss 1sss' ss pYasi, ss.sss
Eof@patience, tolerance and patriotic devo-
! ton to country -Exuellent musical 9selec-
! tons were rendered, both inst strumental and
vocal. Many tipes the audience was touch
ed BY, pathetic reference to the dead or
stirred by ringing eloauence Of Language
| or the deep feeling of singers, but so pro-
found was the solemnity Of the occasion
that at no time was expression given by
I ans siightest applause The audience was
! Silent and reyerential. Every emotion was
suRsesSasnti to thoughts of sfheoldeadsll Die
There were even hope and an appeal to
the Almighty for mercy to the criminal
+ W 4nsf "a ctah Dad cast the nation na mourn,
Ing. There was counsel for wise action in
f'dealingswitfl.the irrational fanaticism TIA,
mad warped the mind of man so that the
Above all. there was the narration of the
many manly virtues of the pure man VINO
had served his country so well IN so many
stations, and whose greatest achievement
mas been to live SO that his memory will
inspire the. whole nation and be an in
huenee for good in the generations yet un-
born -c-' - -:
The service was necessarily long one
Ihat 1t was not tedious was evidenced by
the hundreds who stood in the aises and
In the spaces In the rear Of the fully oc-
cEp1ed seats of the theater throughout the
Two and one-half hours of speech and song
I Whfe there was but one theme, each or
tor"breught forth new beauties, as each
told in. turn of the character, the lifeeand
the death of William Mckinley In elo-
duence which seemed to reach the climax
OF effectiveness. Throughout the whole
there was woven q thread Of song which
seemed to separate. yet sanctify and con-
secrate' into one grand whole, the, spoken
words the silent assent of the assembled
multitude, the beauty of the flowers, the
grandeur of. the, flag and the gloom Of the
crepe -draped likeness Of the beloved dead
When the audience was permitted to re-
echo the last words of the one they
column of harmony. Every verse OF the
well-known hymn, Nearer, My God, to
Thee" was rendered, and every person in
the theater Joined in the song.
Tears fer the Dead, Lessons for. Living
Each tribute of mournful praise for the
dead President was leavened with lessons
for the living. While each speaker repre-
sented different creed of religious belief,
each saw the good that might come from
the Christening hand of God, and each
breathed prayer for President Roosevelt
and expressed the utmost confidence In
him.
Every seat in the house had been taken
and every available place to stand In was
occupied when at ten minutes to o'clock
the Marine Band began; prelude to the
exercises by renderinsy!.Meditatio Mr..
southard Parker. ,asInhairman Of the me-
mortal service ctrhfhfttee. made brief
>introduction of CouaIgissioner H. B. F.
Macfarland in. pr&seHeng him as chairman
for the occasion
Mr.. Macfarland eresH6hded as follows:
"a friend of GQd iR friend of man, the
CHIEF minister and the dchief magistrate of
the nation. William Mckinley has passed
on .ins victory to .thAfb Fathers house. amid
the unparalleled smRnrning of the. whole
earth. Wes who ,tWleret hts neighbors and
friends IN: his long gsfyice In the national
capftaf meet today, "a. pray for his we'll;
beloved wife, to sPeakt Of our loss. to re-
turn thanks for his life and to commend
OUT fhoasiss ara aass bssssfSle m INV wasass aass
For almost a;gnaEtsrsoa century we have
known and etnereAOp6 have loved McKin-
a ErySr,w LII ~