The Washington times., 1901-09-16
THE AMERICAN CITIZENS DUTY.
DIR. StnHord's Eloquent Words Move
His Congregation to Tears.

Grief over the sad fate which befell
| President Mckinley found its genuine
| expression at St Patrick's Church yester-
dav. The Rev Dr. Stafford preached at
both services dwelling on the beautifui
| character of the martyred President and
| his Christian fortitude in his hours of
| suffering and on the necessity of respect
| to the authorities and to the President,
who. he said. is the fountain head of au-
| thority and who was elected to his exait-
| ed position through the love of his fel-
| low-citiZens.
After mass and after the recital of the
prayer by Archbishop Carroll for the gem
eral authorities. a prayer recited for the
| first time during the troublesome times
| following the election of the first Presi-
| dent of the United States the solo, Near
| er NY God to Thee" was rendered by
| sweet and sympathetic voice. Men. wo-
men. and children wept while they offered
up silent prayers for the repose of the
soul OF the dead President
DR.. Stafford's sermon at the II O'Clock
mass was not only that of a preacher of
the word of God, but was pervaded by
high and noble strain of patriotism. Tears
started to the eyes of the speaker when
dwelling on the loss which the nation
had sustained at the hands of the assas-
sin Dr. Stafford spoke in part as fol-
lows:
After we shall have recovered some
what from the anguish of heart which
has been caused us by the sad fate which
took from us our beloved President. this
country will have to consider very seri-
Gus problem. At the present time our
minds are so greatly overcome by the
calamity that We cannot think of any
thing else. The bullet that shot down
the President pierced the heart of every
loyal citizen; the blow that was struck
at the President was struck at us, was
aimed at our laws, at organized society.
and at our peace and happiness.
Civilization has suffered a setback at
the hands of the assassin Assas-
sination has never stood for progress On
the contrary it stands for all that is evil.
Organized society must take measures
against lawlessness. and proceedings must
be instituted forthwith to eradicate law
lessness. and anarchy. Man cannot live
by himself, he needs his fellow-man, and
only in his association with his fellow
man can he find that which makes hap
piness such as satisfies the human mind.
Man cannot attain that development of
happiness by his own efforts, but only by
association with his fellows in organized
society. The bond that holds society to-
gether as authority, which must find its
expression in a person. He is the repre-
sentative the fountain head the source,
all that is good and noble, and when he
is attacked, all that Is good and all that
stands for progress and civilization is at
tackled. A crime against him is crime
against organized society and as such
must be punished. All will concede that.
But the time has come when we must
go a step further. A man may think
hot he.
with his thoughts. Rebellion and discon-
tent may tester in his soul. But between
the thought and the overt act there is
world wide difference, and society has
son who breaches rebellion and riot and
assassination subjects himself and makes
himself liable to the laws of society
These people cannot be looked upon as
harmless individuals. No person has
right to express an opinion in public
which is subversive of public order. and
any person expressing such views ought
forthwith to be removed from society.
We have gone on the theory that peo-
pie who talk do not act, but this crime !
shows that they lead others to action.
III the last thirty-six years three of our
Presidents have been assassinated,
whereas other individual nations in the
same time have only suffered one success !
full aSSa sSination. This goes to prove /
that We must take action. All this talk !
OF ridicuIing and belittling authority, all
disrespect to the established laws and !
OEucf OF tne lanO. ana the FfeSldent OF 4
the United States, must be stopped. I
Every man must be given to understand (
that the President of the United States (
is a sacred person, that he is the head 7
ganized society and being that he must I
be respected. If everybody had that re- |
spect for authority and organized society |
which religion teachSS, there would now /
be no cause for sorrow and Indignation. |
In this moment of GRIEF. there is one |
thing that makes the situation toierable /
at all. There is the superb example, of !
the man himself. If he had fallen dead /
the moment when the blow was struck /
the paroxysm of grief would have reached !
madness. That superb courage and res |
fgnation by which he bowed his head and /
said. Thy will be done, is comfort and /
in this hour of grief and sor-
row. Death at any time would be most /
difficult to resign ones self to: but here 4
was a man exalted TO the greatest 1
honor, by the suffrage of eighty millions
Of people. And from: that high eminence /
where the love of the people had placed
him. he looked out upon the wolrd with /
that satisfaction which comes from the
OF doing great things for his |
fellow people Standing upon this emil |
nence, in the knowledge that he was do
ing his best for the welfare of the coun-
.ry- he was called upon to die at the
hands of the assassin. He not only re-
signed himself to the situation. but he
made positive act of acceptance, ard
gave to the world an example of true
courage and resignation. Every man who
believes in Christ, the souls Immortality,
and eternity, is debtor to President Nc
Kinley. He died as one who understood
that the will of God is the greatest thing
In the world.
While we bow down to the will of God.
let cherish President McKinley's ex-
ample and follow his footsteps. In the
future ages when men look back to the
great deeds that American heroes have
performed, those who understand true
greatness will recall the death Of Pres-
dent Mckinley in the city by the great
lake.
I'VE. as Catholics, must lend our as
sistance to the strong maintenance of the
laws and Institutions of the land, and be
always on the alert to give to the Presi-
dent of the United States that respect
and love which are due to him, and which
we owe to ourselves
After mass during the recital Of
prayer by the Rev. DIR. Stafford, the loud
sobbng of women was intermingled with
he earnest words of the priest.
A SPoTLESS LIFE.