The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-03-23

long? To m ost Of US his death seems
rather distant event; and yet it was
but nineteen days ago. February 16,
the day after, the country talked Of
nothing else and all the newspapers
were full Of Hanna. Then came the
funeral and we had columns Of de-
scription and of appropriate reminis-
cence. Then we turned away from
the grave Of the most prominent man
Oh this continent, and one Of the
strongest, and began to think of some
thing else; and today we may search
the daily newspapers from end TO end
without finding in them the name of
Hanna, which occurred in some con-
nection in almost every issue Of every
paper Of the country from 1896 to
1904-ten years the foremost man of
the dominant political party, leader
of thought and action, applauded and
denounced, pictured until his face be-
came more familiar to US than that of
our nearest friend, attended by crowds
eager to see one 80 famous, pointed
out everywhere he went; and in ten
days almost forgotten. We who live
may learn what our fates must be.
No matter how successful our lives,
how important we may think our
selves to be, we are doomed to oblivion
and dumb forgetfulness along with
our humble and obsoured brothers and
sisters who are unknown even to their
next door neighbors. Nobody is es-
eential. Everybody's place can be
filed, little as we may think it. We
loom lssge in our spheres and may
learn to believe and may make others
believe that We are the potent and
necessary forces. But we die, our
successors are chosen and installed,
the world goes on its way end even
the special machinery we thought we
were driving continues to run smooth
ly without a jar or break and giving
no evidence that we have been or are
not. The presence once familiar and
pervaise is present no more; the voice
that was heard and was waited for,
respected, feared, which gave the
plans and the signals for action, is
hushed, to remain hushed forever;
but there is no vacancy and no stop
ping.
0nr fate ;s mats::eT.off knowledge,
not of supposition. From the begin
ming Of the world important can,
strong men, ruling men, kings, emf
perors, generals, leaders and masters
i, in all human endeavor have died and
humanity and all the aFa;rs Of the
world have moved right on, and pres
emily they have been forgotten. Even
of the very greatest little remains but
their names and records. The men
themselves are lost. Nobody living
today knows the actual personality Of
George Washington or could form an
accurate mental picture Of him. We
KNOWN general way how he stood
and looked when he was posing for a
picture or q statue, and his height
and weight and the color Of k;s eyes
and hair, but these are but details in
the mysterious thing we call person
ality and which neither pictures nor
statues can represent. We are doom
ed to be forgotten. Itis pathetic in
one point of view and comforting in
another. It is saddening to think
that the memory Of all our lives. so
vivid and intense to ns, in which we
are so engrossed, that all our activi-
tics, oil our triumphs and disappoint-
ments, large or small, shall pass away
with us. Our friends may out our
names in stone, but two generations
hence the idle young people walking
through the cemetery will read those
names without recognition and with
4 no knowledge ofwho we are OF Of any
thing that we have done. Yet, il we
stopped TO moufn our dead, motion
would be wasted in lamentation. It
sis wise and merciful decree that we
shall forget. The world's work must
be done and humanity may not lilger
BY its graves.
il this verld and this life are all !.
,sif our living here is not preparation.
for living somewhere and somehow
else, i death ia the end, ,sall Of us may
realize how empty and idle and futile
il is. We cannot make anything that
win endure permanently or keep the
memory Of US or even our names alive:
The builders Of the pyramids are for-
! gottep. Nations which combined their