Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-09
Tribute to Late President Of
Howard University.
LIFE WORK EULOGIzED
ADDRESSES BY FORMER FRIENDS
AND ASSOCIATES.
Gen. o. o. Howard Refers to DR.. Ran
kin's Eloquence, Ability
and Power.

Howard University and the First Congre-
gational Church Of this city Joined last
evening In memorial service to the Rev.
j. Il. Rankin. late president of the univer-
sity, and formerly for thirteen years pastor
of the church. This service was largely
attended by officers and teachers of the
university and by members of the congre-
CATION who knew Mr.. Rankin during his
pastorate in this city.
On the platform were seated members OF
the faculty OF Howard University. OF this
body there were present Rev. Teunis 8.
Hamlin, president of the board of trustees;
Rev. John Gordon, president of the uni
verstty; Mr.. George H. Stafford, secretary
and treasurer; Rev! Isaac Clark of the
theological department DIR. Robert Rey-
burn Of the medical department Rev. +.
w. Fairfield of the College of Arts and
Sciences. Rev. Lewis B. Moore OF the
Tea chers' College, B. +. Leighton of the
law department, George William Cook Of
the commercial department, George J.
Cummings of the preparatory department
and Fred c. Whitcomb of the manual
training school. An organ prelude by Mr..
J. w. Bfschon preceded the service.
Rev. DR.. Newman. pastor of the church,
presided at the devotional exercises. Rev.
DR.. f. w. Fairfield offered prayer, and was
followed by Rev Teunis S. Hamlin, who
explained the purpose Of the meeting and
referred to the high esteem in which Mr..
Rankin was held in this city and through
out the country. He had been told by
President Clark of The Society of Christian
tEndeavor, upon his return from trip
around the world, that wherever he went
he had heard the singing Of Mr.. Rankin's
great hymn, God Be With You Till We
Meet Again."
ITO have written that hymn said Mr..
Hamlin, land to have it perform the office
| Of worship and love and Christian unity
| that 1t has performed, is still performing
and will continue to perform, am sure, so
| long as the English language lasts. is i'm
mortality enough" Mr.. Hamlin read a
| letter from the Rev. Mr.. Fishburn. in which
! the latter stated that it was impossible for
| him to attend the memorial service.
President Gordon's Address.
| Rev. John Gordon, president of the UNI
versity, was then introduced, and spoke
| with great feeling of his predecessor in
| office. He spoke of Mr.. Rankin's great
| ability in impressing his personality upon
| the students with whom he came in con-
| tact.
| the school He was the master mind and
| the master heart Of the school. This head
| schoolmaster," he continued. was one who
most remarkably impressed his own per-
| body. When the news came that he had
| passed away there were gathered In the
| university one evening teachers and stu
| dents, and for two hours schoolmaster
| and scholars together talked lovingly of
| what he was and of what he had done. No
| man could have desired when ne lay white
| and cold in death, to have had greater
| testimony than was given that evening-tes-
/ timony that came from many minds and
many lands in broken accents, perhaps los
| ing track of the nominative case and yet
delightfully."- intelligible.'
Mr.. Gordon referred to the widespread
| influence DIR. Rankin had exercised over
men who had come from nearly every state
| in the Union and from nearly every country
| of the world.
General o. o. Howard was then presented
| and delivered the chief Grafton of the even
/ ing the life of his old friend. the late
EDr. Rankin. He spoke with much feeling,
/ and concluded his remarks with a narrative
| Of the last days of DR.. Rankin. During
/ the darker hours of the last months of his
life he said his poetic genius chung to him
when some other powers had gone. Only
three weeks before his death he had bap-
tised his two grandchildren and had writ
ten baptismal poem for each of them.
| Tribute by Gen. Howard.
| General Howard spoke of controversies in
the church when DR.. Rankin came to It,
THAT same year we heard Dr. Rankin,
who seemed not only to have all the pulpit
| eloquence that we required, but also every
other grace. especially the well-trained abil-
| ity Of procuring and bringing to the COM
munion friends inside and outside Of the
Church of Christ" he said. AT last was
sent as a delegate to Charlestown. Mass.
| where DR.. Rankin was preaching to a con-
gregation OF people who appreciated his
character and loved his ministry. The re-
suit Of this mission Of mine, whatever be
| the influences brought to bear-surely 1t was
not a money offer, nor promise Of ease and
| rest, but rather promise of perplexity,
| difficulty and opportunity-was that Rev. ].
Eames Rankin, DID. and LID, soon
came to our pulpit. He went in and out be-
fore us for fifteen years. He filled the
house, like DR.. Newman, with hearers, and,
by Gods help, he replenished the church
with new members at every communion.
Senators and representatives and officers of
| rank, from every department of govern
ment, sat with us in the pews, and no hand
can measure the length and breadth and
depth and far-reaching consequences of his
| superb ministry.
| I'VE forgot our troubles; eastern and
western theories were united; straying MEN,
bers came back: colored people. adults and
| children, were heartily welcomed by him.
and he brought even the products Of indi-
vidualfsm into the humblest positions of
service. The whole series of consequences,
all working together with loving fellowship
| with the pastor, resulted in what has been
ever since to the older members an ideal
church. reaching to as high a grade of low
ing kindness as any other with which have
| been acquainted.
cit always appeared to me that nothing
would have delighted DIR. Rankin more than
| to have given himself absolutely to lit
| erary career; that Is, If he could have af-
forded the expense and had enough means
| to properly support his family, for in a
| monetary way books of. poems or history
have never yet been very profitable to the
| authors.
| Sung in All Churches.
"Some Of his sweet hymns are sung today
in all the churches; for example, God Be
With You Till We Meet Again., God and
| Home and Happy Land Keep Your
Colors Flying why Art Thou Silent, Oh,
Bethlehem? These hymns catch the eye
Of the singer, and when once well sung re-
main fast In the memory OF the people.
Many of his poems are highly appreciated,
particularly by all readers who love the