Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-10

THE EVENING
| in his religious convictions, gave the best
he had to the church he loved and to the
exaltation Of his fellow men. lie wrought
in many fields of usefulness, with the
| single object to give to the generation in
which he lived the best that was in him.
The talents given him he held as trust
for the advancement of hts church, OF
was a man of benevolent instincts. of the
highest and best type OF American citi-
Gems. He counted no day well occupied
without he had done some benevolent
deed to his fellow men,
We have come here today, not only
to do him honor, but to take inspiration
from bis splendid example. Let US go
forward with the splendid ideas which
inspired him we honor
A Common Sorrow.
Following. Dr.. Van Schaick was intro
duced, and spoke, in part, as follows:
I'VE meet today IN the presence Of a
common sorrow. Men Of every creed and
sect come together to honor one great
name. A hundred years ago a gathering
like this would have been impossible.
Fifty years ago. or even twenty-five
years ago. 1t would have been improbable.
The fact that 1t is possible today we owe
ford. He always honored men as men.
He always recognized what We were and
not what we protested. He was friend
to rich and poor. and rich and poor alike
memory
IF a text were needed for this brief
address I should find 1t in his words Not
once. but many times. he said: All men
God. and want them for my friends
In human society. as 1t IS organized
today, there is much which divides us.
We. therefore. owe much to the men who
by precept and example bind us together.
Prom childhood to old age we meet the
prejudice of race. of creed. of social con-
dnion. One man is born with a dark
skin; another with a light. We are born
apart. We grow apart. We absorb in
heritance Of bitterness which comes down
from the religious wars Of the past. And
I.yet this man was one of those whose
eye was clear, whose heart was large.
| and who could say, All men in all the
churches are the children Of God, and
want them for my. friends
1T did not mean that he was false to
his convictions. 1t did not mean that he
was disloyal to his church. 1t did mean
that he saw far off In vision the time
when prejudice and bitterness would pass
away, and he wanted to help OH that
day.
The singing of when Our Hearts Are
Bowed With WOe"-by quartet composed
Of Mrs. Anna Grant Fugitt. Mr.. Melville
d. Hensey, Mrs. Elizabeth Tyler Evans
and Mr.. Thomas A. Murray followed.
Scholar and Philosopher.
The tribute to DR.. Stafford as scholar
and philosopher was next paid by MIR.
Hannis Taylor. He declared:
Among all the Christian orators to
whom have listened. 1 have never known
one more deeply imbued than our dead
friend with the necessity Of meeting the
trained gfadiators Of agnosticism upon
the highest plane OF human logic. where
the intellectual battle must inevitably
be fought out, hand to hand and hilt to
hilt. His severe training for that battle
was the most conspicuous feature In his
forensic life.
while this plumed Christian knight
was thus UNFOLDING the standard of the
cross here in this capital-amid the states
men, jurists. philosophers and historians
Of a thoughtful and inquisitive nation-the
pale messenger came with his inverted
torch and beckoned him away DisraeI
once said that life consists of three parts
youth, a delusion; manhood, a struggle;
old age. a regret. Happy indeed. Is the
man who Is able to rob Old age Of regret
by falling in the thick OF the fight, in
the MONDAY of his manhood. and with
his armor on. Thus did our noble. gifted.
heart-winning friend pass unimpaired
through that ever-opening door that
Swings between cOTeVef ana NO NOEc
Address by Father Michigan.
Denis Joseph Stafford. chosen among
men in the things that appurtain to Cod
was by nature and by ordination a priest
Of the Most High" declared Father Nc
Guigan. in praise Of the work Of Father
Stafford as priest
He remembered not the day. he often
said. even amid the mysterious impress
sions Of childhood. when the call to the
priesthood was absent from him. The
claimed the fondest place in Father Stat
ford's memory. l recall him speaking
of 1t on the occasion Of a young priests
first mass about three years ago.
Fearful of the dread assumption of
sacerdotal power, moved by the solemn
ordination of holy church. lonely on the
hilltop of Calvary. reached after years
in via c-ucis, he would not depart from
the chapel. that sacred morning until he
had gained his composure.
Father Stafford never lost sight of
the admonition of the church on the first
day Of his priesthood. 1T Is the duty OF
priest to offer sacrifice. to bless. to
govern, to preach and to baptize.'
For twenty-five years he daily as
cended the altar and stood between God
and his people. offering up the infinite
ransom of the unspotted lamb and the
incense Of sacriicial prayers. They
were years, lOO, VI oCll VI
unselfsh dedication to the glory OF God
and the benefit OF mankind. Of vast pow
ers Of mind and heart. treasures Of learn
ing. and untold resources Of magnificent
personality.
Never was uttered a more powerful
prayer than his, as the sable gloom of a
last illness was upon him. Il hope God
will be good to me, II for nothing else
than what 1 suffered for Him. There
has been the hourly sufferings Of the
priest-the aching unrest at the sight OF
sorrow he could not cure. wrongs he
could not redress. wickedness he could not
stay
DR.. Sta6ord's 3. Patriotism.
OF DIR. Stafford as a patriot, Corporal
Tanner said:
His patriotism was of the positive,
virile brand Believing, as he did. that
under our form Of government there was
to be found the largest liberty Of con-
science. the greatest freedom to worship
God as man may see the light, the most
complete demonstration Of the equality
Of man. and; the greatest protection of
the individual rights thereof. he desired
to have the militant aims of that gov
eminent, it's army and navy, Of such
strength and .thoroughness Of equipment
as to. be able to command respect the
wide world round. -.
ITO the priest of the.church who min
istered to sin-sick SOULS to the man Of
intellectual and oratorical eminence who
enlightened and charmed us, to the pa