Newark post., 1910-05-25

ne pore l0e Du1Qen OF HIS ptOple. l10u
as a father takes child by the h.
and leads it over a rough and thorny
path, so Lincoln took the hands of the
children of this great Republic in his
own mighty one and by his sublime
craftsmanship led them over the hor-
rible precipice OF delusion, out into
the glorious light of peace and union.
And when that grandest and noblest
work which God ever entrusted to
man was complete, he fell a martyr to
liberty, aye to every noble principle
and cherished institution of our Re
publican government, whose origin lay
in the Declaration which Jefferson SO
comprehensive penned, and the Con-
stitution which the brilliant genius of
Hamilton created. But through the
life, works and death of Lincoln we
stand to-day more perfect and pros
porous nation. each section under
standing and realizing the importance
OF the other to an extent heretofore
understood.
What are we to-day? What is our
standing in the world of nations? From
the Lakes to the Gull from the At
| lantic to the Pacihc, we are pros
porous and united people. Our fields
produce sufficient to well nigh feed
| the world; our manufactures can
clothe the nations of the earth; Ameri
can iron and steel are being forged
| into tracks and builded into the
bridges over which shall be carried
the commerce OF the world. And the
| engine and the steamship whose speed
| across the continent bring cities into
| close communication and whose rapid
| revolving propellers brings London
within five days OF New York.
| Our navy knows no master upon
the seas, and if need be we can put
an army in the field that can shake
continents with their tread. And W.
are held to-day in that respect upon
the one hand and fear upon the other
by the kingdoms of the world, as was
France by Europe when Napoleon
was in the MONDAY splendor OF his
career
| That we. OF this generation, are
proud of the prestige and honor of our
glorious country is but natural, and
that we should pay tribute to those
who gave their all that we might en-
JOY the blessings of liberty and patriot
Ism which are now ours, is but love
and gratitude. AS we stand and look
| upon the procession marching for
ward to perform the sacred duty of
| scattering the most beautiful and frag-
| rant OF earths products upon the
graves OF departed comrades, there
burns within our hearts fire hereto
| fore unknown and unfelt, fire kim
died at the most sacred altar place OF
patriotism, where the empty sleeve,
the blinded eye and the haltering step
tell the silent and pathetic story of a
sacrifice for principle and a devotion
to duty which must ever inspire the
hearts of youth and quicken even the
pulse Of age.
On this day is il not appropriate
that we call the name OF one who
entered that vast army as an humble
private, and who, by his own sterling
worth fought his way TO the rank oi
Major, William Mckinley, the boy
whose bravery on the firing line at
Antietam caused the great, sterr
Stonewall Jackson to say to soldier
standing near him who had raised his
gun in direct aim at this Federal sol.
der lad: put down that gun; | have
been watching that boy--he is toe
brave to be killed"
| In Mckinley's case the oft-quoted
maxim proved true, that the boy is
father to the man; for all through his
life he lived that steadfastness TO duty
that loyalty to patriotism and devo-
ton to- principle which won for him
the encomium OF Jackson when mere
boy on the firing line OF Antietam'
bloody field.
| We cannot here recount the achieve
ments OF his life nor detail the recort
OF his great administration. We
pause here on a Memorial occasion
only Tor moment to1all the name o.
a great soldier, a great President ant
great citizen. And to name a virtue
almost too sacred for words. Yet we
cannot call the name OF Mckinley anc
omit the most sublime characteristic
OF his life-the patient sweetness anc
tender fidelity OF this great. strong
virlle man for his irail invalid wife
1t was as though some powerful force
in Nature had centered all her ener.
gies upon the protection of a flower
so delicately fashioned that it coulc
not bear SO much as a passing breeze
and which grew sweeter all the while
because OF its need OF caressing care
| On that ill-fated platform at Buffalo
he says OF his slayer: DO not lei
them hurt him" and for a similar SEN
tlinent we must go back nineteen
hundred years to the very dawn oi
our Christian era. And on his deatl
bed he again echoes the prayer OF the
| Nazarene, 1T is Gods way; His VIII
be done" And in resignation such as
this, his great soul scared out into
the infinite blue to make kinship with
the martyrs who have gone before
10 you who wore the gray, let me
say that Mckinley was your best
friend History has not yet placed on
record what. he did for the South. His
every effort was toward the develop
ment and uplifting the South, And
never in word or act did he fail to do
that thing which inspired deeper
feeling OF kinship among all sections
and greater love for our national
unity and life. And again, let me say
to you that on these occasions we