The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-03-21
MEMogIAL d TW0 aREAI -

joyed their friendship and confidence
for years and has unsurpassed op-
portunities for observing their work
for the people Of Florida.
Tallahassee. Fla. March is, 1912
The tattered flag that floats over
the state house swings at half-mast
in token Of mourning for the dis
tinguished men whose deaths follow
ed SO close together that the oficial
period Of mourning heightened to
sixty days instead Of the usual thirty.
'.The old Greeks believed that
higher than all the gods and god
desses were the three weird sisters
known as the Fates who controlled
human destinies. Not even Jupiter
himself could change the plans Of the
Fates. When a child was born into
the world one sister began to spin
the thread of his life, the second de-
cided the length Of this thread and
the third. when the destined hour
came. cut the thread. and Of all who
walked the face of the earth there
was not one whose life was not SUBJ
jeet to their will.
Whether we call that higher will
that shapes our ends fate or by some
other name, as in the days Of the
old Greeks, swift as the flash Of
lightning, when the appointed hour
falls we 60 forth to that underground
world, the home of the dead. without
word Of farewell So it has been
in the recent deaths that shocked
and appalled, the whole State, when
within week Of each other Mr.. Nc
Lin and Mr.. Groom answered the last
call.
For the past ten years these two
men stood shoulder to shoulder,
bearing the brunt of every fight
through the years when every move
made by the States. administrative
officers was the subject Of bitter de-
nunciation and criticism Together
they fought until public sentiment
changed and set the seal Of approval
upon the work that has been done.
Mr. McIin was man Of great
and tender heart full Of love and
sympathy for all who needed it. The
unfortunates in the State prison
camps were his special charge ana
IN his death they have lost their best
lfriend.
Mr., Groom was man Of unusual
force of character and intellect. In
his veins there seemed to have
mingled the strain OF Vikings and
heroes and the blood Of Presbyter-
ian ancestors which made him brave
and noble and to his death Pres
byterian in faith, which was as deep
as his very life.
Faithful to his ideals. he gave the
best Of his life to the shaping Of the
States policies to his will, and al
though he died with his work but
half accomplished. the splendid pur-
poses he wrought win live in the
statutes that were, enacted embody-
ing his ideas and the high standing
and credit the State attained during
his administration
Realizing the greatness and power
Of the man, one IS appalled, at the
wicked, wanton waste Of death that
could claim a life like his while
cumberers continue to pollute the
earth and air with their existence.
The truest tribute to him as a man
was paid By those who have served
him daily. the clerks IN the comptroI-
ler's office, Enveloped in an atmos-
phere Of love he has spent the ripest,
best years Of his life with them, ex-
tending to each fathers interest
and consideration and radiating an
atmosphere Of love
When the news Of his death came
they sat with stricken faces and
hushed voices, wrapped in a sorrow
TOO great and too awful for words.
Mr, Groom was man Of singular
modesty and assumed no credit for
his achievements his greatest JOY
was in being kind and helpful to-
Others. He was "a still, strong man
in blatant land. He was like a
sturdy oak in barren waste where
birds Of hope built their nests and.I
sang Of the coming Of spring and
under whose shade weary pilgrims
found rest and refreshment and re-
newed their strength for the blister
ing marches that lay ahead Of them.
He was like the searching voice OF
God speaking through starlit siIences.
He was like the martial mnsie Of the
golden stars breathing courage ana
hope to the children Of men. He
lived close to nature and learned