Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1918-07-29
LAST RESPECTS
70 DR. Dr. WHITLEY n
Funeral Saturday Afternoon Largely
Attended and Display of Floral
Tributes one of Largest
Ever Seen In City.
REV. METCALF PAYS TRIBUTE
Fine Grafton Delivered In Memory
of one Of City's Most Prom.
inent Men.
". METCALF PAYS TRIBUTE

The funeral of DR.. F. e. Whitley
Saturday afternoon was largely at
tended. The home was filled and the
larger part of the audience, congre-
gated to pay their last respects tt
the memory OF one who had beer
prominent in the civic and profes.
sional life of the city and community
tor so long, sat in chairs on the spac.
ious lawn east of the residence.
The services were conducted by
Rev. Arthur Metcalf, pastor of the
Congregational church, and Rev. L.
E. Vets of the Baptist church. The
latter read the scripture selections
and Rev. Metcalf delivered the fu-
neral GRAFTON. The display of floral
tributes was unusually large-one of
the largest ever seen at funeral in
this city-due to the prominence and
high standing of DR.. Whitley in this
community. The pail bearers were
from his professional colleagues
Drs. O. A. Hall, F. F. Hall, G. T. Nc
Cauliff, NJ. B. Galloway, Paul Nickoli
and T. F. Desmond.
Rev. Metcalf Speaks.
Rev. Metcalf spoke from the east
Veranda of the home.
The address was an ANALYSIS and
a personal appreciation of DR.. Whit.
ley, an estimate of the place he hau
filled for thirty years in the life OF
Webster City. Mr.. Metcalf said in
part:
This large gathering is represen-
tative. We are not all here! We are
but q few representatives of a vast
multitude Of people in the city ant
over the country side who have come
under the spell of this mans person
atty, who have been helped and bless
ed by his ministrations and who would
be here if they could. The scene re.
minds one of the burial of DR.. William
Mcclure in Ian McLaren's once fam
GUS Bonnie Briar Bush. Scattered
far and near, in city homes and lonely
farm houses are men and women who.
through the years have been help
ed in hours of distress by him who
now lies cold and silent. The SYM
pathy of this hour is shared by multi
tudes who cannot be here today.
The death of DR.. Whitley came t,
the community as shock 1t was Sc
sudden and SO unexpected that we feel
it cannot be. There is note of sad
ness here, for we are looking upol
death in its most hideous shape. WheI
Death carries off the aged we feel that
it is part of the ripening process OF
life. But today the grim monster
reaches down and stops a useful life
in mid career, it breaks into human
success with finality that spells
disaster and brings sorrow. But there
is compensation even in this dark
hour, for our grief is mingled with con-
secrated memories of the life that Is
passed. We feel that such a personal
ity is really beyond the power of death
to touch, that such four-square
cubic life cannot be overturned even
by death. And SO out of the dark
clouds of this bitter experience springs
a potent argument for Immortality.
A Gentle Man.
DR.. Whitley was gentle man. That
S the best way to spell that good old
word He was not mere gentleman
who may be an idler, money grabber
a seeker after fame, winner of prop
erty to hold and power to hoard. Blu,
here was man with thoroughly mas
culine virtues who, withal, was gentle
as woman. He was gentleman of
the old school. DR.. Whitley came OF
fine old English blood. His ancestry
was of the sort that makes old Eng
lish families famous and builds aristo-
cratic houses. Joined to this old Eng
lish strain of blood was the honest
democratic life of the great new world
of the west. These two strains made
of this man true American, man of
simple life and of gentle democratic
spirit
All who were acquainted with DR..
Whitley knew him as man of per-
sonality and character. He took of
the best of life and wove it into per-
sonal experience which gave place
of charm and power in the community
One hesitates to touch intimate sacred
things in this public place, but those
who knew DR.. Whitley best are instant
IN acclaiming him ideal in his domestic
relationships. He idealized his FAM
lily and by the circle of his own blood
he In turn was idealized. He had a.