Evening star., 1923-06-08
Extols Late Bishop.
Life of Harding Exemplary Says
Letter to Editor.

| 10 tn9 EultOr or Inc star.
A wonderful pageant was recently
witnessed in our great city looking
on as the body Of the beloved Bishop
Harding was borne to burial. His
was a career of beneficent activity.
The characteristic lessons in his life
| have doubtless been read in the trib-
utes which all the journals hastened
| to give. The lessons of such life
| lie on the surface. and cannot be
mistaken. for here was a man as we'll
known, probably, as any other man
| In the city.
Bishop Harding was no deceiver He
wore no masks. He hid no opinions.
J His yea was yea and his nay was
| nay. He was no hypocrite. He spoke
out, and in good, Ineligible English.
his opfiion on every subject where
he has an opinion. His voice was
never ncertain. He was honest, not
merely as he paid his debts ana de-
| fraudee no man of money, but as .Ie
was tr,', to his convictions. His hqn-
esty was honesty of speech. of de-
| rneanor, as well as Of pecuniary trans
actions. He made no promise of any
kind which he did not mean to keep
! or which he tried to evade or was
willing to forget There was no word
In all MS writings, many theme, even
| in heated times of passion, of IN at
| tempt to deceive. His transparent
frankness, habitual. 40 unchanging. so
| obstinate. fastened the title Of honest
| to his name.
He would not have stormed a fort
ress at the head Of forlorp hope. but
| he had the courage which faces diff
culties. braves rebuke and contumely,
Is not afraid Of hard names and harsh
| epithets; the courage that can look
! danger and persecution in the face
and not shrink before IL; the rare
courage which. in 'the discharge OF
duty, is not afraid of what men shall
| say. .
His valor was in no sense quixotic.
| against windmills or foes OF the air.
against imaginary perils; nor was 1t
| the valor Of the self satisfied hero,
who boasts that he was born insensi-
BILE to fear. It was calm and mod
| est courage making no stir, but never
swerving from It's chosen way. He
was not defiant or Indifferent to what
the world thought of him. He loved
popularity. He had the good will of
friends. associates and the society
of favor could frighten him from
speaking his mind. from saying what
he believed to be true: from saying
ought to hear.
He was an amiable man. a man who
bore no malice and cherished no vim
dictiveness He had his likes and
dislikes, strongly felt. and often
strongly expressed. He could use
sharp words, sometimes sarcastic and
OF severity there was always the
heart Of love and mercy. He would
not willingly have harmed any human
being. He was philanthropist He
= EY,l Tts
| chastised them. All his theories. all
his plans and enterprises. turned in
the direction of mercy and benevo-
lence.
He was a democrat in his inter
course with men. loving the society
with plain men about their work.
their plans. their condition. The Ro-
man freedman, whose line is so often
quoted. never Sympathized more hear
tily with everything human than this
great bishop, reaching with his word
so many interests and caring for 80
many pursuits.
He was no mere doctrinaire. with
all his positiveness, bent upon press
ing his own theories. but ho was
always alert TO learn the wants OF
the people, OF all who are toiling. He
was IN no sense demagogue. nor did
he pretend to be foe to the rich
man because he was a FRIEND to the
would disturb the relations of society
and set classes In hostile array and
foster jealousies of labor against cap
ital. found no announcement from
him He believed in the working
classes. labored to make them wiser,
more useful. more hopeful. but he
would not flatter them.
He was the enemy of every form or
social wrong and iniquity. He never
palliated or tolerated anything which
degrades. imbrutes or depraveS men.
Not to one. but to many moral re-
forms his time and heart were given.
To education, thorough and universal: !:
to sobriety. to humanity. to cordial
greeting and aid to the oppressed and
struggling, when was his word OF
cheer and sympathy wanting? With
the weak against the strong his heart
went. and he would give TO them more
than Justice When the weak and the
whether they shared his political or
religious creed or what he would gain
nv befriending them. He obeyed the
divine call.
His was life "in which the gain
was beyond the expectation. the frui-
ton larger than the reasonable hope"
He has made many people purer, hap
peir and nobler by his word to them
His counsels have saved many from
temptati ton and sin, and the city IS a
better city because he haS lived in 1t.
No other man reached so many minds
and hearts. Nothing can reverse the
verdict which has been passed upon
his character or change the record or
his grand life. EVERETT SPRING.