The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-08-11
BUSINESS LIFE:
 PAUSE:S HERE, LAST TR|BU F.
Masonic Temple Auditorium Filled With Mourners For Late President, Who Had
 ade Friends During isit
-ENT PRAYER IS GIVEN AT AFTERNOON SERVICES
All Walks Of Birmingham Touched By Common Sor-
 row And Sympathy; Sim
 pIicity Keynote Of Services

Half an hour before the doors were open the Nineteenth street sidewalk beside the Masonic temple was thronged with men and women of Birmingham who had dropped their daily affairs to take part in the pub lie services held in memory of Pres ident Warren c. Harding. Overca st skies gave a fit setting.
 When the services began the great auditorium of the temple was nearly filled, only the corner seats and a few back rows were empty.
 For nearly an hour the people came. Before 3 o'clock steadily moving stream of automobiles drove to the temple, their occupants got out and the car was moved on to make room for the next. Parking space was quickly filled about Eighth avenue and Nineteenth street.
 Old men ana women. strangers to the busy people who daily traverse the streets of the city, were seen standing waiting for the temple doors to open. Out of the city s earlier days they had come back, as though from the past, old gentlemen who carried gold headed canes, who wore snowy boards and whose faces
 
 them, and alone. were old ladies. they wore great gold chains. many of them, big cameo brooches, unbelieV- ably white hair, and faces saddened by years and their sincere regret for their country's great loss.
 Held By Common Bond.
 The common sympathy and sorrow of the occasion touched all walks of life, men long retired from business affairs, who had made their fortunes and passed their tasks on to a younger generation,i sat beside the south European fruit retailer, alike sharing the nations loss.
 Perhaps the easpsyit tributa pai7 tfe memory of cfe great statesman who had gone on ahead was the silent prayer with which the services were opened. None stood. save he who had opened the service. All were silently bent forward, their heads bowed Utter silence reigned throughout the vast auditorium, a silence that was made profound by the lone, feeble plaint of a baby far up in the gallery, in its mother s arms; one plaintive wall that spoke for a multitude
 Simple in the extreme were the services, a few brief prayers, few hymns, a short description of Presi- QenL f1afulnB S lllt anu ei lSN CuiCe iS7 spoken by men of more than one party, but who today were heirs to a national sorrow and remembered nothing but the dead leaders gener- osity, love for mankind and the trait that will mark him all through his tory, his unwavering sincerity.
 The silent prayer with which the service was opened was followed by the singing of the hymn, Nearer, My haa TThn call for vocal expression came too soon after the thoughts that filled all. Few, per haps. were unfamiliar with the words and music of this song that Christians always turn to in times of their greatest stress and anguish, but few sang at the service In the temple Friday afternoon. All felt the atmos- phere of the ancient words, but not many voiced them.
 pr. Brubaker Presides.
 Dr. l.. E. Brubaker, president of the Pastors union, presided over the hour of sorrow. He merely announced the parts of the set program. Dr. J. B. Meacham of the Second Presby- terian church read a passage from the scriptures. Dr. R. N. Simpson of the First Christian church offered a prayer. The hymn, Abide With Me, . was sung by the Birmingham quartet. ITeSiuent U. IL. McLenuOn or me cttN commission. on behalf of the city, spoke of Birmingham's and the na- tion's loss in the untimely death of the country's chosen chief. Dr. w. J. Partridge of the Fifty sixth Street Baptist church, told of the religious life of the late President. Dr. Morris Newfield of Temple EmmanuEl out lined the life of the President in fra . ternal work, laying stress on his ap- plying the spirit of fraternalism to all mankind. Dr. w. G. Henry of the Eleventh Avenue Methodist church outlined the life of the President as statesman. The service closed with a prayer. the singing of the hYman, Lead Kindly Light" and the bene- diction.
 As quietly as they had gathered for voices were subdued even after those who had attended left the buildinG,the great throng left the temple and dis DrSel 10 their homes