gfmnitait Vuobyttrian.
THURSDAY, MAY 4, 1865.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.
For distributing the American Presby
terian in the Army, &c.
A. E. Butler, Jacksonville, Oregon, $7 00
A friend in Philadelphia, . . . 2 00
For A. B. C. F. .K.
Assembly's Church, Washington, 150 00
DAY OF NATIONAL HUMILIATION.
The President of the United States,
by the following Proclamation, has ap
pointed a Day of Humiliation' and Mourn
ing on account of the death of President
Lincoln
By the President of the United States of
America.
A PROCLAMATION.
Whereas, by my direction, the Acting Sec
retary of State, in a notice to the public on
the 17th of April, requested the•various re
ligious denominations to assemble on the 19th
of April, on the occasion of the obsequies of
Abraham Lincoln, late President of the
United States. and to observe the same with
appropriate ceremonies ; and whereas our
country has become one great house of mourn
ing, where the head of the family has been
taken away; and believing that a special pe
riod should be assigned for again hfimbling
ourselves before Almighty God, in order that
the bereavement may be sanctified to the
nation; now, therefore, in order to mitigate
that grief on earth which can only be assuaged
by communion with the Father in Heaven,
and in 'conipliance with the wishes of Sena
tors and Representatives in Congress, com
municated to me by a resolution adopted at
the National Capital, I, ANDREW JOHNSON,
President of the United States, do hereby
appoint Thursday, the tweaty-fifth day of
May next, to be observed, wherever in the
United States the flag of the country may be
respected as a day of humiliation and mourn
ing, and I recommend my fellow-citizens then
to assemble in their respective places of wok
ship, there to unite in solemn service to Al
mighty God, in memory of the good man who
has been removed, so that all shall be occu
pied at the same time in contemplation of his
virtues, and sorrow for his sudden and violent
end.
In virtue whereof I have hereunto set my
hand and caused the seal of the United States
to be affixed.
Ddne at the 'city of Washington, the 25th
day of April, in the year of our Lord 1865,
and of the Independence of the United States
of America the 89th
By. the President,
W. HuNTER, Acting Secretary =of State.
ANDREW JOHNSON.
SUPPLEMENTARY PROCLAMATION •—•
THE DAY CHANGED:--4 view of repre
sentations coming from those Christian.
bodies who attach importance to church
festival dais, that Ascension Day—a day
devoted to rejoking—occurs on the'2sth,
the President has considerately issued a
_supalpmentary proclamation, designating
Thursday, the first day orTrarez-rartne
religious services in reference to the
public bereavement. -
THE EPISCOPAL RECORDER ON THE
ASSASSINATION.
.The Recorder is the Philadelphia
paper of the Protestant Episcopal Church.
In all the great issues involved in oar
long national struggle, both the formal
and the more real and underlying ones,
it took - its stand promptly and right.
We have a vivid remembrance of the
hour of dark suspense when the country
was agitated with rumors of peace on
less than radical terms, and we felt the
giving way on the part of so many of
our religious papers, how we'read in the
Recorder manly utterances of, fidelity to
the principles of national• and eternal
righteousness. In our own well-resolved
course, we found in it a supporting sym
pathy which then seemed fast failing
,us in other quarters where we had cal
culated on a nerve adequate to the emer:
geney. For these reasons, out of nu
merous and well uttered views of the
religious press concerning the present
national duty, as conferred upon us by
this dark Providence, we select the
following paragraphs from articles in a
late ntituber of the Recorder :
"We do trust that this spirit in which the
rebellion was. conceived and' born, will, at
length, be Comprehended by all our citizens.
If the bitter speeches and writings, in which
language has been tortured to give out keener
expressions.of.hatred than it is-fitted to con
vey—if the 'slow murder of our prisoners by
the thousands has not awakened some of
them to a Conviction of the essentially devil
ish spirit in which this, rebellion has origi
nated and been conducted, we cannot but
think that this unprovoked murder of our
Chief Magistrate, will reveal it to them in, its
real hideousness. Whether it be the work
of a few individual wretches, or whether they
are the agents of many others, it is in either
case, but putting in practice what has long
been preached. It is but the Richmond
Sentinel turned into a bowie-knife, and the
.arniner into a revolver; and then wielded
by a literal instead of a literary and theo
retical assassin.'t
"What lessons are we taught by this hour?
Is it meaningless? Have we not been too
boastful, as a nation, in our success; too self
proud, and self-. confident? Then, again, have
we treated the freedman as we ought to have
done? We snatched him from slavery; did
we give him any thing more than the name
of liberty? We acknowledge that forging
his fetters brought upon us the war ; have we
not replaced his old fetters by new ones,
forged in our own midst? Let us have clean
skirts in this matter.. Let us do the negro
justice,
else God's judgments be visited upon
us still more heavily. Let us, as a nation,
seek to know the Divine will, and knowing,
perform it, putting , aside all the blind pre
judices the past. '
Rzv. Mit. HAMMOND has been hold
ing children's meetings in Calvary and
Clinton Street Presbyterian Churches,
and Wagner Institute, during the past
week. An open air meeting of great in
terest and solemnity was held in South
Broad Street, on. Sabbath afternoon,
and other important services, including
one in' the Academy of Music, were in
contemlilati9
Ibtal IA gut eturttu.
SPARTA, N. J.—A pleasant spiritual
interest has pervaded the church in this
place, (Rev. F. E. M. Bacheler's,) for a
long time past. Ten persons were re
ceived to the communion, on profession
of their faith, on the 9th ult. Six others
had been received a short time- before.
ACCESSIONS TO GREEN HILL CHURCH,
PICILADELPRIA.—We learn that this
church, (Rev. F. L. Robbins!) at its
communion last month, received to its
membership between thirty and forty
new -members—a large proportion of
them men. A deep religious interest is
also manifest in the Sabbath School.
ORDINATION.--At the:late meeting
of the Presbytery of Cincinnati, Mr.
James M. Anderson, •iicentiate, Presi
dent ,of the Ohio Female Collage, was
ordained to the work of the ministry.
Prof. Allen, of Lane Seminary, preached
the sermon, and prof. Evans, of the same
institution, llelivered the charge to the
Bishop. ,
IRVINGTON, N. T. The church in
this place, late the pastoral charge of
Rev. Charles A. McHarg, who was com
pelled, by ill health, to withdraw from
it, has in prospect the settlement of an
other pastor, Rev. John De Witt, who
has accepted the_ it call, and whose ;labors
are expected to commence early imt il he
present month.
THE PRESBYTERY OF Rapray has
elected Rev. J. W. West and Ruling
Elder J. 'N. Salibury, M. D., Commis
sioners to the Assembly, and ReV - .,D.
Gould and Ruling Elder D. B. Evans,
Alternates. Fraternal arrangements . in
relation to feeble churches, were proposed
to the Chilicothe Presbytery, 0. S., and
also the Presbytery of the United Pres
byterian church on the ground.
THE PRESBYTERY Or NORTH Rivria,
at their recent meeting ba Canterbury,
appointed Rev. L. P. Ledoux, D.D., and
Edward Wells, Esq.; elder, as the
,Com
missioners to the tk General ,Ass embly.
Rev. lla,rvey,Smith and Peter Roe,-
elder, alternates. y The Presbytery dis
solved the pastoral relation of Bei. J.
T. Ostrom with.the cerigregation of New
Windsor ; also ordained Clarence Eddy,
and installed him paa - tor of the mono
gation of Canterbnry.—Evan.
HANGING ROOK. AND PINE GROVE,
Oslo.—These churches are now vacant,
and wish to secure a pastor. They have
an excellent parsonage and garden.
They have also an invested fund of
$5OOO left by Robert gamilton, who
was an elder there, the indrest of which
is appropriated to the support of the
ministry. Applications should be ad
"dfEeTseu to - ttarrrust . . . • .
byterian Church, Hanging Rock, Ohio
PRESBYTERY OF FRANKLIN.—The an
nual meeting of this Ohio Presbytery
was held April 4. The Commissioners
elected to the Assembly are—Principals,
Rev. Homer McVay and Ruling Elder
John McElroy ; Alternates., Rev. F. A.
Griswold, and Ruling Elder. B. Dicken
son. Courtesies, by delegates were in
terchanged with the Columbus Presby
tery, 0. S., andproposals were made to
the latter for some equitable fraternal
arrangement in localities where each
Presbytery had a feeble church.
PRESBYTERY OF MONROE.—This , is one
of our vigorous Michigan. Presbyteries.
At its annual meeting recently held in
Monroe, Rev. S. E. Wishard and Ruling
Elder Samuel Hart were elected, Com
missioners to the General Assembly.
Their alternates ;are Rev. W. S. Taylor
and Ruling Elder Van Horn. The stated
preaching of the gospel is enjoyed in
fourteen of the sixteen churches belong
ing to the Presbytery, but we regret to
learn that only five of them haVe consti
tutionally settled pastors. The religious
interest in the church in Monroe, here
tofore noticed in our paper, still exists to
some extent, and several other churches
have enjoyed more or less blessing fol
lowing the week of prayer. . .
PRESBYTERY 02 GALENA AND BELVI
DERE.—From the Narrative of the State
of Religion, made out at the recent ,
meeting, we talie 'the following matters
of special intereSt The churches of.
Lawrence, Galena, -and Belvidere in par
ticular, have been made glad by times
of refreshing froln the presence• of the
Lord.' In the last named church they
have enjoyed tokens of the presence and
grace of the, Spirit unprecented in their
history. In the course of a' series of
meetings, commencing with the Week
of Prayer and continuing about eight
weeks, sixty-seven persons were brought
to the .Saviour and have made a public
profession of their faith. Of the number,
thirty-three were heads of families.
Several of them are among the most
prominent citizens of the -place--men of
'great social influence." In Galena, also,
the meetings commenced with the Week
of Prayer. Believers experienced a large
revival of strength, and upwards of
twenty persons were hopefully converted.
About one-half the 'number were heads
of families. One thing worthy of .notice
in the report - from these churches is, that
the large majority of those brought in to
lull communion with God's people were
the children of believing parents, and had
received baptism and early Christian
nurture: Some of them expressly attri
buted their conversion, under God, to
these early influences followed up by
the prayers of believing friends. All
this should increase the interest of the
church in her baptized youth, and stimu
late the various agencies for their im
provement."
DEDICATION• OF •CHURCHES IN NEW
YORK.—The congregation of Rev. Dr.
Prentiss have erected for themselves a
MEEIE
THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN THURSDAY, MAY 4, 1865.
new and beautiful church edifice, on the
corner of Fourth avenue and Thirty-fifth
street. The dedication services were
appointed for the last Sabbath morning,
and the pastor was announced as the
preacher for the occasion.
The dedication of the new edifice
erected for the West Presbyterian Churf ,l , l
(Rev. T. S. Hasting's), took place On
Sabbath • morning, the 23d ult. Rev.
Drs. Hatfield and H. M. Field, and Rev.
Thomas H. Skinner, Jr., participated
with the pastor in the exercises. The
sermon was preached by the pastor--an
able, and -interesting discourse founded
upon Exodus xx. 26. The building oc
cupies a space 102 by 7 8 'feet, and, with.
out professing strict adhf
established style of arch;
for its leading , idea the
It is a fine structure, and
to its use. The church, on
as Carmine street, is one'l
have grown into vast pi
by the .force of wealth, bin
working element within,
rich measures of Divine ins
its organization in 1829, i
nineteen hundred and eigl
bers, more than one-half of
in on the first public prof(
faith.
[The first of this seriep of articles will be
found on an inside page.]
EDITOR OF THE AMERICAN PRESET
TERIAN:--We stated last week that there
were two questions in regard to the sub
ject of Church Erection.
I. was the Assembly an y ri ght to
I change the character of the plan ? and
11 - ,, is it expedient ?
We have already spexea of the legal
r i g h t. W e will ne w i nq uire as to the con
stituticmal right.
,woes the plan itself; or
the' Gene r al Assembly, irre
last'
oeabsicytsof fix the' of the fund ?
I t , wou ld" se em that a plan adopted
,
e ft r
"•ft,ete, pest and protracted discus
sion"
"patient and thorough in
spins of the Committee proposing
thi pt e n, and the careful considering.
S lt oy the Assembly at its adOption,"
k sv ,,.lld be a document so clear as to ad
_at of no.doubt as to its capability by
right to be changed in its character, and
that if the "doctrine of permanency" as a
" fixed and irrevocable feature" were to
be found anywhere asserting its right
it would be in the Plan itself. To this
Plan 'we go. But, no such word as
"permanent," " irrrevocable," or any
such idea can be found in it at all as to
its mode of operation. But just the oppo
site. This may startle some who have
heard so much about the " great idea,"
and " doctrine of Permanenby."
The first article of the Plan (and this
is the only article, with the last, that
been (fluted to show its'' , irrevocable
trmanency") says :--" This Fund hay
tg been committed to the General Assem
ly as a Special Trust, no part of it as
wi , established, nor any additions
iich may hereafter be made to it, shall
er be used for any other purpose than
st of aiding feeble congregations in
•ecting houses of worship." The last
6th) article affirms that "the first
;isle shall admit of no alteration or
ldnient, and, that no change shall be
ie in any' other part of the Plan ex
it-by an affirmative ; vote of two-thirds
the General, Assembly."
There' is, therefore, nothing in the
obliging • the Assembly never to
tge the method or permanent charac
of 'that Fund, whether of " the
0,000" or "additions which may
eift6rims made to it."
The 'Plan simply affirms--(1) that
money shall be -used for a specific
Jse, viz.: "aiding feeble congrega
is in erecting houses of worship."
That this je the only thing about
plan that "shall admit of no ahem
or amendment," and (3), that all
sr articles and featuies of the Plan
be altered by." a vote of tivo-thirdif
Tire_tGemralaiteemobfly.''
the Plan
espe.
determines in. what manner the
tey shall be used for this purpose.
requires that the money
_loaned or
tated shall all be paid back under
' obligation, it is true ; and that " the
Int loaned to any congregation shall
exceed the sum of $5OO, nor shall
amount given to any congregation
in any case more than $200." But
the Specie.' Committee and the
Lstees of the Fund recommend to the
tenably, "that article 14th of the Plan i
to altered as to read, instead $500 ; 1
) ; instead of $200,,5300." And if
alteration can be, made, who will,
that the Assembly has not the right,
irding to the Plan, to make the loans
cent or nothing, and the donations
or less, as two-thirds of the A mem,
may deem best ; and to withdraw
bond and mortgage for the security
the repayment of donations; or to re
the' obligations Of the congregations
ke up , a collection for this purpose.
. do not ask whether this is expe- '
~ but whether the Assembly has the
The trouble with those who
ipt to prove the "unalterable per
;ncy," seems to us to be, that they
taken the first, article which speaks
ly of the object for which the money
be used, and they have affirmed
this article determines the manner (
'ide of the administration of the I
, which is explicitly stated in arti
14th,
and which is changeable by al
thirds vote of the Assembly. I
'hus, so far as the Plan is concerned,
" great idea," and " doctrine of irre-
I able permanency" falls to the ground.
't3ut we are told, and no one wishes I
'deny it, that the General Assembly
853, one year before the plan ex
d, and other succeeding Assemblies,
e affirmed that " this is desigired to
`a Permanent Fund."
`ow, in regard to these utterances of
l t Assemblies, we remark (1) It
crn na s ed st t r h a i n s ge " , d i o n e a t s r m in u e c o h f " per s m om an e en h c a y v '
)e the " great idea," that the Assem- f e,
, did not fix this in the Plan so that
- re could be no mistake as to this
il revocable feature;' and that on the
• er hand, we find provision in the Plan
wa-„, its change. There was some cogent
ion for such an omission. And there,
~, ye alfn in 1 , ~
bb4 after earnest discussion and!
AMERICAN BOARD —Si r----
missions have contribu strong presumption, that if the A ssem- 1
* ' ' I tille -sti ation, had seen best to make the I
g "irrevoca Y' P ,
"irrevocably ermanet ” they I
can Board one thousan f ' l ., art ici
hoping that others wog a
shorn
like u p sumswe
are til l
happy
0 t O r ?
4 ,
4 : ,
at
yid have done so
the Plan
that they
not do it—that . wasthe
in
' this feature—implies that on
thousand has been just 84.dgby .
in Pennsylvania.
-titan of
' • ile it was
possibletho u gh t c
h b a e n s
g t
e t o
to leave a t v h e e the
pments of time and to the wisdom of
ng Assemblies, according to the
tent principle—to use 'the fords
Special Committee—" of having
r schemes of benevolence, and
of applying the immutable princi
nur religion, sufficiently , pliable
SAN Jos, CAL., raEsnyrsa
Presbytery met at Oakland, Mari
and was enlarged by the i reeeptioi
minister," Rev. W. W. Martin,
Presbytery of Sierra Nevada,
churches hitherto independe
San Jose, and the other at
Arratjgements were made ff
lotion of Mr.-Martin, (Om'
and for the ordination - MI
ander, a licentiate of -
Islands, Presbytery.
take place :t San Lei
The Presbytery memo)
ral Assembly strop;
union, urging MO)
argument for imtner actim.
less-the consolida; be effect
the . .foresent strong m feeling,
Of the' war will ' 'Rowed by
influx of the Sol nu Preslr
ment [into 'the Si-dhurbi
pose;] as to render the union
if not impossible. The PreM
not ho - Wever Oeculate as to
,
of a unity would exist 'in the
ted body, on. the assumption
jority of the 0. S. part is, by
pared, to receive the influx of
said element
From Lippincott & Co.:—.
Instruction. By James P. W
From Smith, English &
Young Student.
••• icknozA
Folks, for May. - Sicinc,-
by Hamilton. Antoer
Breakfast Table. -.
From' W. H. Appleton
Life of Sherman.
From R. Carter & Br!
Church Lectures. Christian
Little Kate and Jolly Jim.
ham.
From the Presbyterian
Committee :—The Sunday-k
Family, and the Church ; ;by
Hawks,
_Cleveland, Ohio.
Blessed ; a Chrisimas lies&
Wm. H. Goodrich. The Yol
a Narrative of 1814. Ni
Dogs.
CHRISTIAN
sponded to the appeal
movement among evangel
not for immediate organic
voluntary associations to
tween all such churches the
Spirit A large and spit.'
was held in that city, for
°tithe 20th ult., presided (
Dr. Thompson, of the N. S.
church. It was addressed
of several denomination
among, whom.was the Ep
Mcllvaine. A permamei
was formed, based upon
declaration of faith and I
"Belief itt_tbe Holy Seri]
inspiration' of Grod, posset
authority, and ,the only
sufficient rule of faith ar
lief in God the Father,
Holy Spirit, and that
God, and that the Holy
trusting for redemption
Saviour, and being all
same Holy Spirit ; belief
ing punishment of finally
ners, , and the eternal sal
faithful in Christ Jesi
substantially the same 7
faith, and prayer." T .
Association, as expresf
tution, is to promote Of
by meetings, publican
available means. IV
takes the office of pert.
Its other offices are fills
and laymen from ten di
tions.
A meeting for this obj4*.
this city, last Monday. It t .
- , •
HARRISBURG r RESI3
Fm interesting report 9 V,....pr
of this body, at its late ` , nF
which shall appear next 11114 a.,
E. Niles was installed by tß&F f r
pastor of the church of York.'
BOOKS RECEIVED,
CHURCH EXTENSION AND GENERAL
ASSEMBLY. IL
to be adapted to fresh exigencies in the
development of a new and enlarging
country."'
(2) That such a course is wise, no
one can dispute, except those who be
lieve
foresight
of the General Assembly.
Is it to be supposed that because, at
the time of raising the money and since
that time, a majority of the Assembly
has considered the unchangeable nature
of the Fund an important feature, as
most useful—that, therefore, the Assem
bly is unalterably committed to this
opinion for all time to come ? Has a
General Assembly never changed its
mind ? And will it never again ?
(3) In 18-55 there was a memorial
from the Presbytery of Kalamazoo to
the General Assembly, that the 14th
article in the Plan of distribution might
be changed ; in answer to which it was
resolved by the Assembly, " that the
plan contains no conditions not necessary
to the permanance and perpetuity of the
Fund."
Why did they not say that the Plan
contains conditions necessary to the
permanence of the Fund P Evidently
because it - is not true, and they, there
fore, used the singular, not to say inac
curate language above; for there " are"
some " conditions of the Plan which are
not necessary to the permanency of the
Fund." The Special Committee who
reported at Dayton, also imply and af
firm that the General Assembly has the
constitutional right to change the Plan.
See pages 7, 8 and 9.-
We can on quote the following :—" If
indeed there shall be for a series of years
constant accumulation, then will it be
incumbent on the Assembly to mature
some plan by which. the Fund shall be
made to accomplish a larger amount of
good."
Whether there be any moral right to
give away to feeble Churches any " part
of this Fund," we will consider in ano
ther article.
April 25. 1865.
FRESH DEVELOPMENTS OF SOUTH•
ERN BARBARITY.
• •
One by one, d eyir evideneee are creep
ing forth from the captured archives of
the rebellion. that it lay in the very na
ture of such a satanic enterprise to trans
form all active participators in it from
men to savage fiends. It has- been a
somewhat favorite idea with many of
our northern friends, that there remained
among them, men in whom all the noble
ness of humanity was not crushed out--
men who, it is true, were laboring under a
deplorable delusion, but who were never
theless magnanimous, high-minded, and
`chivalrous. Among this supposed class,
none stood higher than Judge Ould, who
so long held close communion with our
authorities, under 'flag of trace, astCorn
missionet for the exchange of prisoners.
Rev. Mr. Craighead of The Evangelist,
in a long and' interestingnarrative of his
observations during a recent visit to
Riehmond, relates the following:
`ln the building formerly used by General
Winder, the rebel Superintendent of prisons,
among other_ documents was a letter written
by Judge Ould, the rebel agent of exchange,
and addressed to Gen. Winder, bearing date
March 17th, 1863, in which this passage oc
curs: The arrangement I have made works
largely in our favor. We get rid of a set of
miserable wretches, and receive some of the
best material I ever saw."
The " arrangement" referred .to is the
turning off of our prisoners dying of a
starvation practiced upon them for the
expresS purpose of making them useless
to the Union armies when exchanged,
and receiving in t,heir stead an equal
number of well-ndurished and fat
rebels, in the best possible 'Condition
for campaign service. - It is in the
working of such a system of warfare
that this chivalric Ould exults, and
the tenor of his congratulations is un
mistakeably an enCouragement to pursue
it. Can the records' of the Rindoo,
mutiny or A.shaittee ferocity excel this ?
And yet men of this stripe prate of their
immunities under the terms of surrender,
expect to chat the galiows„and even to
resume their standing , and insolence in
the country. Well we shall see. '
,
CAPITAL .PUNISHMENT ABOLISHED.
The tendency of public opinion to a
dangerous leniency in the treatment of
high crimes is manifesting itself in the old
world.
.Almost simultaneously, the law makers in three European countries have
decided upon the abolition of capital
Ipunishment. The three countries are
the Kingdom of Italy-, and the Duchies
I of Wurtemberg and Weinaar, in Germany.
i
' We notice that the discussion of the sub-
I
; ject is going on in some of the religions
I journals of England, by whom it is ap-
I parently regarded as an open question
It is one of the ominous signs of the
I times, and proves how much we need a
1 breath of the Divine purity and hatred
of unrig,lateousness, to tone up the minds
and consciences of men against the de
moralizing influences of thnmaterialistic
land pantheistic philosophies of the time.
Let us unceasingly pray- that our new
President -may have grace to discharge
the stern duties of his station, And of thtt
hour, without yielding a hair to the licen
tious tendencies of the time. The spec
tacle of a rigid administration of justice
to those who so richly deserve it in this
country, would have a salutary effect in
checking crime, and in toning up the
public conscience the world over.
COLLEGE UNION.—The U.lllOll behireell Wash
' ington and Jefferson Colleges, Pa., has been
accomplished, ands. Board of Trustees:for the
united College chosen. According to the
pledge. given, the Rev. , Dr. Beatty ; of Steuben
'
ville Ohio, has paid $50,000 tathe endowment
fund of the new institution—a noble, , genarqui
gift. —Presbyterian.
CHARACTER AND DEATH OF ABRA-
A DISCOURSE PREACHED Br PER, Irma . Pow-
LER., PASTOR OF THE CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH, AI7BURN, NEW YORE.
•
" And the angel of the Lord called unto
Abraham out of Heaven the second time."—
GENESIS xxit. 15.
In the midst of unequalled rejoicings, we are
called to unequalled sorrow. The certainty of
peace was revealed to us as a bright vision ;
peace won by victories, not bOught by condi
tions ; peace the seal of an indissoluble Union,
not the treacherous truce of independent sover
eignties; peace the virtuous bride of liberty;
not the mistress of oppression ; peace,
" Whole as the marble, founded as the rock,
As broad and general as the casing air,"
in fulfilment of the prophecy, "when mercy
and truth meet together, righteousness an'
peace kiss each other." Exalted by the cer
tainty, we raised
~00ur hallelujahs till they
touched the skies. Their echo but met our
ears, when the words of a grimmer prophet are
fulfilled : " Our feasts are turned into mourn
ing, and all our songs into lamentations, as the
mourning of an only son, and the end thereof
is a bitter day." This country, never saw such'
grief as marked the Ides of Aril, 1865, when
all men lifted up their voices and wept, and the
Rachels refused to be comforted. That grief
abides to-day: The Sabbath has tempered the
sorrow with its teachings of faith. The dismay
which follows a first outburst of ambushed evil.
is past; anxiety felt for the republic is allayed,.
as we observe the unmoved stability of affairs,
but the mourning continues ; and we gather now
to express and explain our bereavement, and
to learn from each others' hearts the lesson or
the hour.
Our grief is both national and personal.
When the President of these United States was
murdered u
, the shot was aimed our Cony.
The Republic shivered with the at
shock each,
American seemed called to avenge the blood; •
for, when Abraham Lincolh fell, "then you.
and I and all of us fell down, whilst bloody.
treason flourished over us."
But our grief has its tenderer as well as
sterner aspect, its personal as well as its na
-1 elements. The Filial las taken posses-
siontiona of our souls. Not only had the President's
administration constructed, in the heart of the
nation, the confidence which upbuilds between,
honest citizens, but his character had won the
peculiar trust felt by the son for a wise and good
father. We were not afraid to ask his reasons,
and we were willing that he should_act without.
giving reasons. We received his explanations,
and with faith alike unquestioning, we accept
ed his reticence. His wisdom seemed to us
great, but not remote; his greatness upbore all
the nation with him as one family. He was
and always will be—" Father Abraham." ,.
In discussing his charadter, I do not- dwell.
upon the attainment of the Presidential
from humblest beginnings, because in this
Abraham Lincoln is not remarkable. It is our
Institutions which are remarkable.' Andrew
Jaakson, James R. Polk, Millard Fillmore, and
now Andrew Johnson,. haie become Presidents
though beginning life in straitened circumstan
ces; while Henry Clay, and Daniel Webster,
with similar biography, have been greater than
President& I ask you to consider the honesty
of Abrahom Lincoln, although you, have men
tioned it a thousand times. for ills too remark
able a quality, ever to be passed in silence. It
was sgrace of singular virtue and rare attain
ment; it not only essayed to speak the truth,.
but it succeeded in speaking the truth. Its
statements were free from perplexing adumbras,
and from Janus-faced meanings, You could
always tell what Abraham Lincoln meant to.
say. And he not only spoke, butaetedhonestly.
His words and his deeds were one. The grand
unity of truth wrought them into its clear con
sistency. Few men have lived who held over
the people, by simple integrity, each prevailing
power, or demonstrated to the world with such
conclusivenesa, the transcendent scope of up
rightness. While conceding that in common
life, " honesty is the best piolicy," some have.
imagined that on the broader field of State or
National politics, success best could be attained
by the subtlety of the politician, or the arts of
the' demagogue, but this life tells us, that in
tegrity wins when artifice fails. The President
I did not waste the forces of intellect in manning
devices;:he was not Wearying himself with
anxieties about the consistency of his record ;
he trusted the Truth, and , she took care of him.
His way out of political labyrinths was short.
Thus it was that in the lists of diplomacy the
President was never ensnared, confused, or
doubled on. He was more than a match for
professional partisans, and for Southern leaders
' trained in the dialectics of.the Conclave. Ido
not affirm that honesty wa le s . the only source of
this superiority; we must give full credit to a
sterling sense ; but honesty was the main, as it
was the moral, head of that fountain of power
which enabled Abraham Lincoln to govern the
Republic in these years of trial. A trait as dif
ficult of retention as of attainment, it was held
by him sacred to the last, a lustrous jewel; and
as the American people cherish his memory,
they will repeat to coming generations the-fa
miliar title which embalms his honesty. •
With this upright speech was united the hear
ing ear. The President listened to all corners.
He exercised a patient absorption. His long
suffering was never exhausted. With equipoise • •
he listened not only to all statements of each
applicant, but to each statement, of all appli
cants. He entertained and considered many
Sides. Coming into the Presidential chair
without investiture of a clique,, he_held himself
untrammelled by exclusiveness or even parti
sanship. He was accessible to any arid, all, the
people ; border State men, peace men, war
Men, conservatives; radicals, religious men,.
practical men, theorists, were received and
their arguments weighed. His greatness lay in
this all -comprehensive receptivity. He belit
tled nothing, ignored nothing; he had that
." wisdom from above which is easy to been
treated, gentle, without partiality, and without
hypocrisy." No ruler has lived •who kept his
ear closer to the motions of the popular thought,
and to the pulsations of the American heart.
The voice of' the people penetrated his soul
with a sacred welcome only second to the voice
of God.
Accompanying this trait appears his Clem
ency. He was so long-suffernig, so forgiving,
" not willing that any should perish." The
governmentalapow er of pardon was used more
readily than the gOvernmental power of execu
tion. He sought to reprieve rather than to
condemn. Mercy overruled justice. "He was
the father rather than the judge of the people.
He went to meet the prodigal while he was
yet a great way off, sometimes while unrepen
tant. We have blamed him for this. We have
been anxious at what , seemed an undue leniency
which encouraged crime. Bat so Ile was I. and
now that his work is done, we discern not
without satisfaction, the handwriting, of huitiky,
as it inscribes salter in crowning -letters above
the record of - his life. , No man living could
have won e
or would have won, from the Amer
ican peopl easier terms for traitors. To gratify
his purpose of mercy we would have sacrified
our sense of justice; and rebellion revealed
the depths of its malignity when it called Abra
ham Lincoln a tyrant, and the height of its
folly when it slew him. Tyrant? Yes l..as
Moses was a tyrant to the Israelites ; as David
was a man of Belial to the cursing Shimei ; as
Paul` as a revolutionist to the Ephesians; aye,
as Jesus was a wine-bibber and a publican to
seribes and pharisees.
In thus analyzing the moral qualities of the
President, I have touched upon the intellectual
characteristcs, for moral and intellectual, in his
nature, interwove their threads as warp and
woof. His mind was honest as his heart. It
received and discerned the truth. It never
failed, however slowly, at last to grasp and hold
the essence of the thing. Laying off on either
side extraneous circumstances, filtrating out the
worthless, it gathered the gold, laboriously , yet
in
eompletely, one nugget, which it held, tri- •
umphantly up to the reflecting light. The Pre
HAM LINCOLN,