Master, which is the great
commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great
commandment.
And the second is like unto
it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments hang
all the law and the prophets.— MATT. XXII: 36-40.
As it lays the form of its martyred chieftain near its final
rest,
Our strong nation, as though but one heart beat within its noble
breast,
Stands with bowed head, crushed by a great grief it knows not
how to express;
Faced with a most serious error it knows not how to redress.
Was it his gifted statesmanship, alone, which moves the heart
and head,
And makes all nations join in praise of our own illustrious dead?
What was the principal gift which has so immortalized his name?
Which has accomplished the most good and added to his country’s
fame? [70][71]
It is that true spirit of love which permeated all his deeds,
Which is much broader than all parties and far higher than all
creeds;
It compelled him to plead for peace on earth and also made him
ken,
And feel that man’s power lay in love of right and all his fellowmen.
The power that won the hearts of the people here and o’er the
sea,
Is the selfsame power that brings us all “Nearer, My God, to Thee.”
Mighty power! Of pure unselfish love for every race and clan;
This, the secret of all his triumphs—love to God and love to man.
God reigns. Though we do not understand the ways of Infinite
Mind,
Yet, like an Infinite Mother, its heart is infinitely kind.
Great nations, like great hearts, are sometimes purified by deep
sorrow;
In our sad to-day we forget that blessings may come to-morrow.
[71][72]
For the loved wife and relatives who have gathered about his
bier;
For the host of devoted comrades who have come from far and near;
For all his loyal associates, and sacred friendships old and new;
For all the brave and loving hearts, everywhere, the faithful,
tried and true;
For the undeveloped souls who have not yet found
the Christ within;
For all those who apparently are still steeped in seeming sin;
For him whose dense mental darkness is as dark as the darkest
night;
For each and all, his spirit speaks the prayerful words, “Lead,
Kindly Light.”
September 19, 1901.
