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     PRESIDENT MCKINLEY’S death makes it plain that increase in the size and power of our nation heightens the conception of a national representative in our President. The populace demands an impersonation of its ideals and institutions—some one who may receive its homage as well as maintain its laws. Widening domains have but focused a greater interest in their ruler. While the President is as much as ever a citizen-executive, he is more than ever the visible government. He embodies in his person the dignity and honor and potentiality of a whole country. Because they love their government, the citizens love their government’s executive head. One of these unknown citizens becomes at the moment of inauguration the center of the personal interest of ninety million others; he represents them all. In such a sense the President is the nation.
     Feeling this, the Christian church is rather assured than otherwise, even by such a thing as the assassination of President McKinley, that we are a Christian nation. In some way we feel that the man who for one sad week had the sincerest and intensest solicitude of millions, spoke for, as well as to, those millions in the now famous dying words. It is true that anarchy is the expression of an element of this nation; but “It is God’s way: his will be done,” comes as the nation’s official utterance. So at a moment of terrible darkness, there is national hope and national faith. “In God we trust”—theistic. “His will be done”—Christian. Our dying President said the latter.