William McKinley

When bad men die, we grieve that they should go
On journeys ending in such certain woe;
When good men die, we sorrow scarcely less
That earth their presence may no longer bless.
But grief or tears change not God’s simple plan—
Two homes awaiting only choice of man;
Two gates that open to a ceaseless throng—
An endless sorrow or eternal song.
But even though our vision may be dim
With tears that gather as we think of him
Whose simple virtues not one life may span—
The honored statesman and the Christian man—
Welcomed we see him, love encompassed, stand,
A better Christian in a better land.