e
right, his gentleness and moderation of spirit, which not all the
hate of party could turn to bitterness. And I swear you to follow
his justice, his moderation, his mercy. How can I speak to that
twilight million to whom his name was as the name of an angel of
God, and whom God sent before them to lead them out of the house of
bondage? O thou Shepherd of Israel, Thou that didst comfort Thy
people of old, to Thy care we commit these helpless and
long-wronged and grieved.

And now the martyr is moving in triumphal march, mightier than one
alive. The Nation rises up at every stage of his coming; cities and
States are his pall-bearers, and the cannon beat the hours in
solemn progression; dead, dead, dead, he yet speaketh. Is
Washington dead? Is Hampden dead? Is David?

Four years ago, O Illinois, we took from your midst an untried man
from among the people. Behold! we return him to you a mighty
conqueror; not thine any more, but the Nation's--not ours, but the
world's. Give him place, O ye prairies! in the midst of this great
continent shall rest a sacred treasure to myriads who shall pilgrim
to that shrine to kindle anew their zeal and patriotism. Ye winds
that move over mighty spaces of the West, chant his requiem! Ye
people, behold the martyr whose blood, as so many articulate words,
pleads for fidelity, for law, for Liberty!

WENDELL PHILLIPS

What worldwide benefactors these "imprudent" men are! How prudently
most men creep into nameless graves; while now and then one or two
forget themselves into immortality.

--_Speech on Lovejoy_

[Illustration: WENDELL PHILLIPS]

May the good Lord ever keep me from wishing to say the last word; and
also from assigning ranks or awarding prizes to great men gone. However,
it is a joy to get acquainted with a noble, splendid personality, and
then introduce him to you, or at least draw the arras, so you can see
him as he lived and worked or nobly failed.

And if you and I understand this man it is because we are much akin to
him. The only relationship, after all, is the spiritual relationship.
Your brother after the flesh may not be your brother at all; you may
live in different worlds and call to each other in strange tongues
across wide seas of misunderstandings. "Who is my mother and who are