E 711 
 .6 
 
 .D23 
 Copy 2 
 
 flDemorial 
 
 to tbe late 
 
 Ipresibcnt flDclkinleie 
 
 TLbc Buffalo Cbapter 
 
 DauobtetB 
 
 li 
 
 of tbe Hmcrican IRevolutton 
 
 ©ctobct, 1901 
 

 
 
The Buffalo Chapter, Daughters of 
 the American Revolution, considered it 
 most fitting to make its first Chapter 
 meeting after the great tragedy of 1901 
 
 H /IDemortal 5)a^ 
 
 to tbe late 
 
 iKIldliam fiDclkinle?, 
 
 IpreslDcnt ot tbe 
 iRnitct) States, 
 
 to whom the allegiance of the National 
 Society, Daughters of the American 
 Revolution, is due, as chief and head of 
 its patriotic organization. 
 
 Tributes to his character, in its 
 Christian, social, and official aspects, 
 presented by members of the Chapter 
 on that occasion, are here published by 
 order of the Chapter. 
 
V. 
 
 >^.VL.^ .Vi.yi^^X^ 
 
 T»ie 
 
 HATTHEWS - NORTHRUP 
 • VMORKS ■ 
 
 BUPTALO 
 
ON that black day when he who loved so well. 
 Had sought the presence of Supremest Love, 
 And naught remained us but to shut from sight 
 His dear, familiar semblance ; in that hour, 
 A wave of mourning girdled all the earth. 
 But here among his people where he lay. 
 From East to West the solemn silence fell 
 That heard the beating of a Nation's heart. 
 So to his memory would we consecrate 
 Our year's first meeting. So, with reverence, would 
 We hush away the din of outer life. 
 With that same unity of heart-felt love. 
 And offer these sincerest tributes to 
 A manhood full of light, and, prism-wise. 
 All rich with vari-colored glow ; to one 
 Whose well-lived life, whose death so undismayed. 
 Shine like God's bow of promise in our sky. 
 
 Historian^ 
 The Buffalo Chapter, D. A. R. 
 
personal iRemtntscences of 
 presibent's Dai^* 
 
 PRESIDENT'S DAY, September 5, 1901, will long 
 be remembered as one of the brightest and hap- 
 piest days of the summer's long list of Pan-American 
 Exposition State or special days. 
 
 No one could foresee the sad ending of the day that was 
 to follow ; there was a certain animation, a hush of 
 expectancy, a something, I know not what, in the very 
 air, that morning, and as the crowd began to gather 
 within the grounds of the Exposition, it seemed that the 
 world and all its family were out for a hoHday, on pleas- 
 ure bent, to give welcome to our honored guest. 
 
 The warmth and brightness of the summer, with its 
 flowers and cloudless skies, combined with the haze of 
 early autumn, made an indescribably beautiful setting for 
 the wealth of decoration in flags of all nations and vari- 
 colored bunting, the red, white and yellow, the colors of 
 the Pan-American Exposition, sharing the honor with our 
 own national red, white and blue. With the added 
 attractions of a military display in honor of our President, 
 one could not imagine a more perfect or more beautiful 
 ** fete day." 
 
 Carriages containing the members of the Diplomatic 
 Corps, arriving early at the Grand Esplanade, were wel- 
 
 7 
 
corned by the Chairman and members of the Entertain- 
 ment Committee, and places in the Tribunes were assigned 
 them. Here we awaited the coming of the presidential 
 party. 
 
 Leaving the home of Mr. Milburn, President of the 
 Pan-American Exposition, in the morning at eleven o'clock, 
 the President was escorted by a body of mounted troops to 
 the Lincoln Parkway Gate. There the party was met by 
 the entire military contingent of the Government on the 
 grounds, the two local regiments of the National Guard, 
 and the Marine Band of Washington. The parade then 
 formed and marched through the Triumphal Causeway 
 to the Tribunes erected on the West Esplanade. 
 
 When the President arrived with Mrs. McKinley, he 
 with tenderness assisted her faltering footsteps from the 
 carriage to her place next his own on the platform, from 
 where he delivered the formal address of the day. 
 
 President Milburn made the introduction in a most 
 impressive manner. He stood waiting until the applause 
 had all died away, and the audience had become quiet, 
 then merely mentioned the words, **The President." 
 
 With close attention Mrs. McKinley followed every 
 word uttered by the President, whose oration upon that day 
 will be of historical interest throughout the years to come. 
 
 At the close of the President's address, Mrs. McKin- 
 ley, whose feeble health prevented her taking further part 
 in the exercises, was escorted to a carriage by Dr. Rixey 
 and driven back to Mr. Milburn' s house ; at the same 
 
time the President entered his carriage and, with his 
 escort, was driven to the Stadium, where the military- 
 review was held. 
 
 Upon arrival there, the sound of the martial music and 
 the plaudits of the crowd seemed to inspire the President 
 with enthusiasm. Marching with the general in com- 
 mand, he entered into the spirit of the affair, and with 
 long, sweeping strides, and the springing step of a boy, 
 made the entire tour of the great arena of the Stadium. 
 
 Having been invited to join the ladies of the President's 
 party, I was with them in the Reviewing Stand, and 
 when the President joined us there, he said that this 
 reminded him of his old army days when he was ** The 
 Major," by which title Mrs. McKinley always loved to 
 address him. 
 
 President McKinley had a remarkable memory for 
 names and faces, which greatly added to his popularity. 
 When I was presented to him, he spoke of having met 
 me the previous winter in Washington, when I was there 
 as the official representative of the Pan-American Exposi- 
 tion and of *' The Buffalo Chapter," to present an invitation 
 to the National Society, *' Daughters of the American 
 Revolution," and to its honored head, the President of the 
 United States, to be present and unite in celebrating '' Flag- 
 Day" as D. A. R. Day at the Exposition; June 14, 
 1 90 1, was the day selected, and the event was celebrated 
 with great success. I was also Vice- Regent of Buffalo 
 Chapter and delegate to the National Continental Con- 
 
 9 
 
gress. Daughters of the American Revolution, then in 
 session in Washington. With a pleasant word of greet- 
 ing, the President said, ** Is it well with the Buffalo Chap- 
 ter, Mrs. Horton ? " I was glad to be able to reply, 
 **It is well with the Buffalo Chapter, Mr. President." 
 
 At the close of the review. President McKinley was 
 driven to the New York State Building, where a luncheon 
 was given in his honor by the New York State Com- 
 missioners. 
 
 At the same hour, the ladies of the President's party 
 were the guests of the Board of Women Managers at 
 the Woman's Building, Exposition Grounds, at a luncheon 
 given in honor of Mrs. McKinley. 
 
 Following these luncheons, the President and entire 
 party were driven to the Government Building. Here a 
 private reception was given in honor of the President. 
 
 As Chairman of the Committee on Entertainments 
 and Ceremonies, I was invited by the Government 
 officials, by whom this reception was arranged, to repre- 
 sent the Board of Women Managers, and, in company 
 with the ladies of the Diplomatic Corps, was present at 
 this reception. 
 
 I had the honor of standing next to the President and 
 could not but be impressed by the courteous and affable 
 manner, the pleasant smile, the friendly hand-clasp, show- 
 ing the innate gentleness of spirit and Christian love for 
 humanity that was a part of the being of this noble man. 
 These very traits in the President's character made it pos- 
 
 10 
 
sible for the assassin to accomplish his cruel design. He 
 attempted to enter the building at this private reception, 
 but was prevented from so doing, as admission could only 
 be obtained by card. 
 
 President McKinley requested that a public reception 
 should be held, so that he might have an opportunity of 
 meeting the people, the general public, to whom he 
 belonged ; thus was given an occasion for the assassin, 
 under the pretense of showing respectful homage to a high 
 official, to strike down the idol of the American people. 
 
 The day after came the trip to Niagara Falls. The 
 presidential party and a few friends were the guests of the 
 officials of the Exposition. In the early morning hours 
 we enjoyed a drive through the park to the railway station 
 at the Exposition grounds, where we awaited the coming 
 of the presidential party. We were not long kept wait- 
 ing, for the President soon arrived with Mrs. McKinley, 
 walking from the carriage to the drawing-room car in 
 readiness for them. The President greeted all those pres- 
 ent with the dignified and gracious manner which was 
 characteristic of him. 
 
 On that trip from Buffalo to the Falls at every station 
 en route were crowds to greet the President. Men stood 
 with uncovered heads, and women and little children 
 showed happy greetings in their faces for the man they 
 deUghted to hpnor, the man they held in loving reverence. 
 
 Arriving at the Falls, we drove in carriages to the center 
 of the great bridge, where the law which prevents the 
 
President of the United States from leaving this country- 
 while in office interfered with the trip to the Canadian 
 side for a view of the Falls from that point. The car- 
 riages then turned and drove around Goat Island, the 
 President greatly enjoying the beautiful views of the great 
 Niagara that opened up through the wooded vistas of the 
 island. 
 
 After luncheon at the Falls, w^e returned to the train, 
 and, on arrival at the Exposition Grounds, the President 
 was driven from the railway station to the Temple of 
 Music, stopping a few moments at the Spanish Mis- 
 sion Chapel. At the Temple of Music the public recep- 
 tion was held. 
 
 An incident connected with the reception will illustrate 
 the kind thoughtfulness of the President. At the luncheon 
 given in honor of Mrs. McKinley by the Board of Women 
 Managers, Pan-American Exposition, a young woman 
 having a very beautiful voice sang several selections most 
 acceptably. The young ladies of the President's family 
 expressed themselves to me as being very much pleased. 
 I said to them, ** Remember that this young girl is in need 
 of recognition of her ability as an artist, and is just begin- 
 ning the life which she is hopeful will lead to success and 
 renown in her profession. Any kind word or help you 
 may be able to give her will be appreciated." Upon 
 hearing this, the President asked to have her sing at the 
 reception in the Temple of Music. She was standing 
 ready to begin her selection, and the violinist stood with 
 
uplifted bow, to begin the obligato with which he was to 
 accompany her, when the sad ending came to the scene 
 at the Temple of Music, and to that long-to-be-remem- 
 bered time, in the terrible tragedy that robbed the Nation 
 of its President. 
 
 As ** Daughters of the American Revolution," we aim 
 to instill into the hearts of all that spirit of true Ameri- 
 canism which was bequeathed to us by our forefathers ; and 
 had such spirit been universal among the people, the tragedy 
 that occurred within the borders of the Queen City ot 
 the Empire State would never have occupied a page m 
 the history of this commonwealth. The echo of sweet- 
 est music, or eloquent, patriotic oratory would alone have 
 reverberated through the ornate arches of our beautiful 
 Temple of Music. And thus it would have been impos- 
 sible for a pistol ball, by the hand of an assassin, to have 
 been aimed at the beloved, revered, and honored foremost 
 citizen of this Republic, the late President McKmley. 
 
 Mrs. John Miller Horton, 
 
 First Vice-Regent ''The Buffalo Chapter ^ D. A. R. 
 Chairman of the Committee on Entertainments and Ceremonies, 
 Board of Women Managers, Pan-American Exposition. 
 
 13 
 
/iDclktnlei^'s Cbaractertsttcs^ 
 
 A STANDARD has been made manifest in a human 
 character in our midst which humbles one and all. 
 As it elevates mind and spirit to gaze upon mountain 
 heights, so does it, and much more, elevate, clarify, and 
 bless to see clearly and apprehend lovingly a great and 
 noble character. Character is life's highest attainment ; 
 it comes not all at once, but is the result of the daily, 
 hourly intent ; and before him in w^hose every word, every 
 act, and, indeed, whole personality at a crucial time one 
 feels poise, purpose, gentleness, strength, faith and love, 
 one yields heart reverence and receives a blessing. 
 
 You all know that President McKinley represented all 
 that and much more, and with me feel, I am sure, that to 
 have had his spirit pass from earth to heaven from our very 
 midst renders our tie to him peculiarly close, and the 
 radiance from his beautifully balanced life shines clear and 
 luminous for each one of us. 
 
 It is only to express for all the tribute which each 
 woman holds in her heart for him, that I say a few words 
 at this time. 
 
 We are privileged to look over the span of his entire 
 life as it stretches back through fifty-nine years of consist- 
 ent endeavor. The uprightness, the fortitude, which 
 
characterized McKinley can be traced to his Scotch-Irish 
 descent ; his patriotism finds its roots in that of his great- 
 grandfather, who fought for the liberties of this country 
 in the revolutionary war. His gentleness, kindliness, 
 sympathy, were the flower of his master passion, love for 
 God, — who taught him that all men are brethren in 
 Christ Jesus. 
 
 The man who bore himself so calmly in the terrible 
 stress of surprise and pain, when struck by an assassin's 
 hand, was one whose discipline of self began long before, 
 A boy of eighteen, he joined the Twenty-third Ohio 
 Volunteers, and remained throughout the war at the front 
 with the exception of one short furlough. Many acts of 
 bravery are told of McKinley, but one early in the war 
 will picture the brave, quiet heroism of the soldier boy. 
 While Sergeant, and acting in the Commissary Department, 
 his regiment, at daylight, without breakfast, went into the 
 battle of Antietam. About three in the afternoon, when 
 the men were nearly fainting for lack of nourishment, 
 young McKinley carried food to each soldier up to the 
 firing line. Could anything reveal a better blending of 
 courage and calm ? 
 
 McKinley loved his friends, and was loved in return as 
 few men are loved. Every one respected his manhood 
 and his high sense of honor. His gentle but strong 
 personality rousing no antagonisms, combined with the 
 confidence in the man which it inspired, brought him 
 to Congress, where he remained for seven terms, followed 
 
 i6 
 
by two terms as Governor of Ohio. Finally, he was 
 called to the highest honor, and in 1896 he was elected 
 President, the representative of the People of these 
 United States. Truly was he the type of our very 
 best citizenship. Belonging to a country governed by 
 the people, he believed in the people, and sought to 
 know them, and to guide, rather than to force, national 
 poUcy. I have hardly time to allude to the qualities 
 which made him a successful politician in the true sense of 
 that much-abused word, though they are all accounted for 
 in the three words with which Hamilton Mabie defines 
 strong, effectual Hfe-qualities, — ** Balance, harmony, and 
 restraint." True are they of McKinley, if of any man. 
 Balance of interests, of energies left its stamp in the lines 
 of his face ; and the right adjustment which men recog- 
 nized in him between the man and his opportunides, led 
 to a harmony with men and things which was a marked 
 characteristic of this man of peace ; and restraint, that 
 is, patience, judgment, steadiness, were elements in his 
 success and power, recognized by all. O what a man 
 was that for friend, for country ! 
 
 That he regarded his political responsibilides as trusts 
 and not ambitions is revealed in the quiet words he spoke 
 to Cleveland at the dme of his first inaugural. They were 
 sitting side by side, the throng surging about them, bands 
 playing, soldiers marching in his honor, when he leaned 
 over and said quiedy to Cleveland, <* What an impressive 
 thing it is to assume tremendous responsibilides ! ' ' The 
 
 17 
 
tone, the manner, the words revealed the true heart of the 
 man. Of them Cleveland said, in his words of tribute 
 in Princeton the day of McKinley's funeral, ** I have 
 always thought since then that I was in possession of the 
 key to his manner of administration." He was by nature 
 conservative, and yet he was ready to march forward along 
 new and untried ways of national life, because the people 
 were ready and because he believed that it was God's call 
 to these United States to go forward into a larger mission 
 in this His world. 
 
 Of his lender devotion to his wife there is no need for 
 me to speak. We all honor him for it, and feel that the 
 sacredness of home and home love has been emphasized 
 by his life-long faithfulness, as no church council, no legal 
 code, could do. The largeness of his nature shines in the 
 fact that his home-life was never sacrificed or wounded ; 
 and yet he had the time, the energy in public affairs which 
 the heaviest and highest public duties can impose. 
 
 The results of life, of character, depend upon the 
 springs thereof. Everywhere, the world over, in these 
 weeks since McKinley died, men have bowed heavily 
 with grief, and yet have lifted face and eyes heavenward 
 with a stronger assurance of faith than perhaps ever before, 
 because this man, so busy with the affairs of this world, 
 yet held his heart at peace, having the ** anchor of his soul 
 both sure and steadfast within the heavenly veil." Even 
 yet we hardly realize the gift to the religious sense, the 
 quickening of spiritual desires, the recognition of the right 
 
 x8 
 
of human nature to the bread of life, and the water of 
 life, which McKinley has given to this country. 
 
 ** Out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaketh." 
 We thought he lived in the glare of public life, but his true 
 life was hid with Christ in God ; for, when wounded, his 
 thought was for others, and not one word of bitterness 
 escaped him, only pity for his murderer, love for all, and 
 trust in his God. The farewell words — ** Goodbye all, 
 goodbye. It is God's way. His will be done, not 
 ours" — come to us as a benediction, leading us all into 
 his own trust and faith, taking us to the very gates of the 
 heavenly city, where we feel that he had the welcome 
 home. 
 
 The hymns he loved will sing for us always, and I 
 hope to the children after us — of aspiration and a greater 
 longing for a personal sense of God, of trust in the Divine 
 guidance. 
 
 McKinley said of Lincoln, ** A noble manhood, nobly 
 consecrated, never dies." Surely McKinley will live for 
 us, and on through the generations, as the man who met 
 every relation of life nobly ; who knew and loved his 
 God ; who made a living truth of the Bible promise : 
 ** Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is 
 stayed on Thee." 
 
 /^a>^ ^rJUc-^A 
 
 19 
 
/IDr» /IDclkinle^'s IPoltttcal Career. 
 
 WHEN the last battle had been fought for freedom 
 in our Republic, and the soldier had laid aside 
 his rifle and his uniform for the garb of civil Hfe, he could 
 not at once settle down to the ordinary complaisant Hfe 
 of the man who thinks all will go well without his active 
 interference in the affairs of the government. To the 
 man who had fought, the country was a living entity to 
 which he had pledged his cares and services, and since 
 these were no longer needed in the field of war, he offered 
 them in the field of politics. The result was an interest 
 among the rank and file in political matters that had never 
 been known before in the annals of our country. 
 
 To one of Mr. McKinley's temperament, it was 
 inevitable that he should throw himself into what he con- 
 sidered the remaining duty of the hour, so one cannot be 
 surprised that his first pohdcal speeches were in favor of 
 negro suffrage. Giving the freedmen a vote was con- 
 sidered a political necessity at the time — the only way to 
 keep the South subdued. Whether this was a mistake or 
 not, the future historian will decide ; but to Mr. McKin- 
 ley it appeared a self-evident truth, and he adopted the 
 cause of negro fi"anchise as his own. 
 
 Soon after, he was elected District Attorney, a posi- 
 tion demanding a clear brain, undaunted courage, and the 
 power to hold judgment in suspense until facts are demon- 
 
strated. Holding this office is an admirable training for 
 any other office in the gift of the people. 
 
 During Mr. Hayes' campaign for Governor, in 1875, 
 Mr. McKinley made speeches for honest money and the 
 resumption of specie payment, and was never again off 
 the Hst as an effective pohtical speaker. 
 
 In 1876, he was nominated for Congress, and elected 
 thereto in a nominally Democratic district. He succeeded 
 Mr. Garfield as a member of the Ways and Means Com- 
 mittee — the most important committee of the House — 
 a position which made him leader of his party in the 
 House. In 1888, he began the tariff discussion, which 
 brought him most prominently before the country as a 
 brilliant advocate of high tariff, and which ended in the 
 passage of the bill bearing his name, so familiar to us all. 
 In 1890, Mr. McKinley spoke in favor of sustaining the 
 Civil Service Law, to which there was, and is, much 
 opposition among politicians, saying, **The Republican 
 party must take no step backward ; the merit system is 
 here and is here to stay." In the same Congress he 
 spoke and voted for the Eight Hour Law, and advocated 
 an anti-trust and an anti-option law. 
 
 In 1891, he was a candidate for Governor of Ohio, 
 and was elected by a large majority. In his first annual 
 message he directed attention to the finances of the State, 
 and enjoined economy in all expenses. He recommended 
 additional safeguards for steam and electrical railroad 
 employees. He was re-elected by a majority even larger 
 
 22 
 
than he had at first received. During his second term, 
 labor troubles arose, and crimes were committed for which 
 lynchings were threatened ; but Governor McKinley pro- 
 claimed that lynchings must not be tolerated in Ohio, 
 thus quelHng the mob instmct among decent men and 
 savmg his commonwealth from a foul blot on her fair fame. 
 
 Early in his political 'career, Mr. McKinley was men- 
 tioned as a probable candidate for the presidency. At the 
 time Mr. Blaine in the presidential convention positively 
 refused to be a candidate, the delegates began to name 
 McKinley as their choice. He was himself a delegate-at- 
 large from Ohio in the convention, and when he saw the 
 movement to nominate him gaining power, he rose and said, 
 ** I cannot with honorable fideHty to John Sherman, who 
 has trusted me in his cause and with his cause ; I cannot 
 consistently with my own views of personal integrity con- 
 sent, or seem to consent, to permit my name to be used 
 as a candidate before this convention. I do not request, 
 I demand that no delegate who would not cast reflection 
 upon me shall cast a ballot for me." 
 
 At the next presidential convention, in 1892, he was 
 again a delegate, and was made chairman of the conven- 
 tion. Many of his friends wished him to become a can- 
 didate, but again he put his personal ambition away, say- 
 ing that Harrison deserved the nomination, and requesting 
 his friends to vote for Harrison. His surprise was great 
 when at roll call Ohio responded by presentmg his name. 
 He at once challenged the vote from the chair and put 
 
 23 
 
himself on record for Harrison. What old Roman, in the 
 time of the great Republic, could or would have done more ? 
 
 When Mr. McKinley was elected President, he was 
 the choice of the people as well as of the Electoral College, 
 and accepted the position in thorough loyalty to the insti- 
 tutions of our country. As President, his conduct of the 
 Spanish War and the various questions growing out of it 
 brought us brilliantly through a time fraught with many 
 dangers. His management of our foreign relations was so 
 tactful and conservative as to inspire universal confidence 
 in the peaceful intentions of the United States. 
 
 So far, we have seen Mr. McKinley as a clear-headed, 
 high-minded, honorable politician ; but it was left for his 
 second term as President to present the real nobleness of his 
 nature. *' Now," said he, **I can be President as I want 
 to be Presideht." He promptly, but unmistakably, put his 
 foot on the third term hydra, and made a tour of the country, 
 drawing all hearts to him by his loving interest in all that 
 concerned his people. And it was in Buffalo, where he was 
 welcomed as few have been welcomed, that his final word 
 was to be said. He had long thought it over, and here, 
 where so many nationalities were stretching forth their 
 hands to him, he enunciated his broadest message to human- 
 ity : ** God and man have linked nations together, no 
 nation can longer be indifferent to any other," — showing 
 his last platform to have been the brotherhood of man. 
 
 CULef^ 
 
A MONG the Presidents of these United States there 
 -/jL have been many who have been strong, wise, and 
 sometimes great ; but each in his own way and according 
 to the laws of his own being. 
 
 Some, driven by the force of indomitable will, or an 
 obstinate behef that theirs was the right and only way, 
 have governed on occasion Uke dictators, have assumed 
 somewhat autocratic powers, indifferent, in a measure, 
 to the opinions of party or people. And many among 
 their fellow citizens have looked upon such a course as 
 admirable. 
 
 But the President whom we honor to-day had a far 
 different way. Force and determination were not lacking 
 in him, but they were mellowed by considerateness and 
 sweet reasonableness of mind. From the beginning to 
 the tragic end of his career, along all of the rising steps of 
 distinction by which he climbed to be the great Execu- 
 tive we mourn, he seemed never to be solicitous concern- 
 ing himself, his own will or idea, save as they might 
 become the will or idea of the people. He believed not 
 only in the right and authority of the people, but in their 
 sense and judgment. He believed that all of the people 
 knew more than any one of the people. 
 
 25 
 
This deference to the public mind, which in a smaller 
 man might have seemed small, which in an inferior man 
 might have been demagogic, which might have been a 
 limitation and a restriction to a weaker man, was in him 
 an element of strength, for he exalted his method by the 
 superiority of his own mind. President McKinley well 
 knew that public opinion is fed from many sources, and to 
 a great extent will be formed by the foolish if not formed 
 by the wise. He would not constrain the reluctant, but 
 he would instruct and guide the receptive ; so he gave out 
 his purposes, his desires, and shared them with the great 
 commonalty ; and then, Hke a wise sower, he waited for 
 his thought to grow. He never grumbled or complained 
 about the unpleasant meteorological conditions of the 
 public mind. If clouds of criticism arose, if storms of 
 abuse descended, they passed over him, leaving his temper 
 serene, his countenance tranquil. And when the harvest 
 of public approval came, he executed his own will, which 
 had become the will of the people. 
 
 His silver speech, his golden silence, became not the 
 sword but the wand of the conqueror. He was, indeed, 
 as has well been said, **uwincibly gentle"; but he was 
 more and he was greater, he was gently invincible. 
 
 "Stern lawgiver! yet he wore 
 The Godhead's most benignant grace j 
 
 Nor know we anything so fair 
 As was the smile upon his face." 
 
 26 
 
Only the noble die nobly. Only by the constant 
 endeavor, from day to day, to practice the heavenly 
 virtues are we enabled to die in peace. No magic 
 formula of priest or prophet, applied at the last moment, 
 can avail to fit or beautify us for the passage to the beyond. 
 
 A President, like a soldier, might well wish to die 
 bravely and as befits one whom the nations honor. But 
 dying takes from mortals all power to will. We become 
 in that supreme moment only the instruments through 
 which the thoughts and aspirations habitual with us 
 express themselves. In the habitual attitude of President 
 McKinley's well-ordered mind and spirit, in his constant 
 subordination of his will to something he held higher than 
 himself — the People, the Government, his Maker — we see 
 the firm foundation on which was laid his power to die. 
 
 The resounding acclaims of a triumphant re-election 
 still lingering in the air, facing with exalted ambitions the 
 grandest opportunities of his career, in the twinkling of an 
 eye he is cut down, and with instant submission accepts 
 without a murmur the awful decree. His dying eyes 
 pierce the veil, he sees that God has another way, and 
 with unfaltering courage he utters the words so like those 
 of the gentle Master on Calvary, which will ring in our 
 souls forever. 
 
 What infinite blessing was granted us, that before he 
 passed over the highway of our hearts to the heavenly 
 shore he was permitted to bequeath those words as a 
 priceless legacy to mankind. 
 
 27 
 
Time, the unerring judge of the qualities of greatness, 
 will decide his place on the honor roll of statesmen, on 
 the scroll of fame. But it may be, who can tell ? — it 
 may be that President McKinley's greatest, his divinely- 
 appointed, mission was to teach and exemplify by his life 
 and death these needed lessons : to teach the strength of 
 gentleness, the greatness of obedience ; to teach the 
 sacredness of the marriage vows by an example of such 
 perfect conjugal duty and love as the world scarcely ever 
 saw before ; and, above all, to teach the waning faith of 
 the world the sustaining power of simple, every-day 
 religion, by the example of how it helped a world-honored 
 statesman to die. 
 
 ^^•''^^/Z^ 62U^^^i^ U^Z^'^'^z^^ 
 (Mrs. James A. Roberts.) 
 
 28 
 
Buffalo Cbapter, Daugbters 
 Hmerican IRevolutton* 
 
 AT the Annual Meeting of the Buffalo Chapter 
 Daughters of the American Revolution, held 
 October the i8th, 1901, the following preamble and 
 resolutions were unanimously adopted : 
 
 In view of the fact that since the reunion of the 
 National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, 
 held at *'The Temple of Music," Pan-American Expo- 
 sition, on Flag Day, D. A. R. Day, June the 14th, 1901, 
 a terrible tragedy has been enacted there ; and we, the 
 members of the Buffalo Chapter, in common with the 
 whole Nation, have been called upon to mourn the 
 death of our beloved and honored President, William 
 McKinley ; and 
 
 Whereas, We deplore the means by which the deed 
 was accompHshed, therefore it is but meet that we should 
 constitute this, the first Chapter meeting of the year, a 
 Memorial Season, and give expression to, and here re- 
 cord, the love and grief in all our hearts : therefore, be it 
 
 Resolvedy That we mourn with deep and sincere grief 
 the great and true man who has been taken from us in 
 the plenitude of his powers, William McKinley — Soldier, 
 Statesman, President — the wise, firm, far-seeing leader 
 and ruler ; the gracious and kindly man, stainless in life, 
 and fearless in death. 
 
 29 
 
Resohedy That we extend to Mrs. McKinley, in the 
 irreparable loss of her husband's love and care, our tender- 
 est sympathy in her lonehness and sorrow, and commend 
 her to the God of all Comfort. 
 
 Resohedy That these resolutions be spread upon our 
 minutes, and the Secretary be instructed to send a copy 
 to Mrs. McKinley. 
 
 Chairman. 
 (Mrs. Roswell W. Buck.) 
 
 30 
 
October zp, igoOi to October /p, igoi. 
 
 Regenty Mrs. Mary N. Thompson. 
 
 First Vice-Regent, Mrs. John Miller Horton. 
 
 Second Vice-Regent^ Mrs. Oscar L. Harries. 
 
 Third Vice-Regent, Mrs. Edward R. Rice. 
 
 Fourth Vice-Regent, Mrs. G. Barrett Rich. 
 
 Registrar, Miss Florence Lee. 
 
 Second Registrar, Miss Cornelia B. Selkirk. 
 
 Treasurer, Mrs. Charles J. North. 
 
 Assistant Treasurer, Miss Emma D. Dakin. 
 
 Recording Secretary, Miss Florence S. Barnard. 
 
 Corresponding Secretary, .... Miss Eliza S. Haskins. 
 
 Historian, Miss Edwina Spencer. 
 
 Mrs. Frank W. Abbott, Mrs. John B. Olmsted, 
 
 Miss Grace E. Bird, Mrs. H. Cowles Wadsworth, 
 
 Mrs. D. M. EsTEE, Miss Anna Whitney, 
 
 Miss Josephine Hoyer, Mrs. Chas. G. Williams, 
 
 Mrs. Wm. C. Letchworth, Mrs. Walter T. Wilson. 
 
'H 
 
 LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 
 
 013 788 338 7