OCR Text |
Show I0HN W. MACKAY. The news of the death of John W. Mackay will cause a personal sorrow to thousands of people on this coast. So great was he, so true, so generous, ro altogether manls in every placo nnd under all conditions Plenty of men aro rich: of them nil we know not one such man 11s was Mr. Mackay In face and bearing. 111 hm1 nnd foot, he was Imperial as Caesar, but In his life nnd his mingling among men there w 1 not one Imperious look or word or gesture unless some base nature expressed 1 doubt of his lnteg-ilty lnteg-ilty nnd he heard of It If every gracious gra-cious act of his life coull be converted Into a flower thes would garland his bier with a glory never seen around a deith couch before, It his Impulses could tnke material form thes would fall ln benedictions on every poor man's home, they would stead) the hinds of every high officer of our Government, for love of his adopted country nnd solicitude for Its welfare with him were grand pisslons The newspapcis wilt give long accounts ac-counts of his career nnd ot the work he performed but none of them will give nny clear Idea of him ns he was', of the nlert brain, the great heart, of tho superb charncter that he bore, of the courage that never faltered, that no misfortune could daunt, of a soul so self-sustained nnd high that there was never room ln it for despondency or one trace of false pride He started out with a belief In the omnipotence of honest labor, he be lieved that It was capltol enough for any healthy mm In this countrs, He was favored above his fellows, but to the last he clung to old faith nnd worked on nnd on When Inst seen by the writer of this, last Januars', he waa planning the lnjlng of 11 cable across the Pacific, and with his old quiet confidence he gently raid, ' I have hnd some experience In ocean cabling and I believe 1 cnn do the work better than the Government can, nnd with better mnterlil than the Government will be liable to use" Intense and strong ns he wis after all hi highest attribute was his affection affec-tion for those he loved The nccldentil death of his eldest son a few years ago well-nigh hroke his heart He has never been quite the same since His cards like his heirt have been fringed with black ever since He was seventy-one seventy-one years of nge but only n little while ngo he seemed perfectls well, said he was well and surely wns nut sing hope that were altogether high, lie looked good for set a score of seirs, and the news of his death Is a mighty shock But his famo was rounded full. If summoned to flnul account he can with clear eses say. ' I began on earth with nothing I accumulated mans millions, but I dealt with It as a trust lo be accounted for and In the gilnlng of It 1 kept my hinds cleir, look at them in this clearer light and ee If they enrry one stain " Ore it, generous, hlgh-souled true-hearted true-hearted Mackay I am shamed that I cannot prepire a moro fitting wreath for sour bier May sour gool deeds lake form nnd beiomo a pillow for your hcid nnd mis sour final sleep be curtained cur-tained by everlasting pence C. C. O |