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Show In tho passing of Secretary of State John Hay, America loses a valuable citizen. Ho was a statesman of ability and a man with a vast fund of experience. experi-ence. His active career began as secretary sec-retary to President Abraham Lincoln who esteemed him highly. He held tho military rank of colonel during the latter days of tho civil war, serving on tho staff of General Hunter. Mr. Hay was ono of tho ablest diplomats in the country, and his work In tho ofllce of the secrotnry of state was marked by distinguished ability. His fund of knowledge of international law was Immense and ho was regarded by the men of nil nations as a man of very superior ability and attainments. But tho work ho performed was of a too strenuous character. The vitality of tho man could not keep up with the demands de-mands of the active mind, so he died. It Is too bad that this should be tho case, for a man llko John Hay was entitled en-titled to spend his declining years In peace and rest from care, instead of dying in harness. In his early life Mr. Hay was something some-thing of a poet, and is best known to literary fame by tho compositions: "Jim Bludso," and "Little Breeches." Both wore poems of tho people, nnd both, nlthough couched in the vernacular vernacu-lar of tho uneducated, contained sentiments senti-ments that wcro noble. His description descrip-tion of Jim Bludso, tho man "with ono wifo at Natchez-undor-thc-hill and another an-other up In Piko," holding tho bow of the burning steamer against tho hank while the scared passengers saved themselves is graphically told In tho lino 'I'll hold her nozzlo agin the bank 'til tho Inst galoot's ashore." Of course to make tho story good Jim Bludso had to die at his post, or bo so seriously burned that he died soon nfterward. That Is tho way Hay killed him, and tho naive manner of tolling it made tho skit immensely pop-ular pop-ular at tho time, although some gcody-goodies gcody-goodies have hold since that If Isn't exactly the right sort of a poem for Sunday school pupils. Hay'3 views changed somewhat during dur-ing tho last twenty years of his life and ho declined to explain tho reasons, rea-sons, although pressed for them. He was designated by his critics as an "Anglomaniac" and practically admitted admit-ted moritinc the appellation. But at tho sairo time he was doing good work In uniting the Saxon peoples of this country coun-try and England and the cordial relations rela-tions existing between the two nations are due in a great measure to his work. He died highly honored and goes to his last resting place with a fame that places him among the foremost fore-most of American statesmen, and that ought to he glory enough for those left behind who mourn the lo3S of a member of tho family. |