of his final words, “It is God’s way; His will, not ours, be done,” were all the instinctive expressions of a nature so lofty and so pure that pride in its nobility at once softened and enhanced the nation’s sense of loss.  The Republic grieved over such a son,—­but is proud forever of having produced him.  After all, in spite of its tragic ending, his life was extraordinarily happy.  He had, all his days, troops of friends, the cheer of fame and fruitful labor; and he became at last,

    “On fortune’s crowning slope,
    The pillar of a people’s hope,
    The center of a world’s desire.”

WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN THE PRINCE OF PEACE[39] (1894)

I offer no apology for speaking upon a religious theme, for it is the most universal of all themes.  I am interested in the science of government, but I am interested more in religion than in government.  I enjoy making a political speech—­I have made a good many and shall make more—­but I would rather speak on religion than on politics.  I commenced speaking on the stump when I was only twenty, but I commenced speaking in the church six years earlier—­and I shall be in the church even after I am put of politics.  I feel sure of my ground when I make a political speech, but I feel even more certain of my ground when I make a religious speech.  If I addrest you upon the subject of law I might interest the lawyers; if I discust the science of medicine I might interest the physicians; in like manner merchants might be interested in comments on commerce, and farmers in matters pertaining to agriculture; but no one of these subjects appeals to all.  Even the science of government, tho broader than any profession or occupation, does not embrace the whole sum of life, and those who think upon it differ so among themselves that I could not speak upon the subject so as to please a part of the audience without displeasing others.  While to me the science of government is intensely absorbing, I recognize that the most important things in life lie outside of the realm of government and that more depends upon what the individual does for himself than upon what the government does or can do for him.  Men can be miserable under the best government and they can be happy under the worst government.

Government affects but a part of the life which we live here and does not deal at all with the life beyond, while religion touches the infinite circle of existence as well as the small arc of that circle which we spend on earth.  No greater theme, therefore, can engage our attention.  If I discuss questions of government I must secure the cooeperation of a majority before I can put my ideas into practise, but if, in speaking on religion, I can touch one human heart for good, I have not spoken in vain no matter how large the majority may be against me.

Man is a religious being; the heart instinctively seeks for a God.  Whether he worships on the banks of the Ganges, prays with his face upturned to the sun, kneels toward Mecca or, regarding all space as a temple, communes with the Heavenly Father according to the Christian creed, man is essentially devout.