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MEMORIAL 
 
 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SENATE 
 
 UPON THE DEATH OF 
 
 HON. MYRON MATSON, 
 
 LATE A SENATOR FROM THE TWENTY-FIFTH DISTRICT 
 
 PENNSYLVANIA. ^*v.e>*-{ ^s^e^i)/. S*^»T< 
 
 I W/ 
 
 HARRISBURG PUBLISHING CO., STATE PRINTER. 
 1908. 
 
Gift 
 
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 By trap^t' 
 JULi 7 190b 
 
 (2) 
 
V 
 
 RESOLUTION. 
 
 In the Senate, 
 April 30, 1907. 
 Resolved (if the House of Representatives concur), That one thousand 
 (1,000) copies of the proceedings of the memorial services held in honor 
 of the late Honorable Myron Matson, be printed for the use of the 
 Senate. 
 
 FRANK A. JUDD, 
 Chief Clerk of the Senate. 
 The foregoingr resolution concurred in April 30, 1907. 
 
 THOMAS H. GARVIN, 
 Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives. 
 Approved— The 3d day of May, A. D. 1907. 
 
 EDWIN S. STUART. 
 
 (3) 
 
(4) 
 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE SENATE 
 
 UPON THE DEATH OF 
 
 HON. MVRON MATSON. 
 
 In the Senate, 
 Monday, March 25, 1907, 
 
 On motion of Senator Williams, the following resolution was twice 
 read, considered and agreed to, viz: 
 
 Resolved, That a committee of eight members of the Senate be ap- 
 pointed to draft suitable resolutions on the death of the late Senator 
 Myron Matson, who died on December fifteen, one thousand nine hun- 
 dred and six, and present such resolutions at a special meeting to be 
 held on Wednesday, April tenth, one thousand nine hundred and seven, 
 at three o'clock post meridian. 
 
 By subsequent action of the Senate the date of the special session was 
 fixed for Tuesday, April thirtieth, at three-thirty o'clock post meridian. 
 
 (5) 
 
(6) 
 
MEMORIAL RhSOLUTlONS AND ADDRESSES. 
 
 In the Senate, 
 
 Tuesday, April 30, 1907. 
 
 Afternoon Session. 
 
 Pursuant to adjournment, the Senate was called to order at 
 three-thirty o'clock post meridian, Lieutenant-Governor Mur- 
 phy in the Chair. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Prayer was offered by the Chaplain, Reverend K. J. Stewart, 
 as follows: 
 
 Oh, Thou, who hast abolished death and brought life and 
 immortality to light in the Gospel, Thou art the Light of the 
 world and the Light of men. Thou art the resurrection and 
 the life, and hast given us a clear vision of the future world 
 beyond the grave. We hail Thee as the Prince of Life, and 
 we plead with Thee for strength and comfort which Thou 
 alone canst give. In Thy providence Thou hast removed from 
 the members of this Senate a friend and associate. \Ye thank 
 Thee for Thy kindness to him, in sustaining him so long in a 
 position of influence and honor. We thank Thee for hid 
 loyalty and patriotism. We thank Thee for the memories his 
 associates have of him, as a friend and fellow-member. We 
 thank Thee that he was able to serve the State, and that he 
 had a part in the legislation of this great Commonwealth. 
 
 Now, Oh Lord, we pray Thee to extend Th}' Mercy to the 
 members of the family from which he was taken. Deal kindly 
 with his neighbors and friends in the community from which 
 he came. Strengthen, comfort and encourage their hearts. 
 But especially come near in this providence to his colleagues 
 and associates here. May every one of them be ready at any 
 time to give an account of their stewardship to the great 
 
 (7) 
 
MEMORIAL, SERVICES. 
 
 Judge of all the earth. Forbid that their minds should be so 
 absorbed with the things of time and sense, that they shall 
 forget the culture of their immortal spirits. May their chief 
 affections be sot upon things unseen and eternal, and their 
 dearest treasures be in Heaven. 
 
 And, Oh God, grant that as life passesi, they may have the 
 blessed consciousness of making others happy about them; of 
 purifying the moral atmosphere of the communities from 
 whence they come; of uplifting their fellow-men; making the 
 State more prosperous, the Nation stronger and of swinging 
 the old world nearer to God by their life and actions. 
 
 Give to us all. Oh God, a well-grounded hope of eternal life, 
 and, at last, administer to our souls an abundant entrance 
 into Thine eternal joy, through Jesus, our Rf^deemer. Amen. 
 
 Mr. WILLIAMS. Mr. President, asi chairman of the com- 
 mittee to prepare resolutions expressive of the sentiment of 
 the Senate on the death of Hon. Myron Matson, I present the 
 following resolutions: 
 
 RESOLUTIONS. 
 
 Whereas, Our brother, Senator Myron Matson, a member 
 of the Senate of Pennsylvania, of the Twenty-fifth District, 
 has, after the close of the last session, passed from the busy 
 scenes of life to the repose and peace of eternal rest, and 
 
 Whereas, His public and official career has distinguished 
 Mm as one of the foremost citizens of our Commonwealth, 
 therefore, be it 
 
 Resolved, That the Senate give expression to the great loss 
 it has sustained in the death of our colleague, whose abilities 
 as a legislator and whose industry, grasp of business and 
 enthusiasm command the respect of the people of the Com- 
 monwealth; 
 
 Resolved, That his great enterprise in the development of 
 the oil and gas industries of the State and his large financial 
 interests and his forcefulness in the conduct of all the indus- 
 trial, commercial and financial matters with which he was 
 identified marked him as the succes,sfnl man of affairs; 
 
HON. MYRON MATSON. 
 
 Resolved, That his zeal iu fuitheiing the cause of public 
 education, his interest in hospital work and in everything 
 tending to the betterment of humanity, as shown by his gen- 
 erosity in private life and his contributions to the cause of 
 higher education, have erected a monument more enduring 
 than can be erected by his contemporaries; 
 
 Resolved, That the loss to his own community and to his 
 many associates is irreparable. The loss to the Common- 
 wealth is great, but the greatest of all is to his own home, and 
 we, the members of the Senate surviving, tender our condol- 
 ence to liis family so bereaved and direct that a copy of these 
 resolutions, duly engrossed and attested, be forwarded to his 
 widow. 
 
 OEO. W. WILLIAMS, 
 J. C. STINEMAN, 
 J. HENRY COCHRAN, 
 W. H. MANBECK, 
 STERLING R. CATLIN, 
 E. M. HERBST, 
 WEBSTER GRIM, 
 A. E. SISSON. 
 
 ADDRESSES. 
 
 Mr. WILLIAMS. Mr. President, I feel that it is fitting and 
 proper for the Senate to hold services in memory of those 
 members who pass from this life during the term for which 
 they were elected, and in accord with custom this hour has 
 been named in which to pay tribute to the memory of Senator 
 ]Myron Matson, for six years a member of this honorable body. 
 
 Briefly I will refer, and in a general way, to the life of Sen- 
 ator Matson, feeling that it will be more appropriate for 
 others who were otficially associated with him to speak of 
 his labors as a member of this body. 
 
 Myron Matson was born the thii-teenth day of September, 
 one thousand oi^ht huntlred and fifty, at Rushford, Allegany 
 
10 MEMORIAL SERVICES. 
 
 county, New York, aiid died at his home, ia the city of \inv\- 
 ford, on the fifteenth day of December, one thousand nine 
 hundred and six. He left home when but twenty years of age, 
 going to Tidlioute, Pennsylvania, where he engaged in the oil 
 business, which he followed up to the time of his death. He 
 mastered this business, and, with his keen foresight and busi- 
 ness sagacity, his interest increased, until at th'e time of his 
 death he was recognized as one of the largest individual pro- 
 ducers of crude oil in this county, and, in addition thereto, he 
 was largely interested in banking and mining. He was an 
 entei'prising and i)ublic-spirited citizen, ever willing to assist 
 in advancing the interests of his home city, and a liberal giver 
 to religious institutions and to charity. On a recent visit to 
 the city of Bradford I was told of his many acts of benevo- 
 lence, of which the public know^ but little. In meeting his fel- 
 low-men he was always'kind, considerate and generous of them 
 regtardless of their positions in life. His memory will ever 
 remain dear to his friends and to his colleagues in this body; 
 they all mourn his de^ath. In the year one thousand nine hun- 
 dred, after repeated conferences, he w^as named as the Repub- 
 lican candidate for Senator in the Twenty-fifth District. His 
 nomination did not receive the united support of the members 
 of his party and for a time his election seemed in doubt; but 
 through his wise political generalship hisi friends were rallied 
 to his active support and he was elected by a majority of two 
 thousand nine hundred and twenty-five. He was a resourceful 
 man in knowing how to produce results beneficial to the peo- 
 ple of his district, and his labors in looking after their large 
 and diversified interests were so satisfactory tliat in the year 
 one thousand nine hundred and four he wias renominated 
 without opposition and his election followed by ten thousand 
 and fifty-four majority. 
 
 He was devoted to his official duties and always urgent in 
 pressing the demands of his constituents. It is to be regretted 
 that the people of the Twenty-fifth District are not to have 
 the benefit of his \ears of experience in this body, during the 
 present session of the Legislature. One year ago he went 
 abroad for his health, and after traveling in Europe for sev- 
 
HON. MYRON MATSON. 11 
 
 eral months, leturned lioinc in the early fall, apparently much 
 improved. As late as November eighth, one thousand nine 
 hundred and six, he informed me that he expected to be here 
 during all of this session, but in (he wisdom of the All-Wise 
 Ruler of this universe it was not so to be. When death comes, 
 so great is the change, even though expected, it is startling, 
 and so it was to me when notified of the death of ni}' good 
 friend, Myron IVIatson. 
 
 "He was strong in the strengtli that cannot seek 
 By deed or thought to hurt the weak." 
 
 Mr. HERBST. Mr. President, We are again forcibly re- 
 minded by these memorial exercises that ''life is a bubble, and 
 in length a span." Myron Matson entered the Senate with me 
 on January first, one thousand nine hundred and one. He now 
 sleeps the sleep that knows no waking with eiight of his and 
 my former colleagues in this body. During these few brief 
 years Osbourn, Magee, Vaughan, Kemerer, Harrison, Pattou, 
 Hackett, Neely and Ma (son have passed to the great beyond, 
 that undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveller re- 
 turns. 
 
 How fitting, then, that upon a solemn occasion like this we 
 should not only recall the virtues and pay tribute to the mem- 
 ory of our departed friend, but also with reverent awe cast 
 an introspective glance at our own condition, and seriously 
 consider whether our life ha& been w^orth living. Will the 
 world be any the better for our brief sojourn in it? May each 
 one be able to answer with Rome's greatest orator: ''Brevis 
 a natura nobis vita data est; at memoria bene reditae vitae 
 sempiterna." The life given to us by nature is short; but the 
 memory of a well spent life is eternal. 
 
 Under the old ring arrangement of this chamber, Senator 
 Matson sat near me, and I soon learned to like him on account 
 of his genial sunny temperament and jovial good nature. 
 Later in committee work, and on the floor of the Senate I 
 found him a manly man, exercising good common sense, and 
 business sagacity. He was a r-redit to his adopted State, and 
 by his early death Pennsylvania lost a u^seful citizen and his 
 associates a good friend. 
 
12 MEMORIAL, SiERVICES. 
 
 He was a man of work. By his iudustry he rose from pov- 
 erty to opulence in this world's goods. When about ready to 
 enjoy the fruits of his labor, the common fate of most men 
 befell him, and the grim reaper cut short his career long ere 
 he attained the biblical age of three score and ten years. He 
 could only but well at eventid'e when the long shadows fell 
 thick and fast epitomize his life by saying: 
 
 "Let me but do my work from day to day, 
 
 In the field or forest, at desk or loom, 
 In roaring market place or tranquil room: 
 
 Let me but find it in my heart to say. 
 When vagrant wishes beckon me astray, 
 
 'This is my work; my blessing; not my doomi; 
 Of all who live I am the one by whom 
 
 This work can best be done in the right way.' " 
 
 To his family I extend my sincere sympathy, and to his 
 memory I bring this brief chaplet of respect an.d regard. 
 
 Mr. McNEES. Mr. Tresident and Fellow-Senators: Dis- 
 tinctly do I remember my last conversation with Senator Mat- 
 son. It was during the session of one thousand nine hundred 
 and five. He frequently drove to the Capitol, and on this 
 occasion we drove up together and his condition of health was 
 alluded to. 
 
 He did not complain, yet there seemed an undertone of sad- 
 ness in his voice, indicating a presentiment that he was a vic- 
 tim of an incurable disease, a premonition that even then his 
 feet were approaching that river over whose dark and chilly 
 waters he must soon voyage alone. I believe that on this 
 evening he was contemplating that most solemn of all events 
 — that last great struggle in which wealth and fame and po- 
 sition are powerless to aid, and from which the utmost devo- 
 tion and love of the dearest friends are powerless to save. 
 
 Like his great exemplar, he must ''tread the wine press 
 alone." 
 
 It was not my good fortune to have either a long or an inti- 
 mate acquaintance with Senator Matson, meeting him for the 
 first time during the session of one thousand nine hundred 
 and five and at wliich his condition of health prevented con- 
 
HON. MYRON MATSON. 13 
 
 staiit attendance. But he impressed me, as he must have im- 
 pressed others, as being a man of unusual strength of char- 
 acter, of great will power — a man whose appearance at once 
 commanded confidence and respect, a man on whose judgment 
 one would instinctively rely. 
 
 He was a man of few words, but those words were well con- 
 sidered and carried weight — a man whose integrity and sin- 
 cerity, as well as his words, were never questioned. 
 
 He served his constituents faithfully and well and so far 
 as his infirmities permitted gave the closest attention to mat- 
 ters of legislation. 
 
 His levelheadedness and excellent judgment caused his 
 opinion to be much sought after by his fellow-Senators. 
 
 He was a man of affairs, a typical business man, one of the 
 remarkable products of this most remiarkable country and 
 age. He had talents in this direction and the talents were 
 not hid in a napkin, but rightfully and energetically used. 
 
 There are those who wonld deprive a man of the credit to 
 which he is entitled by reason of a life spent in honest indus- 
 try. With these latter day apostles of socialism the posses- 
 sion of wealth is a crime and the old fashioned homely virtues 
 of energy, thrift and economy are badges of infamy. But we 
 believe their theories are not consistent with the teachings of 
 experience, the laws of God, or conducive to the advancement 
 of civilization. 
 
 In the mere possession of wealth I can discern no moral 
 element, but whep I think of its power for good in the world, 
 of the human suffering it may alleviate, of its aid to science 
 and its power to add to the sum of human knowledge and hu- 
 man happiness, I must consider its possession a blessing. 
 Respect should not attacli to wealth except when honestly 
 acquired and rightfully used, nor should disgrace attach to 
 poverty unless that condition be brought about through the 
 violation of God's laws and unwillingness to exert every hon- 
 ■est effort to prevent it. Diligence in business should by no 
 means be the least piart of our religion. 
 
 There are conditions under which the pof^session of wealth 
 is a crime and other conditions undT'i' which it may be e(|nally 
 criminal to the poor. 
 
14 MEMORIAL SERVICES. 
 
 Wliatc-ver of success in financial matters attended Senat 
 Matson was due to his forethought, his energy, his high busi- 
 ness principles and his willingness to work, while the less suc- 
 cessful were •enjoying the comforts of ease. In short, to his de- 
 termination to make the most of the talents with which nature 
 had endowed him and that this success was honestly achieved, 
 no one who knew him has ever doubted. 
 
 At every session of the Legislature we appropriate millions 
 for the purpose of charity and education and where would 
 this money be obtained were it not for such m^n as our de- 
 ceased friend, and it is a matter of sincere regret that at the 
 present day such men are not appreciated at their true value 
 
 But the work of Senator Matson is done. His busy, active, 
 energetic life, with all its varied interests, is closed. The ac- 
 count is made up and who shall say it was not a success. That 
 the world is better for his having lived' in it, all who knew 
 him will attest. And after all this is the real test of character 
 
 "For forms of faith let graceless zealots fight, 
 
 His cannot be wrong whose life was in the right." 
 
 Senator Matson was faithful to his friends,just to those who 
 opposed him, honest, eajMible and conscientious in the dis- 
 charge of both public and private duties. With a heart gentle 
 and tender as a woman's and a hand ever open to the call of 
 distress. 
 
 That he was human we do not deny else he were not one of 
 us but, ''E'en his failings leaned to virtue's side." We believe 
 that the good men do lives after them not only in the book of 
 the recording angel but in the lives, the hearts and the mem- 
 ories of other nren, hence the place and memory of Senator 
 Matson is secure for it was ever his purpose to honor God, to 
 benefit mankind, to serve as best he could the necessities of 
 his race. To do this is to be truly great, and he who does 
 it is not onl}' great but good. 
 
 But is this the end of Senator Matson? Was he brought 
 into being simply to exist for this brief span? Are the powers 
 of his mind and the attributes of his soul to be forever anni- 
 hilated? Is this being created in the image of his Maker, 
 henceforth to be less than an atom of matter? 
 
HON. MYRON MATSON. 15 
 
 Occasious like these bring irresistibly before our minds this 
 most tremendous question of the ages: "If a man die, shall 
 he live again?" This question has been at once the most per- 
 plexing and profound that has confronted the sages and philo- 
 sophers of all ages. And still its answer eludes their finite 
 reasoning. 
 
 Still it hangs before their minds like a grim spectre. Still 
 to them is the question shrouded in mystery, like the mystic 
 hieroglyphics in the chambers of some dimly lighted and an- 
 cient hallways. 
 
 But to the Christian the voice of the Christian's God comes 
 ringing down the centuries, bringing with it hope and joy and 
 peace: "I am the resurrection and the life, because I have 
 lived, you shall live also." This is the divine answer to our 
 secret dread — our longing after immortality. ''Tis heaven 
 itself that points out an hereafter and assures eternity to 
 man." 
 
 Unhesitatingly, then, do we believe that we are born for a 
 higher destiny than that of earth, for a place where the Grod- 
 like faculties with which we are here endowed shall continue 
 to grow and develop throughout the ceaseless ages of eter- 
 nity. A land, too, where the rainbow never fades and where 
 the loved ones who pas« so quickly before us here shall re- 
 main in our presence forever. 
 
 Then, of Senator Matson, may we not suppose — nay, do we 
 not believe that as the time of his departure drew near, as 
 the scenes of his beloved county of McKean were fading from 
 his view, and as the darkness of evening gathered about him, 
 that even then there broke upon his enraptured vision the 
 brightness of an eternal morning. 
 
 Mr. HULINGS. Mr, President, It was not my good fortune 
 to sit in this body with Senator Matson, but for many years 
 I knew him well. 
 
 Throughout the oil country of Pennsylvania he was known 
 as a generous, kindly, big-hearted man, of a singularly sympa- 
 thetic and gentle nature, yet capable of enormous energy when 
 aroused. His ear was never dull to the cry of distress, and 
 
16 MEMORIAL, SERVICES. 
 
 the needy and unfortunate found in him a friend whose chanty 
 was uncounted. 
 
 He was a fair type of the ''oil-country man," generous, en- 
 thusiastic, energetic, not afraid to "put his fortune to the 
 touch and win or lose it all." Sounding the gamut of human 
 experience from poverty to affluence, Myron Matson was a man 
 accustomed to the frowns of untoward fortune, meeting them 
 always with a cheerful courage. Never cast down by defeat, 
 his equanimity was undisturbed by fortune's glittering favors. 
 Shrinking instinctively from the infliction of suffering or dis- 
 appointment upon others, yet, when his convictions were fixed, 
 he was firm, loyal and unswerving. 
 
 To-day the Senate of Pennsylvania, that once knew him as 
 a loved and respected member, pauses a moment to note his 
 departure. 
 
 The man we knew as friend for more than a quarter of a 
 century has gone from amongst us. He has met the great 
 tragedy of life and, passing beyond the vale, its mysteries are 
 unrolling before him. 
 
 How strange it all is! The angel of the sable wing, pluming 
 his silent flight, delivers his inexorable summonses. The ten- 
 derest ties of nature are sundered. To father, to mother, wife, 
 children, friend, these summonses come. They go out. We 
 follow them down to the margin of the dark river; we call to 
 them in the accents of grief, but they are unheeding, and they 
 go out, out into the darkness, and from the echoless shore 
 there comes back no whisper. What means it? If a man die, 
 shall he live again? This is the most insistent question of all 
 the ages. 
 
 Oato, the Pagan synic, voiced this thought when he said: 
 
 "It must be so— Plato, thou reason'st well! — 
 
 Else whence ifhis Dleasing- hoipe, this fond desire, 
 This longing' after immortality? 
 
 Or wTienee this secret dread, and inward horror, 
 Of falling into nought? why shrinks the soul 
 
 Back on herself, and startles at destruction? 
 'Tis the divinity that stirs within us; 
 
 "Tis heaven itself, that points out an hereafter. 
 
HON. MYRON MATSON. 17 
 
 And intimates eternity to man. 
 
 Eternity! thou pleasing, dreadful thought! 
 Through what variety of untried being, 
 
 Through what new scenes and changes must we pass! 
 The wide, the unbounded prospect, lies before me; 
 
 But shadows, clouds, and darkness, rest upon it. 
 Here will I hold. If there's a power above us, 
 
 (And that there is all nature cries aloud 
 Through all her works,) he must delight in virtue; 
 
 And that which he delights in, must be happy. 
 But when! or where!— This world was made for Caesar. 
 
 I'm weary of conjectures." 
 
 Bryant gives a more hopeful expression of the same fate 
 when he says: 
 
 "So live, that when thy summons comes to join 
 
 The innumerable caravan, which moves 
 To that mysterious realm, where each shall take 
 
 His chamber in the silent halls of death. 
 Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night, 
 
 Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed 
 By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave. 
 
 Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch 
 About him and lies down to pleasant dreams." 
 
 All nature is prophetic of a life beyond the grave. The 
 vernal resurrections which meet the senses with beauty and 
 perfume, as nature responds to the call of the seasons, are 
 but a type of the deathless spark implanted in man's breast. 
 
 This hope and belief has been at the foundation of every 
 noble aspiration, every lofty motive. Every religion worthy 
 of the name, since History began to enroll her scroll, has been 
 based upon the hope of man's immortality. But it remained 
 for the Great Master and the religion He taught to change this 
 hope to assurance and for faith and longing to give to the 
 world proof and demonstration that though a man die, yet 
 shall he live again. 
 
 Believing this, we may feel assured that all is well with 
 our friend. We may regard our friends who have died as hav- 
 ing merely passed into another apartment, and ourselves as 
 still remaining in the vestibule of existence, soon to follow 
 
18 MEMORIAL SERVICES. 
 
 those whom we have known and loved, where we shall know 
 and be known. 
 
 Mr. SISSON. Mr. President, once more the Senate of Penn- 
 sjlvania is in session in memory of a departed member. It is 
 with a feeling of deep sadness that 1 join this afternoon in this 
 session held for the purpose of recording tribute to one whom 
 we held in the highest esteem, trusted and venerated. 
 
 There was a personal feeling of distinct loss when the sad 
 death of Senator Matson became known, particularly affect- 
 ing those who were associates with him since he became a 
 member of the Senate in one thousand nine hundred and one. 
 
 In life it is given us to know many men of diverse and var- 
 ied characteristics and temperaments. Some instantly attract 
 us to them by their winning personality, their honesty of pur- 
 pose and their uprightness of character. Preeminent in this 
 classification I unhesitatingly inscribe on the tablets of my 
 memory the name of our departed associate. 
 
 Coming to the Senate at the session of one thousand nine 
 hundred and one, we were thrown together constantly, were 
 the occupants of adjacent seats and from the contiguity of 
 the districts which we had the honor to represent, had many 
 similar interests to care for. We were both reelected in one 
 thousand nine hundred and four, and it was a great pleasure 
 to me to again meet him here at the convening of the session 
 of one thousand nine hundred and Ave. 
 
 His disposition was to look upon the bright side of things, 
 and his genial social qualifications made him always a de- 
 sirable companion. He was always wont to meet an old 
 friend whom he had not seen for a time, with a new and 
 pleasant story. Through this constant and close association 
 with Senator Matson I was offered unusual opportunities to 
 become thoroughly conversant with his character and abilities. 
 The more intimate this acquaintanceship became the better 
 was I able to appreciate his many sterling qualities. 
 
 He was a splendid type of that American manhood that is 
 not daunted by obstacles and not dismayed by adverse con- 
 ditions. Beginning his career in humble circumstances in 
 <he oil fields of Western Pennsylvania, by sheer pluck and 
 
HON. MYRON MATSON. 19 
 
 signal ability he rose to the high position which he occupied 
 at the time of his death. 
 
 By thrift, industry and good business judgment he had 
 amassed a large fortune. His business interests were not 
 only large in the East, but they were large in mid-continent 
 enterprises, and extended to the Pacific Coast. 
 
 In his later years, and after he had achieved success in 
 a business way, he referred to no part of his experiences in 
 life with more gratification and pleasure, than to the deter- 
 mined way in which he commenced the battle of life for him- 
 self, at the age of twenty yearsi, as a day laborer. 
 
 Of such men and energy is the backbone of this nation 
 composed and so long as this type continues will it endure. 
 
 Loyalty to his friends, and open-handed charity, an inherent 
 honesty and uprightness of character were among the chief- 
 est of his characteristics. As a citizen, a husband and father, 
 a representative of the people, he always carried out to the 
 best of his signal abilities the duties which were self-im- 
 posed or were entrusted to him. 
 
 My friend. Senator Matson, has crossed the valley of the 
 shadows. We who remain revere his memory, we mourn 
 his loss but carry constantly with us comforting recollections 
 and an assurance that all is well with him. 
 
 To what my brothers have so well said as to, ''If a man die, 
 shall he live again," I will add: "In the night of death, hope 
 sees a star and listening love hears the rustle of a wing." 
 
 Mr. FOX. Mr. President, I add my tribute to the memory 
 of our departed companion out of the gratitude of my heart 
 for I know I had his sincere friendship and most kindly 
 wishes. 
 
 The loss by death of one who has been cloisely and intim- 
 ately associated with us in any of life's work is always accom- 
 paniied by pain and grief, but when death robs us of a dear 
 friend we feel that it is almost irreparable. 
 
 The daily life of the deceased was a busy one. It was bur- 
 dened with public duties and business cares, yet he was 
 always reaching out the hand of succor to those who were 
 in want and distress. His life was not circumscribed within 
 
20 MEMORIAL, SERVICES. 
 
 the narrow limits of selfishness, but was devoted to the 
 happiness of his fellow-man. He was constantly rendering 
 acts of kindness to his friends and acquaintances. His pre- 
 eminent trait was that of kindness, and who of us poiSisesses 
 any trait more admirable or more beautiful? How rich and 
 superior is the man who possesses it! How impoverished and 
 inferior is the man who lacks it! The best portion of a good 
 man's life are his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kind- 
 ness and love. As the "snows of yesteryear" have vanished 
 but only in form and are still present in earth's blooming 
 beauty, so the kindnesses of our friend have touched into 
 activity enduring forces that will move others to nobler and 
 more beautiful lives. 
 
 It is to be believed of any charitable man when he has 
 passed over life's unresting sea and the recording angel 
 reviews the record of his life, whatever sins of omission or 
 commission may there appear, will after all be condoned be- 
 cause of that kindness and gracious love for his fellow-man. 
 
 Leigh Hunt beautifully expressed this thought in his poem 
 Abou Ben Adhem: 
 
 "Abou Ben Adhem — may his tribe increase! 
 
 Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace 
 And saw within the moonlight in his room 
 
 Making it rich and like a lily in bloom, 
 An angel writing in a book of gold; 
 
 Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold, 
 And to the presence in the room he said, 
 
 "What writest thou?" The vision raised its head, 
 And with a look made of all sweet accord, 
 
 Answered, "T^he names of those who love the L«ord." 
 "And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so," 
 
 Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low. 
 But cheerily still, and said, "I pray thee, then. 
 
 Write me as one that loves his fellowimen." 
 The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night 
 
 It came again with a great wakening light. 
 And showed the names who^m love of God had blessed— 
 
 And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest!" 
 
HON. MYRON MATSON. 21 
 
 Mr. President, The frequent passing of members of this 
 body leaves upon us a deep and ineffaceable impression of 
 the importance of a good and land life. 
 
 Therefore, 
 
 "Build thee more stately mansions, 
 O my soul, 
 
 As the swift seasons roll! 
 Leave thy low vaulted past! 
 
 Let each new temple, nobler than the last 
 Shut thee from Heaven with a dome more vast 
 
 Till thou at length art free. 
 Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea!" 
 
 The PRESIDENT. Are there any further remarks on these 
 resolutions? If not, the question is on the adoption of the 
 resolutions. On this the yeas and nays will be taken and 
 the Clerk will proceed with the call. 
 
 The yeas and nays were taken in accordance with the direc- 
 tion of the Chair, and were as follows: 
 
 YEAS. 
 
 Messrs. Brown, Campbell, Catlin, Cochran, Crawford, Crow, 
 Cunningham, Dewalt, Dimeling, Edmiston, Fisher, Fox, Ger- 
 berich, Godcharles, Grim, Hall, Heidelbaugh, Herbst, Hulings, 
 James, Keyser, Kline, Klinedinst, Langfitt, Manbeck, Mcll- 
 henny, McNees, McNichol, Miller (Northampton), Miller (Bed- 
 ford), Murphy, Phillips, Quail, Roberts, Rodgers, Rowland, 
 Scott, Sisson, Sproul, Stewart, Stineman, Templeton, Thom- 
 son, Walton, Wilbert, Williams and Woods — 47. 
 
 NAYS. 
 
 None. 
 
 ABSENT OR NOT VOTING. 
 Messrs. Blewitt, Tustin and Vare. 
 
 THE PRESIDENT. The resolutions are unanimously 
 agreed to. 
 
22 MEMORIAL SERVICES. 
 
 ADJOURNMENT. 
 
 Mr. STINEMAN. Mr. President, I move that the Senate 
 do now adjourn out of respect for the late Senator, Myron 
 Matson. 
 
 Mr. GODCHARLES. Mr. President, I second the motion. 
 
 The question being. 
 Will the Senate agree to the motion? 
 It was agreed to. 
 Whereupon, 
 At four fifteen post meridian the memorial meeting ad- 
 journed.