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 https://archive.org/details/inmemoriamedwardOOunse 
 

 
4 
 
 IN MEMORIAM: 
 
 He is not dead, thy heart’s beloved, but sleepeth. 
 Behold, ‘'He giveth his beloved sleep.” 
 
 Oh ! aching hearts, be still, the father knoweth 
 All thine anguish ; hush thee, do not weep ! 
 
 He is not dead, could ye have known the glory 
 That on his raptured vision gleamed that day. 
 
 Oh I hearts ! ye would look up, no more lamenting 
 Nor rain your kisses on unanswering clay. 
 
 He is not dead ! for death is only seeming 
 Since He, the sinless one, for sinners died ; 
 
 ’Tis but a step beyond to life perfected. 
 
 Where shall the heart's desire be satisfied. 
 
 He is not dead ; Oh ! strong, sweet soul that trusted 
 With faith so simple, childlike, on his word. 
 
 Thy spirit hath returned to the Eternal ; 
 
 Thine eyes behold the glory of the Lord. 
 
 He is not dead ; he wakes to fairer being. 
 
 The arc is rounded to a perfect whole ; 
 
 Beyond the gates, oh 1 bliss beyond all dreaming ! 
 Hope’s full fruition dawneth on his soul. 
 
 Born June 3, 1829... 
 
 Died July 8, 1897... 
 
 Grace E. Slocum. 
 
?) u 7 
 
 
 • \ 
 
 
 
Biograpf)ical SKetch. 
 
 pD\^'ARD LEWIS BAKER, the second son of David 
 J_ Jewett and Sarah Fairchild Baker, was born at 
 Kaskaskia, Illinois, June B, 1829 . His father was a 
 native of Connecticut, but after completing his course 
 of study at Hamilton College, he married and moved 
 to the then comparatively unknown territory of Illi- 
 nois. He at once became prominent among- the early 
 settlers and achieved distinction as lawyer, judge, and 
 
 later, when Illinois became a state, as United States 
 Senator. 
 
 At an early age Edward was sent to Shurtleff Col- 
 lege, Upper Alton, Illinois, joining the freshman class 
 in 18 J 8 . He graduated with high honors in 1847 , 
 and entered his father’s law office in Alton, to which 
 place the family had removed during his course of 
 study at Shurtleff. He subsequently attended the 
 College of Law, Harvard Univei-sity, and after takiirg 
 his degree was admitted to the bar in Illinois. He 
 
 1924.‘i7 
 
4 
 
 In Memoriam. 
 
 did not follow the law as a profession, however, pre- 
 ferring to enter the field of journalism. Accordingly^ 
 after completing the course at Harvard, he returned 
 to Alton and became identified with the Telegruph. 
 After successfully editing that paper for several years, 
 he moved to Springfield and purchased an interest in 
 the Illinois Stale Journal. This paper, under his 
 editorship, became a power in the state and was 
 prominent in its championship of the anti-slavery 
 sentiment of the time, in the organization of the 
 Republican party and in the political campaigns of 
 1860, 1864 and 1868. 
 
 During the years of his residence in Springfield, Mr. 
 Baker was always fully in touch with the educational 
 progress of the city and was a prominent member of 
 the Board of Education for several terms. At the 
 time Senator Sumner’s Civil Rights Bill was pending 
 in Congress, when race prejudice was so bitter, Mr. 
 Baker was a warm partisan of the negro, and it was 
 largely to his efforts in the Board of Education that 
 colored children were first admitted to the Springfield 
 schools. 
 
 In 1869, as a recognition of his valuable editorial 
 work for the party before, during and after the war. 
 
Edward Lewis Baker. 
 
 5 
 
 President Grant appointed Mr. Baker Assessor of In- 
 ternal Be venue for the Eighth District of Illinois, 
 which position he held until 1873 when the office was 
 abolished by act of Congress. Immediately upon his 
 retirement from this office, the President tendered him 
 the appointment of United States Consul at Buenos 
 Ayres, Argentine Republic. Mr. Baker decided that 
 the voyage to that port and a sojourn abroad would 
 be an agreeable change after his many years of un- 
 remitting labor as an editor and politician, and he 
 accordingly accepted the appointment, leaving Spring- 
 field in company with his family for his new post of 
 duty on March 17, 1874. 
 
 At the time of departure from Springfield, the em- 
 ployes of the State Journal Company presented Mr. 
 Baker with a beautiful and artistic gold medal as a 
 token of their esteem and affection. He always prized 
 this very highly and wore it on all diplomatic and 
 state occasions of ceremony. 
 
 Mr. Baker’s career as consul was most brilliant and 
 successful. He was quick to accommodate himself to 
 his change of occupation and gave immediate evidence 
 of his complete adaptability for his new duties. He 
 made an exhaustive study of the economic, political 
 
6 
 
 In Memoriam. 
 
 and social coaditions existing in the Argentine Re- 
 public and went to unusual pains to present bis facts 
 and statistics to the Department of State at Wash- 
 ington in a series (jf admirable reports, which were 
 most valuable to the government and which have 
 never been equalled for the amount of interesting in- 
 formation contained, by those of any other officer of 
 the consular service. Mr. Baker’s services as consul 
 were so appreciated at Washington that there was 
 no thought of ever removing him from office. Al- 
 though an ardent republican, he was one of the few 
 office holders who was retained under the two admin- 
 istrations of President Cleveland. At the time of his 
 death Mr. Baker had held his office longer than any 
 other consul in the corps and had served under eight 
 administrations. 
 
 Mr. Baker was beloved by all who knew him. His 
 nature was kind, genial and sympathetic, and his 
 charming personal characteristics attracted all with 
 whom he was brought in contact. He was devoted 
 and tender as a husband and father, and warm 
 hearted and true as a friend. He was full of good 
 humor and kindness and, in the words of his class- 
 mate and friend, the Rev. Dr. Bulkley, “was never 
 
Edward Lewis Baker. 
 
 known to utter a harsh or unkind word.” He always 
 had a smile and pleasant word for every one, and his 
 soul was filled with that charity “which thiuketh no 
 evil.” 
 
 Mr. Baker’s talents were many and diversified. He 
 excelled as a sparkling and brilliant speaker and 
 made memorable many a dinner and social gathering 
 by his happy impromptu remarks. His repartee was 
 quick and full of wit but never sarcastic or ill-natured, 
 and his fund of anecdotes inexhaustible. As a host 
 he was inimitable. He loved to fill his home with 
 bright and happy faces and had always that mag- 
 netic charm which made each one brought into his 
 presence appreciate his true and sincere cordiality. 
 
 He was an ardent lover of nature and rejoiced in 
 the pleasures and pastimes of rural surroundings. 
 Whenever he could for a time lay aside the cares of 
 his professional or official duties, it was his delight to 
 leave the busy haunts of men and, in company with 
 a few congenial spirits, and with gun and rod, go to 
 the country, where he would while away many a 
 pleasant hour. He was an enthusiastic sportsman 
 and a worthy disciple of Isaak Walton. 
 
8 
 
 In Memoriam. 
 
 During his leisure hours, Mr. Baker often expressed 
 his thoughts in verse, but was always too modest 
 and unassuming to pose as a poet, or to permit his 
 poetical fancies to appear in print. Numerous little 
 gems, however, are in the possession of his family 
 and are treasured by them as expressing not only his 
 deep love and tenderness for them, but for the world, 
 and as showing the true depths of his earnest and 
 fervent religious feeling — a religion of deeds, not 
 words— a life patterned on that of the Savior’s, which 
 spent itself in kind acts and generous deeds, and 
 thought more of the heart and soul of his fellow man 
 than of his actions, beliefs or creeds. 
 
 In no better way can this broad, Christian charity 
 be made clear than by giving his own thoughts, ex- 
 pressed in the following poems: 
 
Edward Lewis Baker. 
 
 9 
 
 “Judg:e Not”— “Oo Oood.” 
 
 Dedicated to Mrs. E. L. Baker. 
 
 A LAA" SERMON. 
 
 Permit me to tell you a secret, my friends — 
 
 A secret the world ought to know; 
 
 The high road to happiness far less depends 
 On what we receive, than what we bestow. 
 
 Though virtues called homely may seem commonplace, 
 
 And by men of the world be despised; 
 
 But they’re far more important than figure or face. 
 
 In one’s heart they are much to be prized. 
 
 It is not enough to he good on this earth— 
 
 The essence of Christ is to show it in deeds — 
 
 ^Tis those who do good who are God's men of worth. 
 
 And we need not discuss the question of creeds. 
 
 The small things of life are things that are great— 
 
 A spirit fraternal is better than gold; 
 
 And kindnesses shown to the victims of fate 
 
 Though they cost very little, have a value untold. 
 
 A temper that’s scornful, a manner that’s rude. 
 
 Towards those who have erred, is the hypocrite’s curse* 
 
 O’er the evils of life, to sit still and to brood. 
 
 So far from improving only makes the world worse. 
 
10 
 
 In Memoriam. 
 
 The Master encouraged, He did not condemn 
 The penitent sinners He found here on earth; 
 
 And for any to pose, as God’s ^^creme de la creme,” 
 
 Is working religion “for all it is worth.” 
 
 Whose heart is in touch with the poor of mankind, 
 
 Is the man whom mankind loves the best; 
 
 Who striveth to make others happy will find, 
 
 'Tis himself that is really blest. 
 
 As along the same road, we are moving in herds. 
 
 And hoping to reach the same goal. 
 
 How easy it is to give comforting words 
 To some over-tasked, desolate soul. 
 
 Comforting words to all who are weary. 
 
 Or a hand stretched in kindness to those who are down; 
 
 Or some tender service to lives that are dreary; 
 
 Ah, these are the triumphs that merit the Crown. 
 
 For no man loves God, as God should be loved. 
 
 Whose soul goes not out toward God’s creatures; 
 
 Kind words and kind deeds to repentance have moved 
 
 More grief-stricken sinners, than the dogmas of preachers. 
 
 Then strive, in your places, to do what you may. 
 
 To lighten the burdens of the weak and distressed; 
 
 With hearts full of pity direct them the way 
 
 That leads to new life, and a home with the blest. 
 
 (Signed.) E. L. Baker. 
 
 United States Consulate, Buenos Ayres, Jan. 1, 1896. 
 
Edward Lewis Baker. 
 
 11 
 
 Saint or Sinner? 
 
 AN ODE. 
 
 (to my wipe.) 
 
 These wayward verses, rudely strung, 
 The fancies of an idle hour, 
 Perchance had better been unsung 
 As lacking in poetic power; 
 
 But, if in thee they find a friend 
 To overlook their feeble strain. 
 
 And shall a moment’s pleasure lend. 
 
 They will not have been writ in vain. 
 
 — E. L. B. 
 
12 
 
 In Memoriam. 
 
 Saint or Sinner? 
 
 Holy Friar, tell this mortal, 
 
 Standing anxious at life’s portal, 
 
 Tell, I pray thee, tell this maiden. 
 
 With all tender fancies laden, 
 
 What of human Jove thou k nowest, 
 
 AVhence it comes, and whither goest? 
 
 The aged Friar bowed his head 
 And crossed himself; then sadly said: 
 
 “Like a cloud in summer sky. 
 
 Scattered by a zephyr’s sigh; 
 
 Like the fabric of a dream. 
 
 Forgotten with the morning’s beam; 
 Like a bubble on a river, 
 
 One moment seen, then gone forever; 
 Like a dewdrop on a flower. 
 
 Born, exhaled within a hour; 
 
 Like a meteor’s flash of light, 
 
 Expiring in an endless night; 
 
 Ah, such is human love on earth. 
 
 Dead with the breath that gives it birth.” 
 
 Oh, holy Friar, kind and meek, 
 
 Once more thy love I crave and seek; 
 
 Tell, I pray thee, tell this mortal 
 Standing anxious at life’s portal; 
 
 Tell, I pray thee, tell this maiden. 
 
 With all tender fancies laden. 
 
 What of love divine thou knowest. 
 
 Whence it comes and whither goeslV 
 
Edward Lewis Baker. 
 
 IH 
 
 The aged Friar, with eyes aloft, 
 
 Replied in accents sweet and s:>ft: 
 
 “Like the law of gravitation, 
 
 Pervading all the vast creation; 
 
 Like the music of the spheres. 
 
 Sounding down the eternal years; 
 
 Like the swelling tides of ocean. 
 
 With their never-ending motion; 
 
 Like the fixed light of a star. 
 
 Serene and constant in its depths afar; 
 
 Like Truth triumphant on her throne. 
 
 Claiming all kindreds for her own; 
 
 Ah, such is love beyond the skies, 
 
 A scent serene that never dies.” 
 
 The maiden heard, and her I eautiful face. 
 
 Was aglow with the light of celestial grace; 
 
 The while, in rapture, her glorified eyes 
 Saw Heavenly visions beyond the skies. 
 
 For the world and its sin, she breathed one sigh. 
 
 Then thus to herself she made reply: 
 
 “If Faith is false within this sphere, 
 
 And constancy dwells alone on high: 
 
 Better, by far, forego love here. 
 
 To taste it there eternally.” 
 
 And in spite of the anguish, in spite of the smart— 
 
 She tore from out of her bleeding heart — 
 
 With a sigh from the depths of her dark despair. 
 
 The earthly image she had cherished there. 
 
 And she passed from the world through the convent gate. 
 Her radiant face growing sweeter and sweeter; 
 
14 
 
 In Mi:moriam. 
 
 There, in her maiden beauty, to wait 
 
 Till the Heavenly bridegroom comes to meet her. 
 There, in retreat from this earth of cares. 
 
 No thought for the day, no thought for the morrow, 
 She told her beads and prayed her prayers, 
 
 And, dead to the world and safe from its snares, 
 
 She lived a life of holy sorrow. 
 
 Then up rose one of tender heart. 
 
 Who of earth’s wrongs had borne his part: 
 
 Who knew that mortals may be deceived 
 By vows of love they had believed; 
 
 Who had not always sin withstood. 
 
 But hated sin and craved the good; 
 
 Who “loved the world” for Christ’s dear sake; 
 
 And thus to the hearts of men he spake: 
 
 “Ah, who may say she did not well. 
 
 Thus, far from the false and wicked to dwell; 
 
 And lead a life of cloistered ease. 
 
 In daily penance on her knees: 
 
 But, ah, for sin the chastening rod 
 Is fervent work in the vineyard of God: 
 
 And in spite of the words the priest hath said, 
 
 To the anxious, innocent, doubting maid; 
 
 In spite of the holy life she led 
 In her cell of stone and her virgin bed, 
 
 I doubt, if she had not better fulfilled 
 
 The mi.-sion which God to his creatures hath willed. 
 
 Had she used the talent, to her He had given, 
 
 And earned for herself the rapture of Heaven. 
 
 Had she bravely fought the battle of life. 
 
 And done her duty, as mother and wife; 
 
Edward Lewis Baker. 
 
 15 
 
 Had her heart gone out to better this earth; 
 
 Had she toiled and loved, midst the innocent mirth 
 Of a brood of dear children, though anguish and tears 
 May have whitened her hair, and saddened her years. 
 The martyrs and saints 
 And heroes are those. 
 
 Who war here below 
 
 With God's fierce foes. 
 
 Who do with a will 
 
 What they find here to do. 
 
 And work for the good. 
 
 And work for the true. 
 
 Who strive, as they may, in their time and place. 
 
 To quicken this earth with Heavenly grace; 
 
 And expend their might to hallow its Love. 
 
 With the Faith which lives and dwells above.’' 
 
 Then a still, small voice from a passing cloud. 
 
 To our hearts responded ‘‘Amen,” aloud. 
 
 L’Envoy, 
 
 With thine armor clean and bright, 
 
 Seek no cloistered cell; 
 
 On the outer ramparts fight 
 The allied hosts of Hell. 
 
 (Signed.) E. L. Hakeii. 
 
 United States Consulate, Buenos Ayres, Fehruary 28, 1807. 
 
16 
 
 In Memoriam. 
 
 Mr. Baker was always youthful in his thoughts and 
 feelings, and his heart was full of tenderness and love 
 for little children. He idolized his grand-children and 
 was most demonstrative in his deep affection for them. 
 No more touching evidence of this devotion could be 
 shown than by reproducing two little poems dedicated 
 to Philip, his first grand-child, upon his departure 
 from Buenos Ayres and arrival in the United States. 
 They are as follow's: 
 
Edward Lewis Baker. 
 
 17 
 
 l^a Despedida. 
 
 TO THII.IP. 
 
 I. 
 
 My gallant ship, — betide what fate,— 
 
 Has sailed to-day with precious freight ; 
 
 Far down the bay, with wind abeam, 
 
 I see her white sails fill and gleam ; 
 
 And I shall see them when I sleep. 
 
 Like phantoms gliding o’er the deep ; 
 
 And I shall see them when I wake, 
 
 Through all the weary leagues they make I 
 Oh treacherous ocean, faithless sea, 
 
 Guard well what I have given to thee ! 
 
 II. 
 
 Or in the day or in the night. 
 
 That ship is ever in my sight ; 
 
 Each course she takes,— each wind that blows, — 
 Each wave that breaks and overflows, — 
 
 Or sail she slow, or sail in haste, 
 
 I watch her through the trackless waste ; 
 
 In calm, or storm, or gentle breeze, 
 
 I ioy or fear with each of these ! 
 
 Oh treacherous ocean, faithless sea, 
 
 I pray that thou keep faith with me ! 
 
 III. 
 
 With grief I never can forget, 
 
 And breaking heart and eyes all wet, — 
 
 And desolated home, I see 
 
 My heart’s dear treasures pass from me ; — 
 
 And I shall mourn, as one distraught, — 
 
 So great the sorrow love has wrought, — 
 
 Till I shall know — all dangers o’er, — 
 
 My ship has reached her destined shore ! 
 
 Oh treacherous ocean, faithless sea. 
 
 Bring back a good report to me ! 
 
 Ed w A HD L. Baker. 
 
 Buenos Ayres^ Feh. 15. 1894. 
 
18 
 
 In Memoriam. 
 
 l^a Bienvetiida. 
 
 TO PHILIP. 
 
 I. 
 
 A magic word at lightning speed 
 Has come to me with news indeed I 
 My ship that erstwhile sailed so far, 
 
 Has made her port,— has crossed the bar 1 
 Her flags aloft are flying now ; 
 
 The blue waves dance along her prow. 
 
 With landward breeze and sails at play, 
 
 She moves in triumph up the bay I 
 
 Oh treacherous ocean, faithless sea. 
 
 Glad tidings these 1 have from thee ! 
 
 II. 
 
 I saw that ship from me depart 
 With boding fear and breaking heart; 
 
 I watched her course with such a grief. 
 
 That Hope could offer no relief! 
 
 To-day,— thank God,— her perils o’er, — 
 
 I hail her from this distant shore. 
 
 With greetings of my inmost soul 
 And joy my eyes cannot control ! 
 
 Oh treacherous ocean, faithless sea, 
 
 Thou hast indeed been true to me ! 
 
 III. 
 
 Oh weary prisoners, long confined. 
 
 Midst revels of the wave and wind ! — 
 
 Of storm and wreck all fears have passed. 
 
 The prayed for land is yours at last ! 
 
 1 hail you all with untold love. 
 
 And peace that cometh from above 1 
 Oh dear good ship, oh dear good crew. 
 
 In gratitude I pledge to you 1 
 
 Oh treacherous ocean, faithless sea, 
 
 Most fervent thanks thou hast from me ! 
 
 Edward L. Hakeu. 
 
 Buenos Ayre^, April 11^ 1SD4. 
 
Edward Lewis Baker. 
 
 19 
 
 Ml*. Baker’s literary tastes prompted him to join 
 the English Literary Society in Buenos Ayres soon 
 after his arriA^al in that city. He was a most valua- 
 ble member of this organization and served for sev- 
 eral terms as its Presid(‘iit. He often participated in 
 its debates, and on a number of occasions delivered 
 lectures on a variety of subjects. 
 
 Mr. Baker’s useful and honorable career was sud- 
 denly and cruelly cut short by an accident which oc- 
 curred to him Sunday, June 20, 1897. On this date 
 he went to visit friends in Belgrano, a suburb about 
 eight miles north of Buenos Ayres. After dining with 
 them, he left their residence for the railway station 
 with the intention of returning to the city by the 
 train scheduled for 8:1-0 p. m. His hosts, not being 
 sure that he would be in time for that train, accom- 
 panied him on his way to the station, with the inten- 
 tion of having him return home with them and there 
 await a later train if he was not in time. When within 
 two squares of the station, seeing the train approach- 
 ing, Mr. Baker left his friends and hurried on ahead 
 to make the train if possible, and soon disappeared 
 from their view. They saw the train pull out but 
 proceeded to the station to assure themselves tliat he 
 
20 
 
 In Memoriam. 
 
 had been in time. Calling to him and receiving no 
 response, they supposed he was safely on his way to 
 Buenos Ayres and returned to their home. The rest 
 of the sad story is thus related by the Buenos Ayres 
 Standard of June 22: 
 
 “About 9:10 p. m., one of the Belgrano station employes of 
 the railway had his attention attracted by calls and groans that 
 seemed to come from down the line just beyond the foot bridge 
 towards Buenos Aires, and proceeding in that direction he found 
 Consul Baker lying nearly at the end of the platform about sixty 
 or seventy feet from the bridge, with his body on the platform 
 and his legs on the line. Other employes and the police were 
 immediately summoned, and as it was apparent that the Consul 
 was badly injured he was at once removed to the new Pirovano 
 Hospital and arrived there within fifteen or twenty minutes from 
 the time he was found. When first discovered Consul Baker was 
 in a very dazed condition and remained so for some time, and 
 was not able to give the railway employes his full name or give 
 the location of his residence, but soon after he reached the hos- 
 pital he came to himself sufficiently to tell who he was and where 
 he lived. 
 
 “An examination showed that his right arm was broken near 
 the shoulder and badly bruised and wrenched, and that there 
 were some contusions on his body. On being requested to un- 
 dergo an operation, Mr. Baker refused and requested to be taken 
 to his residence. No. 574 Calle Maipu. As all efforts to prevail 
 on him to submit to an operation were unavailing, arrangements 
 were made to send him to Buenos Aires, and Dr. Mulcahy and 
 the people at Mr. Baker’s house were notified by the police, by 
 
Edward Lewis Baker. 
 
 21 
 
 telephone, to he prepared to receive him, and about midnight he 
 found himself in his own comfortable room with Dr. Mulcahy 
 and some assistants in attendance. 
 
 “Mr. W. I. Buchanan, the U. S. Minister, and Mr. Alexander 
 Mc^^ally, were sent for soon after Mr. Baker’s arrival and re- 
 mained with him throughout the night, and early in the morn- 
 ing a telegram was sent to Rosario summoning Mr. Willis E. 
 Baker, the Consul at Rosario and the only member of Mr. Baker’s 
 immediate family here at present, his wife and daughter being 
 home on a visit, and his son, Mr. E. Lewis Baker, formerly vice- 
 consul here, being now resident in the states. 
 
 “Dr. Mulcahy, after a careful examination, decided that 
 ISIr. Baker’s right arm would have to be removed close to the 
 shoulder, and advised him to go to the British Hosp tal, where 
 he could have every care and attention after the operation, and 
 about 8 o’clock yesterday morning the Consul was taken in an 
 ambulance to the Hospital, where the necessary operation was 
 performed early in the day.” 
 
 The accident, as was subsequently learned from the 
 patient himself, was caused by his attempt to board 
 the train after it was in motion. He reached the 
 station as the train was leaving and grasped at the 
 hand-rail of one of the coaches. He missed his hold, 
 however, and attempted to board the next coach as 
 it passed. By this time the train had acquired con- 
 siderable momentum, and the result was that Mr. 
 Baker was thi'own and dragged for a distance of some 
 thirty’-five feet in the narrow space between the car 
 
22 
 
 In Memoriam. 
 
 steps and the station platform. His hold was finally 
 released by a slight depression at the side of the 
 track, but not until his right arm had been broken 
 to pieces. 
 
 Upon the arrival of Mr. Willis E. Baker, in answer 
 to the telegram announcing the terrible calamity. 
 Minister Buchanan sent a brief cablegram relating the 
 occurrence to the State Department, which was, by 
 direction of the Secretary of State, repeated to Mrs. 
 Baker in Chicago. This message stated that all pos- 
 sible relief was being given the patient. 
 
 For thirteen days Mr. Baker lay in the British 
 Hospital apparently convalescing. He suffered no 
 severe shock from the amputation, and it was thought 
 he had a fair chance for recovery. He was reported 
 as cheerful and hopeful throughout and made light of 
 
 f 
 
 his terrible affliction, saying that the loss of his right 
 arm would be no serious matter as he could use his 
 left arm with equal facility. 
 
 On the night of Saturda^q July 3, a change for the 
 worse occurred. His stomach suddenly became weak 
 and fever set in. From this time on he gradually 
 sank, and at noon, Thursday, July 8, 1897, his 
 spirit passed away. 
 
Edward Lewis Baker. 
 
 23 
 
 His death was all the more sad in that he had for 
 some time been anticipating an early return to his 
 native land, there to join the members of his family 
 who had preceded him. He had been given to under- 
 stand that he would soon be transferred to some con- 
 sulate nearer home, but failiug that, it had been his 
 intention to resign. He missed his wife and absent 
 children greatly, and was often very lonesome and 
 home-sick with a passionate yearning to join them, 
 but, owing to the exigencies of his consular duties 
 since their departure from Buenos Ayres, he had been 
 unable to leave his post. Shortly before the date of 
 his accident, however, he had been granted a leave of 
 absence with permission to return to the United States, 
 and he had made arrangements to avail himself of it 
 at an early day. He had planned an extended visit 
 with his family and with a number of relatives and 
 friends in his dearly loved native land; but, alas! a 
 mysterious and inscrutable providence ordained other- 
 wise, and it was not his privilege to revisit the scenes 
 of his youth and early manhood. 
 
24 
 
 In Memoriam. 
 
 ^ The popularity of Mr. Baker and the hi^*h regard 
 in which he was held by the public are proved by the 
 ■universal sympathy expressed during his treatment in 
 the British Hospital and by the grief felt on all sides 
 when the news of his death was learned. The Buenos 
 Ayres Standard of July 9, speaking editorially, said: 
 
 ‘•The death of Consul Baker, at noon yesterday, in the Brit- 
 ish Hospital, plunges the foreign community in mourning and 
 removes another landmark from our midst. Few men in the 
 Plate ever enjoyed a more cosmopolitan representation, a greater 
 popularity than the genial gentleman who succumbed yesterday 
 to the terrible wounds inflicted in a railway accident. His good 
 humor, his sociality, his depth of good nature, were his insepara- 
 blecompanions through life, and spread sunshine wherever he 
 went. Such was his popularity, that we may say with safety 
 that he had no enemies; that he not only enjoyed the esteem and 
 affection of his countrymen, but all nationalities, Englishmen in 
 particular. He had in him the magnetism that commands sym- 
 pathy, and with exceptional talents to fill his official position, he 
 combined all the qualities that tend to make a favorite in all 
 social circles. We have lost a good, true-hearted, broad-minded, 
 and in many respects an exceptionally endowed friend. As we 
 mourn oyer the fatality that cut him off from our midst, we 
 place a wreath of immortelles over his grave, and tender his 
 sorrowing relatives our sincere condolence in their terrible be- 
 reavement. 
 
 ******** 
 
 “Mr. Baker had not been located in Buenos Ayres long before 
 his adaptability for the position which he filled manifested it- 
 self, and the merchants of Buenos Ayres, the captains of vessels 
 
Edward Lewis Baker. 
 
 25 
 
 trading with the states, and the department of state at Wash- 
 ington found him a consul standing far above the average in 
 ability. For many years the reports of Mr. Baker have been ac- 
 cepted as authoritative on the matters treated in them, and 
 many times the department of state has requested him to make 
 special reports on various matters such as a consul would not 
 generally be expected to deal with. This he did in such a satis- 
 factory manner that he has received letters of thanks and con- 
 gratulations from more than oneSecretaay of State. 
 
 “Mr. Baker leaves a wife, Julia Edwards, two sons, Willis 
 Edwards and Edward Lewis, and a daughter, Julia Elizabeth: 
 all but Mr. Willis E. Baker, the Consul at Rosario, being in the 
 states at present, where Mr. Baker had hoped soon to join them, 
 but it was not to be, and last night the telegraph informed them 
 that the spirit of a fond husband and loving indulgent father 
 hid passed to its eternal home.” 
 
 The Review of the River Plate, published in Buenos 
 Ayres, comments on Mr. Baker’s death as follows; 
 
 “We offer to our readers to-day a memento of our old friend, 
 the friend of every man who knew him, who has so recently 
 been torn from our midst by the tragic accident which caused 
 heartfelt grief throughout the British and American communi- 
 ties of Buenos Ayres. 
 
 “In publishing his portrait the Review of the River Plate 
 desires only to pay a small tribute of respect and esteem to the 
 memory of the man who, without being what is commonly 
 known as popular, for Consul Baker was too modest to court 
 popularity, won the affection of everyone with whom he came in 
 
2G 
 
 Ix Memoriam. 
 
 contact, by his bright, genial personality, his utter unselfishness, 
 and the loving kindness which he was ever ready to extend to his 
 fellow men. 
 
 * * * * * 
 
 “So modest was he that few knew of the experience and 
 talent, as lawyer and journalist, that lay behind his abilities as 
 consul ; fewer still were aware of the fact that he often wrote 
 verses full of the tenderness and sympathy that animated his 
 being. 
 
 “As we write, there lies before us a manuscript containing a 
 small collection of his poems, from which we are tempted to 
 make many an excerpt, but we will respect tbe modesty that our 
 dear old friend so closely cultivated in his life, and only quote a 
 verse or two of a poem entitled “Do Good, — Judge not’’ which 
 indicate, more than any words of ours, the true nature of the 
 man : 
 
 [Here follows an extract from a poem previously quoted in 
 full in this memorial.] 
 
 “We might perhaps have chosen from the collection before us, 
 verses of a more ambitious character, for there are many, but 
 none which indicate more truly the sentiments he held and car- 
 ried into practice during his life. 
 
 “We have lost a friend, in the truest sense of the term, and sa 
 long as memory lasts, one of its greenest spots will be filled by 
 Consul Baker.” 
 
 As an additional evidence of public regard, it may 
 not be amiss to mention, in advance of its receipt, 
 that Mrs. Baker has been notified by cable that the 
 
Ervvard Lewis Baker. 
 
 27 
 
 friends of her husband in the Argentine Republic are 
 having prepared for his monument an elaborate 
 memorial tablet in bronze, attesting their apprecia- 
 tion of his services as consul. This tablet, with di- 
 mensions of forty by thirty inches, is described as a 
 work of art, presenting in has relief a bust of the de- 
 ceased and the coats of arms of the United States 
 and the Argentine Republic, with suitable inscription. 
 A tablet of a similar nature has also been placed in 
 the American (M.. E.) Church in Buenos Ayres, where 
 a special service to his mernorv, consisting of vocal 
 and instrumental music and appropriate addresses, 
 both in English and in Spanish, was held Saturday 
 evening, September 11, 1897. 
 
 The Standard of July 10 gives the following ac- 
 count of the funeral services in Buenos Ayres, which 
 were extremely impressive: 
 
 “The friends of the late Mr. Edward L. Baker mustered 
 in strong numbers yesterday to p;jy the last tribute to one 
 whose memory will long be cherished by all who knew him. 
 It was not an appropriate day for a funeral, for on the occa- 
 sion of the national anniversary— the glorious 9th— the houses 
 decked out with flags of all nations, presented a gay aspect, 
 
28 
 
 In Memoriam. 
 
 and the streets were filled with the sounds of public rejoicing — 
 another of those powerful contrasts which Fate, like a skilled 
 painter, employs for the production of effects. 
 
 “While the city rejoiced in the celebration of an historical 
 event, a community wept over the tomb of one who, during 
 life, seemed to be the incarnation of cheerfulness. In the 
 very ambient of the city, the sigh that thousands breathed 
 for the lost friend must have wandered like a stray echo. 
 The laughing crowd that thronged the streets was hushed at 
 the approach of the magnificent hearse. All gazed with won- 
 dering sadness at the imposing procession, and all guessed by 
 the presence of United States sailors, and the numbers of the 
 mourners that an important and loved member of the North 
 American community had been cut down by the Grim Mower. 
 
 “The American church in Calle Corrientes was too small 
 to accommodate the crowd of friends who assembled to assist 
 at the funeral service. A considerable number of ladies occu- 
 pied the interior, and the throngs spread from the portals to 
 the sidewalk, where a battalion of seventy blue jackets from 
 the U. S. S. “Castine,” under the command of Lieutenant 
 Bronaugh, divided into two companies, the first commanded 
 by Lieutenant Strauss, and the second by Ensign Robertson, 
 were drawn up. The coffin, half concealed under the Ameri- 
 can fiag, was placed at the foot of the altar. On either side 
 were numbers of beautiful wreaths. The appearance of the 
 church was simple and solemn. There was sadness on every 
 face, and the sacred building w'as filled with an atmosphere of 
 sorrow. The service opened with the hymn. Rock of Ages, 
 announced by the Rev. McLaughlin, and was conducted in the 
 following order: 
 
Edward Lewis Baker. 
 
 29 
 
 1. — Hymn, Rock of Ages. 
 
 2. — Scripture and Prayer, Dr. Drees. 
 
 3. — Hymn, Bright Light is Here. 
 
 4. — Address by Dr. Thomson. 
 
 5. — “My Country ’Tis of Thee.” 
 
 “On the conclusion of the service which was very impres- 
 sive, the coffin was carried out by Minister Buchanan, Vice 
 Consul Chute, Commander Berry of the U. S. S. “Castine,” 
 Messrs. Zimmerrnann, Webster, McNally, Kimball and Beccar. 
 Immediately following came Mr. Willis E. Baker, on whose 
 face grief and long nights at the bedside of his lamented 
 father had left deep marks. To him we tender our heart-felt 
 condolence. The shock of the fatal ending of the accident to 
 his father must have been all the greater to him, since up to 
 within a day of his death there was great hope of the consul 
 pulling through. 
 
 “A magnificent hearse, drawn by six coal black horses, 
 conveyed the coffin to the Recoleta. Slowly and sadly the 
 procession of carriages, headed by the Castine sailors, wound 
 its way through the gay streets. On arrival at the cemetery, 
 the coffin was borne into the vestibule, and here the Belgian 
 Consul, Mr. Ostendorp, delivered an eloquent speech. The Rev. 
 Pelham Ogle of the Church of England, conducted a service 
 in the cemetery and was followed by Dr. McLaughlin of the 
 American church, who uttered a short prayer. Mr. Beccar, a 
 very warm friend of Mr. Baker, then made a short and feeling 
 address, during which he nearly broke down through emotion, 
 and the coffin was lowered into the vault of the Correa-Morales 
 family. 
 
 “And thus the curtain drops on the earthly existence of 
 him whom we all liked and whom we all called Consul Baker. 
 This was a sad and unexpected ending; but if the conscious- 
 
30 
 
 Ix Memoriam. 
 
 ness of being loved and esteemed, a feeling he must have fully 
 experienced in the brief interval between the accident and its 
 fatal denounment, in that flickering period of his life’s flame, 
 when he lay helpless, though cheerful, in the British hospital — 
 if that consciousness be of any source of comfort to a dying 
 man, then there could have been no bitterness ‘in the longing, 
 lingering look’, one must cast behind him, as the poet said, 
 resigning ‘that pleasing, anxious being.’ He has passed away, 
 it is true; but his memory will long live amongst us. 
 
 “The funeral procession proceeded to the cemetery in the 
 following order: 
 
 “Police Escort, battalion of seventy sailors from the U. S. 
 S. Castine, commanded by Lieutenant W. V. Bronaugh. 
 
 “First company — Lieutenant J. Strauss. 
 
 “Second company— Ensign N. H. Robertson. 
 
 “Hearse — Guard of honor of ten picked sailors from the 
 U. S. S. Castine. 
 
 “Carriages containing pall bearers, Mr. Willis E. Baker 
 and Rev. Drs. Drees, McLaughlin and Thomson. 
 
 “Carriages containing the following persons:” 
 
 [Here follows a list of names, several hundred in number, 
 comprising all the foreign consuls, the principal government 
 and municipal officials, and a large number of private families 
 of the American, Argentine, English, German and other com- 
 munities.] 
 
 The address of Consul Albert Ostendorp, of Belo-iuin, 
 mentioned in the foregoing account of the funeral, was 
 as follows: 
 
 “Gentlemen:— On behalf of the foreign consular body, ac- 
 credited to the Argentine Government in Buenos Ayres, I beg 
 
Edward Lewis Baker. 
 
 31 
 
 to bid a sad farewell to our dear colleague and esteemed friend, 
 Mr. Edward L. Baker, for so many years Consul of the United 
 States of America in this city, who died under circumstances 
 certainly as painful as they were unexpected. 
 
 ‘His genial character, uniform kindness, ever obliging 
 disposition, and conciliatory mode of fulfllliug his consular 
 duties, had won for him the highest regard of all here, and 
 the best proof that he was likewise greatly appreciated at 
 Washington is, that notwithstanding the numerous political 
 changes in the government of the United States since he took 
 office, about twenty-three years ago, he always remained Consul 
 of the Great Republic in the Capital of Argentina. 
 
 “His indefatigable industry was well known to all, and the 
 numerous reports he sent to the State Department on all sub- 
 jects of public interest, have been most favorably commented 
 upon and repeatedly quoted by the American and European 
 press. 
 
 “The resignation and composure with which he faced his 
 terrible accident, were admirable. A few hours after the pain- 
 ful amputation of his right arm at the shoulder, he said, al- 
 most cheerfully: ‘Well, I still have my left arm, and as I can 
 write with that, I will continue to be useful to my country, 
 and countrymen here.’ 
 
 “These noble words show what a brave and manly character 
 our lamented friend had. He was the first to comfort his son, 
 who flew to his bed-side, and all the friends who were admit- 
 ted to see him, and thus take the place, as far as posssble, of 
 the members of his family, at present in the States. 
 
 “For a few days, prospects of his recovery seemed bright, 
 but alasi these favorable symptoms were deceitful, and gradu- 
 ally our beloved friend grew worse and worse, until death. 
 
32 
 
 In Memouiam. 
 
 while relieving him of all earthly sufferings, doubtless extended 
 to him that Heavenly reward, the heritage of the good and 
 just. 
 
 “May his family and relatives find comfort in the unani- 
 mous expression of deep sympathy and sincere sentiments of 
 condolence which the demise of Consul Baker has elicited from 
 all classes in this great city. 
 
 “He has died far away from his wife, his son and daughter, 
 in this foreign land, which, however, as he well knew, is so 
 hospitable to strangers that, as was his case, it becomes a 
 second home for those who land on its shores. 
 
 “Consul Baker! for the last time in this world, your afflict- 
 ed colleagues bid you a final farewell, and may your soul rest 
 in God’s eternal peace!” 
 
 Upon receipt of Minister Bnchanan’s cable message, 
 announcing Consul Baker’s death, the Secretary of 
 State communicated the sad intelligence to his widow, 
 and after consulting her wishes, cabled the Minister 
 directions to have the body embalmed and shipped to 
 Springfield, Illinois, for interment there. These direc- 
 tions were promptly carried out, and the remains 
 were shipped .per steamer “Merida,” of the Norton 
 line, which left Buenos Ayres July 17, and arrived in 
 New York August 21. The casket containing the 
 body was there taken in charge by the United States 
 Despatch Agent by order of the Secretary of State, 
 
p]DWARD i^Ewis Baker. 
 
 33 
 
 and transshipped to Springfield. In this connection, 
 the Springfield Monitor of August 26 published the 
 following: 
 
 “The remains of Hon. Edward L. Baker, late Un ted States 
 Consul at Buenos Ayres, arrived here yesterday morning and 
 were taken in charge by T. C. Smith’s Sons, the undertakers, 
 who removed the heavy outside box in which the casket had 
 been placed for shipment. The casket was then taken to the 
 home of Mr. and Mrs. Albert S. Edwards, at the old Lincoln 
 residence on South Eighth Street, where it will remain until 
 it shall be taken thence to the church this morning at 10 
 o’clock. The casket in which the remains of the dead consul 
 will be consigned to the grave is a magnificent one, and en- 
 tirely different from those now in use in this country. It is 
 of solid ebony, with a heavy metallic lining, and weighs about 
 900 pounds. The cover is elaborately hand carved, the design 
 of a cross set upright in a pedestal of heaped stones above the 
 name plate and a scroll beneath, being beautifully executed. 
 The plate and heavy handles are gold plated. The shape is 
 somewhat like that of the old-fashioned coffin, the sides being 
 bounded by straight lines instead of curves. It is probably 
 the most costly and elegant casket ever seen in Springfield. 
 
 “Owing to the long distance which the body had traveled 
 and length of time consumed in the journey, it was not 
 deemed advisable to expose the remains and the casket will 
 not be opened. The ship Merida, in which the body was 
 brought to New York, left Buenos Ayres on July 17 and ar- 
 rived in New York last Saturday. A number of relatives and 
 friends of the deceased have arrived in the city to attend the 
 funeral, and last evening called at the residence of Mr. 
 
:34 
 
 ]n Memoiuam. 
 
 Edwards to express their sympathy with the bereaved widow 
 and children and recall memories of the earlier days before 
 the family ties had been broken by the fate that separates 
 households through the exigencies of duty and business.” 
 
 The Monitor of the same date reported the action 
 of the members of the press of Springfield as follows: 
 
 “A meeting of members of the press was held at the Leland 
 hotel at 2 o’clock yesterday afternoon to take action in regard 
 to the death of Hon. E. L. Baker, United States Consul to 
 Buenos Ayres, Argentine Republic. Capt. T. W. S. Kidd was 
 elected chairman, and T. Norwood Bratt secretary of the 
 meeting. 
 
 “Hon E. L. Merritt was called upon and made a few re- 
 marks, during which he stated that INIr. Baker was one of the 
 organizers of the Illinois Press Association at Peoria in ]8()(i. 
 
 “On motion of H. W. Clendenin, the chair was empowered 
 to appoint a committee of three to prepare suitable expressions 
 on the death of Mr. Baker. The chair appointed Messrs. E. 
 L. Merritt, C. R. Paul and E. k. Snively as said committee, 
 but Mr. Snively being unable to serve, on motion of Mr. Clen- 
 denin Capt. Kidd was named in his stead. 
 
 “A motion by Mr. Merritt to the effect that all members of 
 the press attend the funeral in a body, and extending an invi- 
 tation to all printers and members of the press not present to 
 attend was adopted. 
 
 “It was decided to meet at the Leland hotel at 9:30 o'clock 
 this morning. 
 
Edward Erwis Baker. 
 
 35 
 
 “The coniiuittee, through its chairman, Mr. Merritt, made 
 the following report, which was adopted: 
 
 “ Tn placing the myrtle on the grave of our deceased 
 brother, the press of the city of Springfield desire to bear wit- 
 ness to the integrity and manly worth of Edward L. Baker. 
 As a husband and father he was fondly affectionate and gen- 
 erous; as a friend he was true, constant and self-sacrificing; 
 as a citizen, loyal. progre>sive and public spirited. As an 
 editor he was strong, capable and honest. Belonging to the 
 pioneer journalists of Illinois, he wielded an intluence the im- 
 press of which is now marked in the many strong newspapers 
 of the state. 
 
 “‘Peace to his ashes. 
 
 “ ‘The secretary of this meeting is instructed to forward a 
 copy of the above minutes to the family of the deceased.’” 
 
 Great sympathy was expressed for the bereaved 
 family by the citizens of Springfield, and the comments 
 on the virtues and characteristics of the deceased, 
 both by the press and by private utterance, were 
 most eulogistic, and showed the high esteem in which 
 Ml*. Baker was held by former fellow-citizens. The 
 Monitor expressed the sentiments of its editor, Capt. 
 T. W. S. Kidd, as follows: 
 
 IIOX. EDWARD L. BAKKPv. 
 
 “It has been nearly a quarter of a century since he who 
 lies in his casket prepared for sepulture, at the old homestead 
 of his friend, the immortal Lincoln, lelt us to serve his na- 
 
30 
 
 In -Memoriam. 
 
 tion in a foreign land ; since he who breathed his last among 
 those who were, comparatively speaking, strangers to him, al- 
 though warm-hearted and attesting their high appreciation of 
 his worth and virtues, which had entwined themselves around 
 them by social and business contact for years, and did all they 
 could to smooth his pillow and comfort him as he approached 
 the dark \^aters of the river of death, left the capital city of 
 the great state of Illinois, known by nearly every man, woman 
 and child. He left us full of hope, full of vigor, full of a 
 commendable ambition to make his mark in the world: to 
 place his name upon fame’s scroll as one who had served his 
 country well at the post of honor where his country had placed 
 him. At the period of his departure no man’s hand was 
 greeted with a warmer grasp of friendship ; no other face and 
 form and smile more welcome any and everywhere in this 
 city full of friends — for enemies he had none. The history of 
 Illinois is luminous with the names of able editorial writers, 
 and among the brightest, the strongest, the most pungent and 
 forcible of all in the great galaxy of such the name of 
 Edward L. Baker, our former fellow citizen, editor of the 
 Journal and later American Consul at Buenos Ayres, was the 
 peer of any. This may seem, coming from the writer, the 
 ‘voice and utterance’ of personal friendship, but it is the 
 truth, and history will so record it. He was our political an- 
 tipode, but, personally, was one of the most genial, companion- 
 able and elegant gentlemen we ever met with. Mr. Baker 
 may be said to have been a partisan. In the principles and 
 pitrposes of his party and seeking — as we believe he did— all 
 honorable means to place his party’s measures and men in the 
 front, he certainly was; but never factious, never proscriptive, 
 and never unreasonable with an opponent. There were no 
 shades of color in his editorial work, nor in his political senti- 
 
Edward Lewis Baker. 
 
 87 
 
 ments, and at the same time he possessed in a remarkable de- 
 gree a gentle tolerance for opposing opinions, usually free from 
 bitterness, sparing of assault, clad in respectful terms, but so 
 candid they commanded respect for his opinions even with 
 the most ardent enemy. It is hard to realize the great changes 
 which have taken place since Mr. Baker left his native 
 Illinois to dwell in a foreign land. His years spent there have 
 been invaluable to this nation for be it said to his credit, the 
 most valuable information has been given to his government 
 by his inexhaustible reports concerning the resources of the 
 wealth, advancement and future prospects of the Argentine 
 Republic. In his labors and untiring zeal to unearth valuable 
 statistics for the use of the government and his developed 
 power to grasp its resources and make them intelligible to the 
 department of state, he has been simply indefatigable and it 
 has resulted in verifying the lines of immortal poesy: 
 
 ‘Peace hath her victories, 
 
 No less renowned than war.’ 
 
 “We shall see our beloved former fellow-citizen no more 
 with mortal eyes. He has breathed his last among strangers, 
 exiled from the loves and cherished scenes of his early life. 
 He has gone from the places and people who loved him on 
 earth to the higher realms of immortality. He is lost to 
 literature, lost to diplomacy, lost to home and friends; but 
 his record as an official ; his record as a devotee to literary 
 pursuits; as husband, father and friend, will stand as a mon- 
 ument lasting as the memory of his private virtues, his public 
 trusts, his high sense of honor, his unquestioned integrity, 
 lie has gone into the dark valley to verify the truthfulness 
 of the poet’s inspiration : 
 
38 
 
 In Memoriam. 
 
 ‘Our lives are rivers gliding free 
 To that unfathomed, boundless sea, 
 
 The silent grave. 
 
 Thither all earthly pomp and boast 
 Roll, to be swallowed up and lost 
 In one dark wave.’ ” 
 
 The funeral services were held from the First Pres- 
 byterian Church on Thursdajb August 26, and are 
 thus described by the Monitor of August 27 : 
 
 “Beneath the native sod of his own loved Illinois, and fast 
 by the city where much that was best in his life work had 
 been accomplished, the mortal remains of Edward L. Baker 
 were laid away yesterday morning. About the open grave wife 
 and children, brothers, sisters, near relatives and friends of 
 the olden time, whom his loving heart most tenderly cher- 
 ished, stood with tear-dimmed eyes to pay the last loyal tribute 
 of affection to that which, as the earthly tenement of a noble 
 soul, had been to them most precious. The sylvan beauty of 
 the spot selected as the last resting place of the beloved form, 
 the tender influence of a common sorrow in the renewing of 
 family ties and the reunion of a household long separated by 
 the hand of chance or fate, made the scene an impressive one, 
 and members of the family lingered long about the flower- 
 strewn grave, as if loth to part from the resting place of the 
 beloved one whose home coming had been so sadly different 
 from what they had fondly hoped. 
 
 “The funeral of lion. Edward L. Baker, late United States 
 Consul at Buenos Ayres and formerly one of Springfield's most 
 brilliant journalists and most valued citizens, w’as worthy of 
 the man. Although it has been twenty-three years since Mr. 
 
Edwat^d Leavis Rake II. 
 
 39 
 
 Baker left his native land and the city of his choice, and 
 naturally a large number of those who were his intimates and 
 co-workers have passed away or have removed to other homes, 
 the attendance at the funeral was very large and included 
 many who had been his personal acquaintances. The press of 
 the city and the veteran printers, including all of the resident 
 ex-employes of the State Journal at the time he was its editor, 
 attended in a body, and occupied prominent seats in the 
 church. They also went to the cemetery and witnessed the 
 interment. The members of the family and intimate friends 
 left the residence of A. S. Edwards, the old Lincoln Home, in 
 carriages a little before 10 o’clock for the First Presbyterian 
 Church where the services were conducted by the Rev. 
 Frederick H. Wines, D. I)., long an intimate friend of the 
 fam ly. 
 
 “The massive ebony casket borne by the undertaker’s assis- 
 tants was attended by the following pall bearers, who were 
 relatives or intimate friends of the deceased: Judge David .1. 
 Baker, of Chicago, late of the Illinois Supreme Court, and 
 Col. John P. Baker, U. S. A., of St. Louis, brothers; William 
 B. Gilbert and M. F. Gilbert, of Cairo, nephews ; Albert S. 
 Edwards, of Springfield, and Charles Edwards, of Chicago, ?md 
 Col. L. S. Metcalfe, of St. Louis, brothers-in-law and Gen. 
 Thomas O. Osborn, of Chicago, formerly Minister to the Ar- 
 gentine Republic and a dear friend. The quartette of singers, 
 Miss Jessie Reed. Miss Lou Jlibbs, Mr. Joseph Hudson and 
 Prof. J. B. Barnaby, sang the hymns in a very touching man- 
 ner, the selections being peculiarly appropriate. The opening 
 hymn was a favorite of the deceased and was sung by special 
 request: ‘Come Ye Disconsolate.’ At other times during the 
 service the quartette sang a beautiful chant, ‘Abide With 
 Me,’ and the ever consoling ‘Lead Kindly Light.’ Mrs. T. C. 
 
40 
 
 In Memoriam. 
 
 Henkle lead the choir in the last named hymn and sang a 
 closing solo, ‘The Tear,’ by Stagelli, a selection rich in ten- 
 derness and consolation and beautifully rendered. Mrs. Henkle 
 and Mrs. Alice Knap, who played the organ accompaniments, 
 had been specially requested by the family to assist in the 
 music as former neighbors and valued friends. 
 
 “After the usual prayer and appropriate reading from the 
 Scripture Dr. Wines delivered the funeral address, which was 
 a masterly effort and in many respects out of the stereotyped 
 order. Opening his address Dr. Wines quoted from ‘In Me- 
 moriam’ : 
 
 “‘Fair ship, that from the Italian shore. 
 Sailest the placid ocean-plains. 
 
 With my lost Arthur’s loved remains. 
 Spread thy full wings, and waft him o’er. 
 
 “‘So draw him home to those that mourn 
 In vain ; a favorable speed 
 Ruffle thy mirror’d mast, and lead 
 Thro’ prosperous floods his holy urn. 
 
 “ ‘So sang Tennyson, when the friend of his youth died in 
 a foreign land. How many hearts have echoed this cry. The 
 weary weeks are past, and in answer to our prayer no rude air 
 perplexed the vessel's sliding keel, the gentle heavens slept 
 before the prow, while that noble breast heaved but with the 
 heaving deep, and here in this ebony casket carved by alien 
 hands, lie the precious relics brought by the sacred bark. 
 
Edavard Lewis Baker. 
 
 41 
 
 “ ‘’Tis little: but it looks in truth 
 As if the quiet bones were blest 
 Among familiar names to rest, 
 
 And in the places of his youth. 
 
 ‘•‘Come then, pure hands, and bear the head 
 That sleeps or wears the mask of sleep. 
 
 And come, whatever loves to weep. 
 
 And hear the ritual of the dead.” 
 
 “ ‘This friend of our youth was born at Kaskaskia in the 
 year 1829, when Illinois gave as yet but slight promise of its 
 future greatness. His father was a lawyer and a judge, a man 
 of distinction in his day, who for a time occupied a seat in the 
 United States Senate. Young Baker was given every advan- 
 tage within his father’s power. He was sent to Shurtleff col- 
 lege to receive the rudiments of a liberal, classical and Chris- 
 tian education, where he was graduated in 1847. After two 
 years spent in his father’s office, where he was initiated into 
 the mysteries of the law, he entered the law school of Har- 
 vard college, at Cambridge, and, first having completed his 
 course there, was admitted to practice in the courts of this 
 state. His literary tastes, however, diverted him from the 
 career marked out for him, and he turned his attention to 
 journalism, at first as the editor of the Alton Tehgraph, and 
 later as editor of the Illinois State Journal, published at Spring- 
 field. His residence in the capital city brought him in contact 
 with all the leading men of Illinois. He married a grand- 
 daughter of Gov. Edwards, and a daughter of the Hon. Ninian 
 W. Edwards, one of Illinois’ best known citizens, and who was 
 also a niece of the wife of Abraham Lincoln. Those were the 
 days preceding and during the civil war, when a man who 
 had anything to say was sure to be heard, and the rural press 
 
42 
 
 In Mrmoriam. 
 
 occupied a position and wielded an influence which it has in 
 part lost, since the telegraph and the railway have made the 
 metropolitan daily newspapers the overshadowing exponents of 
 public opinion and sentiment. 
 
 “ ‘The value of his services to the cause of freedom and the 
 Union was recognized in the first instance by his appointment^ 
 at the close of the war, to the office of assessor of internal 
 revenue for the Springfield district, and later by the gift of 
 the United States Consulate at Buenos Ayres. The latter ap- 
 pointment was made by President Grant in December, 1873, 
 and from that day to this he has not set foot upon his native 
 soil. At the time of his death, on the 8th of July, 1897, he 
 was the oldest consul in respect of continuous service repre- 
 senting the government in a foreign land. It was an honor- 
 able testimony to his ability and fidelity as a diplomat that 
 although an ardent republican, he was retained in the position 
 which he held, by ITesident Cleveland, during both his terms 
 of office; and if he had lived, he had reason to think that the 
 present administration would have suitably recognized him, 
 either by transfer to a post of greater diplomatic importance 
 or by making him Consul-General to the Argentine Kepublic. 
 
 “ ‘Such, in outline, was the record of his private and public 
 life. I choose rather to speak of his qualities as I knew him, 
 and as he was known to his friends. Three traits, I should 
 say, were prominent in his character: His literary taste and 
 culture, his social and domestic affections, and his fidelity in 
 the discharge of every duty. He was fond of reading and had 
 an excellent library. He had also very considerable power of 
 expression, both in prose and in verse. He conversed fluently 
 in at least two languages besides his own, Spanish and French. 
 A man who knows three languages well has a mind which is 
 
Edwat^d Lewis Baker. 
 
 43 
 
 no longer narrow it its sympathies, uninformed, or apt to take 
 a prejudiced view of life. But it was his heart which endeared 
 him to those whose good fortune it was to enjoy the honor of 
 his personal acquaintance. 
 
 “‘A kinder, more tender and loving nature has rarely been 
 bestowed upon any man at his birth. The spirit of Christian 
 charity breathed through all his words and acts. His judg- 
 ments were charitable, and his comments upon men were even 
 more kindly than his knowledge of the world tended to make 
 them. Where he could not approve of their actions he main- 
 tained a loving silence regarding them. He was not deficient 
 in courage or spirit, but he was eminently patient and forgiv- 
 ing. He was generous and hospitable, a capital companion and 
 host, and the idol of his family, who could see no fault in him. 
 in a word, he combined v/ith a high and strong manhood 
 some of the best qualities of the opposite sex. The conse- 
 quence was that he conducted a newspaper which was abso- 
 lutely free from prurience or scandal, while it was not defici- 
 ent in vigor; and as consul among a people at the opposite 
 extreme of civilization from our own he won more than their 
 respect, for he possessed their affection. Through financial 
 reverses, pauic and revolution, he never lowered the American 
 flag, literally nor figuratively. A true and loyal American, he 
 loved the people among whom his lot was cast, and the out- 
 pouring at his funeral in that remote quarter of the globe 
 shows how well his love was returned into his own bosom. 
 
 “‘Mr. Baker was, as I have intimated, of excellent stock 
 and parentage. He respected himself for what his relatives 
 were as well as what he knew himself to be. All of his 
 brothers attained distinction in some line of life, military or 
 judicial. The consciousness of solidarity in the family relations 
 and of one’s obligation to maintain the family honor unsullied 
 is one of the strongest possible safeguards against wrongdoing. 
 
44 
 
 In Memokta.u. 
 
 “ ‘Perhaps instead of trying to describe him, for it is not 
 «asy to express any man’s character in words, it would be bet- 
 ter to let him speak for himself. He was devoted to his little 
 grandchildren, and when circumstances made it necessary for 
 him to endure separation from them for a time his feelings 
 found vent in two unpretentious but pleasing little poems, 
 which have been privately printed, and which are dedicated 
 *‘To Philip.” One of them is entitled “La Despedida” and the 
 other “La Bienvenida.” In the flrst he wishes the departing 
 dear ones a prosperous voyage and a safe landing. The closing 
 stanza reads . 
 
 “With grief I never can forget. 
 
 And breaking heart and eyes all wet. 
 
 And desolated home I see ■ 
 
 My heart’s dear treasures pass from me ; 
 
 And I shall mourn as one distraught. 
 
 So great the sorrow love has wrought, 
 
 ’Till I shall know-all dangers o’er — 
 
 My ship has reached her destined shore. 
 
 Oh, treacherous Ocean, faithless Sea, 
 
 Bring back a good report to me.” 
 
 “‘In the second, having received a cable dispatch announc- 
 ing the safe arrival of the vessel in port, he breaks out: 
 
 “A magic word at lightning speed 
 Has come to me with news indeed. 
 
 My ship that erstwhile sailed so far 
 Has made her port, has crossed the bar. 
 
 Her flags afloat are flying now ; 
 
 The blue waves dance along her prow. 
 
 With landward breeze and sails at play 
 She moves in triumph up the bay. 
 
 Oh. treacherous Ocean, faithless Sea, 
 
 Glad tidings these I have from thee.” 
 
Edward Lewis Baker. 
 
 45 
 
 “ ‘La Bienvenida closes: 
 
 “Oh, weary prisoners, long confined. 
 
 Midst revels of the wave and wind. 
 
 Of storm and wreck all fears have passed. 
 
 The prayed for land is yours at last. 
 
 I hail you all with untold love. 
 
 And peace that cometh from above. 
 
 Oh, dear good ship, oh, dear good crew. 
 
 In gratitude I pledge to you. 
 
 Oh, treacherous Ocean, faithless Sea, 
 
 Most fervent thanks thou hast from me.’’ 
 
 “ ‘The same ship which brought them was to have brought 
 him, after three long years of anxious hope. It did bring 
 him. 
 
 “So may whatever tempest mars 
 Mid-ocean, spare thee, sacred bark ; 
 
 And balmy drops in summer dark . 
 
 Slide from the bosom of the stars.” 
 
 “ ‘He seemed to have almost a presentiment that the reunion 
 for which he so fervently longed would take place in some 
 other world than this. Various incidents might be related to 
 confirm this impression, but some simple lines written shortly 
 before his sudden taking-off show the working of his mind.. 
 They were enclosed in a letter to his wife dated March 1, 189(), 
 and the circumstances which suggested them is thus told by 
 the writer: “While I was driving with Minister Buchanan 
 
 last night, he asked me what my arrangements were about 
 staying here. I told him I might go for you some time during 
 the year, but that I was getting old, and it might be that if 
 
4G 
 
 In Memoriam. 
 
 I went home on leave, I might never come back again — that 
 above all things I did not wish to die and be buried in this 
 countr}\ When I got back to my ‘den,’ I sat in my pyjamas 
 thinking about the matter, and I scribbled a few verses on 
 the subject which I enclose, not on account of any merit they 
 possess, but because they are quite literally true.” They are 
 entitled by himself “A Wail.” 
 
 “I have truantly strayed from the land of my birth, 
 
 I have lingered for many a year; 
 
 ’Tis time to return to my loved ones on earth. 
 
 Oh, I must not, I cannot die here. 
 
 “I wearily wait for the days yet to come, 
 
 1 am aged and heartsick and sere; 
 
 With passionate longing I yearn to go home; 
 
 Oh, I must not, I cannot die here. 
 
 ‘•Though I faithfully cherish this far distant shore. 
 
 With its people so fervent and dear, 
 
 To my own native land oh, take me once more: 
 
 Oh, I must not, I cannot die here. 
 
 “My sorrowing friends are waiting to greet me 
 With a welcome most fond and sincere; 
 
 At once I must go, or on earth they’ll not meet me: 
 
 Oh, I must not, I cannot die here.” 
 
 •‘ ‘God grant that they may meet him in Heaven.* 
 
Edward Lrwis Bakkr. 
 
 47 
 
 “A brief description of the fatal accident, the funeral ser- 
 vices at Buenos Ayres and the homeward journey were given, 
 and the speaker closed as follows: 
 
 ‘"‘He will lie beneath the shadow of the monument which 
 marks the last resting place of the martyr president, his close 
 and true friend in life, whose guest he has often been, and 
 from whose former residence this inanimate clay was this 
 morning brought hither, and in the peaceful cemetery of Oak 
 Ridge he will await the resurrection of the dead, in the hope 
 of a blessed immortality through the merits and mediation of 
 Our Lord Jesus Christ, the only hope of every dying sinner 
 who puts his trust in Him. 
 
 “ ‘And now we commend his sorrowing widow and orphaned 
 children to the love and mercy of (lod, who has revealed Him- 
 self to us as the Comforter, whose pity is over all His children, 
 who knoweth our frame and remembereth that we are but 
 dust, and whose compassions fail not. Human sympathy you 
 have in this sad bereavement, and that without stint; but 
 what you need is the presence and help of Him from whom 
 we came and to whom we shall return, the Father of us all. 
 INIay God be with you, to sustain and bless and save you.’ 
 
 “The procession to the cemetery was a long one and in- 
 cluded many private carriages. The members of the press and 
 the veteran printers were marshalled by Capt. T. W. S. Kidd, 
 of the Monitor. 
 
 “The grave contained a brick vault, into which the casket 
 was lowered and which was afterward covered with a stone 
 slab sealed with cement. The grave was beautifully lined with 
 green and the unsightly mound of earth removed from the 
 grave was hidden under green boughs and leaves strewn over 
 with rare flowers. The floral tokens left upon the grave by 
 friends and relatives were unusually numerous and beautiful. 
 
48 
 
 In Memoriam. 
 
 “Amon^ those present at the funeral were: Judge David 
 
 J. Baker, Charles Edwards and Gen. Thomas O. Osborn, of 
 Chicago; Col. and Mrs. John P. Baker, Lincoln Baker, Misses 
 Mabel and Florence Baker and Col. and Mrs. L. S. Metcalfe, 
 of St. Louis; Mrs. Henry S. Baker and Mrs. Mary Wise, of 
 Alton; William B. Gilbert and M. F. Gilbert, of Cairo. Of 
 the members of the dead consul’s immediate family were 
 present Mrs. E. L. Baker, E. Lewis Baker with his wife and 
 son, Philip, and Miss Julia Elizabeth Baker. One son, Willis 
 E. Baker, resides at Rosario, Argentine Republic, and could 
 not attend.” 
 
 The special service to the irietnory of Mr. Bakei*, of 
 which mention has been made in a preceding portion 
 of this sketch, occurred in the American (M. P4) 
 Church in Buenos Ayres, the evening of September 11, 
 1897, and was announced in the newspapers in that 
 city by the following advertisement: 
 
 ”BAKER MEMORIAL SERVICE 
 
 To be held at the American Church, Corrientes, on Saturday, 
 Sept. 11th, at 8:30 p. m. 
 
 PROGRAMME. 
 
 1. — Organ Recital, Mr. Wall. 
 
 2. — Address by the Chairman, Mr. Folmar. 
 
 3. — Eulogy (in English), Dr. Thomson. 
 
 4. — Song ‘Calvary’, Mr. M. S. Edye. 
 
 5. — Eulogy (in Spanish), Dr. Estanislao S. Zeballos. 
 
 6. — ‘Ave Maria’, Gounod — Madame Dunant. 
 
 7. — Address, Hon. W. I. Buchanan. 
 
 8. — Song, ‘Light in Darkness’, Mr. Charles S. Crow. 
 
 9. — Chorus, ‘America’. 
 
Edwatu) I^Ewrs Baki:r. 
 
 49 
 
 An album, containing a letter of sympathy to Mrs. Baker, 
 will be placed in the vestibule of the church, and in it may be 
 recorded the signatures of all those desirous of identifying them- 
 selves with this expression of condolence.” 
 
 The Buenos Ayres Standai^d o\ Sept. 12, published 
 the following* account of this service: 
 
 “The friends of the late Consul Baker present at the memo- 
 rial service held last night in the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 filled it beyond the extent of its seating capacity, a large number 
 standing in the back of the church and the doorways throughout 
 the evening. 
 
 “The church was draped in mourning and was tastefully 
 decorated with United States and Argentine flags, evergreens, 
 tropical plants and flowers being arranged at the back of the 
 church; while over the pulpit was a large shield of the United 
 States formed of white, pink and purple hyacinths, producing a 
 striking effect and harmonizing beautifully with the other deco- 
 rations. On the platform sat the Chairman of the Committee 
 having the service in charge, Mr. E. H. Folmar, the lion. W. I. 
 Buchanan, U. S. Minister, Dr. Estanislao S. Zeballos, and the 
 Rev. Dr. Thomson. 
 
 “At 8:45, Mr. Folmar rose and in a few introductory remarks, 
 stated that he regretted to announce that the placque to be sent 
 to the United States to be attached to the monument or stone 
 marking the grave of the deceased consul was not completed so 
 that it could be exhibited at the service as had originally been 
 intended. He also announced that the placque placed in the 
 church had been furnished by certain friends not included in the 
 number of those composing the committee, and that it was the 
 
50 
 
 In Mi-:m()riam. 
 
 intention of the coniiiiittee to erect a monument to Mr. Baker's 
 memory in some public place in Buenos Ayres. Mr. Folmar 
 closed his remarks, saying: *To the late Edward L. Baker we 
 
 dedicate ihis service,' and then introduced the Kev. Dr. Thomson. 
 
 ‘•Dr. Thomson’s wonderfully beautiful and exhaustive eulogy 
 is perfectly above all praise; nor is it possible to- give a fair 
 synopsis of it, for to be properly rendered it should be reproduced 
 word for word. 
 
 “After Dr. Thomson had concluded, Mr. M. S. Edye sang 
 ‘Calvary,' and was heartily applauded. 
 
 “Dr. Estauislao S. Zeballos, formerly Minister of Foreign 
 Relations, ex-Minister of the Argentine Republic to the United 
 States, and one of Argentina's most gifted sons, gave in Spanish 
 an additional testimony to the worth of the deceased, proving 
 the very deep gratitude that his fellow-countrymen felt lor 
 Consul Baker, whose splendid annual and special reports had 
 done so much to make the Argentine Republic well known 
 and respected throughout the world. (Applause). 
 
 “After the address of Dr. Zeballos, Gounod's Ave Maria was 
 beautifully rendered by Madame Dunant, one of Buenos Ayres' 
 most gifted vocalists. 
 
 “The chairman then introduced the last speaker of the even- 
 ing, the Hon. W. I. Buchanan, United States Minister to the 
 Argentine Republic, who spoke beautifully and feelingly of his 
 dear, departed friend. Mr. Buchanan showed the wonderful 
 growth of the Argentine Republic by quoting from Consul 
 Baker's first and last reports. He then dealt at length with the 
 poetic side of the consul's nature, and concluded by reading sev- 
 eral of his most pathetic poems, which showed the writer's de- 
 cided talent and threw a side-light on his character. 
 
Edwafjd Lewis Baker. 
 
 51 
 
 “Mr. Charles S. Crow sang ‘Light in Darkness', and the en- 
 tire audience then joined in singing ‘America’ with hearty chorus 
 effect in honor of our kith and kin beyond the sea. The whole 
 service lasted two hours." 
 
 The inscription on the tablet ])laced in the American 
 Church is as follows: 
 
 TO THE MEMORY OF 
 
 EDWARD LEW^IS BAKER. 
 
 FOR TWENTY-THRFE YEARS 
 CONSUL 
 
 Of THE (Tnited States of Amekica 
 
 IN THIS CITY. 
 
 nORN KASKASKIA, ILLINOIS, U. S. A. 1821) 
 DIED BUENOS AARES, JULY 8TH, 181)7 
 
 THIS tai’.lf:t has ueen inscribed uy 
 ms FRIENDS AS A TRIUUTE TO HIS 
 AUILITIES AS AN OFFICIAL OF HIS OOY- 
 ERN.MENT AND IN TOKEN OF THEIR 
 REMEM 15 RANCE OF 11 IS OENEROUS AND 
 KINDLY DISROSITION WHICH ENDEAR- 
 ED HEM TO ALL. 
 
 9 
 
52 
 
 In Memoriam. 
 
 Thus closes the earthly career of a noble, unselfish 
 and beautiful nature— a man beloved and esteemed 
 beyond the common lot of man, and mourned now 
 and always with a sorrow deep and tender. 
 
 ; j 
 
 “His life was gentle, and the elements 
 So mi^ed in him that Nature might stand up 
 And say to all the world, This was a nmnT 
 
 Springfield, Illinois, 
 
 Novemrer, 1897. 
 
INDEX-PART II. 
 

 

 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 
 
 B.B167 C001 
 
 In memorlam; Edward Lewis Baker