84 Ohio Arch. and
Hist. Society Publications.
INVOCATION.
BY REV. IRVING MAURER.
0 God, bless us in this hour with worthy
memories. We
thank Thee for the life of this friend
of ours, for his genial
presence and his noble heart. We thank
Thee for his faith in
the simple virtues, for his confidence
in the ways of the people,
for his trust in Thee.
Grant to us, as we think of him in this
fellowship of kindred
spirits, a more steadfast loyalty to the
institutions which were
dear to him, that for each of us life
may hold more courage and
cheer.
May Thy peace attend our thoughts of
him, and may he not
have lived in vain. For Thy name's sake,
Amen.
The double quartet from the Republican
Glee Club, of which
Mr. Randall was an honorary member and
at whose banquets
he had often served as toastmaster, then
sang:
LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT.
Lead, kindly light! amid th' encircling
gloom,
Lead thou me on;
The night is dark, and I am far from
home;
Lead thou me on;
Keep thou my feet: I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for
me.
So long thy power has blessed me, sure
it still
Will lead me on
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and
torrent, till
The night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces
smile
Which I have loved long since and lost
awhile!
Mr. Williams, in introducing Mr. Osman
C. Hooper, said:
As I have have stated, Mr. Randall, at
the time of his death,
was President of the Kit-Kat Club. He
was one of its most
active members, and his papers, read at
its meetings, were always
models of entertainment and instruction,
setting a mark of per-
formance so high that they were a source
of inspiration and
despair to those who followed.
Emilius Oviatt Randall. 85
It is fitting that Mr. Hooper should
speak for the Club on
this occasion. Mr. Hooper is a charter
member of the Club, was
its first President, and has been for
many years its Secretary and
active Executive. I have the privilege
of presenting Mr. Osman
C. Hooper.
RANDALL, OUR PRESIDENT.
BY OSMAN C. HOOPER.
Secretary of the Kit-Kat Club.
The Kit-Kat Club meets today in sorrow.
Death has entered
our circle and taken our President,
Emilius Oviatt Randall who,
whether the mood was of laughter or
tears, was our friend of
unfailing sympathy; a leader of our
thought, and a promoter of
our companionship. His coming to the
Club presidency -an
office given unanimously and joyously
because there was none
other whom it fitted so well- had been
the assurance to us all
of a pleasant and profitable year. He
had planned the year's
schedule with care and had begun a
service that promised the
fulfillment of every wish for a flawless
fellowship in the consid-
eration of themes worthy of us and in
full keeping with our pur-
poses as a Club. He presided at the
first meeting in October,
bravely and uncomplainingly enduring, as
he did so, the first
suffering of a fatal disease. When he
left that gathering, it was
to return no more to our circle and
never to resume the active
work of his profession. Save for a few
occasions when he was
permitted to ride out, he was for weeks
confined to his home or
the hospital. But his thoughts were with
us as ours were with
him. Out of his weakness and pain, he
gave counsel in the con-
duct of Club affairs, and did not rest
till he was assured that all
was done for another successful meeting.
In those days of
anxiety, members were privileged to call
at his home and join
personally in the formally expressed
hope of the Club that he
would soon be in his accustomed place at
the head of the table.
But on the morning of December 18, death
came, dissipating our
hopes and saddening our hearts by taking
him from our earthly
fellowship forever.