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Show EXTOLS VIRTUE Of ABRAHAMJ.INCOLH Rev. Lewis S. Bowerman Delivers Deliv-ers Able Discourse on Life of Great Emancipator. G. A. It. ATTENDS THE SERVICE IN A BODY Splendid Tribute of Lincoln to Mother an Example to American Ameri-can Youth. Tho centenary of Abraham Lincoln was appropriately observed at tho Im-' Im-' niauucl Baptist church, Sunday. In the momiifg, tho regular service was conducted con-ducted an,d tho pastor, tho Rev. Louis S. Bowerman, preached an able sermon on tho life oi! tho great emancipator. The members of the local posts of tlie Grand Army of tho Republic, tho'Wom-cn's tho'Wom-cn's Pclief corps, the Women's circle and Ihc Sons of Veterans attended the service in a body, taxing tho seating capacity of the church to its utmost. Music, appropriato to tho occasion, was rendcrod. and tho auditorium of the church was handsomely decorated with American flags and roil, white and blue bunting. Tn the evening Lincoln memorial services ser-vices wero conducted by tho Sunday-school. Sunday-school. Again, thcro was a full attendance atten-dance and a delightful programmo was rendered, including a selection of patriotic pa-triotic hymns and a brief address by 2ST. D. Cursor, a member of the church, and also of the G. A. Ji. The services closod with the singing of "America." Tho J?cv. Mr. Bowerman delivered practically tho Bamo sormou at the Burlington Bur-lington Baptist mission in the evening as ho did at his own church in tho morning. Tie took for bis text Acts vn, ?,5: "Tho samo did God send to bo a ruler and deliverer." In part, lie said: The fear of our Lord is remarkable In the number of tho stars of tho first magnitude that appeared in the galaxv of the human firmament. To science It was Charles Darwin; to poetry it wns tho laurealo of Fngland. the beloved Tennyson, Tenny-son, on this sldo tho waters, lSdgar Allan Poo and James Russell Lowell; to music, Chopin and Mendelsshon; to statesmanship, statesman-ship, William 12. Gladstone and Abraham Lincoln. And the same year gave us also Samuel F. Smith, from whom came our song. "My Country, 'Tls of Three." Tho greatest of these was born February Feb-ruary V, 1S09. in Hardin eountv, Kentucky, Ken-tucky, son of Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoln-. The father was big, easy-going, of a roving disposition and a "poor pror-vlder." pror-vlder." Tho mother was of decidedly different dif-ferent mold gentle-born, ambitious, educated edu-cated far in advance of those about her. It was from the mother that the bov seems to have inherited tho qualities of character that made his great life possible. pos-sible. She gave to her boy all that was possible for lo give, and the man gave bark lo her his tribute. "All that T am or have come to be, owe to my angel mother." Her one book was the Bible, and ere the hoy was to lose her slio had virtually read the entire book to him thrice, and none can tell as to how many times special portions of it were read. The Bible. Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress." Prog-ress." Aesop's "Fables." ".Robinson Crusoe," Cru-soe," "Speeches of Henry Clay," and a life of Washington, were the extent of l lie youth's llhrary. Had Few Books. Ho knew not many books, but he knew the few thoroughly. The mother was "called homo-' when the boy was only 0, and one of the most pathetic scenes in history Is that of this small boy toilsomely wrltlnc tho letter to the old minister near tho old home, telling the circumstances of denth and burial, but no service. From more than a hundred miles away came the "man of Cod" to render the service ser-vice of love. Beautiful the day when the scrvlre was held, and no eyo was dry as the neighbors and friends for miles arqund watched the old man and listened ns he poured forth his soul and looked across the gravo to the father and children, but especially tho heartbroken boy; for all had learned why the old preacher was there. So far as we can ascertain, the mother belonged to what was known as the Primitive Baptist church. Tho stcp-mothor stcp-mothor was a member of a regular Baptist Bap-tist church, the father afterwards uniting with tho samo body. To the second mother, moth-er, for such she was, Lincoln owed much strong, practical, reliant, she was one needed by the dreamy-natured boy. Heart Must Learn. To' be a great soul, the heart must learn to love deeply and purely. Such came to Lincoln In his love for Ann Rutledge. In his heart of hearts, tho true mnn has only the miniature of a single face only one woman can ever be the only sweetheart. sweet-heart. Tho same Is true of woman. God has made us so. For Adam there la only one Eve. Those wcro dark days days when they feared for the young man's life and for his reason those days after thev had laid the silent form of Ann Rutledge "loo seek a slumber In the dust." It is not for us this morning to try to tell all the story of the life. Volumes would be required for that. I am only going to try to call to your attention two of the greatest characteristics of the man (1) his religious nature; (2) his unfailing un-failing love. The religious life of Lincoln Is a sourco of trouble to any mere narrow sectarian. That was why In his earlier life they misunderstood him and many questioned his religious beliefs. Because lie could not understand endless torment and questioned the sincerity of the man or the church that apologized for slav-orv slav-orv or wrong, the many wore willing to cast him out of the synagogue. Tho man was religious through and through. All his life has proven that. No man has ever attempted to more conscientiously live the sermon on the mount than did lie. He never united with any church, and If we only remember tho circumstances circum-stances of his life, wo need not be greatly surprised at this. Thorn Is no question but that In his matnrer years he fully believed In the deity of Jesus Christ; "for Christ is God." |