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Show LIFE OF LINCOLN RITCffS THEME Judge of Thircl District Court Talks at Calvary Bap-' Bap-' tist Church. The negroes of tho city last night celebrated cele-brated Lincoln day at tho Calvary Baptist church. Judge Morris L. Ritchie of tho Third district court addressed the gathering gath-ering on tho life and character of Lincoln. Lin-coln. Judgo Rltchlo said in part: Abraham Lincoln was a brave man. He had that high moral courage cour-age which .remains calm and trustful trust-ful In dofcat as In victory; in disaster dis-aster as in triumph. .He would not bo hurried, but when tho hour came ho would not bo deterred. He went forward, calmly, pationtly, unconquerably. uncon-querably. Not even Washington had so strong a hold on the affection of tho nation. Lincoln was moro approachable, approach-able, more lovablo. As was Washington, Wash-ington, he was abused, denounced and vilified. Tho presidential campaign, whon ho was, called a second time to bo tho nation's head, lias nevor been equaled before or slnco for the pouring pour-ing out of the vials of bitterness. Tho partisan zeal of hie opponents, honestly exerted, wns supplemented by eloquence and money, by secret organizations working by stealth and with all the devilish Ingenuity which tho concentrated hate of powerful interests in-terests could combine to hurl against him, but the love of the people was too strong for them all. They cherished cher-ished his name as a household word. They hung his picture upon the wall. They told of his Incorruptible honesty hon-esty and his love of freedom, and hid his Image In their hearts. Nothing can so vividly tell the love of tho people as tho bitter wall of agony that went up at the "deep damnation of his taldng-off." Among the memories of my early childhood nothing Is so deeply scared In as that. Let me quote one eloquent expression ex-pression of that agonizing cry: "The nation comes to the tomb of the slain man rather than to tho costly bier of its chief magistrate. It comes as children como when they bury a loved father; as brothers como when they lay tho best beloved be-loved of their band down to his last sleep. "Abraham Lincoln Is dead, banely murdered! "But God lives! The nation, too, shall live. Those who have compassed com-passed Ids death shall die. "Like a worm upon destruction's path; but the nation shall live on Imperishable, enduring. "In this hour of gloom, let us look from the slain to the living, from tho broken man to the enduring, unchanging un-changing God. By and by wo shall ace why this has been, and at even time it shall be light." The nation has lived. Abraham Lincoln's namo Is written on the roll of the Immortals. His is the high and fadeless glory of tho emancipator. At Iris bidding chains fell off and the oppressed went frco. His fame as tho savior of the republic. In the republic's most dlro and heroic ago, la stamped on living monuments that will throb and pulse with life when marble has moldercd and granite shafts have perished utterly. |
