Show LINCOLN AND TODAY F FEW EW anniversaries of the great in history pass without speculation of what this and that giant of the past would do in the current crisis The coming of the birthday anniversary anniversary anniversary anni anni- of the martyr president has brought brough out the usual flood of futile comment on th the virtues of ot Lincoln and how he would h have ve ap applied applied applied ap- ap I plied them to the solution of today's world problems It is all futile because Lincoln's perspicacity perspicacity perspicacity city was measured by the yardstick of his hi time He was was' an ardent American patriot He was honest He was sincere He had an uncommon amount of common sense His was an alert conscience He was patient and never impulsive He was a diligent student of great questions He would listen to the views of others He was intensely human His convictions did not blow abOut like straws in the wind He had a judicial jUdich mind He was sober and serious Not of unusual in intelligence intelligence intelligence in- in he nevertheless had stored up wis wIs- dom dome His lack of schooling left him without an overburden of theory theory- and and- he was therefore therefore therefore there there- fore a practical man Lincoln lived when life was simpler than It is today National and international affairs af affairs af- af fairs lairs lacked the complexities which today stand as barriers to just and equitable settlement settlement settlement settle settle- ment of many of the worlds world's most vexing problems If Lincoln were in the presidents president's chair today the same Lincoln that was in the days in which he administered the affairs of ofa ofa ofa a nation troubled by trivial questions as mear meaT by today's yardstick the conviction must be that he would not be equal to meetIng meetIng meetIng meet- meet Ing them True he would apply all his cardinal cardinal cardinal car car- dinal virtues of character to his task task but but he would be a victim of inaptitude born of inexperience inexperience inex inex inexperience with the complicated scheme of human human human hu hu- hu- hu man affairs as they now exist The intensity of partisanship that denies any virtue exists in a political opponent blinds Americans to the caliber of our pres pres- ent-day ent statesmanship If we held more faith in our form of government more faith in the justness and fairness of the rule of the maj majority more faith in American Institutions and more faith in ourselves we would be a happier people The great heritage we cherish is the teaching teaching teaching teach teach- ing of Lincoln that we cannot solve our problems problems problems lems as Democrats or as Republicans In Instead Instead Instead In- In stead we must face them as Americans The structure of ot this nation is not crum crum- bling bUng It stands on the enduring foundations laid by Washington Lincoln Hamilton Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson Jef Jef- ferson md Ind a host of other patriots Other Americans as virtuous as wise as devoted to American institutions are the builders of to to- to A 4 day There Is nothing wrong with America or Americanism And it is to such men as Abraham Lincoln that we pay homage and admiration because he helped In a large way to make this true and enduring |