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Show EBRUARY 12th is a red-letter day 4 in Springfield, Illinois Abraham Lincoln's home town. On that day the capital city of Illinois goes all out to honor its most famous resident. Hie birthdate of Lincoln is marled with parades, pilgrimage to the Tomb of Lincoln, dinners, addresses . all types of activities designed to honor the Civil Wax president Joining the residents of Springfield in these exercises are hundreds of other citizens cit-izens from out of the city who, either as individuals or as members of various patriotic organizations, come to Lincoln's home town to pay their respects. From school children to prominent American statesmen to distinguished foreign diplomats these pilgrims all have the same objective .. the honoring of one of the nation's greatest presidents. Chief objective in the Lincoln-Day observances ob-servances is the pilgrimage to the Lincoln Tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery at the north edge of the city. At the burial place of Lincoln, brief exercises are held which are usually culminated by placing a wreath or some other floral tribute at the sarcophagus. Beginning early in the day and continuing continu-ing to late evening the pilgrimages, usually beginning from some point is downtown Springfield, converge upon the Tomb at the cemetery. Largest among the groups trekking to the Tomb are the veterans' organizations. The American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign For-eign Wan, the Jewish War Veterans, the women's auxilaries of all these groups, and representatives of less well known patriotic societies. In the years gone by, the pilgrimage oa Lincoln's birthday was made by members of the Grand Army- of Republic Time, however, has taken these veterans of Lincoln's Lin-coln's armies away, and today younger veterans have stepped into their places. Still the echoes of Lincoln's armies linger on. Organizations that grew out of the Civil War the Women's Relief Corps, the Daughters and Sons of Union Veterans are today through their present members carrying the flags and wreaths to the Tomb of the man whom their predecessors so admired. Other groups, not strictly patriotic societies, societ-ies, a!so make pilgrimages to the Tomb of Lincoln on the February 12th' date. The Springfield Bar Association, the lawyers group of hich Lincoln could have been a member if such a group existed during the days he lived in the city, makes an r ' DM? LIICOM'S BIRTHDAY IS CELEBRATED -III HIS II0I1E TOW By CARROL C HALL - s ' early morning trip. Clad in rough out-of-doors clothes, they leave the steps ot historic Sangamon County Court House and make the two and a half mile trip on foot The court house in Lincoln's days was the Illinois state capitol building where he appeared before the supreme court and sat in the legislature. Later, his body was to lay in state there before buriaL The annual Boy Scout pilgrimage to the Tomb has grown to the largest scout activity in the mid-west with from 600 to 1000 boys making the trip each year. Meeting these groups at the Tomb is 92-year-old Herbert Wells Fay, custodian, who secures from the outstanding pilgrims their signatures and tells them Lincoln stories. Fay has the largest collection of Liccolniana in the world owned by any single individual. Not to be left out in the Lincoln birth-date birth-date activities is the Republican political party. The G. O. P. to whom Lincoln is a tremendous symbol, has not forgotten their most distinguished member. Unique among the individuals who mark Lincoln's birthday at Springfield are those who impersonate Lincoln. Tall individuals, who can grow a Lincolnesque beard, secure a frock coat and a stove-pipe hat and often join in the observances. The late Abraham Lincoln Hite of Pennsylvania appeared in Springfield a short while before his death. He was a nationally-known Lincoln impersonator. im-personator. The pilgrimages over, the representatives representa-tives of the groups, return to the hotels, halls and other meeting places in the city. At noon for luncheon, or in the evening for dinner, they again honor the Emancipator Emanci-pator by programs of speeches, songs and group tributes. In the past years, the national commanders com-manders of the American Legion have spoken in Springfield. .They usually associate as-sociate the birthdate with utterances of patriotic significance. Jl HE LESSER-KNOWN patriotic societies societ-ies follow a similar pattern, and in the dining balls about the city listen to the oratorical tributes offered to Lincoln by their chosen speakers. Typical of a lesser known Lincoln group is the Lincoln Trail Association. This is a group of individuals who for many years have been interested in marking the Lincoln trails throughout the state. Such a trial is the New Salem-Springfield trail, over which hundreds of Boy Scouts walk each year. The boys, -for their 23-mile hike and interest in Lincoln, receive a Lincoln Trail medal. Many boys make this hike oa Lincoln's birthday just to make the event more important im-portant to them. Since 1909 the Abraham Lincoln Association, Asso-ciation, a Lincoln research organization, has made their Lincoln birthdate meeting an event of national importance. During Dur-ing the war years, both in World War I and World War II, the association abandoned aband-oned its dinners but continued the annual reception and speaking program. Usually the Abraham Lincoln Association Associa-tion brings to Springfield some outstanding outstand-ing Lincoln author or biographer who in return reports to the group the results ot the latest research. The addresses given are often reprinted and are given wide circulation among scholars throughout the world. In a somewhat more popular xei.. Springfield's world-famed Mid-Day Luncheon Lunch-eon Club, brings to the city outstanding national and world figures, who after paying pay-ing homage at the Tomb of Lincoln appear ap-pear oa the speaker's platform to give verbal tributes to the ideals and life of Lincoln. Ambassadors, foreign diplomats and high national political figures consider it an outstanding honor to appear on the Mid-Day Mid-Day Luncheon Club's Lincoln Day program. The words they oner at the meeting are carried throughout the world. Even the President of the United States does not forget to observe the birthdate. A wreath from the White House is each year carried by some military official to the Tomb of Lincoln a personal tribute from a President of today to one of the not-forgotten past - To Hubert Willard Simmons of Springfield, Spring-field, a famous cover collector, the day has special meaning for his", hobby. From the postoffice of nearby Lincoln's New Salem and from historic " Springfield, Simmons Sim-mons places in the mails his envelopes signed by famous persons. They are made more famous by the February 12th cancellation can-cellation date. On Lincoln's Birthday in 1948, hundreds the 9 r Illinois, these people sent their sectic the Friendship Train on its way tc the hungry of Europe a truly fitting !' ure for the day. ' In 1948, photostatic copies of itemi the Robert Todd Lincoln collector Lincoln papers which had been o? in Washington the year before were r inently displayed in Springfield J.& houses. Many of these'papers Tefero the days when Ltacolrrtived in Spring He moved to Springfield in Hi'-enter Hi'-enter the practice of law. It that he lived most of his adult yof was m that city that he practiced : married, raised a family, owned 1 and generally became a well-known is The Lincoln heritage in Spring-great. Spring-great. The merchants, the citizens officials of this community are cos of Lincoln's importance to them fc out every day of every year. Thet ' of days, however, is the February 4 date. On that day, they close their shor miss the schools, and join with other? come to the city in honoring theiif famous resident the man who ma' chy a shrine for the world. Th. A-.er.c f..g fue. t hlf-m.t at Lincoln'. Tomb February 12. of Central Illinois 'citizens met at Wabash Depot where Lincoln ma.ie hi. famous farewell speech before leaving for Washington. Led by the Governor of . ztLj "It's urtiiiU uuVr ett him to school on time yo thought of that idea- |
