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Show B ABRAHAM LINCOLN. r . B Yesterday was the 95th anniversary of t., B lIrtti of Abraham Lincoln. As this anniversary B comes, year after year, and men meet to recall fl the nam6 and memory of the great man," more B and more are they impressed with the thought fl that his birthday is a sacred day in the calendar ' B of this Nation. fl The lowliness of his birth, the splendor of his B life, the pathos and the pity of his death are alL B before us in thought, and the feeling of hopeless B National bereavement that swept over souls when B the news of his death was flashed to the country, B has not yet altogether passed away. B Gedfge Washington was tho Father of his fl Country. He was hailed as such on the day of B the" Yorktown surrender; the world accepted the fl appellation for the justice of it was manifest. B Around Washington were greater soldiers, B greater scholars, greater statesmen than he, but B that did not shalce Tils title fn the least, for men B recognized his sovereign judgment, his devotion fl to duty, his patriotism, his lofty, unselfish hero- B ism. fl At his heels the dogs of envy, of malice and B of hate barked Incessantly, but they did not ruffle K his superb calm, and when his great spirit took fl lts flight, along its trail there shone back a radl- K ance In which men discerned how perfect was the 'character of the man who was gone. That B radiance at last was woven into a halo which has B ever since aureoled his brow with everlasting B light- fl But Washington was high-born. A hereditary fl title of nobility awaited him beyond the sea; fl his ancestors for generations had been gentlemen; H from his cradle up had been impressed upon him B the fact that any faltering on his part, either in fl duty i" in honor or in courage, would be a taint Hj uPon a name that had never borne reproach. B tl10 flrst he had an honored name to main- B taln frm the first he had the confidence and fl g0d will of all who knew him. fl But Lincoln was a waif, cast out upon tho B front'&r without a name or lineage and amid al- B most such squalor and degradation as attend B "POn the birth and childhood of savages. B But while his dull attendants slept, an angel descended, bent over his rude cradle, r hed his baby lips and brow, and kindled T " '"ml a divine fire. Thenceforth he was not like other bo., vr v pjayed-withrthem, worked .with them, jokeo. A them, told stories better than they could '& other lights were around him, a thirst for kn ' ledge was upon him; he tolled by day but at nighv prone on the hearthstone of his father's hut, with only pine torches or blazing hickory logs for a light, he turned and absorbed the first leaves of the Book of Knowledge. So, awkward, ungainly, uncouth he grew to manhood, felling the forest, tolling on farm and flat-boat, but studying still. He read the elementary elemen-tary law books, his mind finally grasped the truth that the perfected, science of the law is but aa interpretation in-terpretation of how perfect justice may be attained, at-tained, and he swiftly rose to eminence in his profession. He served some terms in the" State Legislature, ud one term in Congress, but made little impres-cv impres-cv a in either place. His time had not yet come; jugh it is recalled, that once in Sacramento, California, in the fifties, before the debates with Mr. Douglas gave to Mr. Lincoln a National name, a group of lawyers were one day speaking of logical speeches, when James Y. McDougal, him- "Relf one of the most brilliant of men, said: "If you will go over to the State Library, and turn to such and such a page in the Congressional Globe, you will find a speech made by an awkward, shambling lawyer of Illinois, named Abraham Lincoln, you will find in it the most perfect logic that I ever saw in print. There was not much in the theme he spoke on, but it will worry the sharpest one among you to add one word or take one word from that speech without marring ihe perfect rhythm of its logic." A crisis was approaching which threatened destruction de-struction to the Republic. Men said: "We will have one more Presidential Election, and then chaos: The states on the Atlantic slope had the population popu-lation and wealth of the country and expected to, name the Presidential candidate. But the great debate between the rival Ulinoisans had made their impression and. those who knew Mr. Lin-qoln Lin-qoln well, and had caught flashes of the celes tial light in his soul, were inslstant, and he was nominated and elected. The Nation did not know the fact but the Fates were even then setting the stage for the great tragedy that was to be, and God was watching and would permit no mistakes. The burden the new President undertook to carry was unparalleled. The brilliant men of his party could not-conceal their chagrin. They said in low tones to each other: "A crisis is upon us; the life of the Nation hangs in the dreadful balance, and we have more of an ape than a man for President." The opposition was exultant and coarse in its scoffing. How blinded were their eyes. The patient man Was not only the Nation's, but the world's mockery. He was pictured as an ape and gorilla, and when the stress of the way grew sore, he was pictured by pencil and pen as a monster of cruelty and- wickedness, and still he bore his; H cross without a plaint. H There were new seams in the rugged- facer H increased sadneM in the deep eyes, defeat after, H defeat-amo te-the army, multiplied reproaches H Njaded the air around them, but his steadfast1 M s;l never faltered. fl Te read constant reproaches in the press of H "" "arty; he noted the maledictions of the op- M jn press; when his attention was called to- M thorn, he smiled; when the stately scholars and' M statesmen of his party sought to Urge their'ad- M vice upon him he listened, quietly, or put their fl arguments aside with an absurd story and 4:heyi M turned away in despair. ' f H The courtly, scholarly Seward had accepted; M the place of Secretary of State, and he became M the hope of those who distrusted Lincoln. There H came a day When it was necessary to send an inv' M portant communication to the Government of M Great Britain. Mr. Seward prepared it and "men- B tioned. the fact to Mr. Lincoln. It was a critical B time. The Trent had been brought to, and two B of her passengers taken' from her, and 'carried) B away prisoners. The Third Napoleon was urging B Great Britain to join with France and recognize' B the Confederacy. The titled and wealthy classes B of England were clamoring for the interference. H "Let me see what you have written, Mr. Secre- B tary," said Lincoln. Mr. Seward passed over the B paper to the President. He struck out a sentence B here and there, added one here and there, changed1 B the phraseology in other places, revised the entire H copy, then handing it back, said: "That will do B now, William; have it copied and sent." B Mr. Seward read the amended manuscript and H was manly enough to say: "Mr. President, thati H is now a very splendid state paper." H H The war grew more and more terrible until the- H whole land, North and South, was as was Egypt JM on that night, when "there was a great cry," be- H cause "there was not a house in which there was. M not one dead." M The imprecations grew louder and louder H around tho devoted man, but he held on his steady M way. More and more Mr. Lincoln's soul shone out, f M he trusted in God and the solid masses of the Be- M public trusted him. JM Hedid not know it, but as the people watched" M Farragut on the sea, Thomas in the field, and' Lincoln in the White House, all Southern born, H the thought in millions of Northern hearts was:' ( "We will never give up th6 Southland where such men are born." M At last the time was ripe, and Mr. Lincoln B struck the chains from the wrists of the slaves, B and then the storm roared louder and louder B around him. -B Later came a day when it was proper to dedi- ' B cate as a mausoleum the ground on which had' B been fought the greater battle of modern times. , B The most brilliant orator In the Nation de- fl Uvored the oration. For three hours tho thou B sands who hung upon his words listened. Then fl the care-oppressed President arose and spoke for fl six minutes. When his words went to the coun- jfl try, the people realized that the speech was nut fl a photograph of the soul of the Immortai man. fl It is still and always will be, the wonder and fl admiration of scholars and sages everywhere. It fl 4 V i Bnf l ' j Hi lias teen tranalate(i tat a dozen foreign tongues; Mtllflf ' 'I men comParo t with all the ancient and modern nlil m. i I classics, and admit that in its place, it stands Hl;i; I I alone, and unapproachable. It is Ailed with the Hlj ! I ; flashings of a sovereign genius, and still contains Hf ' k ff ! 1! i such touches of tenderness and patriotism, that it BBi i M ! 1! 2 BBI ' v Is It 1 seems when read aloud to be in literature what BBt I $ I' II In art would De a photograph of Justice an1 Mercy H i i ' 1; I I taken on the same negative. K ' l I if I A little later came Mr. Lincoln's second in w (j If I I augural address. So near was he then to life's BB i &h J 'i t B! iW'i I other shore, that something of the radiance of the K ' 'I f I Beyond seemed to shine through the already open- B I Ah f ing doors of Death, and illuminate the words. BBI 3 1 I K ' 5lj ' i After that the end came quickly, and then the B 1tj 11 people understood, that as Washington was the B wljj Father of his Country, it was Lincoln who had B ( '1 . .! B watched over, and steadied the Nation through BBI i j jfj..; n BbI 4f' II the anguish, the faintness and the fear of its H , ?H B second birth. H 'p-'i B j 1 . In the estimation of men, at first, Mr. Lincoln B J I i Hi was altogether of the Earth, earthly. He passed B j 1 1 j ' I through a crucible of fire, and emerged pure gold. BbI 111 I ! W - some subtle chemistry, the lustreless carbon B ' 4 i B is by Nature converted into the blazing and in- H , i! H destructible diamond. We know not the process, B f ' j K but we know that the particles are ever-changing, BBI i t) B BBi V ' H ,: an( nnall5r the transformation is wrought. Such BBI ! n f B a change came to Mr. Lincoln. B si I S Not since the birth in the manger at Bethle- BBM vM I J HI BbI liSl bem haa God servetl so direct a notice on men, BBi 4 1 lit ' that; no matter wnat their accomplishments may i" ' ' SL be, they have no cause for pride, as when from j iiffi j the squalor and degradation of Abraham Lincoln's 1 1 B I birth, He selected him to lead this Nation through Jl S the Red Sea of War, to a Promised Land beyond. M Again Mr. Lincoln's life showed that great M Sj brains do 'not count for much unless beneath M ' them throb great hearts. m Ij His life left lessons of hope to honest men js 81 who struggle against hard fortunes or, against the BBB K$ m m world's opinions to carry forward some holy trust. BBk M W The lowJy antl tne poor may take on nPe BBI o IS S from hIs life' for he demonstrated that courage H 1 ffi i and character and wisdom may be in souls rocked BBB I Hill In the cl'adle of tne frontlor, as well as in the H ; iS purple of wealth or nobility. Since he lived. m In and died, no poor boy in America has a right B , IIB to say that lie as no cnance- H mws His career was a shining example that there B , are elements of real greatness that cannot be 1 mfu acquired, they must be born in men. V fM fllB I HIs 1Ife made t clear that if men loved their ' '11b f fellow-men and their country well enough, that H 11 I love carrIes to them a wisdom which will not ' inl ! fal1 them in the day of trial. BBBV ' af IibH H1s rounded life exalted his country and was BBBTH 1811 8Uch n examPle o what is possble under free BBBx t In IB1J institutions, as made a fixed impression on the BBBl Ip ilKIS Ml 'I' Uli world. BbI n PBS When Washington died, Napoleon, then at the BBB ' liHi zenith of his splendor and power, ordered osten- BBk IImM tatious' memorial services in honor of his memory. BBk ffln When Lincoln's death was flashed to the BBB :ji j S world's extremes, there was something like a IB u ImK memorial service held in millions of hearts, and BBbI '' wSs- the prayers of the world's poor, like doves, bore bbbI ' 'I ' hJbS nIs soul on nIgu' |