Show Lincoln His Spirit Is with the Ages Ag I II I I I Martyr Emancipator Myth Abe Os Is Forever By BAUKHAGE News Analyst and Commentator Like everything else in this political year preparations for Lincoln's birthday In in 1948 are chiefly a matter of scrambling through the Great Emancipators Emancipator's writings to find a text for a partisan highly-partisan outburst But February 12 is the occasion for more than a barrage of political speeches To me Lincoln is real because he and my childhood conception of my grandfather are strangely blended Both like Merlin's Camelot are build- build ed forever because to me they never were at all they all they were myth rather than fact a fact a myth not of my own making but handed down through I two generations I My mother as a little child saw I Lincoln like a man sleeping r.- r. she thought as ashe ashe e he lay in state in ing Chi Chicago c ago g M My f grandmother stood beside her swathed in the heavy mourning veil of the day M which she felt Lt cl L perhaps was as asI I p much for Lincoln then as it was for her soldier husband husband husband hus hus- band who had given his life inthe in inthe inthe the same cause Baukhage T To my my mother staring at that coffin in Chicago there always remained remained remained re re- re- re a confused impression of mourning for the man she thought was not dead but sleeping and the father she never had seen Perhaps that feeling was imparted to me My mother described the scene to me It was clearly etched in her memory like the rest of the strange hegira which she took westward with her widowed mother from a little town in New York state as a bride my grandmother had pioneered pioneered pioneered pio pio- pio- pio the West with her young New NewYork NewYork NewYork York state farm-born farm husband Of course the memories were blurred and blended undoubtedly with later repetition of the event but the picture was clear and I only wish I could repeat it in my mothers mother's mothers mother's mothers mother's moth moth- ers er's own words The train trip west the arrival in the great city the crowd about her as she advanced slowly with her mother into the great hall Then the coffin which she shedid shedid shedid did not know was a coffin for there I was no such word in her tiny Her mother let go the little girls girl's hand to move back her own heavy veil Then the little girl remembered being lifted in the strong hands of the guard About him she could reI recall recall recall re re- re- re I call only a blue tunic shiny brass buttons and the smell of tobacco Then the face of the sleeping man and her mothers mother's quiet tears The body of the martyred President as you know was taken from the East Room of the White House to the capitol where it lay in state Then it I Iwas I was carried across the country pausing for homage In several cities until it reached Springfield Spring- Spring Geld field Lincoln's home I repeated my mothers mother's story after her death as best I could on the the air and air and there were sequels Letters one Letters one from a lady in New E England gland for whom the broadcast I had awakened memories her father had been one of the Union soldiers chosen to stand guard at atI atthe atthe I the catafalque in Chicago It might well 0 have been he who lifted my I mother I The soldiers who had been chosen I for that honored duty were permitted permit permit- ted to divide the gold-fringed gold drape I that covered the coffin she wrote me and she consigned to m me a fragment fragment fragment frag frag- ment which I cherish There were many other let let- One from the niece of one of Lincoln's cabinet members William Pitt Fessenden another another another an- an other enclosing the announcement announcement announce announce- ment shown in the cut Those were two sequels to the story of the little girl and her weeping weeping weeping weep weep- ing mother I think the everlasting sequel can be read again and again in the story of America as the story of Lincoln is projected far on into history I think I have seen it projected projected projected pro pro- in the crowds who come to Washington avid with guidebook and camera to collect souvenirs Only this week the garrulous cab cabdriver cabdriver driver who carried me from Union station was full of a story of South Americans who spent endless hours according to his timing at atthe atthe atthe the Lincoln Memorial The memorial memorial memorial memo memo- rial remains a shrine for all visitors native and foreign a place where flippant chatter is stilled before that almost living replica warmed to life out of cold marble by the inspired hand of Daniel Chester Fr French It lives as the spirit of Abraham Abraham Abraham Abra Abra- ham Lincoln lives To the lit little le child beside the catafalque catafalque catafalque cata cata- falque except for her mothers mother's tears there was no mourning in that moment Only something solemn solemn solemn sol sol- sol sol- something important something something something some some- thing that touched old and young alike because it had in it the cosmic rhythm of the epic and as well the simple touching soul-touching melody of the folk song And I wonder r if there was not some intangible some eternal quality quality quality ity of what Lincoln did or what his character has etched into the his tory of America that gives Americans Americans Americans Ameri Ameri- cans the assurance that his spirit especially in these times when evil gods make their black magic to bemuse bemuse bemuse be be- muse the minds of men is not dead but sleeps waiting only the clarion call of the people whom he loved to wake it into action F Free Tee Speech Russian Style The Russians celebrated Christmas Christmas Christmas Christ Christ- mas with a public criticism of Russian Russian Russian Rus Rus- sian factories by the commercial director of l the Soviets' Soviets largest department store The director director director tor complained that the factories were producing inferior products He wanted more and better goods more washing machines vacuum cleaners refrigerators and decent furniture Are you surprised that such criticism is permitted If you are you dont don't understand the Soviet s system stem Criticism is al allowed allowed allowed al- al lowed as a sound method of correcting correcting correcting cor cor- faults although it necessarily displace the cure which means banishment banishment banishment banish banish- ment temporarily or permanently permanently permanently perma perma- to Siberia just as in the good old days I am reminded of columnist Lowell Mellett's story about the I scope of Russian criticism On his trip to Russia he was shown around by a very clever female guide Mellett Mellett Mellett Mel- Mel lett asked her about freedom of the press and she said Oh yes they had a free press the press continually continually continually contin contin- criticized things including government enterprises Well VeIl would they be allowed to criticize Stalin Mellett wanted to know Why tl the e girl was surprised surprised surprised sur sur- What has that got to do with it You couldn't criticize him because there is nothing about him to criticize a Secretary Marshall wants the European European European Eu Eu- recovery plan to be run by a single administrator not an eight- eight man board as has been suggested If the old saw that the working best-working committee is a committee of three with two members out of town is correct perhaps Marshall is right January saw three presidential messages presented to congress Each document had many a passage passage passage pas pas- sage born only to waste its fragrance fragrance fragrance fra fra- fra- fra grance on the desert air of an unsympathetic unsympathetic unsympathetic un un- un- un sympathetic majority Too bad the Republicans dont don't care for Mr Truman's budget The budget message was printed up so nicely bound so neatly and it IS unique unique unique-unique unique in that it is the biggest biggest biggest big big- gest peacetime budget ever presented present present- ed to any congress |