¢ from Illinois” 1848 T By ELMO SCOTT WATSON PRIL 14 is the anniver- sary of one of the great tragedies In American history, For it was on that date just 65 years ago that the bullet of John Wilkes Booth struck down Abraham Lincoln and plunged a whole nation, rejoicing that four years of war was at last ended, into the deepest sorrow, Ever since that day there has been endless speculation as to “what might have been” if he had been spared. Would the North have been a more generous victor and the South have been spared the ruin and despair of the Reconstruction ern? Would the wounds of the most terrible civil war in history have been more quickly healed during those next four mo- mentous years if there had been at the head of the nation the man who had sald “With malice toward none: with charity for all; with firmness in the right, God to the right, us strive to finish the work we are in,” No one ean answer those positively, but there can be but little doubt in anyone's mind that the answer in eo “Yes.” Useless though speculation may be, it suggests another ing possibility. as SIVES Us Hoe let on questions h case is such interest Suppose John Wilkes Booth had been balked in trying to carry out his mad and the tragedy of that terrible night in Ford's theater had been averted. Might not death in some other guise than the assassin’s bullet prevented Abraham Lincoln from realizing his ambition “to finish the work we are In"? For such a possibility Is not so Improbable as it may seem at first thought. It has become almost axiomatic that the Presidency of the United States is a “man-killing job.” For ex-Presidents the average length of life after turn- ing over the reins to their successors has been a little over 11 years. But when there is added to the heavy du- ties of the Presidency, the crushing burden of leading the nation in a great war even that span of years is greatly reduced. Woodrow Wilson, the World war President, left the White House in 1021, a broken, prematurely- aged man who was in his grave three years later. So with this recent tragie example before us, it is not beyond the realm of belief that a similar fate might have awaited Abraham Lincoln, who was called upon to bear the most crushing load of responsibility and sorrow ever placed upon the shoulders of any American, not even excepting those of George Washington in the darkest days of the American Revo- lation. Some Interesting evidence of the heartbreaking task which was Lin. coln's and of the fact that not even his great strength could have much longer endured it is presented in the reproduction of photographs which fliustrate Emil Ludwig's “Lincoln” published recently by Little, Brown and company. Five of these are shown above and they, more vividly than words, tell that story. Although It is a familiar story which the distinguished German writer tells in his biography of Lin. coin, It has a particular interest at this time when the anniversary of the Great Emancipator's death recalls to Americans the tragedy of his whole life, “Lincoln's career, more than that of any other man in history, Is so grandly conceived by Fate that the first act is illuminated by the last, and every scene is bound together by dra- matic Intensity,” writes Ludwig. In one of the word pictures of Lin- eoln which Ludwig presents, he is a “comedy figure,” albeit a tragic-comic one. The scene is the Inauguration .on March 4, 1860, on a platform in front of the east portico of the Cap- ftol. “What do the audience see? They look up at the speaker, but his friends are little pleased by his as- pect,” writes Ludwig, who then quotes the words of one who witnessed that scene and wrote as follows: “His newly grown beard was short and stubby like a shoe brush: grizzled, stiff, and hideous; disfiguring a face that without it expressed power and deep feeling. He wore a brand-new pult, with n «wallow-tail instead of the customary frock coat; he had a very shiny stovepipe hat, evident:y just taken out of the bandbox, and a huge ebony stick, with a gold head as large scheme have the to "The Lincoln- “agai Prugis "The Speaker at Gettysburg” P 1863 4 rd ALL PICTURES FROM EMAL LUDGWIG'S "Liston COURTESY LYTul. down and CO AS an egg. looked quite worse for he In this unusual rig-out, he uncomfortable that it was pathetic, were even when he reached the platform did not know what on earth to do with his hat and his stick, There he stood, a of eyes, holding these two encumbrances, the of To that Ludwis id this ment ; *“*There with things which his fashionable wife must have forced upon him, gantly attired, lest he should look a backwoodsman—a wearing his clothes decked out with a useless walking transformed into a fig- 1 all the more a mark of silent and There he stands for the first RO Matters target for thousands image hopeless perplexity. com- burdened too ele like to anyhow, used man Just stick, comedy ure sarcasm, time he is to speak to the nation as a whole, for he is embarrassed by this fine new stick knob, and What is Dreadful moments, but fate has sent him his longtime enemy, who, as if In irony, is watching his plight at close hand. comes to his rescue: RE A valet, Douglas who stretches out his short arm to take the hat and hold it for half an hour, like a footman, till all is over, and the new President can take it back from the senator with a friendly nod” with a gold the terribly shiny top hat, he to do? Douglas it is who Douglas The story of what Lincoln endured during the first two years of the war— his struggle to secure the co-operation of a wrangling, discordant cabinet, his repeated disappointments in his gen. erals who either wouldn't fight or whe fought only to be defeated disastrous- ly and all the other factors which thwarted him at every turn—is matched as a record of despair only by what followed. For when he [ssued the Emancipa- tion Proclamation “the effect catastrophic. Confusion was wide. spread throughout the North, there was a slump on the stock exchange: the elections were adverse: the Demo- crats declared that thousands of whites were being forced to give their blood in order that their fellow coun. trymen might be illegally deprived of property. When congress was sitting in December, the President's unceasing personal struggle on two fronts, the near approach of the mo- mentous date fixed for the enforce. ment of the proclamation, the varying and for the most part unfavorable for. tunes of war, the skepticism of friends regarding the new measure and the scorn in which it wae Leld by enemies, made him weary and dispirited as well” was An unforgettable picture of the Lin. coln- of this period Is given by an old friend who had not seen him for six years and whose description of him is cited by Ludwig as follows: “The change . was simply appalling His whiskers had grown and had given allditional cadaverousness to his face. . .”. The light seemed to have gone out of his eyes, which were sunken far under his enormous brows, There was over Lis whole face an expression of sadness, and a far. away look Wm his eyes, which were ut. terly unlike the Lincoln of former days.” The wonder is that the war Pres! dent did not break under the strain, For, says Ludwig, “For him, private life had cegsed to exist, Work, agita. tions, enemies at home, reverses abroad, danger threatening to undo the work done by the fathers of the country and to frustrate the activities of his own career such had been his . . 1860 “The Man of Sorrows™ 1865 lot for three or four years, almost The tall body had been attackéd from withe in, mined it were and ! and ti was awhile by 28 modified sn cessation, tree-fellers ns weakened ere; he for up in a visit to the front: tire Lnow for the lies within “As the eased rather than diminis things were going weil Ir uld be hara years went by, 1 114 iy sit des ov o% ¥ be a decline In recruiting; ¢ ment, matters really seemed to | ing progress everywhere, i he perturbed by the } members of the cal yusies of the In addition by the daily or the ZOVernors, distressed gight rings caused by the war, for hos pitais abounded in Washington, t surrounding hills sprin with tents for the temporary modation the sick and while the stretchers seemed pPriss in unending succession whenever the President went out for air or exercise, Riding was about his only exercise.” he wore accom- wounded, to of ut even this was not safe for or he was fired upon by a hidden assassin, His horse bolted and quickly bore him away from the spot and a soldier who went to the place found his hat lying on the ground with a buliet through the crown. “Sometimes after riding into Washington in the small hours he would spend the rest of the night at the White House, writing or reading, and would ride back to the Soldiers” home when morning depressed in mood. Such depression was common enough, for Lincoln was incapable of takidg much delight in victory or of feeling hatred for enemy, and civil war was doubly dis tresusing to him, since the enethies were his brothers. ‘The war’ he sald in a speech during the last year of his life, ‘has carried mourning almost every home, until it can aimost be said that the heavens are hung in black!" ™ Nor did the gloom lift when the end of the war finally came and Appomat tox silenced the fouryear clamor of the guns. For, as Lincoln back upon those four years, he could see naught but tragedy-—personal as well as national. “Where, now, is Douglas, who had been so full of life and activity? Where is old friend Baker? Where are his little boys, wilted and perished like half-open buds nipped by the frost? Death was grin. ning at him from every corner! Would history speak of him only as the Lord of Death; would history be justly en- titled to give him such a name?” Such are the thoughts which Lud- wig puts in his mind as he enters Ford's theater that night of April 14. Then-—the shot, the ery of “Sic sem. per tyrannis!” the scream of Mary Lincoln and in a little house across the street the next morning “he dies at seven o'clock; In a strange bed like a pilgrim, slain on Good Friday like a prophet.” And the tragedy of Abra. ham Lincoln's whole life was summed up by nis little son, Tad, who “when he stood beside the coffin In the White House, said ‘Is father In heaven now? Yes? Then I am glad, for he was not really happy here." ice hole came, the the to looked CENTRE HALL, PA. Centers of “Industry Not long ago the nation was stirred Young men, attracted by the In the past quarter-century rural has made tremendous prog. Jetter schools, good roads, the rural eclvilization greater Industrialists, attracted by such fac- tors as lack of labor difficulties, low working conditions, were barred Now, authorities, the the road to in- according to are on staged for the scene of our industrial progress. drift of population has turned. present the only pronounced gain industrial wage earners is taking pl next The At in jee It is which be the safe to say that many tow are almost unknown today will great Industrial centers of the future. The industrial of the Eighteenth century apparently doomed rural progress—now the tric revolution of the Twentieth is re- versing the lew Daily News. OWNS » feet tl revolution elec. process. — Longs ———— srsm— Extensive Survey of North Carolina Roads Reports from various fronts in the battle to reciaim and preserve our roadside beauties are constantly be. ing received the American Nature association, One of the most In by onstra Council more tha joined to work in this common North Car the On act of the hi state, lina has been selected nn state for the survey, ount of the progressive nttituds of the effoctive ghway department which has heen doing work in roadside pl fication, The and cover the entire stat anting td beauntd g and survey will be thorough e¢. Eacl i i hig? portance wil y covered extensiy ¥ ph ntion way of in mile by mile, to graphed, A will be giv North Carolina's and a full tions will be made an part two consider en he various pha particular pro with recom report of the demonstr months will be devoted study. Renovate Where Possible he sit ligice building y i some cases it might sary to raze an existing view of the fallacy of the bellef all that is old is good. In other cases it would be folly to so because sometimes additional structural fea- an architectural treatment are all that would be necessary to achieve a fine result. There lurk in our shabblest streets, possi. bilities for the finest of banks, thea- In neces in hint do ple garages, professional buildings and beauty—in fact, all those ele with which the architect conscientious. ly concerns himself and which, in con- junction with eity planning he will eventually bring about.—Exchange. Think Before Buying Some things are essential in the se- of the place where you ure going to have your home, Think of transportation, schools and your neighbors, When you have decided to buy a lot or a home already built, buy it not for spec. ulation or resale but for the specific purpose of owning a home, Let the idea of a home be the dominant thought. That will make it a safer churches, of happiness rather than grief. A two-apartment building is some. times a safer and more conservative home than the proverbial bungalow. Rubbish Pile a Menace Sixty per cent of all persons burned to death met this tiagic end in thelr homes. Approximately one-half of this are children less than ten The majority of dwelling-houke fires Rubbish accumulation is gen Experience has demonstrated the fact that periodic and systematic In. gpection of all buildings for the elimi nation of fire and health dangers has materially improved the general out. look and safety of communities, Drab Roof Departs The day of the drab roof is gone the roof that simply shuts out the raln and weather. Tram the roof of a home must give protection againgt the eles ments. It must last. But as one of the most prominent architectural fea. tures of the home, the roof should also ndd much to its beauty. "oR a young bride of twenty- one to lose her vitality and pep is disastrous, almost a sacrilege,” says Mrs. George E. Pillow, of Franklin, Va, “That, however,” she continues, “is just what I did.” “I had only been married a few months to an athletic husband, who went everywhere and did every- thing. I tried to keep up with his pace, and simply collapsed under the strain, I never was really ill; just sallow-skinned, depressed, and life- less. Swimming, dancing, golf, I just couldn't face them. When I began to lose my clear complexion, I was desperate. “Then one day a girl friend came to pay me a visit. In the bottom of her little bag of clothes lay a crystal- clear bottle—Nujol! A short wo- man-to-woman talk—a telephone call to a neighboring drug store—and my future happiness was settled. “That was a year ago. Now I too am never without Nujol, which has brightened and cleansed my body like a cake of pure soap. I eat, sleep, swim, and hike with the enthusiasm of a child. My complexion is all it used to be—and best of all—I am my husband’s little pal again.” The wonderful thing about crystal- clear Nujol is that it is not a medi- cine; it contains no drugs—it cannot hurt even a baby. It is simply the normal internal lubrication which Studying an Audience “You are occasionally about your grammar,” “Not en careless Senator Out my pay strict iry- super reless,” answered ’ Sorghum, 2 “only discreet. way folks think tha attention Ing to put Hons Cilious, t if you to grammar, are and you on airs act Not for Them First Tramp—Say, pard, you | think airship passenger service will do ¢ver become practical? Second Tramp—No; 1 gen'men like us will hang on.—FPhiladelphia Bulletin, Ke to | don’t how be able Her Secret Beauty, Charm, Clear Skin— How Can They be Won? your body needs. Let Nujol clear the poisons out of your body (we all have them), and flood the sunshine of happiness into your life. It sounds like a fairy tale, but millions of people have proved it. So can you. Get Nujol at any drug store —gold only in sealed packages, with the Nujol trademark. It costs but a few cents and it will make you feel like a million dollars! Well Geraldine's of put out You haven't said anything to him, have you? Father—Not As a matter of fact I haven't even seen him since I handed him the bill for reupholster Mother sort friend some boy SE0MS about 1Hng, an word. All the Better for It “80 your little boy wasn't really lost ¥ “No; we found him under the Transcript.” lends a hand only empty. Many =a when it i= man So whole home is upset. For her family’s sake, Mrs. H. Dolhonde, 6318 York St, New Orleans, Louisiana “Before my last baby was born, I started taking Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Com- pound. I got such good results that | named her Catherine Lydia. I have six older chil- dren and five grandchildren, too. | am now taking the Vegetable Compound again because of my age. I eat and sleep better and 1 do all my housework, and my washing. I will do my best to answer letters.” Mrs. Harold Goodnow 36 Cane St, Fitchburg, Massachusetts *I cannot praise your medi- cine enough. After my baby came I was rundown. I had to go to bed often through the day. I took three bottles of Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound and 1 felt like a different woman. If any mother has those tired feelings I advise her to take Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound.” Mrs. Lloyd R. Blasing, 115 So. Ohio St Anaheim, California “After my baby came I was so nervous and tired that I felt miserable. One day a booklet was left at our door and after reading it I decided to try Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Com- poe I am now on my fourth ttle and I feel much stronger. It has helped me in every way and [ feel sure that other women in rundown condition will pick up if they will only take a few bottles.” Mail this coupon to Medicine Co. Lynn, Mass. WB BE BE BE BE RE RE BE RR Eee Vegetable ind — SL
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers