is not in all history a single record of
true greatness or ieal nobility but
has been ihe result of unselfish de
votion to principle and to truth.
Had Linco n sec ouc to be great and
to acquire fame he would have fallen
tar snort of the pinnacle his memory
now occupies. Had Washington
withstood the perils and discomforts
of Valley Forge for mere fame he
would not have found so secure a
lodgement in the hearts of his Coun
trymen. The same may be said of
the Adamses, Jefferson, Franklin,
Morris. Albert Gallatin and of our
McKinley, and the great list of those
who might be named who ' put love
of God and of Councry and humani
ty, over and above self advance
ment or piivate gain.
History is made up of biography,
and there is no more helpful or in
teresting biogiaphy any where out
side of Holy Writ than that of Lin
coln. Fortunately for the Country
and generations to come, there
have been wiiiten of him, biogra
phies which do not attempt to unself
him, but which portray him just as
he was, so that the real and the true
Abraham Lincoln remains always in
view. It is neither unwise nor un
safe to tell the American people the
truths of human nature. Especially
is this true of a great and mighty
character like Lincoln in which the
divine predominates and produces a
picture which is at once a glory and
a lasting possession of a free people.
It is because of the disadvantages
through which he struggled; be
cause of the obstacles he met and
overcame ; because he grew and de
veloped and achieved and became a
master builder —not only of charac
ter but of the nation, that we are
encouraged in the work that is set
before us. It is because he was
what he was that we revere his
memory, and that we resolve to do
our full duty to the Community,
the State and the Nation in which we
live.
The world acknowledges the pre
eminent greatness of Lincoln, but as
to the secret of his greatness there
is a diversity of views. It is interest
ing to observe the way it is account
ed for by some of our wisest men.
Some say it was due to his common
sense —a thing so uncommon among
the great: some, that he thoroughly
understood himself—a thing quite
difficult to do; while others say
thac it was his power to reason and
analyze. ' And who shall say that
in the main and in the abstract all
were not right ? But it requires on
ly a moment’s reflection to see that
behind it all and beyond it all, there
must have been a something which
gave him common sense, a some
thing which enabled him to under
stand himself, a something which
bestowed upon him the power to
reason and to analyze. Whence then
came his truthfulness, his tenderness,
the nobility of his character and the
power of his mind ? If you will tell
me why it was, and is and ever shall
be that five shall chase a hundred,
and a hundred put ten thousand to
flight; if you will answer me what
it was that felled to the ground
those who sought to slay the Prince
of Peace; if you will say what it
was that enabled John on Patinos to
see visions of the Eternal City, I
will tell you what it was that made
Abraham Lincoln great. God is
not separate and apart from man
whom He has created —from the
wisdom and the love and the
courage which He has given!
Therefore to acquaint ourselves with
Him in the truest sense is but to
equip ourselves for the great duties
and immeasurable possibi.ities which
lie before us. It is an inestimable
blessing to be an American citizen,
to march under the stars and stripes,
and to keep abreast of the tide of
advancement and progress. The
map of the world is being changed;
peoples are being made free and self
dependent ; the weait are being made
strong ; wrongs are being righted,
and development and growth along
right lines are evidenced every
where. With expansion of territory,
material growth, aggregation of
capital, and a denser population,
there must of necessity arise new
problems to be solved, new duties
to be performed. Even at this very
moment may be seen upon the not
distant horizon, economic ques
tions, the wise adjustment of which
will require the sturdiest citizenship
and the truest statecraft. To con
trol public utilities properly and yet
not interfere with vested rights; to
see that neither capital nor labor is
unjustly dealt with; that both im
plicitly recognize the absolute supre
macy of the law, and that both have
the protection that is their due —
these are tasks worthy of our highest
effort and mightiest endeavor. In
this blessed Country of ours it is not
the government that creates public
opinion. It is public opinion that
creates the government. It is the
bounden duiy of every good citizen
to take a hand in government, to di
rect the current of public thought,
to suggest initiative clues; to help
form such a public opinion that
through righteousness, the nation
shall truly and continuously be ex
alted. There is no lack ot labor for
the enthusiastic citizen and none but
the enthusiastic citizen is worthy of
a place under the flag. He who ne
glects or refuses to take part in
government, to attend the primaries
and to do his shaie whether it be in
the interest of local government,
honest elections or any of the ques
tions which are constantly presenting
themselves, is deficient in citizenship.
It is the duty of us ail to
“Be strong,
Say not the days ate evii—who’s
to blame ?
And fold the hands and acquiesce;
the shame!
Stand up, speak out! and boldly
in God’s name,
Ee Strong.
It matters not how deep entrenched
the wrong,
How hard the battle goes ; the day
how long:
Faint no' - , fight on! to-morrow comes
the song! ”
lam an optionist. Eveiy one
must be such who has his finger cn
the pulse, who sees the youth of the
land growing up into splendid man
hood and womanhood; who feels
the glow of their enthusiasm, the gulf
stream of their zeal, and who sees
in their firm faith and high resolves
a determination to keep sacredly the
inheritance which has come to them
through the unselfish devotion of
the heroes of the past —among
whom none stands in such grand
proporlions as Ihe loved and honor
ed Linca’n. ( Great applause)
Mr. William B.Hoke then spoke cn
“ Lincoln the Student. ” The con
cluding address of the morning on
“Lincoln the Polidcian - ’ was de
livered by Mr. Calvin H. Waller.
(Owing to lack of space we are un
able to piint these two speeches.)
The exercises of the morning were
then closed by the audience rising
and singing “ America.
In the afternoon at 3 o’clock, a