The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1874-10-22

qIaintance OF Mr. Lincolu till the be-
ginning Of the last year OF tbs great
struggle for the National existence,
Duzng these years of DOUBT and des.
pOndency among many patriotic men
of the country, Abraham Lincoln
never for = moment doubted hut that
the tinai result would be peace, union
and freedDm to every race in this
broad land. His faith ia an all-Eise
/ Providence directing our arms to this
/ final result, was the faith of the
Christian that his Redeemer lIveth.
Amidst obiOquy, personal abuse, and
hate undisguissd, which was given vent
TO without restraint through the press,
upon the stump aud in private circles,
he remained the same staunch, un-
yielding servant OF the people, never
exhibiting a revengefut feeling toward
his trAdueers, but he rather pitied
them, and hoped for their own sake,
and the good name of their posterity
they might desist. For q single mo.
nent it did not occur 10 him that the
man Lincoln was tseing assassinated,
but that reasonable spirit, waiting
to destroy the best Governm snt the
sun ever shone on, was giving vent
10 itself on him as the Chief Execu-
tive OF the nation, only because he
was such an Executive. AS a lawyer
in your midst, he would have avoided
all the slander, for his life was 8 pure
aud simple one, and he, no doubt,
would have been a much happier
mat, but who can tell what might
have been the fate OF the nation, but
for the pure, unse!fi5h and wise ad-
ministration of Abraham Lincoln
from March, 1851, to the day wnen the
hand OF an assassin opened his grave
With Mr.. Lincoln, then President
OF the United States, my personal re-
lations were as close aud intim4te as
the nature of our respective duties
would permit To know him person.
ally Was to love and respect him for
his great qualities of head and heart
and for his patience aud patriotism.
With all his disappointment, from
failures on the part of those to whom
he had entrusted command, and
treachery on the part of those who
had gained his confidence but to be-
tray, never heard him utter a COM
plaint, nor cast censure for bad con-
duct or bad faith. Such was his nature.
IL was his nature to find excuses for
his adversaries- In his death the ma
ton lost its greatest head, and the
South lost its most just friend.
OTHER REMARKS.
Ex-Vice President COlfax, who was
discovered on the platform by the
crowd, was loudly called for and final
ly forced TO speak and. ia very elO-
quent and feeling remarks paid his
tribute of love aud respect to the hon.
Ored dead. Remarks also were made
by General Sherman, Vice President
Wilson, and General U. +. Linden,
after which the DJXGl Igy was sung
the 0enedictioD pronounced, and the
vast Assem- blage quietly dispersed.
THE MONUMENT AND ITS HISTORY.
From the Chicago Tribune, Oct. 81 =
The citizens of Springfield, on April
"a, 1885, held public meeting in re-
gard TO the sepulture of the dead Presi-
dent and appointed Committee to
look after the Obsequies. Tue COM
mittee subsequently resolved itself in
to what has since become historical
-"rhe National Lincoln Monument
Association" The first call for con-
tributions was made upon ali the Sun
day Schools for the second Sunday,
an on ali Public Schools for the first
Monday, in June Toe response in
each case was generous, and showed
more, perhaps, than any other thing
in connection with the monument,
the grateful aud reverent spirit Of the
people.
Tue Association was formally or
ganizsd under the laws OF Illinois
governing voluntary societies, on the
l1th of May, and elected the following
officers: President, Richard ]. Oxles-
by Vice President, Jesse K. Dubois;
Secretary, Clinton l.. Conkling (;
Treasurer, James II. Bsveridge.
Mrs Lincoln objected to any other
place of burial except Oak Ridge, and
six acres of land, in the cemetery,
were donated as q site for the monu-
ment by the city of Springfield.
Mean while the Association had cau5-
ed a temporary vault, for the reception
of the remains, to be built within the
precincts of the cemetery, aud TO this,
December 2l, 1855, the body of the
President was removed, remaining
there until the partial completion OF
the monument, September 10, 1871,
when the body WAS once more dis
turbed, and, encased in its magnifi-
cent sarcOphagus, was finally laid to
rest in the central crypt OF the cAta-
comb; his sons, Willis Z Idle, who
died ia early youth, and his well re-
membered play-fellOw, "fad," who
died in Chicago, July 10, 1871, being
deposited in the right hand crypts.
The two crypts to the left are still un-
occupied, but are closed all the same.
That in which the body OF the Presi-
dent is deposited, is closed by q mar
ole slab, with a plste-glass window Of
oval shape, through which the sar-
cophagus can be viewed.
Thirty-seven designs for the mOEu-
ment were submitted, but Mr.. Larkin
G. Mead, Jr., of fBrattleboro, Vermont,
vas the fortunate artist. He furnish
ed two plans, and one was adopted.
The monumental site is very pictur-
esque, being the summit of hand
somely-woOded height, having an al
most equal elevation from slI sides. 1t
is approached by a series of iron stair
ways, constructed at intervals on
hard-grayel walks, which are very
we'll laid out.
The excavation for the central parts
of the monument, on which the main
shaft arises, was 23l feet deep by IL
feet square, filed with concrete to 3
deep Of feet. With this concrete for
q sure foundation, the rest Of the IL
feet square Is built up with solid ma
sOnry of block stone to q height OF 81
feet inches. Tue excavations for all
outer walls and piers were made 6 feet
deep, filed with concrete One-third OF
the way, the solid masonry resting
upon it. Each of the four corners of
the central shalt has a round pier, Is
feet in diameter at tue bottom, and ta-
pering SO as to (. rm pedestal IL feet
In diameter al the top.
The base of the Onument Is 20 feet
square and the central shaft, which
rises to height of 9S feet 4 inches
from the GROUND, is reached by four
flight of massive stone steps, which
Iand on broad promenade or terrace,
above which groups of statuary, rep
resenting the artillery, infantry, cav
airy and marine branches Of the U ni-
ted States service, are yet to rise, sup
ported by the corner pedestals already
al uded 70. So far only the statue Of
Abranam Lincoln, IL feet high, done
ia bronze, under tue directions of Mr..
Mead, is in place. looking, as il 10
mercy, tOwarI the South Tue con-
tour of the heId, the mould Of the fea.
lures, aud the expression of the cOun-
tenance are wOndrOusly life-like.
Nothing in the line Of statuary could
be more perfect I; but the proportions
of the figure are much too muscular,
and would be more apropOs to the ro-
tund development of Long John
Wentworth than to the meagre form
of the martyr-President.
Just below the colossal figure. on
the face of the pedestal, is carved in
bronze the United States coat Of arms
the eagle standing upon the shield,
and holding in his beak 8 broken
chain.
The different States OF the Union
are represented by their initials, taste
fully cut on tablets which surround
the base of the oOeiisk. Tne latter is
entered under the statue of Lincoln,
and the top can be reached by means
of spiral stairway, a feet high.
The landing is an iron platform, from
which SaDgamon County can be sur
veyed with great convenience.
The monument also contains q