The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-04-19
MUSEUM OF ABE
Why It Should Receive Financial
Aid from Congress.
Good Work Done by the Memorial Asso-
ciatien OF the District Of Columbia
-The Olroyd Collection OF
lincoln Relics
Especial Washington Letter.

The people of the republic live in
the present and care very little for the
Incidental details of American history,
or for the current events which viii be
of important historical value to future
generations. We do not preserve our
I landmarks, as the peoples of the old
world are accustomed to do.
For example. Old Ford's theater, In
the Judgment. of many, should have
been preserved Just as it was on the
occasion of the assassination of Pres
ldent Lincoln. It should never have
been used as a government Office.
Then, Just opposite the old theater, is
The little brick house in which Pres
ldent Lincoln died. Congress ought
long years ago to have purchased and
maintained that property. 1t was sug-
gested again and again in public
prints, and occasionally In the house
Of representa- ives, but nothing came
Of 4.
The house is now leased by the
Memorial Association of the District
pf Columbia. This Memorial associa-
ton is composed Of some of the leading
citizens Of the country, presided over
by Chief Justice Fuller, of the United
States supreme court, and is actuated
by purely public spirited motives. Al
though its members have met with
comparatively little encouragement
from congress SO far, they have, at
their own expense, leased this prop
erty for one year, in the hope that by
the expiration of that time the nation
al Legislature will see the wisdom and
appropriateness of purchasing the
property outright for national mu-
seurn Of relics of the martyr president.
Upon all great occasions which
bring throngs Of people to the nation
III capital the thousands or tens of
thousands Of visitors seek the spot
where Lincoln died. The house has
been maintained as private residence
SO that the interior could not be seen
without annoyance TO the family re-
siding there. Finally the owner was
kailed upon so many times by sight
Beers that he concluded to charge an adj
mission fee TO those who wanted to SEQ
the bedroom which became so sudden
ly and SO sadly historic. The Memorial
association wants the house to be open
TO the public free.
The large collection of Lincoln relics
which are now on exhibition in this
building belongs to Capt. o. IL Olroyd,
who commenced collecting these arti-
cles as far back as 1860. They were
preserved until recently in the house
at Springfield, Ill, where Lincoln re-
sided when he was elected president.
The house was given to the state by
Robert Z. Lincoln, and until recently
Capt. Olroyd was custodian.
The Memorial association regards
The Olroyd collection of about three
thousand pieces as a good nucleus of a
museum of the life of Lincoln. They
expect to receive valuable relics from
time to time from every part of the
union. In the Olroyd collection there
arc pictures Of all grades, from crude |
newspaper cuts and campaign badges
TO large oil portrait painted by HOLES
IN 1858, and the Lincoln life mask and
bust by Volk, probably the best in ex-
tstence. There are many quaint pieces
Of furniture hallowed by association |
with Lincoln Chief among these are
an old mahogany hair-cloth sofa and