Evening journal., 1896-01-17

hAehANoAN y OAhAoNs
The Grand Opera House was we'll filed
last evening ~ representative citizens
who had gathered TO listen to the story
of the life Of Abraham Llnooln az told by
Cslensl Henr yWsttsraen, tho editor era
tor, Of Louisville Ky The theme was one
which commanded the clesost attention
fy0H the audience, ana handled &c II was
by man wis was personally acquainted
witn the President martyr, aud who te-
day is himself most prominent factor
in public life, the description Of the great
ssAneiPAtor was intensely interesting.
Cslonel WattorEon Is an orator Of the
NEST distinctive type Asa word painter
be has few. II any rlvals, aud in the
building ef rich and beautiful sentences,
roPlsto with ideas and crowned with
logic, be hss no equal. Although his lot
was EAST with the wssrsrs OF the grey
during the ssrly sixties, he knew, and
appreciated and lsvsd Lincoln.
The lecture was gives uRdsr the
auspices Of AdRirnl B F DuPsnt Post
No 2 G A R, committee froH whlch,
composed Of Colonel P. B Aysrs, l. 3.
Llizsnbsrg, William A Msystsn, Joseph
Duty aud Joseph Wheeler. made
arrangements fer Colonel Wsttsrson to
| come here, at the time Of the q A R
National sRcamPmsnt In Louisville last
Fall This committee, toEather with
members Of ths post and nunbsr Of
prominent citizens, among them HsA. l.
K Wales United States CsllsctOr Of
Customs Gssrgo L. Townsend, Jsb Il
ackssn, Francis II. Hsfeekar, William
Mlcbasl Byrne, General Ross, n
Oars veil, Professor A. H. Berlin, Joseph
na VIZ - nj n
the platform, at either side Of which
were the natisnal and pest oolors. The
banner Of the pOst swung frOn the
center Of the flies, and a picture Of
Abraham Lircoln occupied an easel
alongside the stand diaped In the unisn
cslors Ex- Governor Robert ]. Rsynslds,
judges Cullen aud Marvel, Mrs Oullsn
and Miss Emma Lore occupied the right
hand box
MY ola Kentucky Home.
COlsael wattsrson, whs, on his arrival
in the city. had at snos gene to the
Clayton House for brisf rest after his
long tris from Florida, entered with
Chief Justics Lore, Colonsl Peter
AysrSs and Rev l. Barrett. Ash
stepped on the stage he was srsstsd
with hearty Applause and when this had
ceased . quartet from Delaware Avenue
Baptiss Church choir, consisting Of
Walssr Bsanstt, Harry Dalby, @. F..
Cline aRd Boyd Cook With Miss Bertha
Elliott So orEaniGt sang my Old
Kentucky Home, in excellent nannsr
This wss followed bF Rev. l.. e Barrett,
ID. D., who led In prayer. Walter Ban
nstt then sang Columbia. the GEN Of
the OCEAN Colonel Ayars then intre q
! ducsd Chief Jnstico Charles B Lsrs, who
In brief speech presented the Ipssksr,
who he said was = man, who afssr having
served less tkan enc yesr In Congress,
resigned and since tksn had pertistsntly
declined 80 aesept any ether. Although
n Southern soldier be was a Arn sd
mlrsr OF Lincoln aud his dslinsatisn Of
the msrtyr-Frssidsnt painted With ali
the skill sf a uaster hand WAS unHur-
passed.
CoIonel Watterson's Lecture.
Cslonel Wattsrson, who Is a hns-
lOoklng man, with an easy and grtcsful
manner, low yet essr sn1noiGtion and a
delivery ssvsid OF the tricks Of tie
average lecturer, advanced to the foot.
lights. and waiting for ths applause to
sabsids began upon his lecture, which
lasted sbout an hear and q qERrtsr, aud
WAS mere In the nature Of a talk than
anything else. He began with q disisr
tstisn on the character Of the men who
made history In the early days Of the
nation. the statesmen and the militsry
loaSsrs who fsr0sd such . remarkable
cluster around the innortal Washington.
These men, he aSid. were English
E9ntlsmen. Their suceasaors were not
unlike then n character A brief cut
line Of ths troublOus tinos whieh pre-
esded and led mp to the great civil war
was then given Tharo waH many a
Shilsh fought ont on the ho0r Of the
/ House, said hs. and the Senate bad it's
/ Gettysburg Greek net Gresk In the
arena OF politics and the air was filed
with the snoks as Of battls.
Then Came Abraham LsnosIn
On this scene came an unoouth figure,
strangely at varisnos with HogArths
lins Of beauty. A nan, hsweysr, besr-
ipR a missisn from Gsd, Abraham
Lincsln. He said that c house divided
against itself must fall That no
nation could exist when divided Between
slave and free While be didn't sxssct
the nation to fall he did exPsct to see
it united on tho comNsR platform In
which slavery had no part
Ths speaker read the description BY
Colonel Mcclure Of visit TO Mr. Llneeln,
which be said was the best pea picture
Of the man in existence. BE then fol
LEVIED it with a masterly description Of
the great IlllAols statesman as he knew
hin. De described his ssrly life. his
struggles for an education. and his
successive steps to the highest Office In
the gift Of the nation. He referred at
considerable length to his famous debate
with Judge Douglass, the little giant,
and bis victsry. His uArtsrly speeches
At Peoria in 1854, at Springfield In 80
Columbus IN SO and New York In go
and at the tins sf his frat Inauguration,
when Colonel WAttsrssn stosd at bis
elbow He reviewed Mr. Linooln's will
as the executive, and the mastery
manner In which he controlled those Of
his political family.
A True Friend OF the South.
Abraham Lincoln, was, said the speaker,
a Southsrnsr by birth, and to Gay the
South knows beyond hssrssy that he was
its friend when friends we're scsrce and
the cruolsst blow that could have
been dealt the Prostrs.e body Of the
fallen South was that dealt Lincoln by
the sssassin's hand God struck Lincoln
j dawn IN fha vary heur ~ bfa trfnn,nh and