The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-13
CONCLUDED FROM FIRST PACED

CONCLUDED FROM FIRST PACED
ishness OF patriotism. And after all. what
nobler pride can there be than in the knowl-
arisen one who is a nd always will be
blessed by all the children OF man
"A high subject. tht, demanding lofty
thoughts. and he who Is 10 speak Tor US
TO this great theme ca- utter them Citi-
zen whose courage, pur-I and power make
him a type OF that rig hteous conservative
necessary In republic. editor whose views
have been and are notable for that sanity
and vision which FREE press must have
IL IL fails not OF it's purDsEe, ambassador to
a foreign power whose traditional friend
ship for America his tact and sincerity
strengthened: Cabinet counselor and execu-
tive administrator at one OF the most diff
ficult periods OF our history; advisor and
representative OF three Presidents and
trusted. needed. loved by each; true man
himself and OF all true men the friend,
observing in his dsnly walk the creed of
Lincosn-no man abb sr TO speak on our ideal
American can be found than the Hon.
Charles Emory Smith, the privilege OF pre-
senting whom TO you count an honor and
a distinction"
SMITHS FIRST SPEECH HERE.
Mr.. Smith. who was so gracefully com
pIimented by Senator Beveridge. was heard
for the first time in Indiana when he re-
spOnded 10 the sentiment, Abraham Lin
coin" Mr. Smith has won fame one
of the happiest after-dinnsr. orators in the
United States-his address last night
WINGED Indiana Republicans Of his clear
title 10 such fame With his opening sem
tence he unclaimed the attention of every
man I'm the banquet hall and as he pro-
ceeded with his mastery exposition of the
character and achievements of the man
who was pre-eminefitly a man OF the peO-
pie, he aroused demonstration after dem
Onstratfon OF applause and cheers At the
conclusion of his address Mr.. Smith was
accorded a tribute such as few speakers
have won in Indianapolis. Mr.. Smiths adj
mn ~ n
Year by year on this anniversary we
pause TO lay our fresh garlands on the
sacred tomb of the great martyr-patriot
whose memory beyond all others touches
the tenderest chords in the Nations heart.
THE sublime epic of Abraham Lincoln's
life and dealh gains new rhythmic power and
broader mea hing as the years go by. More
and more mankind feels its depth and sway.
For a hundred years we looked back TO the
revolutionary period as the heroic age cS
the Republic. During the coming centuries
our cbildren's children will look back to
the mighty struggle for Union and liberty
as the supreme epoch of American history,
and VIII reverence Lincoln as the supreme
tyIe OF American conservation.
Those who dwell on Mount AthOs do
not see Mount Athos. It requires the per-
spective Of distance TO bring out the true
proportions OF the mountain monarch that
towers above all its fellows. 1t requires
the perspective of time to realize the just
relations OF the lofty actor In history who
Is the center and the summit of an Alpine
range Of kingly chiefs. Great as was the
he lived. the appreciation of his true his
toric grandeur increases as we look through
the leveling vista Of recedtng years, and
the sancuty or his memory Will deepen IN
the hearts of his cOuntrymen as the sublim-
ity of his service and the mystery of his
martyrdom become more and more the loft
lest legend of our national story.
Never was leader born for a high mis-
sion more truly than Lincoln was raised
10 guide our Nation through its greatest
crisis. 1t was not the wisdom of man but
the overruling hand OF God that made the
choice. When the crucial hour came Lin
coin had played no commanding part in the
national arena. He had not filled the public
eye for years like Seward and Chase and
Wade and Sumner.
But he was not accident any more
tnan Cromwell was an accident. IL was
Eliot and Pym and Hampden. the scholastic
orator and the trained statesman. that led
in the earlier stages of the English revoIu-
tons but IL was Cromwell that had been de-
veloping In the background for the crown
ing work in the mighty struggle against
the tyranny Of the Stuart.
HE WAS PREPARED.
so Lincoln prepared in Gods cruel
~c7~ The clay came from the common soil,
but the mold and mixture had the divine
impress The rude structure of the log
cabin was filter cradle than the marble
hall of any palace. He was the rugged
child of the rough frontier He grew up
r. the unlifting companionship of the trees
and the sky.
The privations of poverty became the
pillars Of his power He trudged on foot for
miles TO borrow a grammar add pondered as
he walked on the problems of life He
pored by the light of the pine knots over
his few books, and stepped himself in the
great truths and the simple diction of the
Bible He split rails with his giant hands
and divided right from wrong with his great
mind and heart
He wrestled and debated; he struggled
cd IN.
TO the self-reliance and strength of char
acter and power of thought and depth of
conviction and mastery of men which armed
= him for the supreme trial of later years
God fashions his divine Inspirations in
various molds. At times the fire of elo-
ouence and passion whose irresistible fas-
cination conquers man and captivates wOm-
en- CLEANS through the ugly face of Mira
beau. and at times the colossal block from
the celestial quarry is chiseled in the noble
front and form OF a Webster. In Lincoln
the divine spark lighted a homely face and
an ungainly form with unwonted glow His
towering stature, his stumbling figure his
rugged and pallid features scanned with
sorrow and furrowed with care. his deep,
cavernous eyes filled with sadness, his pla i'm
garb hanging awkwardly on his tall frame
all seemed little uncomely when he was i'm
repose, but when he had message TO de-
liver TO men they were illumined with a rare
dignity and authority.
1.-THE elements were marvelously mixed
In his composition and career. Fiction has
no equal for the romance of his life and
history. no parallel for his rise from the
lowliest walk to the loftiest mission among
men.
CONTEST BRINGS HIM FAME.
"It was his famous contest with Douglas
for the United States senatorship that first
made known his powers 10 the country.
Lincoln's wonderful speeches revealed a
new national figure. Their frankness, their
penetration. their comprehensive grasp,
their resistless strength of reasoning, their
lofty tone. showed his extraordinary intel
iectual and moral qualities. He was at once
more candid and more adroit more sincere
and more subtle. than his opponent.
'In his opening speech, against the pro-
test of timid friends, he made that bold and
memorable declaration which attested how
problem of government, and how deeply
rooted were his convictions. Il believe he
said. this government cannot endure per-
manently half slave and half free i do
not expect the Union to be dissolved I do
not expect the house to fall but do expect
10 will cease TO be divided Ii will become
all one thing or all the other
Little. perhaps, did he then dream that
he was 10 be the chosen instrument of that
prophetic vision and that great destiny,
Further on In the discussion, seizing the
dilemma OF his anita gonist, he compelIed
Douglas 10 escape the horn OF the bred
Scott decision by impaling himself on the
horn OF squatter sovereignty. He forced
him to take the Illogical and fatal attitude
that slavery was lawfully in Kansas bv the
supreme law. but that IL might be lawfully
driven out by unfriendIy local leg
islation. Lincoln was warned that